In a world bursting with new information, ideas, opportunities, and technological advancements, it is time to rethink how continuous learning shapes our future. Amidst the ongoing digital revolution, widespread educational reform, and the most significant global pandemic of our lifetimes, we are at a pivotal time in history. Transformative Digital Technology for Effective Workplace Learning explores the technological developments that are rapidly unfolding in the workplace and those that support workplace training. What emerges is that the rate of change and the possibilities for improvement are more extensive than many of us might have suspected. From artificial intelligence to virtual reality, from data analytics, to adaptive learning, there is the capacity for significant innovation and opportunity if harnessed in the right ways. The book offers an overview of several critical issues that face the future of the workplace and examines them through the lens of lifelong learning. The book begins by conveying the current impacts on the workplace and how the internal function of learning and development has evolved. It then considers the eight learning imperatives that drive workplace learning and then looks at the future workplace. Exploring technological frameworks for digitally enhanced workplace learning, the book takes a deep dive into the capabilities of immersive technologies, as well as into the insights enabled through learning analytics. The goal of this book is not to merely describe technological advancements in the workplace but instead, to challenge the status quo and think critically about the future that lies ahead. One aim is to have business leaders understand the necessity for ongoing workplace learning. Another is that individuals appreciate that lifelong learning is the new social norm. Ongoing education allows people to become more open to change and less anxious about new experiences. Developing a growth mindset and adopting a company culture that says everyone can learn new things and continue to improve their performance will become the standard. Most importantly, as the business world is reconfigured before our very eyes, ongoing learning must become an economic imperative.

Whether you're taking the CPHIMS exam or simply want the most current and comprehensive overview in healthcare information and management systems today, this completely revised and updated fourth edition has it all. But for those preparing for the CPHIMS exam, this book is also an ideal study partner. The content reflects the outline of exam topics covering healthcare and technology environments; clinical informatics; analysis, design, selection, implementation, support, maintenance, testing, evaluation, privacy and security; and management and leadership. Candidates can challenge themselves with the sample multiple-choice questions given at the end of the book. The benefits of CPHIMS certification are broad and far-reaching. Certification is a process that is embraced in many industries, including healthcare information and technology. CPHIMS is recognized as the 'gold standard' in healthcare IT because it is developed by HIMSS, has a global focus and is valued by clinicians and non-clinicians, management and staff positions and technical and nontechnical individuals. Certification, specifically CPHIMS certification, provides a means by which employers can evaluate potential new hires, analyze job performance, evaluate employees, market IT services and motivate employees to enhance their skills and knowledge. Certification also provides employers with the evidence that the certificate holders have demonstrated an established level of job-related knowledge, skills and abilities and are competent practitioners of healthcare IT.

The agile transformation is an act of transforming an organization's form or nature gradually to one that can embrace and thrive in a flexible, collaborative, self-organizing, and fast-changing environment. It seems like most of the companies starting an agile transformation never reach the goal of agility, but there are those few that truly become agile and reap incredible benefits by utilizing DevOps as well. This book introduces the theory and practice of the "double-flywheels model" of Continuous Delivery 2.0: Discovery Loop, which allows information technology (IT) organizations to help businesses figure out the most efficacious ways to develop. Additionally, it explores applications of the Verification Loop that allows IT organizations to deliver value quickly and safely with high quality. Along the way, the book provides an array of insights and case studies that dive into all the aspects of software delivery, and how to implement Continuous Delivery in the most economical way for long-run business development. Features Organization culture and software architecture Business requirement management Pipeline and tooling Branching and releasing strategy Automation strategy Configuration and artefacts management Deployment and production healthy The case studies at the end of the book-scenarios in which the author was personally involved-are explored in depth and meticulously detailed in order to represent typical agile transition scenarios that will benefit all readers.

