The Magic Quadrant: A Tool Worth Understanding
Michael R. Wood is a Business Process Improvement & IT Strategist Independent Consultant. He is creator of the business process-improvement methodology called HELIX and founder of The Natural Intelligence Group, a strategy, process improvement and technology consulting company. He is also a CPA, has served as an Adjunct Professor in Pepperdine's Management MBA program, an Associate Professor at California Lutheran University, and on the boards of numerous professional organizations. Mr. Wood is a sought after presenter of HELIX workshops and seminars in both the U.S. and Europe.
Have heard of the Magic Quadrant? Either way, if you are an IT or project management leader you should understand what the Magic Quadrant is and how it can help you make smarter and more informed decisions. The Magic Quadrant (MQ), an analytical tool developed by Gartner, is a snapshot of an industry or market based on Gartner’s research and analysis, and was on display at its recent PPM & Governance Summit in Grapevine, Texas.
Basically, the MQ shows a snapshot of “distinct and viable providers” within a market in four areas…
- Challengers
- Leaders
- Niche Players
- Visionaries
…across two dimensions: ability to execute and completeness of vision.
This evaluation is depicted on a Karnaugh-style map to illustrate where each provider/product researched falls. Here is an example of what a MQ model looks like. As can be seen in this example, it is very easy to see how the providers compare across the quadrants:
Where a provider falls within the MQ can provide key insights, especially if you are evaluating their products for use within your organization. For that reason, it is important to understand what is meant by “ability to execute” and “completeness of vision”…
Ability to Execute
Here are what I consider the top three (out of seven) key factors that Gartner …
Please log in or sign up below to read the rest of the article.
|
"A good composer does not imitate; he steals." - Igor Stravinsky |
