{"id":11558,"date":"2018-12-27T09:53:28","date_gmt":"2018-12-27T15:53:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/?p=11558"},"modified":"2019-01-30T09:17:11","modified_gmt":"2019-01-30T15:17:11","slug":"10-most-popular-articles-of-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/2018\/12\/10-most-popular-articles-of-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"10 most popular articles of 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-725\" alt=\"Education\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/Education.jpg\" width=\"76\" height=\"100\"><span style=\"font-size: 14px;\"><em>Summary: With 2019 approaching, let\u2019s take a look back at the most popular articles published on this blog over the last year. Learn about dashboard tips, IT\/business alignment stumbling blocks, low-code development, and much more.<\/em><\/span><br \/>\n<a name=\"20161219\"><\/a><!--more--><br \/>\nAs we say goodbye to 2018, let\u2019s take a look back at the last year. Over the last 12 months, we\u2019ve explored topics surrounding a few common themes: Emerging technologies, application development, trends, business data, and IT challenges. We\u2019ve looked at:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"arrow-list colored\">\n<li>How to create effective dashboards<\/li>\n<li>The rise of low-code development<\/li>\n<li>Digital Transformation mistakes<\/li>\n<li>Secrets of effective IT departments<\/li>\n<li>and much more.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In case you missed any of them, let\u2019s take a look back at some of the most popular articles. As determined by readers of this blog, here are 10 of the most popular posts published on this blog over the last year. I hope you find them interesting:<\/p>\n<p><a onclick=\"ga('send', 'event', 'Blog', 'Inside Link', 'Must have skills of developers'); \" href=\"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/2018\/07\/6-must-have-skills-of-modern-web-application-developers-2\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #1772af; font: normal bold 12pt\/1.2em Arial, Verdana, Helvetica;\">6 must-have skills of modern web application developers<\/span><\/a><br \/>\nWeb application development is quickly becoming more complex. It requires an ever-increasing, and ever-evolving skill-set. What skills must modern web application developers now possess? We explore the top 6 in this article.<\/p>\n<p><a onclick=\"ga('send', 'event', 'Blog', 'Inside Link', 'Business Process Automation 101'); \" href=\"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/2018\/04\/business-process-automation-101-understanding-the-basics\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #1772af; font: normal bold 12pt\/1.2em Arial, Verdana, Helvetica;\">Business Process Automation 101: Understanding the Basics<\/span><\/a><br \/>\nBusiness process automation (BPA) is the technology-enabled automation of business processes. It is performed to improve efficiency through the automation of manual processes. In this article, we explore the basics of BPA, and explain why it\u2019s so important to your business.<\/p>\n<p><a onclick=\"ga('send', 'event', 'Blog', 'Inside Link', 'Secrets of effective IT departments'); \" href=\"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/2018\/08\/7-secrets-of-effective-it-departments-2\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #1772af; font: normal bold 12pt\/1.2em Arial, Verdana, Helvetica;\">7 secrets of effective IT departments<\/span><\/a><br \/>\nAs technology continues to evolve and play a larger role in business, more pressure gets placed on IT. They have an amazing opportunity to drive business and play a larger role than ever before. However, while some IT departments have embraced this role, others are still stuck in maintenance mode. They\u2019re so caught up in putting out fires and keeping the lights on, they don\u2019t have time for innovation. How can these IT departments become more effective? We explore a few methods in this article.<\/p>\n<p><a onclick=\"ga('send', 'event', 'Blog', 'Inside Link', 'Falling Behind Technology'); \" href=\"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/2018\/01\/business-falling-behind-5-technologies-already-using-part-1\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #1772af; font: normal bold 12pt\/1.2em Arial, Verdana, Helvetica;\">Is your business falling behind? 5 technologies you should already be using in 2018<\/span><\/a><br \/>\nTechnology is evolving faster than ever, and plays an increasingly important role in the business world. Is your company keeping up? In this article, we explore technologies and\/or processes that are absolutely essential in 2018. If your business doesn\u2019t have these technologies in place already, you could be falling behind. Read the whole article to learn more.<\/p>\n<p><a onclick=\"ga('send', 'event', 'Blog', 'Inside Link', 'Alignment stumbling blocks'); \" href=\"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/2018\/06\/5-major-it-business-alignment-stumbling-blocks\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #1772af; font: normal bold 12pt\/1.2em Arial, Verdana, Helvetica;\">5 major IT\/Business alignment stumbling blocks<\/span><\/a><br \/>\nFor over a decade now, the \u201cIT\/business alignment\u201d concept has been a top priority for business leaders\u2026and with good reason. Technology impacts your business more today than ever in the past. You absolutely need your IT department aligned with business objectives. Unfortunately, many businesses still struggle in this area. Why? In this article, we explore a few common problems and ways to get around them.