How does one go about organizing something as complicated as a strategic-missile or space-exploration program? Stephen B. Johnson here explores the answer--systems management--in a groundbreaking study that involves Air Force planners, scientists, technical specialists, and, eventually, bureaucrats. Taking a comparative approach, Johnson focuses on the theory, or intellectual history, of "systems engineering" as such, its origins in the Air Force's Cold War ICBM efforts, and its migration to not only NASA but the European Space Agency.

Exploring the history and politics of aerospace development and weapons procurement, Johnson examines how scientists and engineers created the systems management process to coordinate large-scale technology development, and how managers and military officers gained control of that process. "Those funding the race demanded results," Johnson explains. "In response, development organizations created what few expected and what even fewer wanted--a bureaucracy for innovation. To begin to understand this apparent contradiction in terms, we must first understand the exacting nature of space technologies and the concerns of those who create them."

IT projects emerge from a business need. In practice, software developers must accomplish two big things before an IT project can begin: find out what you need to do (i.e., analyse business requirements) and plan out how to do it (i.e., project management). The biggest problem in IT projects is delivering the wrong product because IT people do not understand what business people require. This practical textbook teaches computer science students how to manage and deliver IT projects by linking business and IT requirements with project management in an incremental and straightforward approach. Business Analysis, Requirements, and Project Management: A Guide for Computing Students presents an approach to analysis management that scales the business perspective. It takes a business process view of a business proposal as a model and explains how to structure a technical problem into a recognisable pattern with problem frames. It shows how to identify core transactions and model them as use cases to create a requirements table useful to designers and coders. Linked to the analysis are three management tools: the product breakdown structure (PBS), the Gantt chart, and the Kanban board. The PBS is derived in part from the problem frame. The Gantt chart emerges from the PBS and ensures the key requirements are addressed by reference to use cases. The Kanban board is especially useful in Task Driven Development, which the text covers. This textbook consists of two interleaving parts and features a single case study. Part one addresses the business and requirements perspective. The second integrates core project management approaches and explains how both requirements and management are connected. The remainder of the book is appendices, the first of which provides solutions to the exercises presented in each chapter. The second appendix puts together much of the documentation for the case study into one place. The case study presents a real-word business scenario to expose students to professional practice.

This book addresses the important role of communication within the context of performing an audit, project, or review (i.e., planning, detailed testing, and reporting). Intended for audit, information security, enterprise, and operational risk professionals at all levels, including those just starting out, Say What!? Communicate with Tact and Impact: What to Say to Get Results at Any Point in an Audit contains an array of practical and time-tested approaches that foster efficient and effective communication at any point during an engagement. The practical and memorable techniques are culled from author Ann M. Butera's CRP experience as a trusted advisor who has taught thousands of professionals how to develop and hone their interpersonal, communication, and empathic skills. Those familiar with the Five Tier Competency ModelTM she developed will recognize these techniques as a deep dive on the competencies comprising Tier 3: Project Management and Tier 5: Managing Constituent Relations. The author discusses the following behaviors in one's dealings with executives, process owners, control performers, and colleagues: Demonstrating executive presence Becoming the trusted advisor Influencing others Communicating with tact, confidence, and impact Facilitating productive meetings and discussions Overcoming resistance and objections Managing and resolving conflict Knowing when to let a topic go and move on This book is a guide for professionals who want to interact proactively and persuasively with those they work with, audit, or review. It describes techniques that can be used during virtual, in-person, telephone, or video conferences (as opposed to emails, workpapers, and reports). It provides everyone (newer associates in particular) with the interpersonal skills needed to (1) develop and build relationships with their internal constituents and clients, (2) facilitate conversations and discussions before and during meetings, and (3) handle impromptu questions with confidence and executive presence and make positive first impressions. The topics and techniques discussed are accompanied by case studies, examples, and exercises to give the readers the opportunity to develop plans to bridge the gap between theory and practice. The readers can use the book as a reliable resource when subject matter experts or training guides are not readily available.

