For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Lean: The New Business Technology Imperative

Lean Thinking Is Central To The Shift From IT To BT

by Connie Moore, Clay Richardson, John R. Rymer, Ted Schadler, Dave West, September 29, 2009

Everyone wants to be lean these days, whether when stepping off a scale in the morning or reviewing the cost of running a successful business. But just how do you define "Lean" — especially in the context of business and technology? Do you think of Lean . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

From Information Technology To Business Technology: An Interview With George F. Colony

by Connie Moore, George F. Colony, September 16, 2009

For the past four years, Forrester Research CEO George F. Colony has been preaching the gospel of converting information technologists into businesspeople. The number of converts has been lower than we hoped, but a generational change in IT and business . . .

For Security & Risk Professionals

Topic Overview: Governance, Risk, And Compliance

by Chris McClean, April 29, 2009

Successful businesses universally strive to achieve better corporate governance, more effective measurement and management of risk, and greater assurance that compliance requirements are met. Whether or not these efforts bear the governance, risk, and . . .

For Enterprise Architecture Professionals

Topic Overview: How BPM Can Help The Bottom Line In Difficult Financial Times

BPM-Enabled Improvements In Business Agility Flow To The Bottom Line

by Ken Vollmer, March 17, 2009

The current global economic crisis is putting increasing pressure on enterprise architects to find new — and more cost-effective — ways of meeting business needs. One software category in particular offers proven solutions to help increase operational . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Topic Overview: Human Resource Management

by Zach Thomas, Paul D. Hamerman, Claire Schooley, January 21, 2009

The most important investments that businesses and government organizations make are in their people. In addition to direct expenditures on compensation and benefits, organizations invest in technology, outsourcing, professional services, and learning . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Topic Overview: Customer Experience In A Down Economy

by Harley Manning, Moira Dorsey, December 12, 2008

As markets around the world continue to decline, credit stays tight, and job cuts escalate, making the case for customer experience will be even more of a challenge. But firms can ensure that the experiences they offer don't degrade — and hopefully improve . . .

For Consumer Product Strategy Professionals

Forecast Overview For The Consumer Product Strategy Professional

The Collection Of 2008 Forrester Forecasts Relevant To This Role

by Michelle de Lussanet, December 8, 2008

This is a collection of the forecasts that Forrester created in 2008 that are pertinent to consumer product strategy professionals. We list forecast reports relating to product-relevant topics along with brief descriptions of the content. These forecast . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Topic Overview: Business Intelligence

by Boris Evelson, November 21, 2008

Business intelligence (BI) is a set of methodologies, processes, architectures, and technologies that transform raw data into meaningful and useful information. It allows business users to make informed business decisions with real-time data that can . . .

For Interactive Marketing Professionals

Topic Overview: Interactive Marketing In A Downturn

How To Justify Your Digital Budget When The Market Is Low

by Christine Spivey Overby, November 19, 2008

In these uncertain times, marketers expect to cut 3% of their overall marketing budgets. As an interactive marketer, how do you protect your digital budget and ensure funding for future campaigns? By constructing a business case of both numbers and success . . .

For Consumer Product Strategy Professionals

Topic Overview: Consumer Product Strategy In A Down Economy

by Michelle de Lussanet, Abe Garon, November 18, 2008

In this difficult economic environment, it is increasingly important for consumer product strategy professionals to base their product decisions on sharp insight and sound data. Forrester provides a variety of tools to help navigate the tightening consumer . . .

For Consumer Market Research Professionals

Market Researchers: A Compass In The Financial Sandstorm

A List Of Must-Read Research To Help You

by Brad Bortner, November 17, 2008

Things are not looking good for the economy: Although the first half of 2008 showed a steady pace of technology spending, that pace is not continuing. In a down economy, businesses face tough decisions and inevitably look to cut spending. For market researchers, . . .

For eBusiness & Channel Strategy Professionals

Topic Overview: eBusiness And The Economy

by Sucharita Mulpuru, November 14, 2008

The silver lining in the cloud of the global recession is that Web businesses are certain to fare better than their offline counterparts as consumers continue to shift their daily activities online. Forrester analysts have studied the overall effect of . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Topic Overview: Enterprise Apps Vendor Selection

Forrester's Reference Tool For Applications Decisions

by R "Ray" Wang, Paul D. Hamerman, November 11, 2008

Choosing the right vendor remains a critical success factor for every enterprise's business success. Consolidation in the vendor market, a plethora of deployment options, and the progression to a next generation of applications built with service-oriented . . .

