TOP STORY

The Wiki Workplace: An exclusive interview with Don Tapscott

Today's email is yesterday's news, says the author of Wikinomics and Cognos Forum keynote speaker. It's feeds, tags, and JAMS that drive improvments in performance. Here, he elaborates on the trends shaping the workplace and how IT can leverage them for the good. —May 23, 2008

ON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY:

Dealing with data silos? Meet your data strategy

Data silos are no one's friend, but now that you have them, what to do with them? From ETL to EII, a look at tools to bring them together and approaches you can take to build a performance management platform. —May 23, 2008

Six years on, CIOs seeing business benefits from SOX

From resistance to acceptance, it's been a long, strange trip for SOX and CIOs. But with the heavy lifting now behind them and costs coming down, they're starting to see compliance as a strategic corporate asset. —May 23, 2008

The billion-dollar dashboard at the U.S. Department of Defense

In truth it's $400 billion, with another $3.6 trillion in assets. And it's up to Tina Jonas to manage as CFO of the U.S. DoD. Some say her job is "the toughest in the world," but with help from her team and Cognos solutions, she says it's "terrific." Here's why. —May 23, 2008

Integrated planning could save $35 million: The Hackett Group

It's slow, costly, and routinely misses the mark. Not reason enough to fix your planning? How about saving $35 million a year? New numbers from The Hackett Group reveal the growing gap between world-class performers and those they leave behind. —May 23, 2008

Change everything: A CFO's to-do list for the first 100 days

There's nothing more critical than knowing what drives the business. So says McKinsey in its findings on priorities for new CFOs. Just don't forget to improve efficiencies, fix broken processes, and ensure the numbers are right. Reasons all to investigate the value of FPM. —May 23, 2008

Strategic flexibililty: Your defense against the downturn

Whether we're in for a "long slog" or just a "shallow downturn," finance leaders' outlook is decidedly downbeat. McKinsey says you can avoid disaster, and with performance management you can even come out ahead. —May 23, 2008

ON BUSINESS:

A new mandate to perform for public sector employees

Employees don't mind accountability, says Clay Johnson, Deputy Director for the U.S. Office of Management and Budget. They want clear and fair goals and the chance to help shape them. Here, he explains how a performance management culture energizes teams into making it happen. —May 23, 2008

Use performance management to see the signs of a slowdown

From not enough talent to too much success, a new HBR study reveals many causes of a "stall point" to be under management's control. A look at the warning signs to heed and how performance management can help. —May 23, 2008

Why driving innovation means sharing your data

Thomas Friedman calls it "flattening." At McKinsey, it's "cocreation." Whatever the term, it means integration, collaboration, and innovation on a global scale. The common thread through it all? Accurate information for all involved. —May 23, 2008

Performance management and a more productive public sector

In the next 20 years, governments will pay more in pensions than they raise in taxes. But between cutting services and starving programs lies a better way using reports, metrics, and the right information. —May 23, 2008