Unfortunately, that’s not happening in most companies.

In fact, the research firm, Gartner, estimates that, “Enterprises realize on average only 43 percent of technology’s business potential.”

The big question: How can IT departments drive that number up?

If IT departments hope to maximize their impact in this day and age, they must focus their attention on the right priorities–which falls squarely on the CIO’s shoulders. So, what key areas must CIOs focus on in the near future? To help you answer that question, I’ve solicited feedback from industry experts and compiled their advice (as well as some of my own) below. Here are a few strategic priorities that CIOs must focus on in the near future.

1. Adapt to the “BYO” reality

photo credit: mikecogh via photopin cc

In the past, IT controlled the business user’s devices. That has changed. Now, users bring in their own devices (with or without IT’s knowledge), and use them for work-related tasks. The big problem: Controlling these user-owned devices is nearly impossible.

“I think one priority is to tackle the BYOA and BYOD movement that is going on since it is having an impact on the workplace,” says Andrew Dixon, SVP at Igloo Software. “We find that once a user brings their own device, they will also bring their own applications, …and this welcomes security concerns for the IT department. This is also becoming an issue with CIOs where their job is to manage workflows and information.”

2. Learn how to properly apply new technology

As technology rapidly evolves, many CIOs feel pressure to apply new technology to their business…just because it’s new. However, the true challenge for CIOs is determining which new technologies help the business, and which to avoid.

“As a former CIO in the insurance industry for many years, my experience was that strategic priorities did not tend to shift as much with technology changes as they did (and do) with the potential for applied business value those technologies offer,” says Frank Petersmark, CIO Advocate at X by 2. “Put another way, the rapid changes in technology become the tools and processes CIOs will use to enable their companies to achieve its strategic goals and objectives.”

Petersmark goes on to explain this concept further: “For example, technology trends such as Big Data, Cloud services, and mobility all become means to ends in the hands of experienced CIOs whose strategic priorities include customer intimacy, flexible and agile infrastructures, and customer service and responsiveness respectively. Yes, all of these trends are important in their own technological spheres of influence, but they need to be applied in the context of their value to a particular organization and its strategic goals for their markets, customers, and employees. The key for CIOs then as now, is to take these technologies and turn them into something strategic for their organizations.”

3. Prepare for the cloud (future-proof your architecture)

photo credit: FutUndBeidl via photopin cc

Many companies have no plans for the cloud. They prefer to keep their applications and data in-house and manage everything themselves. Don’t worry, I’m not here to convince you otherwise.

However, regardless of your plans, you must still prepare your company for the possibility of a future cloud move. After all, who knows what the future holds? Maybe cloud hosts evolve to the point that your company feels comfortable moving your data and applications off-site. Or, maybe you set up an internal cloud on a different database.

The main point: You must create portable applications today that won’t hold your company back in the future…whatever that may hold.

4. Address “Shadow IT”

With the rise of readily available cloud-based software and services, many companies face a growing “Shadow IT” problem. In short, end users are bypassing the IT department altogether, instead purchasing third party SaaS options to meet their needs.

“Research has indicated that origination of demand for IT services from non-IT teams is on the increase,” says Sanjay Maradi, author of the book, “Ride The Flat World – How CIOs can help businesses succeed”. “This means other departments such as marketing, finance etc are either beginning or considering engaging independently with IT service providers. If this is not addressed immediately the relevance of CIO would diminish.”

5. Adapt to a multi-screen world

photo credit: blakespot via photopin cc

Will smartphones and tablets ever replace the PC? Who knows? However, there’s no denying that mobile is rapidly becoming an integral part of our daily lives.

Smartphones and tablets have already taken over many tasks formerly performed by PCs. The fact is, businesses must now adapt to a multi-screen world. These days, you have no idea how internal users or customers will access your applications. Maybe they’ll use a PC. Maybe they’ll use a smartphone or tablet. Maybe they’ll use all three. You don’t know, and can’t control it.

