Abstract

Architecture and Patterns for IT Service Management, Resource Planning, and Governance: Making Shoes for the Cobbler's Children provides an independent examination of developments in Enterprise Resource Planning for Information.

Major companies, research firms, and vendors are offering Enterprise Resource Planning for Information Technology, which they label as ERP for IT, IT Resource Planning and related terms.

This book presents on-the-ground coverage of enabling IT governance in architectural detail, which can be used to define a strategy for immediate execution. It fills the gap between high-level guidance on IT governance and detailed discussions about specific vendor technologies. It provides a unique value chain approach to integrating the COBIT, ITIL, and CMM frameworks into a coherent, unified whole. It presents a field-tested, detailed conceptual information model with definitions and usage scenarios, mapped to both process and system architectures.

This book is recommended for practitioners and managers engaged in IT support in large companies, particularly those who are information architects, enterprise architects, senior software engineers, program/project managers, and IT managers/directors.

"In most companies IT has “evolved”—perhaps it’s time to consider “intelligent design.” This is the value of Charlie’s book. Charlie describes a process-based approach coupled with data modeling and metadata concepts, which translate in turn to distributed system architectures: a type of three-legged stool for the purpose of putting more intent into ITSM infrastructure design. I consider him one of the foremost thinkers in the area. He has certainly opened my eyes to the wonders of it all." -- Ken Wendle, FISM, ITSM Solution Lead, Hewlett Packard, Co-founder and Past President, itSMF, USA
“Charles Betz' work is innovative and paradigm-shifting, but more importantly he is the first person to get below the hype of running 'IT Like a Business' and provide actionable ideas for managing information technology business processes more effectively and efficiently. This is a must read for anyone charged with enterprise architecting, IT planning, and IT governance and management in general.” —- David Buckholtz, Vice-President, Enterprise Architecture; Sony Pictures Entertainment
"Betz tells us that the cobbler has been ignoring his children, but in fact the average Fortune 500 executive probably believes that IT management is already a science: i.e., the emperor has no clothes! In a succinct yet detailed fashion, Betz clothes & shods the royal progeny with a clear and concise approach to IT management that leverages the enterprise resource planning and value chain integration notions. How do enterprise and business process modeling, performance metrics, SOA and BPMN, business planning and the COBIT & ITIL frameworks contribute to better, cheaper and faster IT systems and change that matches the business' pace? Betz shows how to leverage what's available, and run IT like a business. This book is destined to sit on the shelf of every IT professional who is tired of patching software and fighting fires, and prefers to offer a businesslike service to the business he serves.” -- Richard Mark Soley, Ph.D., Chairman and CEO, Object Management Group, Inc.
“Charles Betz’s new book is a welcomed look at IT governance. By breaking down the different functional areas of IT, he has created a roadmap to the highest levels of maturity. Serious technology professionals will find this resource extremely valuable in planning, executing, and reviewing their infrastructure environment. Making Shoes for the Cobbler’s Children is critical reading for anyone who envisions a new world of technology governance. This book unveils a great model that managers and executives can use to maximize their technology investment. It develops an action plan for managing all elements of the technology environments as a business which is long overdue.” -— R. Todd Stephens, Ph.D., BellSouth Corporation
“Making Shoes for the Cobbler's Children will help you implement a successful IT governance program by giving you a firm foundation in current IT governance essentials. Betz's practical patterns, models, and processes will jumpstart your IT governance planning and analysis initiatives, leading to increased business confidence in IT's overall effectiveness and ability to deliver.” --— Karen Lopez, Principal Consultant, InfoAdvisors, Inc.
“For decades, the management of Information Technology has been driven by more art than science. Charlie's broad view of the IT Value Chain and his use of design patterns for IT processes gives the reader clear examples of how to get started with their own journey toward IT excellence. His clear passion for the subject matter makes for an easy read.” —- Dennis Gaughan, Research Director, AMR Research