Showing posts with label Information technology and management. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Information technology and management. Show all posts

September 14, 2025

Artificial Intelligence - AI Agents - Articles, Books, Case Studies - Bibliography

 AI Agents Solutions - IBM

https://www.ibm.com/solutions/ai-agents


Agentic AI Engineering: Complete 4-Hour Workshop feat. MCP, CrewAI and OpenAI Agents SDK

4 hour workshop

Jon Krohn

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSk5KaEGVk4


YouTube Video

Artificial Intelligence Innovation Summit by The SolutionPeople Network


22 Aug 2025

Fist Presentation

Jordan Wilson, Your Everyday AI Podcast Host

"Agentic AI, Where we’re at, Where we’re going, And the biggest mistakes to avoid along the way "


Connect with Jordan on Linkedin at:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanwilson04/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNkJBf7j0pE


To be edited and summarized.

Our first speaker in number one is Jordan Wilson from Your Everyday AI and his topic is Agentic AI, where we're at, where we're going, and the biggest mistakes to avoid along the way. 




 Jordan:  

Agents are everywhere.  I think it's important to maybe uh start this  kind of series off by doing a little bit of a check on where we're at with Agentic AI, what it even is, where we're going, and if you're a business leader, what you should be focusing on, and the three biggest mistakes to avoid along the way. 

Let's be honest. Are you guys seeing these things everywhere? These AI agents, right? Uh these these custom GPT agents and N8 agents and in Zapier, right?  Uh so these are very powerful solutions, right? Custom GPTs and N8N agents and Zapier agents, but they're not actually agents. Uh they're agentic at times. But I think it's important to understand what an AI agent actually is since that's the thing right now that really has all of our focus.

8:12

We're in this almost agent washing epidemic. So, a recent Gardner study


revealed this and gave a kind of shocking truth about agentic AI and it's

8:25

essentially turned into a gold rush. So, what this Gartner study did is it looked

8:30

at 3,000 different vendors who were selling or promoting or built AI agents.

8:38

And they found that out of those 3,000, only 130 of them were actually AI

8:46

agents, were truly AI agents. And so what that means, more than 95% of them

8:52

weren't even agents. So, we have this epidemic now of just everything you see,

8:58

everything you use, things that used to just be a button on a website is suddenly rebranded as an AI agent. And

9:06

it's causing a lot of confusion. Yet, even though the majority of things being

9:12

marketed right now as agents are not agents, the real agentic wave is coming.

So a recent IDC and Microsoft study said that in three years there will be more


than 1.3 billion agents active in the enterprise.

9:32

All right? So these aren't uh pilot projects. Uh these aren't small business

9:37

entrepreneurs. This is more than a billion AI agents that will be out doing

9:43

work autonomously in the enterprise. So, this leaves us at uh a weird spot,

9:51

right? So, you might be hearing me say, "Hey, everything that's being talked about and hyped as an agent isn't an

9:57

agent." Yet, agents are actually coming. So, we're at this crossroads. All right.

10:02

So, over the next uh 15 to 20ish minutes, uh this is the road map that I

10:08

want to go through with you all together. So, number one, I want to talk about why the definition crisis of AI

10:14

agents is actually paralyzing your AI strategy. We're going to go over what an

10:20

AI agent actually is and what it isn't and also how to avoid the three biggest

10:27

mistakes of agentic AI adoption. All right, real quick about me because

10:33

you might be confused. Why is this guy talking about AI agents? Uh, so my name is Jordan Wilson. I run a daily, yes, a

10:40

daily AI podcast called Everyday AI. So, for the past two and a half years, um

10:46

this is what I do. Every single day, I talk, I get up, I get to interview very smart people. Um and it's our our reach

10:53

has grown uh significantly over the last uh few years since we've been doing this. So, I've been lucky enough uh to

11:01

get to speak with some of the smartest people in the world who are literally building AI. So, you know, getting to

11:08

meet people at conferences, but also getting to talk to uh the literally the people who are building agents, right?

11:15

Like from the uh VP of agents at Microsoft to seuite leaders at Google to

11:22

all of the startups building it uh to dozens of Fortune 500 CEOs who are

11:27

trying to implement AI. Um, I've been lucky enough to get to talk to and meet and really extract a lot of information

11:33

from some of the smartest people in the world and then I kind of share uh their secrets on the Everyday AI podcast. But

11:41

uh my background is a little bit more uh than just you know running a top 15 AI podcast. So I've been lucky enough to uh

11:48

train now that numbers uh up to like 15,000 uh people on prompt engineering

11:54

uh consulting for large enterprise companies such as GE healthcare and actually advising companies like Gartner

12:01

and including Gartner um on Agentic AI. So let's get back to that exact study.

12:08

And I think it's worth reiterating this because when I started my little

12:14

presentation here, I asked you all, how many of you have seen these agents, right? And uh I'll admit it, that was a

12:21

little bit of a trick uh because I knew those weren't agents. Yet it's so hard

12:26

um especially if you are a business leader or if you are leading AI implementation efforts at your

12:32

organization. It is extremely difficult to understand what's real, what's fake,

12:39

what's smoking mirrors, what's happening now and what's happening next. Um and what you'll see is it's agent washing.

12:47

every every feature, every uh you know section that used to just be a a part of

12:53

a of a SAS. Now everything's an agent. Um but it's too late now. We can't just

13:00

reel it in and say, "All right, guys. Let's let's slow it down. This is too much agent talk. Look, 95% of you are

13:07

kind of lying." Uh it's too late. Um, I was actually on the floor uh couple feet

13:13

away from Nvidia CEO Jensen Wong uh when he said, "The age of Agentic AI is

13:18

here." And normally uh when Jensen Wong makes a bold statement like that, it is the truth.

13:25

And you have to follow the biggest players because everyone is all in on

13:31

agents, right? Uh Microsoft with their uh co-pilot studio in autonomous agents.

13:38

uh Google every single day, even uh a couple hours ago, announced some new agentic capabilities uh in Project

13:45

Astra, in Google Live and other places. And Open AI even had a pretty popular

13:51

splash a few weeks ago when they announced their first commercially available agent. So the biggest players

13:58

whose technology that many of us use every single day have essentially said

14:03

our focus is agents and what we are building is agentic AI. So you have to

14:10

be able to follow the writing on the wall and see where the big players are

14:15

playing and everyone's playing in the agentic space. But this has led to what I would call a

14:22

definition crisis. Uh a recent Capgeemini study found that 93% of

14:30

business leaders saw agents as one of their most strategic business initiatives. Yet only 2% have scaled

14:39

them. And this is something I talk with business leaders a lot and I've been able to learn a lot. But it is a

14:46

definition crisis because there is no agreed upon definition of what an agent is. Everyone's just saying you need a

14:52

gentic AI. But there is a huge gap between what both enterprise companies

15:00

are being sold, what we all think we need, and then the tools that are actually at our disposal today.

15:09

And this lack of education, I think, has led to a catastrophic failure rate of AI

15:15

implementation. So, a study just from a few days ago from MIT showed that right

15:21

now about 90 a different 95% stat, but 95% of generative AI pilots at companies

15:28

are failing right now, right? Some of these some of these studies and stats,

15:33

it seems like they almost contradict each other. But this is my reality as well. When I uh talk with with uh

15:40

business leaders on the Everyday AI podcast or when I'm consulting companies, I see this all the time,

15:45

right? Companies are like, "Yeah, we just, you know, signed up for this uh Agentic AI or we're using this AI agent

15:51

because we know we need to. Our competitors are, but this is leading to so many pilots failing." And again,

15:58

according to this MIT report, 95%, which is a staggering amount.