6. Build for interoperability

“Interoperability is a big element of our IT strategy,” says Michael Clapperton, CIO of George Little Management. “Customers are more demanding on the products they use on the desktop as well as mobile devices, at the end of the day we all have to communicate with one another and systems need to send and receive usable data. The day of closed systems is coming to an end.”

I couldn’t agree more: Closed applications and systems built on proprietary languages/frameworks are on the way out. Future development efforts must not only focus on the system or application itself–it must focus on how that system/application works with others.

7. Focus on creating value (and eliminating non-core activities)

While this may sound like a recurring CIO priority, I believe it’s now more important than ever. As mentioned previously, IT departments must better address the business user’s needs, or risk being bypassed. To do so, CIO’s must eliminate non-essential activities that stand in the way.

“Another element we look at is the ability to outsource non core activities and focus on value creation,” explains Clapperton. “I don’t mean sending IT work overseas. The long term benefit of that movement is waning, I am referring to moving as many services to the cloud as possible. I no longer want to own or maintain software or hardware. There is no reason for small or mid sized firms to own equipment for standardized services.”

Wrap up

I believe that IT departments have an enormous opportunity to really make a difference in their companies. How? Much of this comes down to shifting their focus away from maintaining the status quo, and on to key strategic priorities (like the points listed above). Of course, if you can think of any other priorities to add, I’d love to hear it in the comments.

Of course, when dealing with modern underlying architecture, this approach works just fine. However, that’s rarely the case. Legacy applications in need of modernization are typically built on at least 10 – 15 year old (or older) architecture.

The problem this creates: Much has changed in that time. Programming methods have changed. Databases have changed. Application structures have changed. That’s just the beginning.

With all of these changes, you can’t simply build a new interface on top of old architecture and expect it to fit your needs. These changes require a fundamental shift in application architecture and development as a whole.

I could go on, but we’ve outlined everything in a free white paper entitled: Crash Course in Modernization. It explains the changes you must address, and even outlines 5 different modernization methods.

If You Can’t Sell to Me on My iPhone, Best Buy, You Can’t Sell to Me at All
I noticed two key points in this article that businesses can’t ignore: First, the author expects to receive a mobile-optimized experience when viewing a site on his smartphone. Second, he purchased an item from Amazon, using his smartphone, while standing in a Staples store. This ties in perfectly with the article from last week: 3 new trends created by mobile (that you can’t ignore).

10 productivity tips for software developers
What’s the number one complaint people give as a reason for not accomplishing their goals? They didn’t have time. If you can’t seem to find the time to accomplish your goals at work, here’s an article that might help. While geared at software developers, these tips will easily apply to anyone. Also, if you’d like to read more on the topic, here’s another article that lists a few common IT practices that waste your time.

How enterprise IT gets creative
IT innovation is rapidly becoming a key element to a successful business. But, how can IT departments innovate? This article highlights 5 companies that foster IT creativity, and offers a look into their various approaches.

A Template for Software Requirements
If you’re building new software or applications, here’s an article that may come in handy. It provides a template (pulled from the book “Mastering the Requirements Process”) that developers can use to plan a development project.

When you consider that the iPhone was first released in 2007, that is an absolutely mind-blowing statistic. In nearly 6 years, smartphones (as we know them today) have gone from 0 – 50% adoption.

Today, I’d like to go a step beyond the growing mobile trend. I’d like to examine trends created by the rise of smartphones and tablets. Specifically, I’d like to focus on ways mobile is changing business.

So, how does the rise of smartphones and tablets change business? What new trends are cropping up? While I’m sure there are more, here are 3 big business trends created by mobile:

1. 24/7 is getting longer

I know what you’re thinking. “How can 24/7 get any longer?”

Let me explain.

Suppose you own a brick and mortar business that’s open 24/7. Now, suppose your average customer has a family, works a 9-5 job, and sleeps 6-8 hours a night. That doesn’t leave much time to shop at your store. While your store may never close, that customer’s available “purchasing hours” aren’t nearly 24/7. They’re hovering somewhere around 3 – 4 hours.

