Customer Reviews

fruITion: Creating the Ultimate Corporate Strategy for Information Technology

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Let me start by saying that I had the pleasure and privilege of working directly with Chris at the last company I worked for.

The work that Chris undertook with my colleagues and me was ground-breaking, and even though it turned our world upside down, for all of the right reasons, it was an enjoyable and illuminating journey.

This book, which is an inspired piece of writing, bears absolutely no resemblance to any other book on strategy, IT or otherwise, that I have read. Most of these books are long, dry and, I have to say, almost unintelligible. FruITion, on the other hand, is an easy read - maybe even too easy, as the narrative style reads more like a good novel than a serious business book. And, of course, this was the intention, and it succeeds beautifully.

It would be easy to miss the important lessons this book teaches you, were it not for the fact that Chris summarises the key points at the end of each chapter.

I would therefore recommend reading it at least twice - once for the pleasure of a well-written book with a central character you really do care about, and once (or more) to make sure you take note of the real messages, which are all about realising the value of a company's investments, not only in IT but in all business change activities.

Having worked in that corporate environment for nearly 20 years, many of the characters and roles were too life-like for this book to be anything but the results of a great deal of experience and first-hand knowledge. In fact, I even sort of recognise people like me in there somewhere, as well as some that remind me of past colleagues, managers and directors, although it's clear that Chris has wisely invented his characters after working with so many people over the years.

When we worked together, it was back in 2000, and while this book neatly summarises much of what he brought to the company at the time, it also demonstrates a continual advancement in thinking as his already significant experience has grown.

I can testify that those elements of this book that were put in place as a result of his work altered and improved everything - what started as a reinvention of a very small team of people ended up affecting almost the entire company and the way they conducted and thought about their business.

It may be a cliché, but I really do wish this book had been available not only to me, but to many people at the company, all those years ago.

For those steeped in the traditions of the "IT department", this book will both shock and surprise you - the core message represents a quantum leap in thinking that will make you wonder why you haven't thought of it yourself.

And for those "normal" people who have always been outside of IT, and wondered what they all do, this book will be an eye-opener and a revelation in how to make IT work with and for you in your organisation.

This is one book that you really won't want to put down, and it has my highest recommendation!

This is a must read book for CIOs who want to be relevant and be counted amongst the next generation of business aligned executives. Turning traditional views of IT on its head this book will make you rethink how you see your role and position in the company. Are you a service provider or a business leader who best understands how the business can become a better customer of IT? Be the one that helps your business to exploit maximum value out of its technology investment. Buy this book and share it.

Easy and quick to read with some big ideas about how to do IT in the future or, more precisely, how to not do IT but just do business and manage IT as any other component that do not require an independent team with independent metrics and organization.

The observations page at the end of each chapter, a critical part of the book, is unreadable since it is formatted as a picture. The right third is cut off. This is also true when trying to read it on an iPod touch. I've requested the publisher please correct but keep this in mind before you purchase this as a Kindle book. It is readable on the PC and Mac version of the Kindle reader. UPDATE: The publisher has notified me that the update for the Kindle edition is expected by March. It's a great book - you need the observations, however to fully enjoy.

Buy this book. Read it and then buy some more for friends, co-workers and customers. That is exactly what I did. I have read this book several times and hand them out when I go to conferences. This is a rare book which teaches what the IT industry is afraid to see in the mirror. Read this book and begin the process of folding your approach of business technology into the business model of your enterprise. I also recommend the IT Value series by Intel Press with Martin Curley, and David Sward. All of these books are easy reads, practical, and thought provoking.

This book not only is an easy read, written in a narative first person style, but also gives great insight to the difficult situation IT departments face in the business world today. This book is a real eye-opener for IT Executives wanting to understand why thier corporate strategy isn't working, and why there department is continually becoming outsourced. It's a must read for all CIO's who want a job in the future.

Kind of like the book Five Dysfunctions of a Team, this story uses characters and situations to illustrate the concept of removing the barriers between IS/IT organizations and the rest of the business. It's a quick read, with a lot of concepts to ponder through the allegory.

I've really enjoyed reading this book. It is a such a refreshing change from the typical IT textbook, as the author builds up characters and a plot to illustrate some of the friction that is explicitly (or more subtly) present in the workplace between business and IT. The style reminded me of The Goal by Goldratt. The author develops a lot of female characters including the CEO, Juliette, which I also find a refreshing change from a male-dominated C-level.