16:04

So, if you're making decisions at your company on Aentic AI, how do you not

16:11

fall into that trap? How can you be the 5% or hopefully it's bigger than that if

16:17

we're looking at the same study next year? It starts with literacy. It starts

16:23

with understanding the basics. And that's what I'm going to break down for you now.

16:28

Uh, so here on my screen, I like to call this the hierarchy of intelligence. All

16:34

right? Because so many companies are rushing to just implement whatever they

16:40

see as the most cuttingedge AI and handing it over to dozens or hundreds or

16:46

sometimes tens of thousands of employees that may not even know how to make use of it. Um, so when I talk about a

16:54

definition crisis, this is real, right? So even when I'm going over uh kind of my hierarchy of intelligence and how I

17:02

would categorize thing based on thousands of hours of conversations uh with the world's leaders in agentic AI

17:10

these are always changing just like you could argue the definition of AGI uh is

17:16

changing the more we talk about it and the more we build you could say the same thing for uh just these classifications

17:22

of AI. All right. So, I want to talk a little bit about large language models, AI powered workflows, agentic models,

17:31

and AI agents. All right. So, we're trying to undo some of this agent washing because uh if you like so many

17:38

others right now are in the middle of making pretty big decisions for your

17:44

company in terms of your tech stack, in terms of where you're investing in AI. I think it's important to just cut the

17:50

marketing, cut the BS and talk about it at its fundamental level.

17:56

Let's start with large language models. All right, most of us know and uh for the most part understand what a large

18:03

language model is. Uh a lot of people say these are you know autocomplete uh

18:08

you know AI on steroids, right? uh but they are for the most part large language models at their c at their core


are stateless and reactive and essentially next token predictors. they're, you know, much more than that.


But if you really want to simplify it, that's what you look at a large language model as for the most part. Um, working

18:27

with text, they're brilliant, but they're passive conversationalists.

18:33

AI powered workflows are a little different. So AI powered workflows are

18:38

humanes automations with predefined paths. So yeah, so many of those uh

18:45

things that are being marketed to you right now and you see those you know screenshots of all these you know charts

18:51

and flows and everyone's like look at this agent that is an AI powered workflow designed by humans with

18:58

predefined paths uh and they obviously use large language models to go from

19:05

step uh step by step a lot of times there's conditional logic um but it's a

19:10

fixed process right you move on from one step to the next.

19:16

Agentic models. This is where it gets tricky, right? Uh a lot of today's top

19:22

uh models including uh the new GPT5 uh also Gemini 2.5 Pro, they are agentic

19:32

by nature, right? So if you go to gemini.google.com google.com or chatgpt.com. The same argument could be


made for uh Claude's 4 models, but I really like to focus on the um uh GPT5


and um Gemini 2.5 Pro. So, in aentic model, it kind of starts to blend

19:52

between what is an agent. In aentic model, you can give it a problem, you

19:57

can give it a destination, and it's going to decide how to get there. Okay?

20:03

It has many different tools that it can use at its own discretion and it will often go back a couple of steps in its

20:10

path and maybe start over or maybe it will start to uh go down a certain road and it'll say oh okay actually uh I

20:18

thought that I needed to search the web for this. I should actually be uh running some Python here locally in

20:24

order to figure this out. So, agentic models uh they can um access kind of a

20:29

large language model, right? They are a large language model at their core, but they also have a set of tools to use and

20:35

they on their own accord decide how, when, and how long to use those

20:40

different tools. And then last, AI agents. AI agents are

20:47

completely different. For the most part, AI agents are powered, well, hopefully they're powered by an agentic model. But

20:55

the diff the difference is staggering. Okay, this is a complete system. AI

21:01

agents perceive, decide, and autonomously adopt to achieve complex

21:06

goals, right? So, for the most part, AI agents, you like to think of them as a

21:12

human sitting in front of a computer because a true AI agent would have access to uh a desktop, although it's

21:19

virtual. Uh right, they'd have access to a virtual terminal so they can run code. They have access to a virtual browser.

21:26

So in theory, I like to think of it as someone like you and me who's sitting in

21:32

front of a computer and look at all the different capabilities that they have access to where even an agentic model,

21:38

they can't uh launch a browser per se and navigate around a website and that

21:44

is one of the biggest differentiators between agentic models and true AI

21:49

agents. Uh so you can see now hopefully by looking at the differences just the

21:54

amount of agent washing that is going on and how so few agents are actually

22:01

agents. Okay, so now you know some basic definitions

22:07

uh and where we're at currently with agentic AI. So I'm going to give you some best advice on where you should be

22:14

going. And again, I've stolen all this information from the smartest people in the world. All right. So, keep that in

22:19

mind. Uh, here's the problem. I think everyone's focusing when it

22:25

comes on to AI agents, one agent to rule them all, which I think is an absolute

22:32

recipe for disaster. Uh, that's why I even think OpenAI's,

22:37

you know, chatbt agent, it's okay, but it's not that great. It's a general use case agent. Uh in the same way you could

22:44

look at uh narrow intelligence versus general intelligence. Narrow

22:49

intelligence is always easier to solve. Uh it's always an easier goal to work toward. And I think this is um something

22:56

that we should be looking at. A lot of companies when they're looking at agentic AI or AI agents, they're really

23:02

looking at something that can um disrupt or replace an entire workflow or an

23:10

entire job description. And I don't think we're there yet. Um, yes, we can

23:16

build general agents that can do a fairly okay job, but if you want to talk about getting an ROI and being in that

23:24

5% of companies that are getting uh their agentic AI implementations correct, it's looking at narrow use

23:31

cases, very specific, and then finding a specific agent that does that specific

23:36

use case. Yet, everyone's just rushing when they're looking at an AI agent. like I want something that can automate

23:42

a toz and that's not the way that we should be looking at it.

23:47

So here's what I like to say the four pillars of a winning agentic strategy.

23:53

Uh, number one, you should be building on agent. You should be building on giants, right? I'm just being honest.

24:00

Um, there's so many promising uh AI agent startups that are really good and

24:06

a lot of times better than what we may be getting from some of those giants.

24:11

There's a risk involved, right? You shouldn't be moving your dayto-day core business operations around a startup. um

24:19

you know are like unless you're talking about Open AI Enthropic or a company

24:25

that has a trillion dollar market cap. If you're putting your day-to-day business operations uh on a startup

24:32

that's risky. Number two, like I said, narrow before broad. You should be

24:38

looking at small, short, measurable tasks that an agent can complete. And

24:44

make sure if you are uh diving into the agentic AI side again measure and use an

24:51

actual agent. Uh the the next one you know a lot of people are always like hey if we're using AI or AI agents and we

24:58

get these you know 30 40 50 or you know if you look at Mackenzie digital study you know up to 70% productivity savings

25:06

what should we be doing with all of this save time. Uh right I think you need to be focused on expert reasoning data. So

25:14

yesterday year's large language models have been powered uh by essentially all

25:19

the in all the internet right um where your company is really going to be able

25:25

to create separation especially when it comes to AI agents is capturing what's

25:31

in your key decision makers what's in their brains how do they um make

25:37

decisions how do we know when we look at all of this data how do we know what to be looking that I like to call that

25:43

expert reasoning data that is the fuel for future agents, right? We've talked

25:49

about rag for the last few years. Uh and that can, you know, hopefully give a

25:54

large language model better results. I like to think of expert reasoning data as that rag for agents, right? Uh I'm

26:01

not saying we've we we've hit a wall in terms of uh the amount of training data that large language models can ingest,

26:08

but we're getting close. And I think your company should be focusing on all of that unstructured decision-making

26:15

data that lives in your key employees heads. And then last but not least, agents in the browser. I think you

26:21

should focus on seamless implementations that work where your team works. Right? You need you need to make sure that

26:28

whatever AI agents you're using, they have access to the exact same tools and software that your leaders use.