What happens if you also created an eCommerce website for your business? While the website does expand your customer’s purchasing hours, it’s still somewhat limiting. Customers can’t buy from you unless they’re in front of a computer with an internet connection. How long do your customers sit in front of a computer? Assuming they work an office job, that’s about 8 – 10 hours (on the high end).

Now, what happens if you create a mobile app for your business? Your customers can buy from you anytime and anywhere. Think about it: A smartphone is a small, always-connected computer that your customers carry around everywhere. With a mobile presence, your customers can purchase from, or interact with you as soon as the thought enters their mind.

Case in point: I bought printer ink the other day. On my way home…while stopped at a red light. In the past, I would’ve had to remember to buy it when I got home. Now, I can buy as soon as I think about it.

The question is: Where is your business when a customer or potential prospect needs you?

Mobile gives businesses an incredible opportunity to reach their customers and prospects regardless of time or location. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a services company, or you sell physical products. Your customers and prospects need to interact with you.

How are you using mobile to reach more customers?

2. Tools are making a comeback

I remember hearing business leaders complain about the difficulty of keeping up with technology. That was 5 years ago. That was before mobile became big.

Can you imagine what those same businesses are saying today?

All of a sudden, IT departments face the daunting challenge of building applications that not only work across all browsers, but across all devices as well. Businesses find themselves needing an ever growing array of skills.

These factors combine to create a new trend that I’ve noticed over the past year or so: A renewed push towards development tools/platforms. Realizing that they can’t keep up, businesses are now opting for development tools/platforms that let them create applications for all platforms.

Side note: If your company is looking for a development tool, here’s a short article that explains important elements to consider.

3. Design is taking center stage

For better or worse, mobile has changed user’s perceptions on how software should look and behave. Users now expect intuitive, exceptionally-designed interfaces all of the time. If your software/application doesn’t meet their rising expectations, they’ll move on.

Now, some developers might make the mistake of saying, “I don’t develop consumer-facing applications, so design isn’t as important.” I’m sorry, but that’s just not true. Businesses already face the very real problem of “Shadow IT”, in which end users bypass IT altogether and use unsanctioned cloud-based software. If your applications don’t meet your user’s expectations, what’s stopping them from moving on?

The fact is, it’s no longer good enough to build great software or applications. While wildly inaccurate, users are increasingly assuming that poor design equates to bad software. That may be false, but unfortunately, they won’t stick around long enough to learn otherwise.

Now, don’t get me wrong: I’m not saying design is the most important element of development. In fact, I strongly believe that architecture holds that title. My point is this: In today’s design-centric world, you need both. Your software must have great architecture AND great design if you hope to succeed.

Wrap up

Mobile is one of the biggest and most important tech trends we’ve ever experienced. It’s changing, and will continue to change, the business world as you know it. I’ve only listed 3 mobile-driven trends that I’ve noticed recently, but there are many more. What would you add to the list?

If so, what’s keeping you from moving to the web? Are you holding off because your company relies on these old programs? Are you worried that the project is too difficult and/or expensive?

If so, here’s a short video you’ll want to watch. It walks you through the process of turning a green-screen program into a modern web app…in under 3 minutes! Breaking free from your green screens may actually be easier than you think…

Measuring without measuring
What metrics do you measure? That’s a great question for any company. Do your dashboards measure the right metrics, or just metrics that are easy to measure?

How smart developers generate lousy code
One of the many reasons many companies opt for a development platform: Standardized code. The fact is, if you give 3 different developers the same project with the same specs, you’ll receive three different solutions. What happens when you combine these 3 developers–who each have their own way of doing things–on the same project? Without strong communication and a common goal, that project will likely fail.

