In Search of Business Value: Ensuring a Return on Your Technology Investment

Most business-self-help-type books put me to sleep pretty fast. I appreciate the direction, examples, and insight given by this book. It points out many issues I have seen at past employers and gave me a lot to think about as far as 'the right ting to do' as far as technology implementations go. From the trenches, all I usually saw was 'how do I sell this to my boss to get funding'. By changing my perspective a little, I am able to see a much bigger picture. The problem is not too hard, it just needs to be approached with the proper respect and consideration by all parties involved. Accountability, governance, common sense, leadership, communications and honesty -- it all takes work, but it is the only way to achieve excellence.

A key Microsoft vice president and a skilled author of the business world (among other venues) combine their talents to present In Search of Business Value, a management self-help book for both corporate and IT leaders that offers real-life examples showing how best to extract the maximum business value from technology. Framing the achievement of business value as a leadership issue, not a technology issue, chapters address how to make a business case for types of technology, the role governance can play in order to improve the useage of IT, how to cope with controversy and miscellaneous problems, and much more. A no-nonsense guide to steering clear of trouble and gaining optimum benefit, written especially for managers and lay people who themselves may be only minimally familiar with the latest technological innovations.