For Enterprise Architecture Professionals

SOA Centers Of Excellence: The Five Most Valuable Practices That Keep SOA On Track

Survey Ranks Governance As More Important Than Training For SOA COEs

by Randy Heffner, August 28, 2009

Among the ways to keep a service-oriented architecture (SOA) initiative on track, forming a center of excellence (COE) is a frequently named option. Indeed, a recent Forrester survey shows that having an SOA COE correlates with higher satisfaction with . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Hybrid Testing Centers Of Excellence

In Dynamic SQA, Leveraging Internal Expertise Is Critical

by Margo Visitacion, April 13, 2009

As outsourcing increasingly becomes a regular occurrence in today's software quality assurance (SQA) organizations, application development pros are wondering how to combine technical expertise and process maturity with sufficient business process knowledge. . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Enterprise BI Survey Q&A: BI Professionals Recognize The Need To Focus Beyond Tools

Forrester's Perspective On BI Survey Client Responses

by Boris Evelson, Rob Karel, March 17, 2009

Business intelligence (BI) remains a top priority for many enterprises, but delivering successful BI capabilities goes far beyond just the tools and enabling technologies. Historically, foundational BI best practices in data governance, data quality management, . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Implementing Your Business Intelligence Solutions Center

Mitigate Common Pitfalls To Optimize The Return On Your BI Investment

by Boris Evelson, James G. Kobielus, November 4, 2008

The increasing pervasiveness, complexity, and criticality of today's business intelligence (BI) applications have led enterprises to recognize the need for something more formal than a traditional IT support center to maximize returns on their BI and . . .

For CIOs

Current Practices For IT Centers Of Excellence (CoEs)  (292 KB PPT)

by Alex Cullen, October 24, 2008

This report will discuss the current state use of COEs, best practices, and common challenges.

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

The BPM COE Is Here: Now What?

Answers To Frequently Asked Questions

by Craig Le Clair, June 20, 2008

Forrester receives many inquiries from information and knowledge management (I&KM) professionals within enterprises implementing business process management (BPM) centers of excellence (COEs). Many questions concern COE goals, key roles, and organizational . . .

For Enterprise Architecture Professionals

Case Study: BNP Paribas Improves Service, Reduces Delays With A BAM Center Of Excellence

by Henry Peyret, April 17, 2008

Faced with numerous business changes in its retail bank operations, such as regulatory changes and an increased need for risk assessment, BNP Paribas decided to extend its existing business service management (BSM) center of excellence (COE) to take on . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Best Practices: Centers Of Excellence For BPM

COEs Help Bridge Organizational Silos

by Mary Pilecki, Andy Salunga, March 26, 2008

Businesses across all industries are looking to business process management (BPM) to help gain new efficiencies, create a more consistent customer experience, and provide better data insights. Yet many firms have multiple implementations of the same type . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Case Study: TD Banknorth Creates A BPM Center Of Excellence

by Mary Pilecki, Andy Salunga, March 26, 2008

TD Banknorth, a top 50 US retail and commercial bank and part of the TD Bank Financial Group based in Toronto, Canada, wanted to expand its use of business process management (BPM) in a way that aligned the lines of business (LOBs) and IT across the enterprise. . . .

For Enterprise Architecture Professionals

The EA View: BPM Has Become Mainstream

BPM Centers Of Excellence Provide The Catalyst For Success

by Ken Vollmer, February 19, 2008

Two recent Forrester surveys highlight the increased adoption rate of business process management (BPM) technology and processes within enterprises. And while both surveys confirm that BPM has achieved mainstream status in the business world, the success . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Your Path To A Test Center Of Excellence

by Carey Schwaber, March 15, 2007

IT organizations looking to improve their testing practices often opt to centralize some or all test-related activities in a testing center of excellence (COE). There are four primary models for a test COE, each with a different role and set of responsibilities. . . .

Making A Case For The Center Of Excellence For Data Integration

by Philip Russom, February 28, 2005

Corporations drowning in data are usually drowning in data integration projects, too. As data integration techniques and requirements diversify beyond data warehousing, a center of excellence for data integration (CEDI) can help a large corporation survive . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Integration Competency Center Best Practices

Improving The Odds Of Integration Project Success

by Ken Vollmer, February 1, 2005

Integration competency centers (ICCs) provide the coordination function that is needed for most integration projects, and they will become a critical success factor for larger IT organizations during the next two years. Organizations with ongoing integration . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

The Roles And Functions Of SAP Customer Competence Centers In A Decentralized Company

by Byron Miller, June 29, 2004

A highly decentralized company that runs SAP in all of its divisions can still benefit from having a headquarters- or corporate-level customer competence center (CCC). The corporate CCC should focus on providing services, such as contract negotiation, . . .

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

SAP Customer Competence Center

Competencies And Organization

by Byron Miller, June 7, 2004

The operation of any ERP system is a complex undertaking, and SAP is no exception. A competence center lowers the risks and increases success rates by creating a focal point for expertise and vendor management across the company. There are a few constants . . .

For Application Development & Program Management Professionals

Staffing The Integration Competency Center

Identifying The Crucial Skills

by Ken Vollmer, April 15, 2004

Key decisions related to the staffing of the integration competency center (ICC) will determine whether or not it is successful. Populating this group with seasoned personnel who have a mixture of key skills will go a long way to ensuring that this increasingly . . .

The Center of Excellence for Business Intelligence: No Longer a Luxury for IT

by Keith Gile, September 17, 2003

With the ever increasing demand for analytics, user organizations and the IT organization, in particular, should look to enhance their approach by formalizing the Center of Excellence for BI.

Turn Your PMO Into A Center Of Excellence

by Tom Pohlmann, Christopher Mines, Meredith Child, October 25, 2002

Few IT project or program management offices (PMOs) provide value to managers and project teams. Large IT shops should cordon off policy and process enforcement and turn what's left of their PMOs into centers of excellence.

For Business Process & Applications Professionals

Centers for Excellence Should Be Escalation Points for the IT Help Desk

by John Ragsdale, September 9, 2002

A center of excellence is not a center for information, but should coordinate employee support with the help desk, adding solutions to the help desk knowledge base and training for agents on handling questions from employees who use the software.

The Impact of IBM Linux Center of Competency on Unix and Windows

by Stacey Quandt, June 24, 2002

The IBM CoC opens the door to the possible creation of a financial services special interest Linux user group, which could voice Linux users' requirements and influence the direction of Linux standardization across the industry.

Choosing Tools for a Project Center of Excellence

by Margo Visitacion, April 5, 2002

The tools in the enterprise program office or "Project Center of Excellence" are mainly project or portfolio management tools measuring a company's ability to execute based upon defined criteria such as resource capacity, cost and risk.

Project Center of Excellence: The Next Step in the Evolving Project Office

by Margo Visitacion, March 26, 2002

Not every organization is ready for PCOE. Better suited to larger organizations, successful implementation requires a commitment to more formal project management, enterprise tracking and a project-oriented culture.