Holland & Davis Business IT Alignment

Resources

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 15:15:51 GMT

A Sample Case Study What does a business IT alignment project look like in detail? Click here to read about a big energy companys trading business unit lining up with IT to implement complex trading software. The project was successfully completed ... on target, on time and on budget. Holland & Davis Library Check out the Holland & Davis Library with over 150 articles and more being added monthly. Youll find answers to past FAQs and get to read through some of the Hot Topics of recent months.

Holland & Davis Articles

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:21:31 GMT

You can click here to check out the complete Holland & Davis Library with over 150 articles and more being added monthly. If you are interested in just our Business IT Alignment and/or IT Governance articles you can view those here as well. In addition, Holland & Davis authors are frequently featured in national and international trade and industry journal and magazines. Our published articles are listed below: Holland & Davis Published Articles List Journal of Petroluem Technology Technology Insertion Strategies: Is Yours a Pure Play or Witches Brew? Dutch Holland. June 2008. OilandGasInternational.com Oilfield Portfolio Management for Digital Energy Projects Dutch Holland and Bob Bobst. June 2008. OilOnline.com Creating the Digital Energy Culture Mike Campbell and Dutch Holland. May 2008. Strategic Finance Business and IT Alignment: Then & Now, A Striking Improvement Gary Skarke and Dutch Holland. April 2008. Offshore Magazine ...

Holland & Davis Business IT Alignment Services

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 15:23:44 GMT

Holland & Davis services are focused in three key alignment domains: The IT Department (and how it operates to cause alignment or non-alignment), The Company as a whole (and its culture of support or non support for IT), and the management of Business Projects enabled by IT. 1. IT Department Alignment and IT Governance Services: We work with IT departments to ensure that they are structured and resourced to be able to align with the business. Holland & Davis professionals are able to assess, diagnose, design and implement changes at this foundation level to enable IT alignment/ IT governance. 2. Executive and Organizational Services: Business-IT alignment / IT Governance are only as good as the degree of alignment, cooperation and synergy among C-level executives. Our senior level professionals are executive savvy and can help both business units and IT receive the right support, at the right level, and at the right time. 3. Business Innovation...

3. Business Innovation / Improvement Services

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:51:30 GMT

The crucial test of alignment is the degree to which business units and IT are able to launch and completer business innovation programs and projects . . . on target, on time, and on budget. Holland & Davis provides proven methodologies and senior professionals who work with senior management as well as with business and IT professionals to get business results. Executive Leadership / Sponsorship of Business Programs/Projects Executive direction and ownership of business innovation initiatives is not optional. Without executive engagement and commitment, demonstrated by clearly-visible executive actions, no innovation project has much of a chance of success. Whether the word leadership or sponsorship is used . . . it is needed in huge doses as a business improvement project progresses from start to end. Our services include stakeholder analysis, identification and chartering of business...

2. Executive and Organizational Services

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:31:19 GMT

Business-IT alignment and IT Governance are only as good as the degree of alignment, cooperation, and synergy among C-level executives. Just as with corporate governance, the companys CEO, COO, CFO, and CIO must be on the same page and be of one voice or there will be mis-alignment and a poor foundation for Business IT Alignment from the very beginning. In a larger sense, a company’s culture of support for IT can be a make-it or break-it factor for Business IT Alignment. Our Holland & Davis senior- level professionals are executive savvy and can help IT receive the right support, at the right level, and at the right time. Preparation of Organizations for Business IT Alignment Organizations must be ready and willing to lead/host business innovations that use information technology. Organizations must hold managers accountable for innovation and innovation implementation including preparing personnel to go to...

Representative Engagements / Projects in IT Governance and Alignment

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 14:51:41 GMT

Over the years, Holland & Davis has been privileged to work with many clients who were challenged by the need for business IT alignment and/or IT Governance. No two engagements have been the same but the underlying theme has been common: how to use the IT function to better advantage to make money for the business. Our engagements have ranged from IT strategic planning to IT and Business process redesign… to project management and IT organization structure - all focused on making business better. Download a Representative List of Holland & Davis Business IT Alignment and/or IT Governance Engagement Summaries US Division of Global Chemical Company, Top 10 Governance Structure Needed for Information Technology Holland & Davis (H&D) was engaged by the CEO to lead the development and deployment of an Information Technology (IT) strategy to support five subsidiary companies in the chemicals, mining and pharmaceuticals industries. The strategy, developed with an internal team...