26:36

All right. So, I gave you some best advice, but now let's quickly go over before we wrap the three deadly sins of

26:43

agentic AI. So, mistake number one is prioritizing

26:50

agentic tools over large language model education. When companies reach out to

26:55

me and ask about AI agents, I like to say, "What percentage of your staff that

27:02

sits in front of a computer can tell me what a large language model is?" Usually, if business leaders are being

27:10

uh truthful, it's a very low percentage. I think we're jumping forward, and it's

27:15

hard not to with the pace of AI innovation. And this is coming from someone that literally talks about this

27:22

for hours every single day. It's hard not to get caught up in this momentum,

27:28

in this hype, and in this fear of missing out. But I think that's one of our biggest issues right now. Uh you

27:36

need to stress the basics of Gen AI education. people need to understand

27:42

kind of in the same way that I leveled out the four different tiers of uh current AI uh knowledge. You have to

27:50

understand what a large language model is and how it works before you can move on to an AI powered workflow before you

27:56

can move on to an agentic model before you can move on to AI agents. So it's always a rush to keep up with what's

28:03

today and what's next. But you cannot skip over literacy, right? because then

28:08

we are asking people to do a new day-to-day um tasks without being able

28:14

to even understand the language. That's mistake number one.

28:20

Mistake number two is ignoring the onederee misalignment problem. And this

28:25

is about so much more than hallucinations. Right? Even though uh today's large language models,

28:31

specifically agentic models uh are doing much better when it comes to reducing their hallucination rate. The onederee

28:38

misalignment problem is when we talk about agentic AI specifically multi-agentic AI right now if you or I

28:46

are using an agentic model we hopefully as the human can spot if something is

28:52

wrong and course correct let's let's be honest here the future of

28:58

AI agents isn't just working with one agents uh it's agentic swarms it's multi-agentic orchestration and that is

29:06

a huge problem. Uh yes, it's uh a nice and fun and shiny thing to look at, but

29:12

that one degree off, if that compounds over multiple agents without the correct

29:18

human oversight, that 1% off is going to become a total miss because it is going

29:23

to compound silently across an agentic swarm.

29:29

And then the third one, and this one, this one grinds my gears. thinking that

29:35

human in the loop is some sort of AI strategy. It's not. Uh it is a passive

29:42

crutch. I like to talk about expertdriven loops. And that is if you

29:48

are already in the middle of your first uh kind of agentic AI or AI agent um

29:54

implementation at your company, you need to get out of this habit of AI in the loop. Right? A good example, I' I've had

30:01

many conversations like this. you know, companies are saying, "Oh, yeah, we have a human in the loop on on these agents

30:07

out there running." And usually it's someone in IT, right? And then it's like, "Okay, what does Bill from it know

30:14

about this financial forecasting agent that's sending information directly to prospective clients?" And it's like,

30:20

"Oh, well, yeah, he knows nothing." And then it's like, okay, how often is Bill revisiting this loop? Oh, well, only

30:26

when there's a problem. We need to shift that mindset. Human in the loop is passive. It is ancient. And I think it's

30:33

a crutch in another potential recipe for disaster. I think we need to shift toward and think about an expertdriven

30:41

loop that is where we are using this expert reasoning data and putting the

30:46

right people in the right agentic loops at the right time. Whereas in theory, Bill might be overseeing 20 agents that

30:55

he maybe doesn't know anything about. Sorry, Bill from it. Uh whereas if we really want an AI agent that works, we

31:02

might have 20 experts working on one agent. So we need to flip the script and

31:08

actively put expert decision-m into our AI flows. All right, I hope this was

31:14

helpful. I appreciate everyone's time on this. Uh you know, if you want to know more, uh you can go to our website at

31:21

your everyday.com. We do this podcast literally every single day, Monday through Friday. talk

31:26

to a lot of smart people about AI agents. And actually, we have uh for two hours if you go sign up for our

31:31

newsletter, there's a little surprise for you at the bottom uh of our autoresponder. 


Agentic AI - PWC Booklet - Download Free

https://www.pwc.com/m1/en/publications/documents/2024/agentic-ai-the-new-frontier-in-genai-an-executive-playbook.pdf


DEll Technologies  Free EBook

https://www.delltechnologies.com/asset/en-gb/solutions/business-solutions/briefs-summaries/agentic-ai-ebook.pdf


OpenAI  Free

https://cdn.openai.com/business-guides-and-resources/a-practical-guide-to-building-agents.pdf



The AI agent handbook: Work smarter. Not harder.

Explore 10 practical hacks to use AI agents for business.


The AI agent handbook reveals helpful hacks that you can use today to revolutionize business workflows. 


From marketing to coding, from deep research to product innovation, learn 10 practical examples for putting AI agents to work, along with real-world use cases and insights into how Google Agentspace can help you get up and running with agentic AI.


Welcome to the era of enterprise AI agents—your new team, ready to help you revolutionize the way you work.

https://cloud.google.com/resources/content/ai-agent-handbook



Open AI

https://cdn.openai.com/business-guides-and-resources/a-practical-guide-to-building-agents.pdf


https://codelabs.developers.google.com/devsite/codelabs/building-ai-agents-vertexai#0




AI Agents in Action


Micheal Lanham

Simon and Schuster, 25 Mar 2025 - Computers - 344 pages

Create LLM-powered autonomous agents and intelligent assistants tailored to your business and personal needs.


From script-free customer service chatbots to fully independent agents operating seamlessly in the background, AI-powered assistants represent a breakthrough in machine intelligence. In AI Agents in Action, you'll master a proven framework for developing practical agents that handle real-world business and personal tasks.


Author Micheal Lanham combines cutting-edge academic research with hands-on experience to help you:


• Understand and implement AI agent behavior patterns

• Design and deploy production-ready intelligent agents

• Leverage the OpenAI Assistants API and complementary tools

• Implement robust knowledge management and memory systems

• Create self-improving agents with feedback loops

• Orchestrate collaborative multi-agent systems

• Enhance agents with speech and vision capabilities


You won't find toy examples or fragile assistants that require constant supervision. AI Agents in Action teaches you to build trustworthy AI capable of handling high-stakes negotiations. You'll master prompt engineering to create agents with distinct personas and profiles, and develop multi-agent collaborations that thrive in unpredictable environments. Beyond just learning a new technology, you'll discover a transformative approach to problem-solving.


Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF and ePub formats from Manning Publications.


About the technology


Most production AI systems require many orchestrated interactions between the user, AI models, and a wide variety of data sources. AI agents capture and organize these interactions into autonomous components that can process information, make decisions, and learn from interactions behind the scenes. This book will show you how to create AI agents and connect them together into powerful multi-agent systems.


About the book


In AI Agents in Action, you’ll learn how to build production-ready assistants, multi-agent systems, and behavioral agents. You’ll master the essential parts of an agent, including retrieval-augmented knowledge and memory, while you create multi-agent applications that can use software tools, plan tasks autonomously, and learn from experience. As you explore the many interesting examples, you’ll work with state-of-the-art tools like OpenAI Assistants API, GPT Nexus, LangChain, Prompt Flow, AutoGen, and CrewAI.


What's inside


• Knowledge management and memory systems

• Feedback loops for continuous agent learning

• Collaborative multi-agent systems

• Speech and computer vision


About the reader


For intermediate Python programmers.


About the author


Micheal Lanham is a software and technology innovator with over 20 years of industry experience. He has authored books on deep learning, including Manning’s Evolutionary Deep Learning.