For Infrastructure & Operations Professionals

Infrastructure And Operations Professionals: Must-Read Research In An Economic Downturn

by Simon Yates, November 7, 2008

The global economy stands on the brink of a complete meltdown, but the impending threat to the 2009 IT budget is nothing new to infrastructure and operations (I&O) professionals: For years now, you've been asked to do more with less. However, this . . .

For CIOs

CIOs: Must-Read Research In Economic Downturns

by Alex Cullen, November 5, 2008

The signs all point to an economic recession having started in 2008 and continuing into 2009, although there is no useful consensus on how long or how deep this recession will be. CEOs, CFOs, and CIOs struggle to make plans in this uncertain environment, . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Topic Overview: Strategies To Cut Application Costs Using Diagnostic And Monitoring Tools

by Phil Murphy, November 5, 2008

Once developers have implemented and stabilized applications in a production environment, the applications are placed in "maintenance mode"; thereafter, many receive little scrutiny. As time passes, business volumes grow and hardware components change. . . .

For Security & Risk Professionals

Security And Risk Professionals: Must-Read Research In An Economic Downturn

by Simon Yates, October 30, 2008

As the global economy stands on the brink of a complete meltdown, the role of the security and risk management professional is never going to be more important than it is right now. With so many unknown hurdles still ahead, it's up to you to help navigate . . .

For Information & Knowledge Management Professionals

Topic Overview: Must-Read I&KM Research For An Economic Downturn

by Matthew Brown, Connie Moore, Rob Karel, October 29, 2008

Financial bailouts, downward consumer spending, and roller-coaster stock markets are starting to put pressure on information and knowledge management (I&KM) professionals. Will industry consolidation mean gut-wrenching systems consolidation? How will . . .

For Enterprise Architecture Professionals

EA Pros: Must-Read Research In An Economic Downturn

by Gene Leganza, Randy Heffner, October 28, 2008

Economists are debating the length and depth of the economic impact of the credit crunch and the October market meltdown. What can enterprise architects do to survive or — dare we think it — excel during an economic downturn? Enterprise architects must . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Application Development Pros: Must-Read Research In Any Economic Downturn

by Mike Gilpin, October 28, 2008

Whether the economy slips into recession or not, many firms are starting to tighten their budgets. Although this means even more limited resources than usual, the business will continue to expect application development teams to deliver high-quality, . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Business Process & Applications Professionals: Must-Read Research In An Economic Downturn

by Sharyn Leaver, October 23, 2008

Although the first half of 2008 showed a steady pace of technology spending, according to our latest research it's very likely that a slowdown is coming. And in a down economy, businesses face tough decisions and inevitably look to cut spending. The good . . .

For CIOs

Topic Overview: Forrester Methodologies Defend IT Actions In A Down Economy

by Tom Pohlmann, October 20, 2008

Forrester employs four methodologies — TechRadar, Total Economic Impact (TEI), the Forrester Wave, and Best Practices — that align with the decisions you face every day as CIO. This Topic Overview connects the four methodologies and summarizes key research . . .

For Customer Experience Professionals

Topic Overview: Member Experience For Health Plans

Why And How Health Plans Must Embrace Strategic Healthcare Communications

by Elizabeth Boehm, September 22, 2008

Health plans can't afford to deliver subpar member experiences any longer. With a growing individual market, increased cost shifting, and a rising focus on disease and wellness management, strong member experience practices are the price of entry, and . . .

For Enterprise Architecture Professionals

Topic Overview: Service-Oriented Architecture For Enterprise Architects

by Randy Heffner, Larry Fulton, August 18, 2008

Most architects now recognize that service-oriented architecture (SOA) is much more than Web services (WS) standards and better application integration. SOA continues to gain industry recognition as a key element of strategic business transformation — . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Topic Overview: Service-Oriented Architecture For Apps Dev And Program Management Pros

by Randy Heffner, Mike Gilpin, August 18, 2008

For a single, isolated solution delivery project, it's OK to think of service-oriented architecture (SOA) as just Web services (WS) standards for better application integration: Your application needs something from another one, and WS technology bridges . . .