Stage-Gate Development - An Example of a Level 2 Sticking Point

I posted from time-to-time on what I’ve called “sticking points” - how things that you had to do (e.g., practices, processes) to get from Level 1 Business-IT Maturity to Level 2 could trap you in Level 2 if you did not modify them, or in some cases, dispense with them entirely!  It’s not that they [...]

So, What Comes After Level 3 Business-IT Maturity?

I had a question from a colleague recently that I’d like to address in this post.  She asked, “I’m going to ask a possibly ‘dumb’ question, but since I believe that there are no dumb questions I’m asking it anyway…  Since level 3 is constantly evolving i.e., today’s Level 3 will be tomorrow’s Level 2 [...]

Reaching Level 3: The Mindset Factor

I’ve posted before on the role of ambition as a key factor in driving business-IT maturity.  I want to move beyond that and pick up the theme of mindset.  This is a topic I covered in today’s teleconference as part of our multi-client research project into business-IT maturity.
According to Wikipedia, Mindset refers to the set [...]

Podcast on Business-IT Maturity Model

 
I’m very proud that Tom Parish, host and audio producer for the excellent Enterprise Leadership web site, invited me to deliver a podcast on the Business-IT Maturity model.  Just click on the blue link above my photo, or right-click to download the mp3 file.
It was a great deal of fun to do - Tom asked [...]

Business-IT Confluence

 
I’ve said before, I learn so much (perhaps most?) from my clients.  I’m out at Pebble Beach for one of BSG Alliance’s Senior Executive Summit meetings.  I’ve been presenting our research on Reaching Level 3 Business-IT Maturity.  Before my session, at the opening dinner, a client was asking me about my presentation, and as I [...]

Are Your Vendor Partners Holding You Back?

 
I’ve been talking lately to CIO’s about Business-IT Maturity as part of the Reaching Level 3 multi-company research I am leading.  A recurring theme has come up enough times for me to believe it’s not an aberration. 
Several CIO’s have said to me something along the lines of, “We have several major business partners (providers of hardware, [...]

Forget Maturity Models?

 
A colleague just pointed me to a ZapThink post last month entitled Forget Maturity Models−It’s time for an agility model.  It turns out the types of maturity model ZapThink would like us to forget are CMMI and any SOA maturity model.  They don’t specifically call out the Business-IT Maturity Model that has been a recurring [...]

Business-IT Maturity - Implications of Discontinuities

Yesterday I suggested a refinement to the single, continuous “S” curve Business-IT Maturity model, to one comprised of a series of “S” curves, with discontinuities between them.  I think the refinement is more than trivial, and certainly not simply cosmetic.  I’ve blogged before on the notion of Level 2 “sticking points.”   These are behaviors and [...]

Re-thinking Business-IT Maturity

It’s time to update our venerable Business-IT Maturity curve - this is a BIG DEAL!  (Well, at least it is to some of us!)
For the last 10 years or so I have been drawing a simplified version of the Business-IT Maturity curve as a single ‘S’ curve, or learning curve.  I typically talk about three [...]

Clues to IT 2017: When the CIO Owns More than IT

 
Since starting this blog, I’ve made IT organizations and the issues of driving to higher Business-IT Maturity the central theme (aside a couple of self-indulgent detours into the world of Rock and Roll!)  Even the blog’s title - IT Organization Circa 2017 - is meant to define my scope - what IT organizations will look [...]