20 Ways to Expand Your Knowledge

This month I've developed a summary of many leading-edge management guidelines and best-practice study reports that are available directly from the Internet. Many of these "roadmap"-type papers will assist you and your IT customers in the implementation of various corporate initiatives.

LIST OF BEST PRACTICE REPORTS

1. Information Management (Improving Mission Performance through Strategic Information Management and Technology -- Learning from Leading Organizations) -- Executive Guide: www.gao.gov/special.pubs/ai94115.pdf

2. Applying Information Technology (Managing Information Systems -- A Practical Assessment Tool) -- Information Technology Resource Board (ITRB) report: www.itrb.gov/feb10ast.pdf

3. IT Strategic Direction (Chief Information Officer Council -- IT Strategic Plan for 2000): www.cio.gov/CIOCouncilPlan-StrategicPortion-final1.pdf; cio.gov/cio-coun.htm; cio.gov/charter.htm

4. Effective IT Leadership (The Federal CIO -- A Seat at the Table) -- Association for Federal Information Resources Management (AFFIRM): www.affirm.org

5. IT Strategic Planning (Managing Information Technology Planning for Business Impact) -- Executive Guideline by the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC): www.ifac.org/StandardsAndGuidance/InformationTechnology/ManagingITPlanning.html

6. IT Project Management (Project Management for Mission Critical Systems) -- Information Technology Resource Board (ITRB) report: www.itrb.gov/itrbpmpr.htm

7. IT Security Management (Managing Security of Information) -- Executive Guideline by the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC): www.ifac.org/StandardsAndGuidance/InformationTechnology/ManagingSecurityOfInfo.html

8. Security Management (Information Security Risk Assessment -- Practices of Leading Organizations) -- General Accounting Office (GAO) Executive Guide (Exposure Draft): www.gao.gov/special.pubs/ai99139.pdf

9. Systems Security Management (Telecommunications Outage and Intrusion Information Sharing Report) -- US National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee study: www.ncs.gov/nstac/NSTACXXII/Reports/InfoShare.pdf

10. Financial Management (Creating Value through World Class Financial Management) -- US General Accounting Office (GAO) Executive Guide (Exposure Draft): www.gao.gov/special.pubs/ai99045.pdf

11. Performance Management (Balancing Measures: Best Practices in Performance Management) -- National Partnership for Reinventing Government (NPR) report: www.npr.gov/library/papers/bkgrd/balmeasure.html

12. Human Resource Management (Serving the American Public: Best Practices in Downsizing) National Partnership for Reinventing Government (NPR) report: www.npr.gov/library/papers/benchmrk/downsize.html

13. Risk Management (Enhancing Shareholder Wealth by Better Managing Business Risk) -- Executive Guideline by the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC): www.ifac.org/StandardsAndGuidance/FMAC/Study9-EnhancingShareholder/Study9.html

14. IT Performance Measurement (Measuring Performance and Demonstrating Results of Information Technology Investments) -- General Accounting Office Executive Guide: www.gao.gov/special.pubs/ai98089.pdf

15. IT Customer Service (Strategic Direction in the Office of Information Technology -- A Roadmap for Success) -- US General Services Administration (GSA) paper: www.itpolicy.gsa.gov/roadmap.htm

16. Y2K Project Oversight and Y2K Contingency Planning (DoD Web Site -- Many Papers): www.c3i.osd.mil/org/cio/y2k/index.html; www.c3i.osd.mil/org/cio/y2k/y2k_con_plan/index.html

17. Contingency Planning Guidance (Steering Government into the Next Millennium: A Guide to Effective Business Continuity in Support of the Year 2000 Challenge) -- Treasury Board of Canada -- CIO Office: www.cio-dpi.gc.ca/emf/Publications/Publication7/steering_govt_e.html

18. Project Management (Project Manager's Handbook) -- Treasury Board of Canada -- CIO Office: www.cio-dpi.gc.ca/emf/handbook/Handbooksplash_e.html

19. Project Management (Enhanced Project Management Framework -- Many Publications) -- Treasury Board of Canada -- CIO Office: www.cio-dpi.gc.ca/emf/Publications/Publicationsplash_e.html

20. Results Management (Managing for Results) -- Annual Report to Parliament by the President of the Treasury Board of Canada: www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/report/dwnld/mfr98_e.pdf

Dan Swanson is a management consultant with LGS Group in Winnipeg. He specializes in audit and management consulting and can be reached at dswanson@lgs.ca

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