Table of Contents


1 Introduction to agents and their world

2 Harnessing the power of large language models

3 Engaging GPT assistants

4 Exploring multi-agent systems

5 Empowering agents with actions

6 Building autonomous assistants

7 Assembling and using an agent platform

8 Understanding agent memory and knowledge

9 Mastering agent prompts with prompt flow

10 Agent reasoning and evaluation

11 Agent planning and feedback

A Accessing OpenAI large language models

B Python development environment


Preview


https://books.google.co.in/books/about/AI_Agents_in_Action.html?id=_-1JEQAAQBAJ 


Maria Johnsen

Maria Johnsen, 2 Jan 2025 - Technology & Engineering - 514 pages

In Agentic AI, readers are taken on a compelling journey into the transformative world of autonomous artificial intelligence. This in-depth exploration covers the evolution of agentic systems, from their historical roots in early automata to their role in shaping future technologies. The book delves into the philosophy of agency in machines, examining the intricate balance between control and independence, and how these systems are redefining fields such as healthcare, defense, space exploration, and creative industries.


With chapters focused on the critical components of agentic AI including decision-making, learning, goal-orientation, and ethical considerations Maria Johnsen sheds light on both the technical and moral implications of creating AI systems capable of autonomous action. The book also addresses pressing concerns such as privacy, bias, fairness, and the societal impact of AI, offering insights into its integration into diverse sectors, from smart cities to autonomous transportation.


A particularly poignant section highlights the moral responsibility of agentic AI, exploring how ethical frameworks can guide the development of these systems and ensure accountability in their decision-making processes. The future of work and the potential for AI to disrupt industries and create new roles is also examined, with a focus on preparing society for the inevitable changes on the horizon.


Through case studies, expert insights, and future predictions, Agentic AI offers a comprehensive look at how autonomous systems are shaping our world and what lies ahead in the next frontier of artificial intelligence.

Preview

https://books.google.co.in/books/about/Agentic_AI.html?id=bMg7EQAAQBAJ&redir_esc=y






AI Agents: Building and Selling Your Digital Genius


DAVID. HOLMAN

Amazon Digital Services LLC - Kdp, 12 May 2025 - Computers - 494 pages

Transform Your Vision into a Cutting-Edge AI Reality

Imagine harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to create digital agents that think, learn, and perform autonomously. This comprehensive guide is your essential companion to mastering every step-from the foundational concepts to the intricate technical details of AI agent development. Whether you're an aspiring developer, entrepreneur, or innovator, you'll find expert insights and actionable strategies designed to turn ideas into impactful AI solutions.


Dive deep into the core principles behind AI agents and explore the building blocks that shape their intelligence. Gain clarity on critical topics such as machine learning basics, data collection, and preprocessing that lay the groundwork for successful AI projects. Navigate the complexities of programming, training, and optimizing AI agents with practical guidance on algorithms, architectures, and performance monitoring.


But it doesn't stop at development. This book also walks you through the practical steps of integrating AI agents seamlessly into your systems while addressing security and ethical considerations to build trust and reliability. Learn how to design intuitive user interfaces that enhance user experience and effectively test, deploy, and maintain your AI products.


Ready to break into the AI marketplace? Discover proven commercial strategies-from market analysis and branding to sales tactics and partnerships. Understand regulatory landscapes and explore ways to scale your AI business to new heights. Real-world case studies highlight successes and lessons from industry leaders, giving you valuable perspectives to fuel your journey.


With expert guidance tailored to both technologists and non-technologists alike, this book empowers you to confidently build, market, and sell your digital genius. Prepare to transform potential into performance and innovation into success.

https://books.google.co.in/books/about/AI_Agents.html?id=191f0QEACAAJ&redir_esc=y






Videos

2024

What are AI Agents?

IBM Technology
1,533,052 views  15 Jul 2024
Good video


2025

Generative vs Agentic AI: Shaping the Future of AI Collaboration
May 2025
IBM Technology
 2 months ago 
https://youtu.be/EDb37y_MhRw?si=32C7-tux9dpm6Z2d


5 Types of AI Agents: Autonomous Functions & Real-World Applications

IBM Technology
2 months ago  May 2025

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXizBc03D7E

RAG vs Fine-Tuning vs Prompt Engineering: Optimizing AI Models

IBM Technology
14 Apr 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYGDpG-pTho


Stanford Webinar - Agentic AI: A Progression of Language Model Usage

Stanford Online
5 months ago  Feb 2025






Ud. 15.9.2025, 24.8.2025
Pub. 13.7.2025








August 23, 2025

Artificial Intelligence - AI Agents in Accounting and Financial Management Processes - F&A Processes


About AI Agents

Artificial Intelligence - AI Agents - Articles, Books, Case Studies - Bibliography

https://nraomtr.blogspot.com/2025/07/artificial-intelligence-ai-agents.html


Agents in Accounts and Finance Processes

Order-to-cash: Finance managers face challenges in order-to-cash processes due to time-consuming manual procedures, which can increase risks, cause delays, and hinder competitiveness. AI-powered agents can provide real-time, data-driven insights to enhance decision-making, reduce inefficiencies, and improve customer satisfaction. It streamlines finance operations by automating order validation, invoice reconciliation, and accounts receivable management.

Commercial credit sales intelligence for banking : This solution automates data extraction, customized client offerings, and rule-based decision-making, which transforms commercial banking credit sales by providing immediate, personalized support to credit underwriters. AI agents can provide comprehensive company analysis, conduct credit and financial assessments, automate compliance checks, and identify potential risks.



Good article


How to Build a Finance AI Agent : Step-by-Step Process
Finance AI Agent development

Creating an AI Agent for Financial Report Analysis

DataCamp
30K views  Streamed 4 months ago
Resources (including link to code along notebook): https://bit.ly/41cgavS



ICAI Collection of Use Cases

https://ai.icai.org/usecases.php

AI & CA Office Automation
AI AGENT FOR CA OFFICE AUTOMATION
Author: CA. Vishnu Acharya

Watch on Youtube



AI for Financial Advisory and Decision-Making
AI Agents + RAG + Custom LLM for Financial Research & Compliance Chatbot
Author: CA. Shubham Patel

Press Releases

Infosys BPM Unveils AI Agents


Infosys BPM Unveils AI Agents to Revolutionize Finance and Accounting Services
New Agentic AI-powered solution set to redefine accounts payable operations with significant efficiency gains, enhanced accuracy and improved user experience

Bengaluru, India – May 30, 2025

Infosys BPM, the business process management arm of Infosys (NSE, BSE, NYSE: INFY), today announced the launch of AI agents for invoice processing within its flagship Infosys Accounts Payable on Cloud solution. Powered by Infosys Topaz, the innovation redefines invoice processing by moving from a human-driven, AI-supported model to an autonomous AI-first approach, which ensures greater efficiency and accuracy.

Designed to operate autonomously, the solution leverages AI agents equipped with advanced decision-making capabilities to handle complex business scenarios with precision and speed. Autonomous AI-first approach enables end-to-end workflow management, allowing AI agents to handle dynamic processes, adapt to changing business logic, and perform intricate tasks with minimal human oversight. The new Agentic AI-powered Accounts Payable on Cloud solution aims to boost operational efficiency significantly, enabling businesses to scale quickly and effectively. Powered by Microsoft’s AI stack, the solution combines Azure AI Foundry and other LLMs with custom AI agents. The integration of Cognitive Services with Azure's Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) offerings enables the delivery of scalable, intelligent, and enterprise-ready AI solution.

This solution was developed in close collaboration with Americana Restaurants, the largest out-of-home dining and quick service restaurant operator across the Middle East, North Africa, and Kazakhstan, with more than 2,600 restaurants. Building on the successful deployment of Accounts Payable on Cloud solution for Americana, Infosys BPM is now integrating Agentic AI to make their invoice processing largely autonomous, further enhancing its efficiency and accuracy.

