Review: IT Savvy by Peter Weill



Book Review:  IT Savvy: What Top Executives Must Know to Go from Pain to Gain by Peter Weill.

Peter Weill offers a simple digest on a complex topic:  Best practices and methodology for organizational information and communication.   Weill recognizes most organizations are IT challenged.  However, the right strategy can transform IT from a liability to an asset.

According to Weill, organizations that consistently use IT to elevate performance are IT Savvy. His research suggests that organizations that invest in IT savvy strategies have margins 20% higher than industry average. Organizations without an IT savvy strategy have margins 32% lower.

The IT Savvy model:


  1. Define your Operating Model.
  2. Revamp your IT funding model.  IT will support your operating model.
  3. Build a digitized platform of business processes.  Standardize process that are not going to change. Concentrate on elements that do change. 
  4. Exploit the digitized platform for growth.  Use IT to drive value and extract business. 

Case studies include situations from Aetna, Pfizer, Seven-Eleven Japan (SEJ), and UPS.  For example, Weill demonstrates how SEJ transformed their IT services from strategic liability into an asset.  Examples also include IT funding models, outcome-oriented business cases, and transparency innovations.

IT Savvy is an easy to read and informative book about IT execution.  This is a great book for executives, management, and IT professionals.  Weill provides practical strategies on how to implement IT process improvement throughout the organization.


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