Remote workforces using VPNs, cloud-based infrastructure and critical systems, and a proliferation in phishing attacks and fraudulent websites are all raising the level of risk for every company. It all comes down to just one thing that is at stake: how to gauge a company's level of cyber risk and the tolerance level for this risk. Loosely put, this translates to how much uncertainty an organization can tolerate before it starts to negatively affect mission critical flows and business processes. Trying to gauge this can be a huge and nebulous task for any IT security team to accomplish. Making this task so difficult are the many frameworks and models that can be utilized. It is very confusing to know which one to utilize in order to achieve a high level of security. Complicating this situation further is that both quantitative and qualitative variables must be considered and deployed into a cyber risk model. Assessing and Insuring Cybersecurity Risk provides an insight into how to gauge an organization's particular level of cyber risk, and what would be deemed appropriate for the organization's risk tolerance. In addition to computing the level of cyber risk, an IT security team has to determine the appropriate controls that are needed to mitigate cyber risk. Also to be considered are the standards and best practices that the IT security team has to implement for complying with such regulations and mandates as CCPA, GDPR, and the HIPAA. To help a security team to comprehensively assess an organization's cyber risk level and how to insure against it, the book covers: The mechanics of cyber risk Risk controls that need to be put into place The issues and benefits of cybersecurity risk insurance policies GDPR, CCPA, and the the CMMC Gauging how much cyber risk and uncertainty an organization can tolerate is a complex and complicated task, and this book helps to make it more understandable and manageable.

Teams working in a crisis are operating in a high turbulence environment. Blue Shark Teams thrive in a crisis. They swim through turbulence and glide to project success. This book reveals the concepts and practical insight on how to create and lead Blue Shark Teams. The Blue Shark Model of Leading High-Performance Teams is based on Daniel Goleman's emotional intelligence model and Bruce Tuckman's team-building model (forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning). This book shows how to apply these models to large companies, small-to-medium size businesses, and projects during a crisis. It explains how managers can develop their leadership style and lead high-performance teams. A real-life case study, which was a success story during the COVID-19 pandemic, is discussed to elaborate the team-building and emotional intelligence models. The lessons learned from this case study can be applied to any crisis in any industry across the spectrum, including healthcare, IT, telecom, construction, manufacturing, oil and gas, airlines, financial services, retail, public sector, and consulting. The book arms executives and managers with the concepts and techniques to lead and manage projects, teams, and companies during turbulent and volatile times. If you are a CEO, CIO, CTO, or CXO of a Fortune 500 company, a mid-to-small size Business Owner, a Project Manager, or a Senior Executive facing a crisis, then this book is for you. It describes real-life case studies and projects that shows how the theoretical frameworks and models developed by leading researchers can be applied successfully to companies and projects, especially during a crisis and pandemic such as COVID-19.

Teams working in a crisis are operating in a high turbulence environment. Blue Shark Teams thrive in a crisis. They swim through turbulence and glide to project success. This book reveals the concepts and practical insight on how to create and lead Blue Shark Teams. The Blue Shark Model of Leading High-Performance Teams is based on Daniel Goleman's emotional intelligence model and Bruce Tuckman's team-building model (forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning). This book shows how to apply these models to large companies, small-to-medium size businesses, and projects during a crisis. It explains how managers can develop their leadership style and lead high-performance teams. A real-life case study, which was a success story during the COVID-19 pandemic, is discussed to elaborate the team-building and emotional intelligence models. The lessons learned from this case study can be applied to any crisis in any industry across the spectrum, including healthcare, IT, telecom, construction, manufacturing, oil and gas, airlines, financial services, retail, public sector, and consulting. The book arms executives and managers with the concepts and techniques to lead and manage projects, teams, and companies during turbulent and volatile times. If you are a CEO, CIO, CTO, or CXO of a Fortune 500 company, a mid-to-small size Business Owner, a Project Manager, or a Senior Executive facing a crisis, then this book is for you. It describes real-life case studies and projects that shows how the theoretical frameworks and models developed by leading researchers can be applied successfully to companies and projects, especially during a crisis and pandemic such as COVID-19.

