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Webcast: In the Google Apps Cloud: How to Achieve Your Business Objectives

Dec 3rd, '09, 1 - 2 pm US/Eastern (GMT-5)

Join Council member Brent Hoag, Director, Global IT, at JohnsonDiversey, as he discusses the adoption of Google Apps which has helped meet four corporate goals; sustainability, simplification, increased employee productivity and global collaboration.

Webcast: Collaboration Initiatives: Benchmarks & Best Practices

Dec 15th, '09, 4 - 5 pm US/Eastern (GMT-5)

Join Council members Ruth Thorpe, VP & CIO at the U.S. Pharmaceutical Operations of Sanofi-Aventis, and Gary Kuyper, CIO at Bethany Christian Services, as they speak about their collaboration initiatives and experiences in how and why they chose the social networking and collaboration tools they are using and their business goals for collaboration, and facing culture change challenges.

Data Overview: Collaboration Initiatives Field Guide: Benchmarks & Best Practices

This appendix to the Council Field Guide provides an analysis which discusses benchmarks for collaboration IT implementation costs, adoption rates and payoffs. The overview identifies top IT and business goals and satisfaction rates for collaboration initiatives as well as best practices and lessons learned for implementing collaboration IT.

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RESOURCE CENTER
 
 
 
 

How Do Business Analysts Become Business Leaders?

A Forrester Research report offers several career paths for business analysts, details what IT skills are important, and provides survey results on what next-step positions offer the most opportunity.

 

July 02, 2008CIO

Not many people—including business analysts themselves—are able to agree upon a standard job description, typical skill sets, proper training methods or a well-defined career path for the business analyst position. Yet almost everyone who's ever toiled away on an 18-month software development project can agree on the importance of the business analyst role to project success. (For more on this topic, see "Why Business Analysts Are So Important for IT and CIOs.")

So while everyone agrees that good business analysts are extremely valuable, and that cultivating business analyst talent is essential for effective IT operations, a new Forrester Research report says that businesses need to do more. To really take advantage of everything that business analysts have to offer, there needs to be an answer to a career conundrum that many business analysts face: What's next?

In the June 2008 report, "The Business-Oriented Business Analyst," Forrester's Andy Salunga offers several potential paths to future business leadership for business-oriented business analysts.

First it needs to be noted that Forrester categorizes business analysts (BAs) into three roles: business-oriented BAs, who focus on a particular function, such as HR, finance or supply chain; IT-oriented BAs, who report into IT; and business technology BAs, who possess a blend of broad business experience and operational know-how as well as a high degree of tech know-how. However, the analysis and discussion of business analyst career path seems just as applicable to all other BAs and those who are interested in becoming one.

Salunga also uses Forrester survey data from both business- and IT-oriented BAs to examine the types of positions and roles that today's business analysts think they should go after. (See "Six Secrets of Top-Notch Business Analysts" to read what CIOs and analysts think are the winning attributes and skills of the best business analysts.)

Overall, Salunga surmises that IT's importance in today's enterprises has raised more questions about the exact role business analysts should play, rather than providing concrete answers in determining the most logical and fulfilling BA career path.

"Disruptive internal and external forces such as globalization and the emergence of business process management (BPM) technology and service-oriented architecture (SOA) have created intense demand for multidimensional professionals with broad business, IT and leadership skills," he writes. "Today's business-oriented business analysts must seek out and create their own opportunities beyond their comfort zones, either on a traditional business-focused yet tech-savvy path or on a new emerging path as a business technology analyst."

 
 
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WHITE PAPERS

Top 10 Habits of Highly Effective PMOs

This white paper outlines the top ten habits necessary to make your PMO more effective and maximize its benefit to your organization.
 

Why an Enterprise Project Portfolio Management, EPPM

Beyond traditional project portfolio management, Primavera P6 EPPM improves visibility into every aspect of the project manufacturing process.
 

Does Your Organization Need a Project Management Office?

Read this paper to find out if a Project Management Office (PMO) could be your solution.
 

Making Earned Value Management Work for Every Project

Earned Value Management (EVM) allows you to predict your project results within 15-20% of completion, in time to make a difference.
 

Project Management Office Best Practices

Once best practice basics are in place, the PMO has demonstrated improvement in project delivery and the office has gained credibility.
 

Automate and Accelerate with Project Management

This white paper asserts that the common thread that must run through all phases of project manufacturing is a Project Portfolio Management (PPM) system.
 

WEBCASTS

Extending Client Refresh - 11 Steps to Maximize Savings

11 Steps to Maximize Savings
 

The Last Software You'll Ever Buy? The Platform Approach to Development

Torn between "buy" and "build"? There is a third option that can give you the custom fit of an in-house build and t...
 

Beyond Installing ITPM Software: How a global company reduced risk and successfully implemented ITPM

Hear directly from one of your peers who has reduced risk and successfully implemented ITPM in this Live Webcast. ...
 

Informatica 9: What it means for the CIO?

Hear from Informatica's CIO on how Informatica 9 will improve...
 

The Case for Data Protection for SMBs

Every business needs a data back-up and recovery strategy. Without it, a severe storm or power outage could result ...
 

Enterprise Capture: Your Onramp to Business Process Automation

Date: Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Time: 11:00 AM PT/2:00 PM ET

Today more than ever companies are see...
 

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