Phoning It In

7. Getting Clueful: Seven Things the CIO Should Know About Telecommuting

Esther Schindler asked IT workers who telecommute to share their advice for their bosses about the process, technology, and attitudes necessary for staff to be productive when they work from home. After compiling 34 pages (count 'em thirty-four) of input, these seven points were the ones that staff most desperately wished the boss would understand.

Lurking in the Shadows

8. User Management—Users Who Know Too Much and the CIOs Who Fear Them

We've been covering the "shadow IT" department all year. This article was its kickoff: the new IT department that isn't under the CIO's control. "You may not even be aware of it," author Ben Worthen wrote. "But your users are, and figuring out how to work with it will be the key to your future and your company's success."

Fun and Games

9. Let's Play Consultant

We sometimes get links from unlikely places. We're almost embarrassed to admit it, but one of our top articles is the result of recommendations from a consumer game-related site. This fun quiz (which obviously is fun, or it wouldn't remain this popular) came from a vaguely exhaustive and thoroughly unscientific survey of consultants about habits and preferences, complete with accessories and vocabulary. Also popular, and high on the entertainment scale, was Al Sacco's list of 20 USB Gizmos That Have No Place in the Enterprise (But You'll Love Just the Same).

Taking Care of Business

10. How to Spot a Failing Project

Often, the difference between success and failure is spotting critical early warning signs that a project is in trouble. Obviously, plenty of you were interested in learning how to identify the symptoms.