40 fresh cheat sheets for designers and developers
If you’re a web developer, here’s a great list of cheat sheets that should make your life easier. The list includes cheat sheets for CSS, HTML5, javascript, jQuery, and many other areas that will help web developers.

Designing for mobile: Responsive design vs. mobilized sites vs. mobile apps
So, you know your company needs to deliver your website and apps on mobile devices, but…what’s the best approach? While this article outlines 3 options, I think they’ve missed the best approach: Create one application that looks native on any device.

When these warning signs appear, what do you do? Do you ignore them and hope they go away? Or, do you take it to the mechanic and get it fixed? Of course, you get it fixed (I hope). Ignoring those warning signs will eventually leave you stranded by the side of the road.

I bring up this analogy because it applies nicely to Business Intelligence (BI). Many companies are stuck using BI tools and practices that are in desperate need of replacement. These outdated BI tools/practices waste precious time, harm decision-making, and keep these companies from truly taking advantage of their data.

Just like a car, outdated BI displays many warning signs. Unfortunately, many companies either ignore, or don’t recognize these signs. Maybe they don’t like change. Maybe they don’t realize there’s a better way. Whatever the reasons, ignoring these warning signs will ultimately lead to larger problems.

So, what are these warning signs? How can you know if your company’s BI needs an overhaul? To help you out, I’ve solicited input from multiple experts and have compiled their advice below. Here are 7 warning signs that you’re dealing with outdated BI:

1. End users still rely on IT for reports

In the past, IT departments controlled the data. After all, creating reports formerly required a fair amount of technical knowledge. That has changed. These days, there’s no need to limit reporting to the IT department. Unfortunately, many business haven’t received the memo.

“If end users are still running to IT to get the reports and information they need then there is a problem,” says Craig Schiff, President and CEO of BPM Partners. “Modern BI systems are designed for end user self-sufficiency so they can get the exact information they need, in the format they want, when they need it without having to wait for assistance.”

2. Everyone sees the same data

Can your BI software let you create single applications that look different for each user? Can you create applications that display different data depending on the user? If not, you’re using an outdated solution.

“If the system provides basically the same information to everyone (within the constraints of security permissions) then the system is outdated,” explains Schiff. “A key element of today’s systems is role-based or even personalized access. That is, providing users with the information that is relevant to them, not the company at large.”

3. Your BI doesn’t deliver KPIs

Your BI applications must instantly tell you which areas of your business are doing well, and which are struggling. If it can’t deliver clear, actionable data, then you’re missing the true advantage of Business Intelligence.

“If the BI system just automates and streamlines the reports and information that the company has always produced then an opportunity has been missed,” says Schiff. “The best systems today structure information and its presentation in terms of what is most important to the company – its key performance indicators (KPIs). While the old reports may still be required by some, reporting aligned with the KPIs enables better decision making.”

4. Your BI doesn’t deliver current data

I knew of a company whose BI process consisted of a monthly ritual including 2 days of data gathering, sorting, and analysis in Excel…followed by meetings to discuss the Excel charts. Not only did this waste time, it delivered outdated data.

“If you are reviewing scorecards on a weekly or monthly basis, and asking ‘What we should have done?’ or ‘How can we go back and fix this problem?’; these are dead giveaways you’re not on the front lines of what Business Intelligence is today,” says Eric Mauch, Partner at Razor Consulting Solutions. “BI is meant to help you make better decisions now, this minute. If you can’t immediately react to what your information is telling you, you are simply using Reporting, not Business Intelligence.”

5. Getting an Executive Dashboard is a “Big Deal”

Let me ask you a question: If an executive requests a dashboard, how quickly can you deliver that dashboard? This is very telling. If creating a simple dashboard is a complicated process…that’s a glaring warning sign.

“There was a time when BI teams struggled to get information to executives in the form they wanted,” says Dan Mallinger, Principal Data Scientist at Think Big Analytics. “Creating dashboards often required custom logic and engineering. Updating those dashboards frequently was often impossible or too expensive. Modern BI tools are built with the assumption that fast data stores exist and business teams want access at all times, including while mobile.”