<\/p>\n<p><a onclick=\"ga('send', 'event', 'Blog', 'Inside Link', 'Low code 101'); \" href=\"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/2018\/08\/low-code-development-101-understanding-the-basics\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #1772af; font: normal bold 12pt\/1.2em Arial, Verdana, Helvetica;\">Low-Code Development 101: Understanding the Basics<\/span><\/a><br \/>\nApplication development has long been a problem facing both the IT department and the business units. The IT department gets overwhelmed with new application requests. They can\u2019t possibly complete every project when the business wants it done. Meanwhile, the business users get tired of waiting, and start bypassing the IT department altogether. Today, we explore the concept of \u201clow-code development\u201d, and explain how it helps address this problem.<\/p>\n<p><a onclick=\"ga('send', 'event', 'Blog', 'Inside Link', 'effective dashboards'); \" href=\"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/2018\/07\/7-critical-elements-of-effective-dashboards-2\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #1772af; font: normal bold 12pt\/1.2em Arial, Verdana, Helvetica;\">7 critical elements of effective dashboards<\/span><\/a><br \/>\nBusinesses have access to more data than ever before, but many aren\u2019t capitalizing on this opportunity. In this article, we focus on one such way to take advantage of business data: dashboards. Learn which elements to include (and which to avoid) to create effective business dashboards.<\/p>\n<p><a onclick=\"ga('send', 'event', 'Blog', 'Inside Link', 'why app dev projects fail'); \" href=\"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/2018\/06\/why-web-application-development-projects-fail-and-what-it-can-do-about-it\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #1772af; font: normal bold 12pt\/1.2em Arial, Verdana, Helvetica;\">Why web application development projects fail (and what IT can do about it)<\/span><\/a><br \/>\nDepending on the survey you read, anywhere from 25% \u2013 68% of development projects fail. These failures often cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, waste months (or years) of time, and usually lead to people losing their jobs. Why do these projects fail, and what can you do about it? We answer those questions (and more) in this article.<\/p>\n<p><a onclick=\"ga('send', 'event', 'Blog', 'Inside Link', 'Digital transformation mistakes'); \" href=\"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/2018\/03\/5-common-digital-transformation-mistakes-avoid\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #1772af; font: normal bold 12pt\/1.2em Arial, Verdana, Helvetica;\">5 common digital transformation mistakes to avoid<\/span><\/a><br \/>\nDigital transformation\u2013the reinvention of an organization through the use of digital technology to improve performance\u2013is a priority for many businesses these days. However, it\u2019s a complex task. Many businesses dive in without truly understanding the process and make key mistakes along the way. In this article, we explore 5 common digital transformation mistakes to avoid.<\/p>\n<p><a onclick=\"ga('send', 'event', 'Blog', 'Inside Link', 'Lessons CIOs learned in 2017'); \" href=\"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/2018\/02\/5-lessons-cios-learned-2017\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"color: #1772af; font: normal bold 12pt\/1.2em Arial, Verdana, Helvetica;\">5 lessons that CIOs learned in 2017<\/span><\/a><br \/>\nAs we start a new year, it helps to reflect on (and learn from) the past year. In this article, we take a look at the past year from an IT leader perspective. What are the most important lessons that IT leaders and CIOs learned (or should have learned) in 2017? What important takeaways from the last 12 months will help you succeed in the coming year? We answer those questions (and more) in this article.<\/p>\n<h3>Summary<\/h3>\n<p>So there you have it. These are the 10 of the most popular articles from this blog over the past year, as determined by readers. Thank you once again for taking the time to read this blog over the past year. I hope you&#8217;ve found the articles helpful. As always, feel free to reach out and let me know if there are any topics you would like to see me cover on this blog.<\/p>\n<div id=\"sendgrid_nlvx_widget-2\" class=\"widget widget_sendgrid_nlvx_widget\" style=\"padding-bottom: 10px;width: auto;text-align: center;background-color: #edeff4;border: 1px solid #d1d1d1\">\r\n\r\n<h3 class=\"widget-title\" style=\"font-size: 18px;margin-top: 28px;font-weight: 400;margin-bottom:25px\">If you enjoyed this article, sign up for email updates<\/h3>\r\n<p>Sign up below, and we'll notify you of new blog articles via email. We value your privacy and will never share or sell your information. To learn more about how we handle data, please review our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/about\/privacy.html\">privacy policy<\/a>.\r\n\r\n\r\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Summary: With 2019 approaching, let\u2019s take a look back at the most popular articles published on this blog over the last year. Learn about dashboard tips, IT\/business alignment stumbling blocks, low-code development, and much more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","slim_seo":{"title":"10 most popular articles of 2018 - mrc&#039;s Cup of Joe Blog","description":"Summary: With 2019 approaching, let\u2019s take a look back at the most popular articles published on this blog over the last year. 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