The severity of the recent global recession created extraordinary uncertainty among business executives across all industries and geographies. Executives became increasingly aware of looking for ways to cut costs, and IT budgets were much more scrutinized than in the past. However, this recession experience also created the opportunity to challenge mindsets about managing operations, even finance operations and practices. As a result, many organizations established a strategic agenda that focused on driving the business through this recessionary period with the goal of being stronger after the recession than prior. These organizations focused on creating a strategic agenda that would drive efficiency and productivity while reducing complexity across the enterprise without hindering future growth opportunities. This strategic agenda sought cost reductions and made selected investments that inherently supported these objectives.