Remote workforces using VPNs, cloud-based infrastructure and critical systems, and a proliferation in phishing attacks and fraudulent websites are all raising the level of risk for every company. It all comes down to just one thing that is at stake: how to gauge a company's level of cyber risk and the tolerance level for this risk. Loosely put, this translates to how much uncertainty an organization can tolerate before it starts to negatively affect mission critical flows and business processes. Trying to gauge this can be a huge and nebulous task for any IT security team to accomplish. Making this task so difficult are the many frameworks and models that can be utilized. It is very confusing to know which one to utilize in order to achieve a high level of security. Complicating this situation further is that both quantitative and qualitative variables must be considered and deployed into a cyber risk model. Assessing and Insuring Cybersecurity Risk provides an insight into how to gauge an organization's particular level of cyber risk, and what would be deemed appropriate for the organization's risk tolerance. In addition to computing the level of cyber risk, an IT security team has to determine the appropriate controls that are needed to mitigate cyber risk. Also to be considered are the standards and best practices that the IT security team has to implement for complying with such regulations and mandates as CCPA, GDPR, and the HIPAA. To help a security team to comprehensively assess an organization's cyber risk level and how to insure against it, the book covers: The mechanics of cyber risk Risk controls that need to be put into place The issues and benefits of cybersecurity risk insurance policies GDPR, CCPA, and the the CMMC Gauging how much cyber risk and uncertainty an organization can tolerate is a complex and complicated task, and this book helps to make it more understandable and manageable.

The U.S. healthcare system is in "complete chaos-disarray." Medical costs have increased significantly over the past 6 years with 70% increase for deductibles and 24% or more for health insurance premiums. All the while, workers earnings have either not increased or if they did, the pay raises were for less than the increase in the cost of medical care. The situation is unsustainable and the public wants the system fixed. This book offers ways of fixing the problems in healthcare. HEALTHCARE's OUT SICK - PREDICTING A CURE - Solutions that WORK !!!! first defines the "healthcare in crisis" problem. Through real patient experiences, the book describes the difficulties of getting through the maze of complexity among the plethora of "silo providers" which make up the industry. The heart of the book provides readers with a comprehensive solution that can work, a disruption that is necessary to provide Americans the medical care they need without the US public and healthcare providers and payors going into bankruptcy, insolvency or closure. This book delves into digitized medicine, payor and provider reimbursement models, and value-based healthcare delivery. It also includes a philosophy or mode of thinking and operation for the solutions that are needed for diagnosis-effective, cost-effective, and time-efficient healthcare delivery, of which digitized medicine, value-based care, and payor reimbursement modes are just some of the factors. The authors propose that the real solution involves having the patient at the center of the issues and changing from an archaic gold standard way of thinking to a "Predictive Analytic thinking" where one gets at the real truth by doing "real science" that in the end becomes effective not only for the population but for the individual person. This all leads to real person-centered and person-directed medicine and healthcare delivery.

This book gives examples from healthcare institutions that are using IT automation and innovation to drive change and provides guidance on the strategic direction of HIT over the next five years. Improving the delivery of healthcare through HIT is vital for both the economic success of healthcare organizations and the care of the patient, but most EMR systems do not have an integrated and architected approach. This book provides a detailed approach on how to leverage IT for transformation. It also shows how to build upon the experiences of other industries and helps foster innovation by providing a vision of where technology can be an enabler.

