What were the biggest developments in agile software development and project management in 2003? And what lies ahead in 2004? We posed these questions to three Cutter Consortium Senior Consultants: Scott W. Ambler, E.M. Bennatan, and Robert N. Charette.

As a professional negotiator, I am always surprised at the poor quality of the contracts that I have to renegotiate. They are often created by intelligent and well-meaning folks, who unfortunately are not experienced in the negotiation process and who therefore do not understand the pitfalls that may lie ahead.

As a result of tough economic conditions over the past few years, IT budgets have been exposed to intense scrutiny. They have become subject to solid business metrics such as earned value and return on investment (ROI). As a result, new trends are emerging concerning the perception of IT training within the workplace.

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act is the US federal government's reaction to the corporate debacles of Enron, WorldCom, Adelphia, and several other companies. The law requires specific financial reporting by public companies, with severe penalties for willful misrepresentation of financial results or forecasts.

What were the top issues on the CIO's agenda in 2003, and what looms in 2004? We asked Cutter Consortium Senior Consultants Steve Andriole, Mark Cotteleer, and Peter O'Farrell these and other questions pertaining to the role of the CIO in this and the coming year.

There are many reasons organizations consider outsourcing. Cutting costs is the most obvious; some others include the following:

Are you sick of trying to align IT with your business? Tired of hearing how to match business-unit needs with IT realities? Want to spend more time on the core business process? The retail industry, in particular, is already embarking on a move toward business and IT alignment.