6. Your BI relies on spreadsheets

If you’re using spreadsheets for BI, it’s safe to say that you don’t actually have BI. Business Intelligence automatically delivers real-time, accurate data when you need it. Spreadsheets do the opposite. Spreadsheet-driven “BI” is a manual process that delivers outdated data, which is frequently riddled with errors.

“Business intelligence today has evolved far beyond electronic spreadsheets which are now half-a-century old,” says Brian Kelley, CIO of Portage County. “Spreadsheets lack integrity, consistency, security, and the ability to provide real-time up-to-date data.”

7. Your BI relies on manual processes

Do you (or others in your company) spend any amount of time gathering data, pulling data from disparate systems, scrubbing the data, or manipulating the data in any way? Is Business Intelligence a time-consuming, manual process? If so, you’re dealing with outdated BI.

“Business intelligence technology of the 21st century no longer requires manual data entry and manipulation from disparate systems and paper reports which was so common in the nineteenth century,” explains Kelley.

Wrap up

Out of the warning signs listed above, how many do you notice in your company? If you noticed more than one, you’re not alone. Many companies are stuck in the same boat. The big question: What are you going to do about it? Remember, just like with a car, ignoring the warning signs won’t make them go away.

The question becomes…”How?”

If you’re an m-Power user, we recently released a new feature that will help you with automation: The Messaging and Scheduled Tasks enhancement. It lets developers build applications that perform tasks or send email and/or sms messages based on a predetermined schedule or event. While this is useful in all types of ways, here are a few tasks it could automate for you:

• Automatically correspond with customers: If a customer submits a support request on your site, the application could automatically send a confirmation email to the customer. Or, the application could automatically email customers who are behind on their payments.
• Automatically alert businesses to problems: Rather than constantly monitor your data for problems, an application can automatically send email/sms messages to the appropriate executive any time a time-sensitive business issue occurs (such as a customer account cancellation).
• Automatically run and distribute reports: Rather than handle reporting manually, this feature lets you automatically run and distribute reports on a predetermined schedule.

Now, those are just a few ways the Messaging and Scheduled Tasks enhancement can help you with automation, but the possibilities are endless. If you’d like to learn how to start using this feature, we’ve written up a tutorial and placed it in the techblog. You can find it here: Messaging and Scheduled Tasks.

Don’t be fooled by false metrics
As one of the points made in this recent article on reporting, false metrics are a common problem in the world of reporting and BI. While we certainly have no shortage of data, choosing the right data is often the biggest hurdle faced when building reports or BI apps.

5 trends that will drive the future of technology
Can you believe how quickly technology has advanced in just the last 5 years? Think about it: Smartphones were just gaining popularity and tablets (as we know them) didn’t exist. Can you imagine how tech will change in the next 5 years? While this article provides some good trends, I’d like to add one more: Web applications will displace native applications. As the web becomes more powerful and more devices connect to the web, developers will need a single platform that reaches all operating systems and platforms.

Why tablets thrive while PCs dive
Do you know how many years it took for PCs to sell 200 million units in a single year? 27 years. Do you know how long it took tablets to reach that same mark? 3 years. The questions you should be asking yourself right now: What do my web apps look like on a tablet? What’s our mobile development strategy going forward?

Why almost everyone gets it wrong about BYOD
Many companies look at the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend and ask, “How can we control these devices?” They’re asking the wrong questions. Instead, they should be asking how they can help these employees become more productive with their own devices. If you’re asking that question, here’s an article that goes into more detail on the topic.

Reporting is a perpetual problem. It was a problem 30 years ago. It’s still a problem today. Case in point: We recently attended a conference, and reporting was one of the biggest topics of conversation…but not in a good way. Many of the executives we spoke with voiced their displeasure over their company’s reporting.