Recent computer-based tools for project planning and management focus on user-friendliness and interconnectivity. However, these programs function on the Critical Path Method, or CPM, which was created in the 1950s. These programs, which involve simplistic models and methods, ignore the fact that the underlying computations on which they function have become woefully inadequate for the complex projects of today. The product of nearly a decade of work, The Dynamic Progress Method: Using Advanced Simulation to Improve Project Planning and Management provides an overview of the research conducted while illustrating some of the issues with current approaches. It presents the Dynamic Progress Method (DPM), an innovative simulation-based approach to project management. It also includes instructions on how to use the accompanying DPM-based simulation tool pmBLOX to plan, manage, and analyze projects. This groundbreaking book is a must-have resource for project planning and management. It introduces a new and better way of planning, estimating, and managing projects that corrects some of the fundamental flaws of the CPM. It brings the computational integrity of planning simulations up to speed with modern needs, making it useful not only to current project managers but also to students who will become project managers.

Conducted properly, information security risk assessments provide managers with the feedback needed to manage risk through the understanding of threats to corporate assets, determination of current control vulnerabilities, and appropriate safeguards selection. Performed incorrectly, they can provide the false sense of security that allows potential threats to develop into disastrous losses of proprietary information, capital, and corporate value. Picking up where its bestselling predecessors left off, The Security Risk Assessment Handbook: A Complete Guide for Performing Security Risk Assessments, Third Edition gives you detailed instruction on how to conduct a security risk assessment effectively and efficiently, supplying wide-ranging coverage that includes security risk analysis, mitigation, and risk assessment reporting. The third edition has expanded coverage of essential topics, such as threat analysis, data gathering, risk analysis, and risk assessment methods, and added coverage of new topics essential for current assessment projects (e.g., cloud security, supply chain management, and security risk assessment methods). This handbook walks you through the process of conducting an effective security assessment, and it provides the tools, methods, and up-to-date understanding you need to select the security measures best suited to your organization. Trusted to assess security for small companies, leading organizations, and government agencies, including the CIA, NSA, and NATO, Douglas J. Landoll unveils the little-known tips, tricks, and techniques used by savvy security professionals in the field. It includes features on how to Better negotiate the scope and rigor of security assessments Effectively interface with security assessment teams Gain an improved understanding of final report recommendations Deliver insightful comments on draft reports This edition includes detailed guidance on gathering data and analyzes over 200 administrative, technical, and physical controls using the RIIOT data gathering method; introduces the RIIOT FRAME (risk assessment method), including hundreds of tables, over 70 new diagrams and figures, and over 80 exercises; and provides a detailed analysis of many of the popular security risk assessment methods in use today. The companion website (infosecurityrisk.com) provides downloads for checklists, spreadsheets, figures, and tools.

Everyday technology is constantly changing, and it's hard to keep up with it at times. What is all this talk about automation, STEM, analytics and super-computers, and how will it really affect my daily life at work and in the home? This book is a simple guide to everyday technology and analytics written in plain language. It starts with explaining how computer networks are increasing in speed so fast that we can do more in less time than ever before. It explains the analytical jargon in plain English and why robotics in the home will be aided by the new technology of the quantum computer. Richly furnished with over 200 illustrations, photos and with minimal equations, A Simple Guide to Technology and Analytics is a ready reference book for those times when you don't really understand the technology and analytics being talked about. It explains complicated topics such as automated character recognition in a very simple way, and has simple exercises for the reader to fully understand the technology (with answers at the back). It even has explanations on how home appliances work, which are very useful the next time you go shopping for a microwave or TV. Even the Glossary at the back can be used as a quick look-up explanation for those on the go.

This book is written for the first security hire in an organization, either an individual moving into this role from within the organization or hired into the role. More and more, organizations are realizing that information security requires a dedicated team with leadership distinct from information technology, and often the people who are placed into those positions have no idea where to start or how to prioritize. There are many issues competing for their attention, standards that say do this or do that, laws, regulations, customer demands, and no guidance on what is actually effective. This book offers guidance on approaches that work for how you prioritize and build a comprehensive information security program that protects your organization. While most books targeted at information security professionals explore specific subjects with deep expertise, this book explores the depth and breadth of the field. Instead of exploring a technology such as cloud security or a technique such as risk analysis, this book places those into the larger context of how to meet an organization's needs, how to prioritize, and what success looks like. Guides to the maturation of practice are offered, along with pointers for each topic on where to go for an in-depth exploration of each topic. Unlike more typical books on information security that advocate a single perspective, this book explores competing perspectives with an eye to providing the pros and cons of the different approaches and the implications of choices on implementation and on maturity, as often a choice on an approach needs to change as an organization grows and matures.

