1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Great reference slightly marred by poor production, 2008-04-03
As someone who frequently works with CIOs, I found this book to be excellent. One can read it cover to cover, or easily pick a topic and read the appropriate chapter. Since each chapter is essentially a standalone work produced by a CIO it is easy to flip to a particular issue, and gain insight.
Topics range from some of the more mundane, technical aspects of the CIO position, and further the old "business vs. tech" stereotypes, but other chapters such as "The First 90 Days" and the more strategy-oriented chapters are quite good.
Aside from the relatively minor "'the business' is evil" stuff, the book is marred by poor production. There are several spelling and grammatical errors, and the graphics are inconsistent and some of poor quality. The great content is mildly hindered by what appears to be poor editing and a rush job by the publisher.
Patrick Gray, author of Breakthrough IT: Supercharging Organizational Value Through Technology
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Variety of personal insights from people who really do the job, 2007-11-18
I only got to read a few chapters before someone else in the office wanted to read the book. But I can say that the introduction, both generally about the CIO job, and the brief overview of each CIO who contributed, was very good. And the chapters from the different CIOs are valuable for the varied individual perspectives.
If you're not in IT management, probably not a very exciting book. But if you are, it gives you guidance from the varied real experiences of a lot of CIOs--people that you probably wouldn't hear from any other way.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
CIO Reference Manual, 2004-08-25
As a CIO I though CIO Wisdom hits the nail on the head on many of the challenges and issues facing today's CIO's. Sound and practical advice from those actually performing in the job was quite refreshing to the theoretical approach found in many other books on this topic. I only wish that many of my customers (business line leaders and executives) would read this book to better understand the value of IT can bring to our organization.
My only critique is that some of the concepts discussed in the book where not fully flushed out when the author was talking about solutions. Of course there have been entire books written on some of the topics covered in CIO wisdom.
I was particularly impressed by the Communications, Governance, Marketing and the Business Intelligence chapters.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
Superb compilation of knowledge & experience, 2004-06-20
The seventeen articles in this compendium represents contemporary and topical subjects, each written by a seasoned CIO. I was as impressed with the selection of articles as I was with the content because each topic is foremost on the minds of CIOs and senior IT managers today.Among the articles I especially like are:
- The First 90 Days, by Mark Egan, which contains actionable plans that will get the new CIO (or other senior IT executive) quickly moving in the right direction.
- IT Organization, by Guy de Meester, in particular the challenges of centralization vs. decentraliztion, and organizational models in general. If this area is your focus I highly recommend additional reading: "Decentralization: Fantasies, Failings, and Fundamentals" (ISBN 0964163535) and "RoadMap: How to understand, diagnose, and fix your organization" (ISBN 0964163527), both of which go into great detail and provide an exceptionally effective approach.
- Governance, by Danny Maco, which is conspicuously missing in organizations large and small - or is often done incorrectly if done at all.
- Budgeting, by Bob Denis, Maureen Vavra, John Dick ... you'd think IT has this basic function under control, but sadly not. Read this article for excellent advice.
- The Metrics of IT: Management by Measurement, by Shel Waggener and Steve Zoppi. One of my favorite topics, and this team provides outstanding advice and keen insights.
Other articles are as well written, and span topics from architecture to strategic planning. Taken as a whole, this is a sourcebook that is filled with both knowledge and experience, and should be on the desk of every CIO, seasoned and new. I also recommend visiting the site that supports this book (paste the ASIN number, B0001EHNFK, into the search box for all products on this page). The site contains additional articles, news and other books in this series that CIOs, IT managers at all levels, and subject matter experts will find useful.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
CIO Wisdom, Indeed !!, 2004-03-05
Truly, this is 'CIO Wisdom' - set down by CIOs and IT managers who deal day-to-day with information technology in perhaps the most challenging environment - Silicon Valley itself. As a 42-year veteran of the IT industry, I think this is the first time I've seen so much down-to-earth, practical and useful IT guidance in one place. The chapters are clearly and well-written. The authors get right down to the meat of the subject and provide practical suggestions for improving IT delivery.
If the book has a weakness, it is that there is so much specific information here that it will likely take multiple readings to glean all of it.
I think this book should be required reading for all CIOs ... and if you really want to start something, get a copy for everyone on your IT staff!