Smart Enough Systems

"James Taylor and Neil Raden are on to something important in this book - the tremendous value of improving the large number of routine decisions that are made in organizations every day. While experienced business intelligence professionals may recognize the individual pieces, the authors do a wonderful job of integrating the component parts and providing frameworks, concepts, technology discussions, examples, and implementation guidelines to help companies make the potential a reality."

Dr. Hugh J. Watson, C. Herman and Mary Virginia Terry Chair of Business Administration, University of Georgia

"This is a very important book.  It lays out the agenda for business technology in the new century - nothing less than how to reorganize every aspect of how a company treats its customers. The book is very comprehensive in its coverage of the concepts, the underlying technologies, and implementation techniques. If you read one book on Enterprise Decision Management this year, this is the one."

David Raab, President ClientXClient

"Throughout business, every day, critical decisions are made by people - people who may have just the right information and understanding to make good decisions, but just as likely do not. Many of these decisions could be made correctly and consistently if the rules that govern them were understood and the information needed to shape them was readily available. Despite three decades of progressively more comprehensive business automation and the accumulation of a rich "digital history" of business, too few organizations really understand and apply critical business rules. In Smart (enough) Systems, James Taylor and Neil Raden lay out a well reasoned path to attacking this situation and improving business operations through the understanding and consistent application of business rules using readily available technologies. The book is an important contribution to business productivity because it covers the opportunity from both the business executive's and technologist's perspective - essential; if the two sides are to come together in an understanding of what can be done and what's need to do it. This should be on every operational executive's and every CIO's list of essential reading."

John Parkinson, CTO TransUnion. Former CTO Capgemini North American Region, CIO Insights Columnist

"An important book which finally, for the first time, addresses the topic of enterprise decision making not by relying on IT 'geekspeak' but by taking a holistic view of why business people require EDM, why past approaches have failed and why the changing landscape such as ESOA will make EDM even more critical for the changing business landscape. The authors have an excellent, deep grasp of most concepts and they presented it in a readable, comprehensive, logical way."

Roman Bukary, formerly Vice President SAP Labs, LLC