The McKinsey Quarterly

2008

• July 2008 

  Building the Web 2.0 Enterprise: McKinsey Global Survey Results

  Companies are using more Web 2.0 tools and technologies than they were last year, sometimes for more complex business purposes, according to McKinsey’s second annual survey on Web 2.0. Companies that are satisfied with their use of these tools are starting to see changes throughout the enterprise.

• January 2008 

  Succeeding at open-source innovation: An interview with Mozilla’s Mitchell Baker

  The company’s chairman and former CEO explains the power of the participatory, open-source model of collaboration.

2007

• August 2007 

  How companies can make the most of user-generated content

  The success of online participatory media—video-sharing sites and corporate wikis alike—depends on the quality contributions of a small core of enthusiasts.

  Includes:

• June 2007 

  Delivering software as a service

  A new delivery method is shaking the software industry’s foundations. Traditional vendors should take heed.

• May 2007 

  Applying lean to application development and maintenance

  To make application development and maintenance more productive, IT managers are getting lean.

• March 2007 

  How businesses are using Web 2.0: A McKinsey Global Survey

  By and large, executives are satisfied with their previous investments in Internet technology, and most are investing in trends that promote automation and networking online.

2006

• August 2006 

  Connecting CRM systems for better customer service

  Few companies gracefully pass sales leads and service information across the barriers of departments and business units. But those that do enjoy substantial rewards.

• May 2006 

  Two new tools that CIOs want

  Among the many technologies that CIOs are investigating, server virtualization and software as a service are emerging as key priorities.

• March 2006 

  Getting better software into manufactured products

  The problems of embedded software are rooted in the legacies of hardware development.

• February 2006 

  The next generation of in-house software development

  How leading-edge companies are streamlining applications development.

2005

• December 2005 

  What's holding back online medical data

  Progress will be slow until all parties in the health care industry can see clear benefits.

• February 2005 

  The case for medical data online

  Information networks hold out the promise of improved care and cost savings, but hospitals can’t build them alone.

2004

• November 2004 

  Life insurers look to IT

  New IT investments are capable not only of making insurance companies more efficient but also of mitigating the losses from agents who leave.

2003

• November 2003 

  Flexible IT, better strategy

  IT’s critics say that it lacks strategic importance. So why does technology keep getting in the way of good strategy?

• November 2003 

  Smart tags for your supply chain

  A new tracking technology is being touted by retailing and consumer product companies as the next big thing, but it isn’t ready for prime time.

• November 2003 

  The promise of purchasing software

  New software can provide procurement managers with more information about their operations but can’t overcome flawed processes.

• August 2003 

  The truth about XML

  Systems powered by the Extensible Markup Language might someday prove to be the standard for information sharing between businesses, but not in the near future.

• May 2003 

  More bang for the IT buck

  IT procurement must be a capability, not a mere exercise in cutting deals.

• May 2003 

  Reinventing IT services

  After a hard fall, providers of IT services face demands for more value—at lower prices.

2002

• December 2002 

  How to rescue CRM

  Even dysfunctional CRM systems may be well positioned for future success. The trick is to step back and think about your real goals.

• June 2002 

  The return of artificial intelligence

  Is AI finally ready for business?

• January 2002 

  When computers learn to talk: A Web services primer

  What are Web services? Why should you care?

2001

• February 2001 

  Fast lines at Digital High

  Computers have transformed work. They could also transform education.

2000

• June 2000 

  The software gap

  A McKinsey survey of 100 software companies around the world found clear distinctions between practices in Europe and those in the United States.

• May 2000 

  A second wind for ERP

  Implementing enterprise resource-planning systems can be intensely painful, and once you have them up and running they may seem to interfere with the speed and nimbleness required for electronic business. Are they a waste? No, but the real benefits aren’t always obvious.

1998

• May 1998 

  The case for ERP systems

  Too often it’s made on faith, not good judgment. Will it cut costs? Common pitfalls in implementation.

1997

• November 1997 

  Time to get rid of legacy systems?

  The real issue is people, not systems. Here’s how one utility addressed it.

• May 1997 

  IT in UK schools: It’s time for a strategy

  The United Kingdom has a higher ratio of computers per schoolchild than almost any other country, including the United States. Yet information technology has had little appreciable influence on educational standards. Schools policy has focused too much on providing hardware, and not enough on fully integrating computers into education.

1996

• August 1996 

  An open letter to CEOs: How otherwise good managers spend too much on information technology

  The choice is yours: manage information technology, or give away a bundle. The experts’ three “I”s: infallible, inflexible, and very inflatable. You have the knowledge to change this. And the technology trends are in your favor.

1995

• November 1995 

  World class: Schools on the Net

  We can put classrooms on the information superhighway now. Is it worth 4 percent of the school budgets?

1994

• November 1994 

  Accelerating IT innovation

  A case study of how Mervyn’s built a new store inventory system in record time.

• November 1994 

  Being intelligent about ’intelligent’ technology

  How rebalancing the mix of human and machine skills processes can create competitive advantage.

• August 1994 

  Breaking through the barriers to new systems development

  Practical—and tested—strategies for lightening the burden of “legacy” systems.

1993

• August 1993 

  Memo to a CEO: Avoiding the mainframe trap in redesign

  The leader’s role is to turn separate initiatives into a balanced, integrated program of change.

• February 1993 

  Keeping CPR on track

  Getting the full value from core process redesign means being able to tell—early—when efforts wander off course.