Mission Critical: Realizing the Promise of Enterprise Systems - Hardcover

Davenport, Thomas H.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0875849067 ISBN 13: 9780875849065

Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press, 2000

Synopsis

This is a no-nonsense guide to the benefits and pitfalls of enterprise-wide information systems. How many organizations would doubt the promise of an integrated enterprise system (ES)? Not many, judging by a $15 billion industry. The combination of an ES as a platform for organizational information and Internet technology for gaining access to it adds up to the ideal solution for company-wide data sharing in real time. Not surprisingly, small and large companies worldwide are either considering an ES, in the process of implementing one, or living with the results. Yet, says Tom Davenport, unless managers view ES adoption and implementation as a business decision rather than a technology decision, they may be risking disappointment Mission Critical presents an authoritative and no-nonsense view of the ES opportunities and challenges. Suggesting ESs are not the right choice for every company, the author provides a set of guidelines to help managers evaluate the benefits and risks for their organizations. To be successful, argues Davenport, an organization must make simultaneous changes in its information systems, its business processes, and its business strategy. Such changes are described in detail with extensive examples from real organizations. Bolstering his contention that ESs should be viewed as business vs. technology projects, Davenport spells out the specific business change objectives that should be formulated in advance of ES adoption and monitored throughout its implementation. The first strategic guide to the ES decision, Mission Critical will be indispensable to general managers and information technology specialists at all stages of the implementation process.

About this title

About the Author

Thomas H. Davenport is the President’s Distinguished Chair at Babson College and a research fellow at the MIT Center for Digital Business.

From the Back Cover

"Mission Critical is a clear and comprehensive account of the enduring value of enterprise systems. Davenport's experience consulting for the world's leading companies gives his research an undeniable veracity. Anyone interested in how the real world of business works will gain a great deal of insight from this book."
--Henning Kagermann, Co-Chairman of the Executive Board and Co-CEO of SAP AG

"Finally, here is a book that provides a comprehensive and practical understanding of enterprise systems-their promise, their peril, and their future. Any manager not familiar with Davenport's book and its emphasis on information management will be lacking in the business literacy so necessary for success."
--Warren Bennis, Distinguished Professor of Business, University of Southern California, and Co-author of Organizing Genius and Co-Leaders

"Transformation in any corporation requires excellence in strategy, organization, and systems. Davenport illustrates the success that results when all three components are effectively addressed and the risks in implementing systems when they are not."
--William Stavropoulos, President and CEO, The Dow Chemical Company

Edition details

• Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0875849067
• ISBN 13: 9780875849065
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 352