Harsh Bansal, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Growth Officer, Americana Restaurants, said, “At Americana Restaurants, we are committed to leading digital transformation, and as we scale our operations, intelligent automation is key to achieving greater efficiency and agility. With AI-powered Infosys Accounts Payable on Cloud, we have made invoice processing faster, enhanced accuracy, and improved efficiency. The addition of Agentic AI takes this a step further, reducing manual dependencies and bringing more intelligence and autonomy into our invoice processing. We are delighted that we have pioneered this initiative with Infosys and look forward to closely working with Infosys BPM to lead us collectively into a future of smarter and more agile operations."

Stephen Boyle, Global Leader, GSIs, ESIs and Advisories, Microsoft, said, "We commend Infosys BPM for launching Microsoft AI agents within its Accounts Payable on Cloud solution, showcasing AI's ability to streamline complex workflows and enhance critical business operations. This innovation underscores Infosys’s transformative potential and sets the stage for intelligent automation to drive future business success."

Anantha Radhakrishnan, CEO & Managing Director, Infosys BPM, said, "With the introduction of Agentic AI into Infosys Accounts Payable on Cloud solution, we are redefining what is possible in the finance and accounting functional domain. By integrating Infosys Topaz with a purpose-built multi-agent framework, along with Microsoft’s AI stack, we’ve developed a solution that is autonomous by design, responsive to change, and built to evolve. This exemplifies our commitment to pioneering innovation and delivering unparalleled business value to enterprises worldwide."



What Tasks Can AI Agents Perform in Accounting?















Ud. 24.8.2025
Pub 7.7.2025






July 27, 2025

Pierre Masai - IT Systems in Toyota Group

 Pierre Masai, PhD  

President, Lean Institute Belgium | Founder, Hakuba SRL | Partner at Lean Sensei Partners | TPS, Lean, Agile Coach | Keynote Speaker


Lean Institute Belgium


University of Strasbourg

Brussels, Brussels Region, Belgium 

www.leaninstitute.be

https://www.linkedin.com/in/pierremasai/



https://www.infosys.com/roland-garros/leadership-summit/pierre-masai.html



Test driving the new Toyota hydrogen powered Mirai with Pierre Masai

I first met Pierre Masai, CIO of Toyota Motors Europe (TME), a few years ago at the annual Lean IT conference in Paris. Pierre is an agile advocate committed to driving Scrum across the IT infrastructure. At his invitation I recently spent most of two days in Brussels meeting with managers and developers and presenting some of what we have learned about Scrum. I decided to begin by asking how Toyota addresses the three mega challenges we identify in our Scrum trainings and Scrum@Scale workshops:


Does the company have a clear product backlog for every team every sprint?

Can the company get to Done with useful features by the end of every sprint and does Done mean deployable? ­­­

Can the company easily refactor its organization to take advantage of market conditions and optimize delivery of valuable product to customers? Small, cross functional teams supported by management are essential.


https://www.scruminc.com/what-i-learned-at-toyota/



September 12, 2024

Data Leaders - Tasks and Responsibilities

 

https://medium.com/data-and-beyond/how-to-be-a-successful-data-leader-3d08e680a07f


https://www.dataleadershipcollaborative.com/data-leadership/confessions-data-leader-why-i-left


https://www.spencerstuart.com/research-and-insight/data-leadership-defining-the-expertise-your-organization-needs

https://www.spencerstuart.com/research-and-insight/the-data-and-analytics-leader


https://www.information-age.com/want-be-data-leader-here-are-8-attributes-youll-need-32394/


https://www.pecan.ai/blog/the-roles-and-responsibilities-of-a-data-analyst/


https://www.forrester.com/blogs/13-02-13-business_intelligence_analytics_big_data_leader_job_description/


https://eofe.fa.us2.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_1001/job/56691


https://www.tableau.com/learn/webinars/what-does-it-mean-be-data-leader


https://www.michaelpage.co.uk/advice/management-advice/attraction-and-recruitment/vital-role-data-leaders-modern-data-management


https://medium.com/data-monzo/how-to-think-about-the-roi-of-data-work-fc9aaac84a3c



New Articles


Charting a path to the data- and AI-driven enterprise of 2030

September 5, 2024 | Article

https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/charting-a-path-to-the-data-and-ai-driven-enterprise-of-2030


https://www.ibm.com/resources/the-data-differentiator/data-strategy


https://www.gartner.com/peer-community/post/favorite-thing-about-mentoring-data-leaders-have-meaningful-anecdote-like-to-share


https://www.tableau.com/blog/how-i-became-data-leader-help-tableau-and-community



2019

https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/catch-them-if-you-can-how-leaders-in-data-and-analytics-have-pulled-ahead


February 13, 2022

SAP Activate



 https://blogs.sap.com/2021/03/10/blogosphere-is-on-fire-with-sap-activate/


SAP Activate is SAP’s implementation methodology that has evolved from our previous methodology name, SAP Launch. Read how we here at SAP think what our customers really need is Business Transformation-as-a-Service. Together with our ecosystem of customers and partners, we are bundling everything companies need to holistically transform their business with a faster time to value — at their own speed and terms, regardless of their starting point. It simplifies our customers’ journey in three simple steps


Lisa Kouch

February 8, 2021 3 minute read

SAP Activate Methodology for SAP S/4HANA Cloud, extended edition is now available in Cloud ALM

https://blogs.sap.com/2021/02/08/sap-activate-methodology-for-sap-s-4hana-cloud-extended-edition-is-now-available-in-cloud-alm/



SAP TechEd









December 20, 2021

Principles of Software Engineering

Software Engineering

Based on Book of Roger Pressman, Sixth Edition
Software Engineering Practice



George Polya outlined the essence of problem solving

1. Understand the problem
2. Plan a solution
3. Carry out the plan
4. Examine the result for accuracy

Same thing is expressed by Deming as PDCA - explained better plan, do, check and adjust.

Core Principles

The dictionary defines the word principle as "an important underlying law or assumption required in a system of thought."

David Hooker has proposed seven core principles that focus on software engineering process as a whole.

1. The reason it all exists.
2. Keep it simple, stupid
3. Maintain the vision
4. What you produce, others will consume
5. Be open to the future
6. Plan ahead for reuse.
7. Think

Communication Principles that apply to customer communication


1. Listen
2. Prepare before you communicate
3. Someone should facilitate the activity
4. Face to face communication is best.
5. Take notes and document decisions
6. Strive for collaboration
7. Stay focused, modularize your discussion.
8. If something is unclear, draw a picture
9. Once you agree to something move on; If you can't agree to something move on; If a feature or function is unclear and cannot be clarified at the moment, move on.
10. Negotiation is not a contest or a game. It works best when both parties win. (Management topic)

Principles of Planning


1. Understand the scope of the project
2. Involve the customer in the planning activity
3. Recognize that planning is iterative
4. Estimate based on what you know.
5. Consider risk as you define the plan
6. Be realistic
7. Adjust granularity as you define the plan
8. Define how you intend to ensure quality.  (Quality management)
9. Describe how you intend to accommodate change
10. Track the plan frequently and make adjustments as required.


Analysis - Modeling Principles


1. The information domain of a problem must be represented and understood.
2. The functions that the software performs must be defined.
3. The behavior of the software (as a consequence of external events) must be represented.
4. The models that depict information, function, and behavior must be partitioned in a manner that uncovers detail in a layered(or hierarchical) fashion.
5. The analysis task should move from essential information toward implementation detail.

