The Next Leap in Productivity: What Top Managers Really Need to Know about Information Technology

Adam Kolawa

Wiley, Apr 20, 2009 - Business & Economics - 208 pages

How much should top management really care about IT? That’sthe question Adam Kolawa bluntly poses in this feisty andcompelling book. “The Next Leap in Productivity” goesfar beyond traditional business books written for the CIOcommunity. It tackles crucial issues such as productivity,efficiency and quality management. It makes the case for applyingthe principles of Deming and Juran to software development. Then ittakes a “leap,” arguing that huge potential increasesin IT productivity can lead to enormous increases in enterpriseproductivity. In this sense, “The Next Leap inProductivity” is a truly visionary book.

Software vendors and CIOs who read this book will discover asoftware development process that is transparent, practical andefficient. Non-technical C-level executives (CEOs, CFOs, COOs,etc.) will discover a blueprint for improving corporateproductivity and dramatically reducing operating costs.

For the past decade, CIOs have been urged, coaxed, counseled andexhorted to act more like CEOs, CFOs, COOs and other C-levelexecutives. This book suggests that it’s time for CEOs, CFOs,COOs and other C-level executives to start acting more like CIOs.“The Next Leap in Productivity” will appeal to anyoneinvolved in buying, selling, developing or using IT.

Advance Praise for “The Next Leap inProductivity”
“Adam’s book is a challenge to all the top managerswho’ve stopped caring about IT. His message is simple: If youreally care about IT, you find ways to make IT more productive. Theimprovements you achieve in IT productivity can then be leveragedinto huge leaps in productivity at the enterprise level. This bookoffers a roadmap for translating IT productivity into businessprofit. Adam’s argument is worth reading and worthconsidering as you formulate your IT strategies and plan your ITbudgets.”--Gary Beach, Publisher Emeritus, CIOmagazine

“Adam lays the groundwork for a common language that canbe used to bridge the chasms between IT and other essentialcomponents of the business such as finance, product development,sales, marketing, distribution and customer service. Everyone whoreads this book will learn valuable lessons that can be leveragedto improve returns on human capital investments at every level ofthe organization. Adam’s concepts have the potential to boostlevels of confidence and performance throughout theenterprise.”-- Michael Minelli, Co-author, Partnering withthe CIO

“These kinds of productivity principles are not meretheory. When we put these same principles into effect, ourproductivity went up more than we had thought possible. And ouremployee morale went up, too. It became easier to write code theright way and harder to make stupid mistakes. This new way ofcreating software makes it possible for us to concentrate on whatwe really want to do here at Cisco, which is to improve theInternet for everybody.”-- Andy Chessin, Senior TechnicalLead, Cisco, Inc.

About the author

Adam Kolawa, PhD, is CEO and cofounder of Parasoft, a respected global provider of software solutions and services. He has been granted sixteen patents for his recent inventions, was awarded the Los Angeles Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the software category and was recognized by eWeek as one of the 100 Most Influential People in IT. He is the coauthor of Automated Defect Prevention: Best Practices in Software Management, published by Wiley, as well as Bulletproofing Web Applications.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Next Leap in Productivity: What Top Managers Really Need to Know about Information Technology
• Author: Adam Kolawa
• Publisher: Wiley, 2009
• ISBN: 0470449063, 9780470449066
• Length: 208 pages
• Subjects: Business & Economics / Management; Business & Economics / Strategic Planning