Overview

The previous chapter focused on the adoption of best value practices in the effectiveness quadrant of the supply side of the value compass in order to achieve the principal outcome of improved value-added to the business (as assessed in the value-added, demand-side, quadrant). This chapter focuses on examining the issue of general economy and how to optimize the cost-efficiency, supply-side, quadrant, the flip side of adding value to the business.

I use the quote above from Mr Eden (we should listen to words of wisdom from the British Prime Minister who gave us the Suez Crisis in 1956?) to illustrate the fact that while each IT cost centre manager will doubtless agree that the IT function as a whole must be run economically, their particular cost centre is, of course, an exception and uniquely requires specific investments Beware the spectre of special pleading.

The cost-efficiency of IT product and service supply can rarely be ignored, and in times of global, national or company recession can come startlingly, and rapidly, to the top of the business agenda. However, if IT cost-efficiency optimization is simply not on your company s agenda (what a sweet, trusting CFO you have) then it is perfectly possible to simply skip this chapter and go straight on to Chapter 5. The book has been written in such a way as to segregate as far as is practicable the cost-efficiency and...