Glossary

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 15:30:02 GMT

ADVOCACY: The act of arguing on behalf of a particular issue, idea or person. ALIGNMENT: A state of agreement or cooperation among persons, groups, nations, etc., with a common cause or viewpoint. BUSINESS IT ALIGNMENT: The degree to which business units and IT units work in concert and on an ongoing basis to improve business performance through the use of information technology. BUSINESS PROCESS ARCHITECTURE: The pattern or arrangement of work processes by which an organization does its day-to-day business. CHANGE MANAGEMENT: The use of a disciplined body of knowledge to ensure that organizational changes are completed on target, on time, and on budget. C-LEVEL EXECUTIVE: Top executives in a company with the title of Chief: CEO, COO, CFO, CIO, etc. COMPETENCY LEVEL: A standardized requirement for an individual to properly perform a specific job. GOVERNANCE: The leadership and organizational structures and processes that ensure that the organizations IT sustains...

Fun with Dick and Jane - A Saga of Today

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 15:29:56 GMT

A discussion similar to this could be taking place at a location near you in Corporate America. Dick (CFO): Okay Jane, I am meeting with the CEO tomorrow and I need to give a good business status on our ERP. Can you brief me? Jane (CIO): I think you might be asking me With R/3 as our ERP, whats our TCO over the next five years? Dick (CFO): Okay, then what is the answer to that question? Jane (CIO): Well Dick, it depends. You gotta think beyond this first financial system model. We need to examine the whole supply chain. Some new ASP bolt-ons are a lot more user friendly than SAP. And Dick, were surely gonna want full-blown EC capabilities, for both B2B and B2C, but Im not sure about running an e-biz on our current ISPs platform ...you know, the guys who manage our website. If we brought it all in-house, we could run it off the new client-server platform well be buying anyway. Just need a little boost in processing power and more disk drives with redundant arrays. Lets...

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Thu, 06 Mar 2008 14:25:26 GMT

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How We Can Work Together

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 21:46:09 GMT

Holland & Davis is very flexible in the way we work with clients. Weve outlined several kinds of engagements that might meet your needs for Business IT Alignment and IT Governance Services. Initial Conversation – Holland & Davis is readily available to engage in a one to two hour phone conference to talk through your company’s situation, what you might do about that situation, and how Holland & Davis could be of assistance. Webinar on Business IT Alignment and IT Governance – We offer an introductory webinar with an overview of Business IT Alignment / IT Governance, what the issues are, and what kinds of solutions are being used as best practices. We then answer your questions in real time. Have as many in your room as you want… its OK with us. We will have to talk about the length and purposes of the webinar to make sure we have met your needs. Assessment of Business IT Alignment / IT Governance – Holland and Davis is willing to travel to your...

1. IT Department Alignment Services

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 20:30:25 GMT

Many of the key success factors for IT alignment and governance are largely inside the IT department and within their control. Holland & Davis senior, experienced professionals are able to assess, design and implement changes at this foundation level to enable IT alignment. Strategic Planning for Business-IT Alignment and Governance The Information Technology function should have a strategic plan for providing all services needed by the business over the life of the organization. The IT strategy must be driven off the Work Process Architecture of the business. Alignment will be based on work process - IT architecture compatibility, not business goal-IT goal agreement. Our services include leadership of IT strategic planning driven by documentation of the business work process architecture. We lead your company team through analysis, assessment, strategic alternatives, and key decisions about the future...

Join Our BITA Information Network

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 19:06:10 GMT

Holland & Davis is an IT change implementation firm that has over three decades of experience in making change happen ... on target, on time, and on budget. We have put together this website to target individuals struggling with those looming business / IT challenges. Here we provide such resources as... Our quick-start e-mail mini course covering the basics of Business IT Alignment and IT Governance, including fundamental principles, essential best practices, limiting misconceptions, and common pitfalls. Get up to speed with essential concepts - even the most advances - quickly and easily with this simple e-mail series. Monthly webinars covering the specifics on such vital topics as setting design priorities, communication strategy, change implementation, process integration, performance management, and compliance tracking - all recorded and provided online for you to view at your convenience. Breakthrough articles, audio interviews, and video presentations...

A Few of Our Clients

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 22:43:10 GMT

Wed, 26 Dec 2007 18:22:21 GMT

IMC USA Code of Ethics As a participating member of the Institute of Management Consultants, we pledge in writing to abide by the Institute’s Code of Ethics. Our adherence to the Code signifies voluntary assumption of self-discipline above and beyond the requirements of law. Key provisions of the Code specify: Clients We will serve our clients with integrity, competence, and objectivity, using a professional approach at all times, and placing the best interests of the client above all others. We will establish realistic expectations of the benefits and results of our services. We will treat all client information that is not public knowledge as confidential, will prevent it from access by unauthorized people, and will not take advantage of proprietary or privileged information, either for use by them, our firm or another client, without the client’s permission. We will avoid...

