INTRODUCTION

What this book is about

The book is intended as an introduction to measurement – why it’s important, who’s involved and the sorts of things that you may want or need to measure. It should give you enough to whet your appetite to dig deeper, if you need to.

If you’re a business user, the book aims to help you to get the best out of your IT. If you’re an IT provider, it should help you to give your customers the best value for money.

It should help you answer the questions: is our IT good enough? How does it compare now with last quarter, last year? How is ours compared with others’, be they friends, rivals or competitors?

What this book isn’t

As the book is intended to provide an overview of the why and what of IT measurement, it isn’t an encyclopaedia on the subject. There are many other books available that provide in-depth coverage.

Who should read the book?

The book is intended for anyone who is interested in understanding IT measurement better. The book is meant to foster an understanding between business managers and users who depend on IT, on the one hand, and IT providers on the other hand, so should be appealing to both.