Stories by Christopher Koch

Covisint's last chance

Can an old guy come out of retirement and save one of the icons of the new economy? In an exclusive Q&A, Harold Kutner says that's exactly what he's going to do.

Written by Christopher Koch08 Dec. 02 09:42

The Powers That Should Be

David Drew used to have his own supergroup for IT decision making at 3M: the Information Systems Steering Committee. He had all six business division chiefs in there, along with the top functional leaders, meeting together six times a year to do nothing but jam on IT strategy, endorse IT projects of more than $US1 million and prioritise IT resources

Written by Christopher Koch09 Oct. 02 10:30

It All Began with Drayer

Now that every company on the planet is trying to automate the relationship between suppliers and customers, it's worth remembering who invented this stuff more than 20 years ago: Procter & Gamble. Specifically, teams of business and IT people led in 1980 by P&G brand manager Duane Weeks (who now runs his own software company, Exemplary) and in 1987 by Ralph Drayer, P&G's vice president of customer services (who now runs his own consulting company, Supply Chain Insights).

Written by Christopher Koch06 Sept. 02 10:45

It's Time to Take Control

Jerry Hale is giving the cold shoulder to the big consultancies that want to help him run his most important software projects. " I refuse to turn over the leadership of my ERP project to consultants," says Hale, vice president and CIO of Tennessee-based Eastman Chemical, which has 6000 users of SAP's R/3 ERP software. He felt burned by a consultant-led ERP project in the mid-90s that went over budget, over scope and far beyond the original project schedule. So when the time came to replace that system with a new one, Hale decided to use his own people to do the project along with a few handpicked consultants brought in to do small, specific tasks.

David Johns, senior vice president and CIO at Ohio-based Owens Corning, doesn't rely on consultants either. He and his IT staff now run Owens Corning's big software projects themselves, using consultants only for certain tasks.

Written by Christopher Koch05 Aug. 02 09:57

Why Doesn't Your ROI Add Up?

Y2K and the e-commerce gold rush made ROI analysis little more than an empty formality at most companies. Now ROI is back.
We give you seven tips to see if your method measures up.

Written by Christopher Koch08 April 02 09:30

The Kindest Cuts

When corporate spending is tight, spend money on better ways of working, not on better computers.
Here are eight ways to cut wisely.

Written by Christopher Koch12 Nov. 01 10:32

Under The Influence

Corporations pay technology analysts US$ 15 billion a year for unbiased technology research. But many common analyst practices look suspiciously like conflicts of interest.

Written by Christopher Koch09 March 01 11:11

Boy, Was That Fast!

Last year ASPs were hotter than hot. Now after Pandesic's failure last summer, that sound you hear is the popping of the ASP bubble.

Written by Christopher Koch15 Dec. 00 12:23

Four Strategies

The options for Web-enabling your supply chain are beginning to ererge. It's time to choose.

Written by Christopher Koch15 Nov. 00 12:29

The Big Payoff

A decade's worth of time and money invested in wiring up the enterprise is about to return billions to the bottom line. How is that going to happen? Supply chain automation. Who's going to get the credit? It could be you.

Written by Christopher Koch15 Nov. 00 12:02

Monster in a Box?

As ASPs size up the Fortune 500, the three hottest letters in technology are getting ready for the big time. Can CIOs rally to tame the beast?

Written by Christopher Koch31 May 00 16:02

ASP and Ye Shall Receive

Two examples of how necessity is the mother of inventive compromises, new leadership roles and an unfamiliar world in which trust becomes a major business issue

Written by Christopher Koch08 May 00 09:22

The Process Starts Here

What is a business process anyway? The official definition from reengineering's original pulpit-thumping guru Michael Hammer: an organised group of related activities that together create value

Written by Christopher Koch06 March 00 12:40
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