Metis Strategy

In this interview, Brian Cameron discusses two principles of World Class IT with Metis Strategy. Some of the topics discussed include The development and growth of the unique Enterprise Integration program that he leads at Pennsylvania State University His role in the formation of a corporate and government advisory board on Enterprise Architecture and the ways in which he has leveraged that position to improve the program that PSU offers The research efforts and importance of understanding the idea of the hybrid approach that so many organizations are adopting, which blends various methodologies The career path, place, and future for undergraduates that study Enterprise Architecture in the corporate space The development and future of the field of Enterprise Architecture education

Peter High discusses his Book "World Class IT: Why Businesses Succeed When IT Triumphs." Some of the topics discussed include Principles that the best information technology executives follow Thoughts on how the principles work as a virtuous cycle, including how improved performance in one can lead to better performance in others Introductory and advanced metrics related to each principle and associated sub-principles Specific case examples that highlight each principle based on extensive work with leading CEOs, CIOs, CTOs, and other IT executives Thoughts on other factors that separate leaders from laggards in information technology

In this interview, Tim Stanley discusses principle four of World Class IT with Metis Strategy. Some of the topics discussed include How first establishing the company’s direction creates a path for innovation The necessity of IT being used as a strategic weapon in leading innovation Tim’s method of using 6 vectors to structure the path that enables and leads to innovation The ways a company can leverage insights from their customers, particularly the importance of understanding digital interactivity and conducting rapid prototyping How every IT executive should in some way span out into the business in order to understand how to improve what the business does The importance of using alignment and analytics as strategic tools

In this interview, Jeff Kubacki discusses three principles of World Class IT with Metis Strategy. Some of the topics discussed include How globalizing and simplifying IT infrastructure is a main objective in a post-acquisition environment The importance of career planning as a core competency for Kroll IT Jeff's method on facilitating the communication between the Business and IT The cultural challenges faced within IT when transitioning to a more metrics driven determination of value How openly sharing objectives with vendors can lead to more appropriately tailored solution proposals

In this interview, Becky Krupski discusses principle five of World Class IT with Metis Strategy. Some of the topics discussed include The importance of treating vendor management as more than vendor procurement The way a Vendor Management Office creates an advantage by allowing the technologists to focus on where their skill sets lie How best to manage vendor effectiveness through SLAs and other qualitative and quantitative assessments The segmentation of vendors into Strategic, Collaborative, and Tactical, and the unique treatment that each set warrants in order to drive the business The dynamics of interconnectivity that the VMO has with other parts of the business

In this interview, Joey Miller discusses three principles of World Class IT with Metis Strategy. Some of the topics discussed include How a large corporation manages its structure when it is diverse both geographically and in its products and services The need for multi-tiered governance in a multinational corporation that not only allows for flexibility to meet unique needs, but also provides the platform to leverage an extensive network of knowledge The importance of synchronizing high level functions to ensure optimization of resources and to ignite improved performance How a multinational corporation can remain connected and on the same page through the use of technology How a fee-for-service IT billing system encourages the marriage of IT and business executives in planning and cost reductions

In this interview, Mike Kistner discusses three principles of World Class IT with Metis Strategy. Some of the topics discussed include How a recession presents opportunities to provoke more change with less resistance The need to reassess reengineered processes in order to constantly stay relevant How the path of CIO to CEO will continue to become a more popular trend The importance of balance between business acumen and IT prowess for IT personnel How including vendors and customers in the technology roadmap can help improve product development

In this interview, Jane Landon discusses two principles of World Class IT with Metis Strategy. Some of the topics discussed include How Jane was able to bring disparate IT entities together to create efficiencies across the organization The cultural challenges faced when joining an organization that is not accustomed to change in IT The importance of team support for change in order to avoid a backward transition once external help is no longer present to support the organization The unique role of working in government IT; while business divisions are the primary customers, there is still a responsibility to the citizens How Jane’s experience in the corporate sector has prepared her for her transition to the government sector

In this interview, Rob Austin and Richard Nolan discuss their book "The Adventures of an IT Leader" with Metis Strategy. Some of the topics discussed include How a functioning narrative can engage the generation of digital natives to absorb important challenges that a new CIO must prepare for The evolution of IT into a more strategic and critical role than in the past How the CIO truly holds a business management position The importance of a CEO treating IT as a participative, rather than as a spectator sport How the book has found resonance with many CIO leaders as an accurate and telling depiction of their everyday life

In this interview, Gregor Bailar discusses three principles of World Class IT with Metis Strategy. Some of the topics discussed include How to prepare for disaster recovery by ensuring that the business will be able to continue to function How to work through crises challenging the corporate culture and the need to learn from these experiences The importance of making the corporate vision clear to all levels of employees and of emphasizing each employee's role in achieving the corporate vision How IT's role in designing infrastructure can enable team-oriented collaboration How the CIO must act as a translator between the business partners and the technology enablers

In this interview, Bob Willett discusses two principles of World Class IT with Metis Strategy. Some of the topics discussed include The critical role of technology in a multifaceted, geographically dispersed business as the key agent of change The emerging trend of more CEOs coming from a CIO career path The benefits to CEOs of involving their CIOs in all strategic decisions How Best Buy uses Business Information Officers, which are evaluated on their respective businesses, rather than Information Technology Officers The value of software residing in how it is used, rather than in what software is used The importance of cultural fit when working with an external partner to provide value to the customer

In this interview, Bob Fecteau discusses three principles of World Class IT with Metis Strategy. Some of the topics discussed include The multiple layers of complexity in IT government contracting The challenges of managing a remote workforce How “insourcing” IT services that were once outsourced can leverage competitiveness The importance of protecting a company’s intellectual property The importance of positioning IT to grow and improve the business through strategic alignment

In this interview, Ananda Rakhit discusses three principles of World Class IT with Metis Strategy. Some of the topics discussed include How to manage a virtual workforce Focusing on hiring people with hard skills and teaching soft skills Setting priorities to deliver projects on time and on target The importance of building vendor relationships How to properly evaluate vendors

In this interview, Carl Ascenzo discusses principle five of World Class IT with Metis Strategy. Some of the topics discussed include Customer orientation as a key skill for anyone working in IT The importance of pursuing vendor management How to structure, build, and run a vendor management office The importance of cultural fit when choosing strategic vendors How getting the lowest price from a vendor may not always be in a company's best interest

Among other topics, Bob discusses the following issues with Metis Strategy IT’s Role as a business partner The growing trend toward a virtual workforce Using customer experience monitoring to improve IT’s performance Opportunities created by implementing SOA at a large, complex organization