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Named a "Top Ten Read" for CIO's in 2014

IT Business Partnerships: A Field Guide

Business leaders are voicing the cry “IT must Partner with the business”.  They know they must move their companies move beyond simple alignment toward true business and technology convergence- that sweet spot where IT and business units are so strategically intertwined they operate almost interchangeably, outperforming their competitors as a result.  Still, studies show 70% of business stakeholders don’t view the IT department as trusted partners or strategic collaborators.

Seeing so much research about the need for convergence but so little written about how to achieve it, Joe Topinka wrote IT Business Partners: A Field Guide as a method to actually do what many business leaders are only buzzing about. As a career CIO and founder of CIO Mentor he draws on his own experiences implementing IT Business Partnership Programs to present an actionable, how-to field guide that enables true business technology convergence.

Designed to move beyond simply talking about business technology convergence to formally instituting an IT Business Partnership Program, Topinka’s field guide is a frame-work of strategies, methods and tools crucial to success. The book includes:

  • The argument for business technology convergence via IT Business Partnerships 
  • The essential principles and strategies behind successful IT Business Partnership Programs
  • Actual methods, tools and templates to help you through the entire process
  • Insightful stories and real-life examples of what works and what doesn’t

IT Business Partners:  A Field Guide provides an actionable plan to implementing IT Business Partnership Programs as a proven method of achieving business technology convergence.

Contact us for bulk orders at [email protected] or call us at 612-910-6766.

Praise for IT Business Partnerships: A Field Guide

     "...What I particularly like about Joe Topinka’s approach is it fits perfectly into the project team strategy that companies are finding to be the most productive way to work cross-functionally and with outside-the-company business partners..."
--Foreword by John Sculley, Former Apple CEO

    “CIOs and their IT organizations are facing a dizzying array of demand from the businesses they support. To succeed, they will need to get better at working closely with their business partners to help shape that demand as well as manage its delivery. In his thoughtful, engaging book, Joe Topinka has defined the role of the IT Business Partner—the lynchpin to any successful IT organization. Topinka has laid out a roadmap for how to find them, grow them, and make them successful. A must-read for any IT leader.”
—Martha Heller, President, Heller Search Associates, and author of The CIO Paradox: Battling the Contradictions of IT Leadership

    “Every industry has been impacted by advances in technology. Whether you are a CIO, a VP of IT, or an executive outside of IT, it is critical to connect the dots between business strategy and IT strategy. Not to do so runs the risk that a more nimble competitor will win. Joe Topinka has offered a great leap forward for IT and non-IT executives alike to forge a better path toward collaboration and value creation at the intersection between IT and the rest of the business.”
—Peter High, President of Metis Strategy, and author of World Class IT: Why Business Succeeds When IT Triumphs

    “Joe’s book lays out a thorough, comprehensive path that embodies the principles of business technology convergence. His approach details the skills IT organizations need to achieve this goal.”
—Faisal Hoque, Founder & CEO, BTM Corporation, and author of Winning the 3-Legged Race and The Power of Convergence

    “Joe is both a visionary and a brilliant tactician. I am especially drawn to Joe’s willingness to involve users, via observational research, in the IT process—he is unique among CIOs. [Topinka] leverages user research to create solutions that not only meet customer needs, but drive bottom-line business results. Bravo.”
—Tom Gomoll, Founder, Usability Team at Apple, and Principal of Gomoll Research + Design

    “I’m a passionate believer in the power of leveraging technology to deliver strategic results. This book contains a concise set of pragmatic tools that hits the mark and should be standard in IT organizations.” 
 —Belinda Rodman, VP Enterprise Strategy, Salesforce.com

   “CIO and IT leaders have the ability to contribute to ROI more than ever. But to do so they must possess a solid understanding of the business itself and, specifically, the ways technology can be an enabler. Companies are seeking IT leaders that have a unique ability to blend business and technology skills. This book gives an excellent overview of how to more completely integrate those skills. Joe’s book hits the nail on the head by clearly laying out these issues and their resolutions.”
—Bob Concannon, Senior Client Partner, Korn/Ferry International