Creating an evolutionary process in development has been seen as a perspective belonging more to the philosophical and spiritual realms than to the so-called scientific realm. An evolutionary approach, however, provides for sustainability of growth.

Information technology in the modern large enterprise is becoming increasingly expensive.

There are those lucky few: the ones who strive, thrive, and succeed in spite of the chaos and confusion in the ever-changing landscape of IT.

In past Executive Updates, I have examined various issues relating to executing mobile applications in response to increased consumer demand for access to websites via mobile devices as well as some decision frameworks for determining the best operating system for your organization's mobile applications.

Frameworks are one of the most useful and practical tools in an architect's arsenal. But they are frequently misunderstood or misapplied.

In addition to changes in day-to-day practices, being agile requires a cultural shift across your organization. This Executive Update discusses how to balance agile values and practices when transitioning to an agile approach by using as examples three of the more common practices: pair programming, issue tracking, and unit testing.

When you begin preparing any substantial type of communication whether verbal (i.e., presentation) or written (i.e., detailed email,) you likely start by thinking about content: what you want to say.

The data warehouse, unlike the other IT systems in an enterprise, is an exclusive data platform with a data model as its backbone. In general, one may conceive an IT system to be a combination of processes and data.

Frameworks provide the theoretical backbone for architecture, but they are often perceived as too abstract with little direct relevance to the architect's daily routine.

SaaS is increasingly considered "enterprise grade" by many IT buyers and a viable choice in achieving reduced costs, improved service, and ongoing, timely functional currency.

The advent of Big Data has opened up enormous opportunities for retail enterprises to track and gain important insights about customers. Thriving customer analytics depends on the availability and credibility of the underlying data.

With more than 2,000 collaboration vendors offering solutions, is it hard to determine which is the best one for your organization? Or is that the wrong question? Successful collaboration is more about fitting a tool, process, and team rather than just looking at a particular technology.

B&EA Executive Update Vol. 15 No. 3

Certain business situations require analytics to monitor operations as close as possible to real time. However, delays caused by moving data in the repository for its analytical treatment are usually too long to enable companies to respond efficiently to queries -- or to take actions in real time. One of today's biggest challenges is the need to act efficiently amid the huge volumes of constantly changing information.

Certain business situations require analytics to monitor operations as close as possible to real time.

Being agile means managing a project in an iterative fashion with incremental delivery.

In 1962, NASA's programmers made a small but drastic mistake.

In this Executive Update, I explore the need to develop and encourage collaboration, which has become increasingly urgent in recent years as organizations confront the changing realities of the modern world.

While frameworks are generally seen as a necessary theoretical backbone for architecture, they are often perceived as being too abstract, with little direct relevance in the architect's daily routine. But for experienced enterprise architects, frameworks are a constant guide, used to direct and manage everything they do. Why, then, is such a useful architectural tool so frequently overlooked or underused?

While frameworks are generally seen as a necessary theoretical backbone for architecture, they are often perceived as being too abstract, with little direct relevance in the architect's daily routine. But for experienced enterprise architects, frameworks are a constant guide, used to direct and manage everything they do.

Is the project manager expected to act as a negotiator, too? The answer: you better believe it! It may not be an "official" expectation, but a project manager who isn't prepared to face negotiation situations during the life of a project is not really prepared. The need for negotiation will happen -- trust me. And it will happen when you're not even aware it's happening.

In Part I of this Executive Update series, we looked at the barriers to and possible benefits of collaboration.

In technology architecture, it's easy to spot a wrong solution but almost impossible to design the perfect system.

As I write this Executive Update, it is the season for annual performance appraisals. Managers and team members gather feedback, catalog accomplishments, and fill in forms. Managers collate, rate, and rank.

As we continue in questionable economic times, many have been wondering how the extended downturn will impact Gen Y retention.