
Cloud basics: Iterative development and the CIO’s quest for value
The nature of cloud development can help CIOs climb higher on the business value chain.

Deltek to Acquire INPUT, Extends Its Reach in the Government Contracting Value Chain
Today Deltek announced its intent to acquire market research firm INPUT. INPUT, originally founded in 1974 as an IT market research firm has, since 2000, focused on delivering market and opportunity intelligence to IT public sector contractors and agencies. The deal is expected to close Oct 1, 2010. INPUT offers government contractors (GovCon) sales and […]

The Middle Market Is Bipolar!
Metaphor For Complexity We often do things in human resource management not because they’re important but because they’re needed and easy to do. A glaring example is the way in which HRM software vendors and outsourcing providers describe their target markets — and the way, by reflection, in which those same organizations describe themselves. The […]

Spend Matters, Live From ISM on Wednesday: Supply Risk Management Solution Analysis Session (Part 1)
This Wednesday at 9:00 AM PDT at ISM, I’ll be co-presenting with Sherry Gordon, a Spend Matters contributor and president of the Value Chain Group. Our session is titled “Understanding and Choosing Supply Risk Solutions: Software, Content and Analytics.” The two of us spent quite a bit of time analyzing the supply risk solution landscape […]

Business Partner Optimization: The Third Pillar of Social Business Design
We choose business partners because of their competency, resources and reliability. They become a critical lynchpin in delivering value to the customer. Whether it is a strategic R&D partner or an independent truck driver moving your good across the continent, isn’t it time to think about those relationships in a Social Business Design light? Some […]

Customer Ownership: Relationship? Conversation? Simply Put. SCRM is not VRM. Simple Being the Operative Principle
This is meant to be a simple post. Flat out, I want to say that there is a difference between “ the customer’s control of the conversation” and “customer’s owning the relationship.” Because there is a discussion that I see looming on the “ownership of the relationship” I’d like to clarify my thinking at the […]