Chapter 1

Introduction

The early years of the 21st century brought astounding changes to industry: the dot-com crash, the globalization and widespread outsourcing of business functions, increased regulatory and standards pressures, and a peek at a future full of nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, and bioengineered products that will far surpass human capabilities. All of these changes have forced organizations to become “leaner and meaner” to survive, but being lean and mean alone does not guarantee survival.

A 2004 study by the London School of Economics and the McKinsey Company1 shows that companies that managed both processes and their technology deployments to support their business processes experienced significant gains over those ...

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