In his 35 years in the Information Technology (IT) profession, Fred Mapp has witnessed the incredible evolution of technology and has seen firsthand how it has transformed business. He's seen IT evolve from being viewed as a corporate backwater to being recognized as a critical driver of innovation, efficiency, and success. Yet, despite all the gains, over the years he's seen companies, both large and small, struggle with common challenges time and time again. And more often than not, these challenges are not technology problems, they are basic business issues, such as developing effective processes; communicating organizational needs and goals; and recruiting and retaining the right team of people to attain success.
With this book, his goal is to share some of the insights he's gained through experience in the trenches and provide a blueprint for businesses to follow to help wring maximum value from their technology investments. The blueprint is based on Seven Initiatives he developed and put into practice at several companies, initiatives that have helped drive these organizations forward. They are grounded in the basic principle of aligning your IT strategies and investments with your overarching business strategies and goals. These initiatives, which have been tested and refined in the real world, offer guidelines that any organization can adapt to its own specific needs. Whether your organization is a global corporation, a medium-sized business, a government agency, or a non-profit, there are universal challenges that we all face as well as solutions that can be tailored to fit each unique situation.
The Seven Initiatives
- Aligning IT strategies with your organization’s vision, objectives, and business strategies. - Understanding business-process management practices throughout your business, including your IT organization. - Mapping Your IT Infrastructure And Applications To Support Your Business Needs. - Recruiting, developing, and retaining the right team of people. - Providing and improving business solutions through leadership and consulting. - Managing costs across IT. - Improving the system for measuring the success of your IT investments.
Fred Mapp has more than 35 years of experience in the information technology (IT) profession, having held key executive positions at IBM, InfoSpan Corporation, American Express, Honeywell, and AMD. He was instrumental in the development and implementation of new technology applications and services and in the re-engineering of the IT organizations in all of those companies. He has extensive experience in cost reduction and outsourcing in the IT organizations he has led.
Mapp also launched his own consulting business, Quality Service Solutions, which focused on helping companies identify their business requirements and developing processes for key technology products and services, such as sales force automation, customer resource management, enterprise resource planning, and E-business applications. He specialized in the areas of process management, RFP generation, vendor selection and implementation. He has provided consulting services to a variety of Fortune 1000 and software companies.
Over the years, he has been involved with several process-improvement initiatives, including ISO9000 and Six Sigma programs. In 1990 while at IBM, he successfully implemented quality-improvement systems and process-change management disciplines and led one of the support organizations that was recognized with the coveted Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award.