Software Design Modeling Principles


1 Design should be traceable to the analysis model.
2. Always consider architecture of the system to be built.
3. Design of data is as important as design of processing function
4. Interfaces must be designed with care (both external and internal)
5. User interface design should be designed to the needs of the end user.  (Industrial Engineering - Human Effort Industrial Engineering).
6. Component level design should be functionally independent.
7. Components should be loosely coupled  to one another and to the external environment.
8. Design representations (models) should be easily understandable.
9. The design should be developed iteratively. With each iteration the designer should strive for greater simplicity.


Coding Principles and  Concepts


Preparation Principles

1. Understand the problem you're trying to solve.
2. Understand the basic design principles and concepts.
3. Pick a programming language that meets the needs of the software to be built and the environment in which it will operate.
4. Select a programming environment that provides tools that will  make your work easier. (Programming productivity - Industrial Engineering).
5. Create a set of unit tests that will be applied once the component you code is completed.


Coding Principles


1. Constrain your algorithms by following structured programming (BOH00)
2. Select data structures that will meet the needs of the design.
Understand the software architecture and create interfaces that are consistent with it.
4. Keep conditional logic as simple as possible.
5. Create nested loops in a way that makes them easily testable.
6. Select meaningful variable names and follow other local coding standards
7. Write code that is self-documenting.
8. Create visual layout (e.g., indentation and blank lines) that aids understanding.


Validation Principles


1. Conduct a code walkthrough when appropriate.
2. Perform unit tests and correct errors you've uncovered.
3. Refactor the code.

Software Testing Principles



Principles developed by Davis
1. All tests should be traceable to customer requirements.
2. Tests should be planned long before testing begins.
3. The Pareto principle applies to software testing.
4. Testing should begin "in the small" and progress toward testing "in the large"
5. Exhaustive testing is not possible

Improving testing is part of process improvement steps of Industrial Engineering (Operation Process Chart - Flow Process Chart)


Deployment Principles


1. Customer expectations for the software must be managed.
2. A complete delivery package must be assembled and tested.
3. A support regime must be established before the software is delivered.
4. Appropriate instructional materials must be provided to end users.
5. Buggy software should be fixed first, delivered later.


Seven basic principles of software engineering
Barry W.Boehm, 1983

A small set of basic principles. These seven principles form a reasonably complete set. These are:

(1) manage using a phased life-cycle plan.

(2) perform continuous validation.

(3) maintain disciplined product control.

(4) use modern programming practices.

(5) maintain clear accountability for results.

(6) use better and fewer people. (Industrial Engineering)

(7) maintain a commitment to improve the process.

The paper provides rationale behind this set of principles is discussed.  

Journal of Systems and Software
Volume 3, Issue 1, March 1983, Pages 3-24


SOLID - Five design principles in object-oriented computer programming


The principles are a subset of many principles promoted by American software engineer and instructor Robert C. Martin in his 2000 paper Design Principles and Design Patterns.

The SOLID concepts are

The Single-responsibility principle: "There should never be more than one reason for a class to change." In other words, every class should have only one responsibility.
The Open–closed principle: "Software entities ... should be open for extension, but closed for modification."
The Liskov substitution principle: "Functions that use pointers or references to base classes must be able to use objects of derived classes without knowing it".
The Interface segregation principle: "Many client-specific interfaces are better than one general-purpose interface."
The Dependency inversion principle: "Depend upon abstractions, [not] concretions."

The SOLID acronym and set of principles was formulated by Michael Feathers in 2004.


Principles of Green Software Engineering


Green Software Engineering is an emerging discipline. It is based on climate science, software practices and architecture, electricity markets, hardware and data center design.

The Principles are to be used to define, build and run green sustainable software applications.

Carbon: Build applications that are carbon efficient.
Electricity: Build applications that are energy efficient.
Carbon Intensity: Consume electricity with the lowest carbon intensity.
Embodied Carbon: Build applications that are hardware efficient.
Energy Proportionality: Maximize the energy efficiency of hardware.
Networking: Reduce the amount of data and distance it must travel across the network.
Demand Shaping: Build carbon-aware applications.
Measurement & Optimization: Focus on step-by-step optimizations that increase the overall carbon efficiency.

Asim Hussain, Green Cloud Advocacy Lead at Microsoft.



Ubiquity of Industrial Engineering Principle of  Industrial Engineering.


Engineering subjects belong to one engineering branch or other. Every #engineering branch has product design process, process design process, production process, inspection process, material handling process, storage process, equipment operating process, equipment maintenance process, equipment replacement process, equipment retirement process, reuse and recycling process.

Industrial engineers have to develop productivity science based on #productivity measurements for all engineering processes and output, do productivity engineering to improve productivity and do productivity management to plan, manage and realize productivity improvement. To do it, industrial engineers need to have the knowledge of the concerned engineering subject, process or output.
 #IndustrialEngineering



Updated on  21.12.2021.  9.12.2021,  1 June 2021
Pub 5 April 2015

















December 8, 2021

The Management of Information Systems




Computers and communication networks enable companies to compete in two primary ways (Porter, 2001):
• Low Cost—competing with other businesses by being a low-cost producer of a good or a service
• Differentiation—competing with other businesses by offering products or services that customers
prefer due to a superiority in characteristics such as product innovativeness or image, product quality, or
customer service

Usage of computers can lower the costs of products or services by automating business transactions, shortening order cycle times, and providing data for better operational decision
making. Since the 1980s, a flood of innovations in hardware as well as software have led to efficiency gains in manufacturing firms —such as shortening the time to develop new products with computer aided design tools; optimizing a plant floor process with software that implements a human expert’s decision rules; and speedily changing a production line with computerized planning systems based on sales information.


Managing IT Resources

Companies  in different industries  requires IT leaders who know how to effectively plan for and manage the organization’s IT resources, as well as IT-savvy business leaders who can
envision strategic IT utilization . Three types of IT resources are to be managed. 

TECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE 

Managing technology resources requires effective planning, building, and operating of a computer and communications infrastructure—an information “utility”—so that managers and other employees have the right information available as needed, anytime, anywhere. Computer users expect computers to be up and running, and networks to be available and fast, so that they can access software applications and data quickly and easily. Organizations now have high operational dependence on IT systems. If an information system fails for a minute or more, or online response time exceeds a few seconds, employees can’t get their work done and business revenues suffer.

The primary IT management role today is to manage the costs and vulnerabilities of the computing “utility”—the data centers and networks that provide access to business data and applications . However, while this is a critical IT management role, sometimes outsourced to IT vendors. 

Managing IT also requires identifying what new technologies to invest in and how to specifically tailor
these new IT solutions to improve the way a specific company does business. Effective management of the technology asset therefore requires not only skilled IT managers and IT professionals—the human resources asset—but also active participation by business managers as captured by the third IT asset: the business/IT relationship asset.

HUMAN RESOURCES 

Managing the people resources for any business function requires attention to recruiting, developing, and retaining the best talent available. Today there is a high demand not just for IT personnel with specialized technology skills but also for personnel who have both technology skills coupled with business knowledge and interpersonal skills. Business analyst and systems analyst roles require personnel who can understand the IT needs of workers in marketing, accounting, manufacturing, and other business functions, as well as knowledge of an industry (e.g., financial services or healthcare). IT professionals who have a business education, as well as technical skills, are therefore especially in demand for these types of roles. Business-facing positions such as these are also most effectively sourced by internal employees—not by employees of an outsourcing firm or by temporary external personnel.


BUSINESS/IT RELATIONSHIPS 

 How well an organization uses joint IT-business decision making for making investments in a firm’s technology assets is so critical today that there needs to be a “blending” or “fusion” of IT and the business. Achieving business value from IT investments requires aligned goals for strong working partnerships between business managers and IT managers  to develop the business case for
investing in new IT solutions and skill sets, for specifying the business requirements that will be used to design new IT applications, and for effectively implementing these new IT solutions so that the potential benefits become realized benefits.




