Business Intelligence Applied: Implementing an Effective Information and Communications Technology Infrastructure

Praise for Business Intelligence Applied "Michael Gendron stresses the importance of managers developing a good understanding of the organization's ICT value proposition as well as the tools to create it. . . .This approach to Business Intelligence value, mediated by ICT infrastructure, is a solid contribution to the management literature that will be of interest to information systems professionals on both the management and technology sides and to general managers as well." —William K. Holstein , Professor of Strategy and IT, Lorange Institute of Business, Zurich Build an optimal information communication and technology infrastructure We can now envision the day when BI systems will not only pull meaningful interrelationships out of data but also improve decision making with insights that lead to improved business processes. Revealing essential information for building an optimal and effective information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure, Business Intelligence Applied covers: Making sense of the flood of incoming data your business faces from social networks, Tweets, and e-mail Why you need to build ICT infrastructure to support your business processes How ICT produces value Understanding your organization and its competitive environment Measuring the business value of ICT Best practices for documenting process change Best practices for documenting technology recommendations Read Business Intelligence Applied and unleash its power within your organization.

Foreword xi Preface xv Acknowledgments xvii Part One Introducing ICT Strategy Chapter 1 Defining Information and Communication Technology Infrastructure 3 ICT and Business Intelligence 4 ICT Value Management 5 Business–Driven Infrastructure Design 18 ICT Infrastructure Defined 20 Conclusion 23 Notes 24 Chapter 2 Introductory Business and Technology Strategy Concepts 27 Introduction to Business and Technology Strategy 28 Budgeting Technology Expenditures 47 Conclusion 49 Notes 50 Chapter 3 Why Build an ICT Infrastructure to Support Business Processes? 51 Reasons to Build an ICT Infrastructure 52 Business Processes in an Organizational Context 59 Organizations, Supply Chains, Value Chains, and Processes 67 A Summary: What Is a Process? 73 Conclusion 74 Notes 75 Part Two Understanding How ICT Produces Value Chapter 4 Understanding Your Organization and Its Competitive Environment 79 Organizational Value Propositions 80 Value Search Models: Internal and External Analysis 81 Value Models: Environmental Scanning 97 Conclusion 106 Notes 106 Chapter 5 Process Improvement or Innovation? 107 Improvement versus Innovation 107 Determining a Starting Point 110 Organizational Enablers 112 ICT as an Enabler 116 ICT Constraints 121 Summary of Enablers of Process Change 122 Conclusion 123 Notes 123 Chapter 6 Measuring the Business Value of ICT 125 Introductory Theories 125 Technology Justification Models 127 Balanced Scorecard 143 Conclusion 150 Notes 150 Part Three Best Practices Chapter 7 Best Practices for Documenting Process Change 155 Design Documents 155 Process Design Diagram Set 156 Business Process Modeling 156 Using TSI to Introduce BPM 173 Conclusion 185 Notes 186 Chapter 8 Best Practices for Documenting Technology Recommendations 187 ICT Design Documents 188 ICT Infrastructure Diagram Set 189 ICT Infrastructure Modeling 189 Conclusion 210 Notes 211 Chapter 9 The Business–Driven Infrastructure Design Cycle 213 The BDID Process 213 Members of the ICT Design Team 216 BDID Phases 216 Conclusion 235 Note 235 Appendix 237 About the Author 247 Index 249

MICHAEL S. GENDRON, PhD, is a Professor at Central Connecticut State University and an ICT strategy consultant. He speaks regularly at academic and professional conferences globally, as well as participates in Internet governance activities.