The IT Value Quest: How to Capture the Business Value of IT-Based Infrastructure

Rating:
Summary: IT Value Quest: 2 thumbs down. 1 star is a gift.
Review: I have a lot of experience and I read a lot of books. Therefore, let me start by saying...I sent this book back. First of all the author (references) so often it not only takes away from the message, but it leaves the reader wondering..."who really wrote this book?" Second, the author writes "with respect to", "the underpinning of this book", and "notwithstanding" so often I started to laugh. Lastly, the overall message of this book is "IT investments are hard to measure", but again, one doesn't need to read it again and again. I actually don't find fault with the author...I blame the publisher. This is a great subject, but this book just doesn't make the grade. Just my opinion.

Rating:
Summary: Good topic, falls short on advanced measures
Review: The author covers a broad array of very important infrastructure topics. The book is useful and valuable for anyone who has ever tried to justify the value of IT-based infrastructure projects. However, two of today's most powerful tools, real options analysis and simulation, are dismissed by the author as too complicated or abstract to be of any use for managers. While Renkema is correct to presume that most managers do ahve have a handle on these concepts, I was somewhat dissapointed to see that he did not encourage these avenues of methods to get at better numbers with which one can quantify the value of infrastructure. Nevertheless, the book is full of useful information regarding the decision-making process within bureaucratic environments as well as dealing with topics such as risk, argument structure, financial analysis, and qualitative analysis.