The big question: How can you improve your reporting? How can you create web reports that your executives will love? While I’ve frequently written about reporting in the past, today I’m taking a new approach. To help answer that question, we’ve solicited input from other experts in the field, and have compiled their advice (as well as some of my own) below. I hope you find it useful:

1. Use the right data

If I had to list the single biggest problem with reports these days, it is this: Reports are loaded with irrelevant data. Many make the mistake of filling their reports with data that ultimately doesn’t support the decision-making process.

“In my experience, too many people measure what’s easy to measure, they measure too many things too infrequently, and they don’t connect measures and reports to the cause-and-effect relationships that create value for customers,” explains Tom Cox, a Management Consultant and Executive Coach. “The best report supports executive decision making. Take time to understand what they should be thinking about, then help them get the data they need to think more clearly with more knowledge of the facts.”

How can you build reports like this? Cox goes on to explain a step-by-step process for building go-to reports for executives, complete with an example process:

1. Find out how the CEO is rating this executive’s performance
2. Find out how the executive is rating his staff’s performance
3. Find the LEADING indicators that predict these ratings
4. Measure the FEWEST things you can, with HIGH frequency
5. Adjust the measure frequently based on input

Example:

1. CEO Charlie is rating Marketing VP Vicky on the quality of leads she is generating and passing to Sales.
2. Vicky is rating her staff on quantity of leads per campaign.
3. You build a report of leads per campaign
4. You cross-tab leads per campaign with the sales force close rate — showing quality in each different campaign — and run it weekly or daily
5. As people complain (they always do), ask for better ways to measure, and use them.

2. Embrace conditional formatting

“Learn the key thresholds in your executive’s reporting world and incorporate them into reporting,” says Estelle Nicholson, an independent BI consultant. “Executives love conditional formatting. Low growth rates or poor performance should jump out at them in red. Make their reports proactive and provide them business intelligence by auto-flagging items for their attention. Naturally, provide drill-downs for when they want to see what is behind the numbers.”

In order to illustrate her point, look at the two tables below. Which is easier to read?

Obviously, the second table stands out. The colors help the reader quickly differentiate between the high and low orders. That’s the power of conditional formatting.

3. Be descriptive

When you create reports, think of it from the user’s perspective. Is everything clear? Be as descriptive with the data as possible. Sure, you may understand the data and where it comes from, but don’t assume it’s obvious.

“Don’t make them waste their time having to question you about anything,” explains Nicholson. “Is this calendar year or fiscal year? Are these projections fixed or based on cumulative real data? How current are these sales figures? Web reporting makes it very easy to add information ABOUT your information (meta data) without cluttering reports.”

4. Keep it short

“Executives want to be able to look in one place and see everything that they need to know,” says Martina Haskins, Director of Web Development at Mobius Works. “If your report can fit on one page, perfect. If not, then make sure the first page is a summary of the most important information.”

This is great advice, and I’d like add one quick point. Sometimes, your report will have more data than you can feasibly fit on one page/screen. Does this mean you should exclude vital data from your report for the sake of keeping it short? No! Rather, take advantage of drill downs, expandable fields, or hovers. These options let you include all the necessary data without overwhelming the user. For example, this interactive report includes a ton of information, but in an easily digestible format.

5. Span all devices

I recently read a great article that introduced an interesting concept: We now live in a one-screen world. It’s not about the different devices, it’s about whichever device we’re currently using. This applies directly to reporting, and web apps in general.

For instance, I used to access web reports on my PC. Now I expect the report to adapt to whichever device I’m using. I want reports that look native everywhere, from my PC to my smartphone to my tablet. Maybe mobile isn’t a requirement in your company yet, but this is the future. Executives will soon expect their reports to work everywhere, on whichever device they’re using at the time. Might as well start now.

Wrap up

Reporting is a common problem among businesses across the world. While there’s no single solution, or piece of advice that will solve all of your reporting problems, I hope this article helped. Of course, if you’d like to add any other ways to create reports that your executives will love, please share them in the comments.