This book is written for the first security hire in an organization, either an individual moving into this role from within the organization or hired into the role. More and more, organizations are realizing that information security requires a dedicated team with leadership distinct from information technology, and often the people who are placed into those positions have no idea where to start or how to prioritize. There are many issues competing for their attention, standards that say do this or do that, laws, regulations, customer demands, and no guidance on what is actually effective. This book offers guidance on approaches that work for how you prioritize and build a comprehensive information security program that protects your organization. While most books targeted at information security professionals explore specific subjects with deep expertise, this book explores the depth and breadth of the field. Instead of exploring a technology such as cloud security or a technique such as risk analysis, this book places those into the larger context of how to meet an organization's needs, how to prioritize, and what success looks like. Guides to the maturation of practice are offered, along with pointers for each topic on where to go for an in-depth exploration of each topic. Unlike more typical books on information security that advocate a single perspective, this book explores competing perspectives with an eye to providing the pros and cons of the different approaches and the implications of choices on implementation and on maturity, as often a choice on an approach needs to change as an organization grows and matures.

It's axiomatic to state that people fear what they do not understand, and this is especially true when it comes to technology. However, despite their prevalence, computers remain shrouded in mystery, and many users feel apprehensive when interacting with them. Smartphones have only exacerbated the issue. Indeed, most users of these devices leverage only a small fraction of the power they hold in their hands. How Things Work: The Computer Science Edition is a roadmap for readers who want to overcome their technophobia and harness the full power of everyday technology. Beginning with the basics, the book demystifies the mysterious world of computer science, explains its fundamental concepts in simple terms, and answers the questions many users feel too intimidated to ask. By the end of the book, readers will understand how computers and smart devices function and, more important, how they can make these devices work for them. To complete the picture, the book also introduces readers to the darker side of modern technology: security and privacy concerns, identity theft, and threats from the Dark Web.

The book Security of Internet of Things Nodes: Challenges, Attacks, and Countermeasures (R) covers a wide range of research topics on the security of the Internet of Things nodes along with the latest research development in the domain of Internet of Things. It also covers various algorithms, techniques, and schemes in the field of computer science with state-of-the-art tools and technologies. This book mainly focuses on the security challenges of the Internet of Things devices and the countermeasures to overcome security vulnerabilities. Also, it highlights trust management issues on the Internet of Things nodes to build secured Internet of Things systems. The book also covers the necessity of a system model for the Internet of Things devices to ensure security at the hardware level.

This book explains how AI and Machine Learning can be applied to help businesses solve problems, support critical thinking and ultimately create customer value and increase profit. By considering business strategies, business process modeling, quality assurance, cybersecurity, governance and big data and focusing on functions, processes, and people's behaviors it helps businesses take a truly holistic approach to business optimization. It contains practical examples that make it easy to understand the concepts and apply them. It is written for practitioners (consultants, senior executives, decision-makers) dealing with real-life business problems on a daily basis, who are keen to develop systematic strategies for the application of AI/ML/BD technologies to business automation and optimization, as well as researchers who want to explore the industrial applications of AI and higher-level students.

This book explores a broad cross section of research and actual case studies to draw out new insights that may be used to build a benchmark for IT security professionals. This research takes a deeper dive beneath the surface of the analysis to uncover novel ways to mitigate data security vulnerabilities, connect the dots and identify patterns in the data on breaches. This analysis will assist security professionals not only in benchmarking their risk management programs but also in identifying forward looking security measures to narrow the path of future vulnerabilities.