Managing Information Technology, 7/E

Carol V. Brown, Daniel W. DeHayes, SLATER, North Shore Community College
Wainright E. Martin, William C. Perkins
ISBN-10: 0132146320 • ISBN-13: 9780132146326
©2012 • Prentice Hall • Cloth, 744 pp
Published 03/08/2011 •
Suggested retail price: $269.40

Table of Contents

PART I: INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Chapter 1. Managing IT in a Digital World
Chapter 2. Computer Systems
Chapter 3. Telecommunications and Networking
Chapter 4. The Data Resource
PART II: APPLYING INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Chapter 5. Enterprise Systems
Chapter 6. Managerial Support Systems
Chapter 7. E-Business Systems
PART III: ACQUIRING INFORMATION SYSTEMS
Chapter 8. Basic Systems Concepts and Tools
Chapter 9. Methodologies for Custom Software Development
Chapter 10. Methodologies for Purchased Software Packages
Chapter 11. IT Project Management
PART IV: THE INFORMATION MANGEMENT SYSTEM
Chapter 12. Planning Information Systems Resources
Chapter 13. Leading the Information Systems Function
Chapter 14. Information Security
Chapter 15. Legal, Ethical, and Social Issues


Critical Success Factors of Business-managed IT: It Takes Two to Tango
Stefan Klotz,Markus Westner &Susanne Strahringer
Information Systems Management, 2021 
This paper identifies critical success factors of Business-managed IT based on case study results. Four groups of critical success factors emerge: 
(1) general approach to Business-managed IT/Business-managed IT strategy, 
(2) Business-managed IT project prerequisites/Business-managed IT team, 
(3) Business-managed IT project execution and outcome, and 
(4) information technology management for Business-managed IT. 
The results suggest that bilateral responsibility between the business unit and the IT organization is the most favorable governance option for Business-managed IT.
https://cogentoa.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10580530.2021.1938300

The Right Mind-set for Managing Information Technology
by M. Bensaou and Michael J. Earl
From the Magazine (September–October 1998)
https://hbr.org/1998/09/the-right-mind-set-for-managing-information-technology

IT Systems Management, 2/E

Rich Schiesser, La Habra, California
ISBN-10: 0137025068 • ISBN-13: 9780137025060
©2010 • Prentice Hall • Cloth, 600 pp
Published 01/28/2010 • Instock
Suggested retail price: $64.99

Table of Contents

Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxix
Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xxxviii
About the Author. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xli
Chapter 1 Acquiring Executive Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
            Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
            Systems Management: A Proposed Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
            Why Executive Support Is Especially Critical Today . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
            Building a Business Case for Systems Management . . . . . . . . . . . 4
            Educating Executives on the Value of Systems Management . . . . . 7
                        Three Universal Principles Involving Executive Support . . . . . . . .9
                        Developing a Powerful Weapon for Executive
                        Support–Business Metrics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9
                        Ensuring Ongoing Executive Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
            Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
            Test Your Understanding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
            Suggested Further Readings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Chapter 2 Organizing for Systems Management . . . . . . . . . . 15
            Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
            Factors to Consider in Designing IT Organizations . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
            Factors to Consider in Designing IT Infrastructures . . . . . . . . . . . 19
                        Locating Departments in the Infrastructure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
                        Recommended Attributes of Process Owners . . . . . . . . . . . . .25
            Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
            Test Your Understanding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
            Suggested Further Readings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Chapter 3 Staffing for Systems Management . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
            Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
            Determining Required Skill Sets and Skill Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
            Assessing the Skill Levels of Current Onboard Staff. . . . . . . . . . . 35
                        Alternative Sources of Staffing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
                        Recruiting Infrastructure Staff from the Outside . . . . . . . . . . . .40
            Selecting the Most Qualified Candidate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
            Retaining Key Personnel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
            Using Consultants and Contractors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
                        Benefits of Using Consultants and Contractors . . . . . . . . . . . .47
                        Drawbacks of Using Consultants and Contractors . . . . . . . . . .48
                        Steps for Developing Career Paths for Staff Members . . . . . . .50
            Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
            Test Your Understanding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
            Suggested Further Readings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Chapter 4 Customer Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
            Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
            How IT Evolved into a Service Organization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
            The Four Key Elements of Good Customer Service. . . . . . . . . . . . 57
                        Identifying Your Key Customers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
                        Identifying Key Services of Key Customers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
                        Identifying Key Processes that Support Key Services . . . . . . . .64
                        Identifying Key Suppliers that Support Key Processes . . . . . . .64
            Integrating the Four Key Elements of Good Customer Service . . . . 64
            The Four Cardinal Sins that Undermine Good Customer Service . . 68
            Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
            Test Your Understanding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
            Suggested Further Readings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Chapter 5 Ethics, Legislation, and Outsourcing. . . . . . . . . . . 73
            Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
            Ethics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
                        The RadioShack Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
                        The Tyco Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
                        The WorldCom Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
                        The Enron Case . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
Legislation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
                        Sarbanes-Oxley Act . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82
                        Graham-Leach-Bliley Act . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
                        California Senate Bill 1386 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84
            Outsourcing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
            Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
            Test Your Understanding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
            Suggested Further Readings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
Chapter 6 Comparison to ITIL Processes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
            Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
            Developments Leading Up To ITIL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
            IT Service Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
            The Origins of ITIL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
                        Quality Approach and Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97
            Criteria to Differentiate Infrastructure Processes. . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
            Comparison of Infrastructure Processes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
            Ten Common Myths Concerning the Implementation of ITIL . . . . 102
                        Myth #1: You Must Implement All ITIL or No ITIL at All . . . . . .102
                        Myth #2: ITIL is Based on Infrastructure Management Principles . . . . .  . .103
                        Myth #3: ITIL Applies Mostly to Data Center Operations . . . . .103
                        Myth #4: Everyone Needs to be Trained on ITIL Fundamentals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104
                        Myth #5: Full Understanding of ITIL Requires Purchase of Library . . .  . . .104
                        Myth #6: ITIL Processes Should be Implemented Only One at a Time . . . . . . . .105
                        Myth #7: ITIL Provides Detailed Templates for Implementation . . .. . . . . . . . . .105
                        Myth #8: ITIL Framework Applies Only to Large Shops . . . . . .106
                        Myth #9: ITIL Recommends Tools to Use for Implementation . . . . . . . . . . . .106
                        Myth #10: There Is Little Need to Understand ITIL Origins . . .106
            Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
            Test Your Understanding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
            Suggested Further Readings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
Chapter 7 Availability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
            Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
            Definition of Availability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
            Differentiating Availability from Uptime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
            Differentiating Slow Response from Downtime . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
            Differentiating Availability from High Availability . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
            Desired Traits of an Availability Process Owner . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
            Methods for Measuring Availability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
            The Seven Rs of High Availability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
                        Redundancy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121
                        Reputation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122
                        Reliability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123
                        Repairability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125
                        Recoverability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125
                        Responsiveness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126
                        Robustness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126
            Assessing an Infrastructure’s Availability Process . . . . . . . . . . . 127
            Measuring and Streamlining the Availability Process . . . . . . . . . 131
            Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
            Test Your Understanding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
            Suggested Further Readings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Chapter 8 Performance and Tuning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
            Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
            Differences between the Performance and Tuning Process and Other Infrastructure Processes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
            Definition of Performance and Tuning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
            Preferred Characteristics of a Performance and Tuning Process Owner . . . . . .  . . . . . 139
            Performance and Tuning Applied to the Five Major Resource Environments. .  . . . . . . 141
                        Server Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141
                        Disk Storage Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143
                        Database Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .147
                        Network Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151
                        Desktop Computer Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .152
                        Assessing an Infrastructure’s Performance and Tuning Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
            Measuring and Streamlining the Performance and Tuning
            Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
            Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
            Test Your Understanding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
            Suggested Further Readings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Chapter 9 Production Acceptance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
            Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
            Definition of Production Acceptance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
            The Benefits of a Production Acceptance Process . . . . . . . . . . . 162
            Implementing a Production Acceptance Process . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
                        Step 1: Identify an Executive Sponsor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .164
                        Step 2: Select a Process Owner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165
                        Step 3: Solicit Executive Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .166
                        Step 4: Assemble a Production Acceptance Team . . . . . . . . .166
                        Step 5: Identify and Prioritize Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . .167
                        Step 6: Develop Policy Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .168
                        Step 7: Nominate a Pilot System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169
                        Step 8: Design Appropriate Forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .169
                        Step 9: Document the Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .170
                        Step 10: Execute the Pilot System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .170
                        Step 11: Conduct a Lessons-Learned Session . . . . . . . . . . .174
                        Step 12: Revise Policies, Procedures, and Forms . . . . . . . . .174
                        Step 13: Formulate Marketing Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174
                        Step 14: Follow-up for Ongoing Enforcement and Improvements . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . .174
            Full Deployment of a New Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
            Distinguishing New Applications from New Versions of Existing Applications . . .  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
            Distinguishing Production Acceptance from Change Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
            Case Study: Assessing the Production Acceptance Process at Seven Diverse Companies. . . .  177
                        The Seven Companies Selected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .177
                        Selected Companies Comparison in Summary . . . . . . . . . . .198
            Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
            Test Your Understanding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
            Suggested Further Readings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
Chapter 10 Change Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
            Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
            Definition of Change Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
            Drawbacks of Most Change Management Processes . . . . . . . . . 207
            Key Steps Required in Developing a Change Management Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
                        Step 1: Identify an Executive Sponsor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .209
                        Step 2: Assign a Process Owner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .210
                        Step 3: Select a Cross-Functional Process Design Team . . . .211
                        Step 4: Arrange for Meetings of the Cross-Functional Process Design Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .211
                        Step 5: Establish Roles and Responsibilities for Members Supporting the Process Design Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .211
                        Step 6: Identify the Benefits of a Change Management Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .212
                        Step 7: If Change Metrics Exist, Collect and Analyze them; If Not, Set Up a Process to Do So . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .213
                        Step 8: Identify and Prioritize Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . .213
                        Step 9: Develop Definitions of Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215
                        Step 10: Design the Initial Change Management Process . . .216
                        Step 11: Develop Policy Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .221
                        Step 12: Develop a Charter for a Change Advisory Board (CAB) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .222
                        Step 13: Use the CAB to Continually Refine and Improve the Change Management Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .223
            Emergency Changes Metric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
            Assessing an Infrastructure’s Change Management Process . . . 224
            Measuring and Streamlining the Change Management Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
            Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
            Test Your Understanding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
            Suggested Further Readings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Chapter 11 Problem Management. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
            Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
            Definition of Problem Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
            Scope of Problem Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
            Distinguishing Between Problem, Change, and Request Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
            Distinguishing Between Problem Management and Incident Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
            The Role of the Service Desk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
            Segregating and Integrating Service Desks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
            Key Steps to Developing a Problem Management Process . . . . . 239
                        Step 1: Select an Executive Sponsor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .239
                        Step 2: Assign a Process Owner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240
                        Step 3: Assemble a Cross-Functional Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . .241
                        Step 4: Identify and Prioritize Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . .241
                        Step 5: Establish a Priority and Escalation Scheme . . . . . . . .243
                        Step 6: Identify Alternative Call-Tracking Tools . . . . . . . . . . . .243
                        Step 7: Negotiate Service Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .243
                        Step 8: Develop Service and Process Metrics . . . . . . . . . . . .245
                        Step 9: Design the Call-Handling Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .245
                        Step 10: Evaluate, Select, and Implement the Call-Tracking Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .245
                        Step 11: Review Metrics to Continually Improve the Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .246
            Opening and Closing Problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
            Client Issues with Problem Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247