Business IT Alignment (BITA) Toolkit

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 19:58:03 GMT

Coming Soon - Spring 2008

Business Analysis (BA) Toolkit

The BA Toolkit is used to cross reference Holland & Davis applicable tools for each of the individual knowledge areas as defined by BABOK. The six knowledge areas are:

Enterprise Analysis
Requirements Planning & Management
Requirements Elicitation
Requirements Analysis & Documentation
Requirements Communication
Solution Assessment & Validation

Overview of Business Alignment Services

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 15:39:21 GMT

Holland & Davis, LLC provides three basic categories of services that are each required for Business-IT alignment. Each service area addresses a different capability that organizations will need to ensure alignment.

IT Alignment Services - We work with IT departments to ensure that they are structured and resourced to be able to align with the business. Holland & Davis professionals are able to assess, diagnose, design and implement changes at this foundation level to enable IT alignment.
Executive Services - Business-IT alignment is only as good as the degree of alignment, cooperation and synergy among C-level executives. Our senior level professionals are executive savvy and can help both business units and IT receive the right support, at the right level, and at the right time.
Business Innovation Services - The crucial test of alignment is the degree to which business units and IT are able to lead (not just follow) business innovation initiatives. Holland & Davis professionals work with IT professionals to initiate an energetic environment with innovative ideas to provide winning business results.

Solution Assessment & Validation Tools

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 19:17:11 GMT

Solution Assessment and Validation involves the BA assisting the technology team with the detailed design work including splitting a large project into phases, reviewing technical design deliverables, helping to build usability into the application softwae (or package customization), and ensuring a smooth production rollout.

Solution Assessment and Validation tasks include: develop alternate solutions; evaluate technology options; facilitate the selection of a solution; ensure the usability of the solution; support the Ouality Assurance process; support the implementation of the solution; communicate the solution impacts; and post implementation review and assessment.

Tools included in this Toolkit are as follows:

Aspects of Redesign
Defining New Roles
One - on - One New Contracting Sessions
Quality Planning
Perform Quality Assurance
Perform Quality Control
The Final Showdown
Document Project Lessons Learned
1. Write Out Your Lessons Learned
Checklist for Closing a Large Project
After - Implementation Review
Close Out Contracts
1. Three Ways to Release a Workforce

Requirements Communication Tools

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 19:15:46 GMT

Requirements Communication is an ongoing, iterative activity that is done in parallel with Requirements Gathering and Requirements Analysis and Documentation. It includes presenting, communicating, verifying, and gaining approval of the requirements from the stakeholders and implementers of the project. An important aspect involves the BA working to bring the stakeholders to a common understanding of the requirements.

Requirements Communication involves performing the following tasks: create a requirements communication plan; manage requirements conflicts; determine the appropriate requirements format; create a requirements package; conduct a requirements presentation; conduct a formal requirements review; and obtain requirements signoff.

Tools included in this Toolkit are as follows:

Communication Effectiveness Survey
Communication Plan

What Does a Communication Plan Look Like?
Communication Planning
Create an Issues Log
Five Requirements for Operations Integration
Organizing for Implementation
Overcoming Resistance to Change
Personal Application Sessions: How to Conduct
Preparing for Reactions to Change
The 90 - Percent Done Syndrome

Requirements Analysis & Documentation Tools

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 19:14:17 GMT

Requirements Analysis and Documentation describes how stakeholder needs are analyzed, structured, and specified for use in the design and implementation of a solution. The objective is to define and describe the characteristics of an acceptable solution to a business problem, so that the project team has a clear understanding of how to design and implement it.

Requirements Analysis and Documentation tasks include: structure requirements; create business domain model; analyze user requirements; analyze functional requirements; analyze supplementary quality of service requirements; determine assumptions and constraints; and determine requirements attributes.

Tools included in this Toolkit are as follows:

The Rules of Change Control
Scope Planning
Scope Definition
Create WBS
Scope IDEF Model
Structure a Business Requirements Document
Devlop a Requirements Analysis Work Plan
Identify user classes and define their environment
Link the Business Document to a Software Requirments Specification
Create a Data Model to describe Project Requirements
Create a Function Decomposition Diagram
Use a Dataflow Diagram to validate Data and Process Models

Requirements Elicitation Tools

Thu, 30 Aug 2007 19:12:33 GMT

Requirements Elicitation is a key task because the requirements serve as the foundation for the solution to the business needs. The business analyst should understand the commonly used techniques to elicit requirements, should be able to select appropriate technique(s) for a given situation, and be knowledgeable of what is required to prepare, execute, and complete each technique. Requirements Elicitation approaches that are included: brainstorming; document analysis (documentation review); focus group; interface analysis (external interface analysis); interview; observation (job shadowing); prototyping (storyboarding, navigation flow); requirements workshop (elicitation workshop, facilitated workshop, Joint Application Design - JAD); reverse engineering; and survey (questionnaire). Tools included in this Toolkit are as follows: Aspects of Redesign Evaluating Ideas for Improvement: Improvement Idea Worksheet Idea Scorecard ...