This book provides emergent knowledge relating to physical, cyber, and human risk mitigation in a practical and readable approach for the corporate environment. It presents and discusses practical applications of risk management techniques along with useable practical policy change options. This practical organizational security management approach examines multiple aspects of security to protect against physical, cyber, and human risk. A practical more tactical focus includes managing vulnerabilities and applying countermeasures. The book guides readers to a greater depth of understanding and action-oriented options.

This book illustrates the importance of business impact analysis, which covers risk assessment, and moves towards better understanding of the business environment, industry specific compliance, legal and regulatory landscape and the need for business continuity. The book provides charts, checklists and flow diagrams that give the roadmap to collect, collate and analyze data, and give enterprise management the entire mapping for controls that comprehensively covers all compliance that the enterprise is subject to have. The book helps professionals build a control framework tailored for an enterprise that covers best practices and relevant standards applicable to the enterprise. Presents a practical approach to assessing security, performance and business continuity needs of the enterprise Helps readers understand common objectives for audit, compliance, internal/external audit and assurance. Demonstrates how to build a customized controls framework that fulfills common audit criteria, business resilience needs and internal monitoring for effectiveness of controls Presents an Integrated Audit approach to fulfill all compliance requirements

DataOps is a new way of delivering data and analytics that is proven to get results. It enables IT and users to collaborate in the delivery of solutions that help organisations to embrace a data-driven culture. The DataOps Revolution: Delivering the Data-Driven Enterprise is a narrative about real world issues involved in using DataOps to make data-driven decisions in modern organisations. The book is built around real delivery examples based on the author's own experience and lays out principles and a methodology for business success using DataOps. Presenting practical design patterns and DataOps approaches, the book shows how DataOps projects are run and presents the benefits of using DataOps to implement data solutions. Best practices are introduced in this book through the telling of a story, which relates how a lead manager must find a way through complexity to turn an organisation around. This narrative vividly illustrates DataOps in action, enabling readers to incorporate best practices into everyday projects. The book tells the story of an embattled CIO who turns to a new and untested project manager charged with a wide remit to roll out DataOps techniques to an entire organisation. It illustrates a different approach to addressing the challenges in bridging the gap between IT and the business. The approach presented in this story lines up to the six IMPACT pillars of the DataOps model that Kinaesis (www.kinaesis.com) has been using through its consultants to deliver successful projects and turn around failing deliveries. The pillars help to organise thinking and structure an approach to project delivery. The pillars are broken down and translated into steps that can be applied to real-world projects that can deliver satisfaction and fulfillment to customers and project team members.

The past decade has seen a dramatic increase in the amount and variety of information that is generated and stored electronically by business enterprises. Storing this increased volume of information has not been a problem to date, but as these information stores grow larger and larger, multiple challenges arise for senior management: namely, questions such as "How much is our data worth?" "Are we storing our data in the most cost-effective way?" "Are we managing our data effectively and efficiently?" "Do we know which data is most important?" "Are we extracting business insight from the right data?" "Are our data adding to the value of our business?" "Are our data a liability?" "What is the potential for monetizing our data?" and "Do we have an appropriate risk management plan in place to protect our data?" To answer these value-based questions, data must be treated with the same rigor and discipline as other tangible and intangible assets. In other words, corporate data should be treated as a potential asset and should have its own asset valuation methodology that is accepted by the business community, the accounting and valuation community, and other important stakeholder groups. Valuing Data: An Open Framework is a first step in that direction. Its purpose is to: Provide the reader with some background on the nature of data Present the common categories of business data Explain the importance of data management Report the current thinking on data valuation Offer some business reasons to value data Present an "open framework"-along with some proposed methods-for valuing data The book does not aim to prescribe exactly how data should be valued monetarily, but rather it is a "starting point" for a discussion of data valuation with the objective of developing a stakeholder consensus, which, in turn, will become accepted standards and practices.