Strategic Management of Information Systems


Front Cover
Keri Pearlson, Carol S. Saunders
Wiley, 2009 - 374 p

Information Systems Management In Practice

Author: McNurlin, C.B; Sprague, R.H.; Bui, T. (Eds)
Publisher: Pearson International Edition
Edition: 8

Year: 1998 (rev. 2009)
Pages: 597 pages
ISBN: 978-0-13-157951-4
Price: £52.99

BOOK REVIEW
The booksuccessfully guides the student reader through a basic introduction to aspects of information technology.  Using case-driven analyses in order to explore examples, the authors have striven to make sure that this edition is as comprehensive as possible. A chapter on the digital economy, for example, now reflects the changing face of distributed systems and distributed computing.

Whilst many varieties of networks – both
historical and modern - are discussed in terms of their utility and architecture, little is said about the
potential problems with the drafting and construction of such systems. This is possibly an area of
expansion for a future edition, and would be appreciated by both information management
professionals and others from the specialised areas of librarianship and archives, finance, and medical
sciences.

This text, then, should be recommended as a basic text for those unfamiliar with the work of the IS technician, the systems analyst or IT worker within business. As a reflection of the wider awareness of the importance of information and knowledge management in business, two chapters in particular stand out as key reading for the target student audience. Supporting IT-enabled collaboration, and knowledge management are wide topics with a firm basis in professional progression of IS. There are overlaps of subjects with many other disciplines, and within both science and business cases, these show the wideness and diversity of the relevance of these topics.

The construction of the chapters is a positive learning mechanism for students at any level. Case
studies show the direct life-relevance to the discussed IS mechanisms, and allow for a longer discussion
of relevant issues. Exercises and review – discussion questions at the end of each chapter look to
enhance reader awareness of the text, whilst encouraging individual development by readers seeking
out their own examples through business and other potential, real-life cases.

The overall presentation of the text is clear..   This is the book’s major approach: units as
chapters are a common concept, and whilst this book does not move away from that in any great
measure, it provides more case-study based content integrated within each unit than commonly found.
Overall, this is a thorough and standard text for basic awareness of IS management and issues
surrounding current IS practice. Its main highlights are the currency of the topics chosen, its proactive
approach to drawing the attention of the reader out towards real-life IS practices, and its firm basis of
observations rooted in practice.




Information Systems Management, 8/E
Barbara McNurlin
Ralph Sprague
Tung Bui
ISBN-10: 0132437155 • ISBN-13: 9780132437158
©2009 • Prentice Hall • Paper, 640 pp
Published 09/05/2008 • Instock
Suggested retail price: $259.20

Table of Contents

Preface
CHAPTER 1    Information Systems Management in the global economy

PART I    LEADERSHIP ISSUES IN THE DIGITAL ECONOMY
CHAPTER 2    The Top is Job
CHAPTER 3    Strategic uses of Information Technology
CHAPTER 4    Strategic Information Systems Planning

PART II    MANAGING THE ESSENTIAL TECHNOLOGIES IN THE DIGITAL ECONOMY
CHAPTER 5    Designing Corporate IT Architecture
CHAPTER 6    Managing Telecommunications
CHAPTER 7    Managing Corporate Information Resources
CHAPTER 8    Managing Partnership-Based IT Operations

PART III    MANAGING SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER 9    Technology for Developing effective Systems
CHAPTER 10        Management Issues in System Development
CHAPTER 11        Managing Information Security

PART IV    SYSTEMS FOR SUPPORTING KNOWLEDGE-BASED WORK
CHAPTER 12        Supporting Information-centric Decision Making
CHAPTER 13        Supporting IT-enabled Collaboration
CHAPTER 14        Supporting Knowledge Work
CHAPTER 15        The Opportunities and Challenges Ahead

Glossary
Index

Ud 9.12.2021
Pub: 18.3.2016