Why best practices: the shortcut to productivity and results -- The value of aligning I/T with business strategies -- Receiving value from computers and the high priests of technology -- Best practices applications: focusing on the essentials -- Managing legacy systems and choosing the "right" architectures -- Aligning business and information processing cultures in a techno-centric age -- Making day-to-day operations work effectively, always -- Staying in top management shape, winning the culture wars -- A strategy for managing the hunt for value: the focus on best practices -- Beyond best practices -- Appn. A. How to take a snapshot of your I/T effectiveness -- Appn. B. Applying quality management practices to I/T: the short course -- Appn. C. Organizations that can help you identify best practices -- Appn. D. Beyond computing's parternship award winners.