Relying heavily on IBM’s A management system for the information business Volumes I-IV [1], Van Schaik provides a “cookbook” approach to the management of the Information Systems (I/S) of an organization. He blends in the McKinsey and Company’s 7-S concept (Strategy, Structure, Systems, Staff, Style, Skills, and Superordinate goals) and a 5-phase approach to I/S maturity. The 5 phases--(1) startup of the management system (m/s), (2) growth of the m/s to keep up with the growth of technology, (3) control to bring the m/s and the technological growth in agreement, (4) planning to maintain both growth rates, and (5) strategic planning to allow I/S m/s to respond to environmental changes--are compared with Nolan’s 6 stages of growth of I/S [2].

Throughout the text, as the author takes the reader through the 5 stages of growth, examples of the growth of a fictional company are used to provide a clearer understanding of the principles. Detailed examples, charts, and drawings are plentifully supplied to illustrate the text. The first four chapters present the concepts in an overview fashion, while the last four present the detailed planning models. The appendices are reproductions from IBM’s Vol. I: A management overview (discussed above; see [1]).

An experienced manager will gain insights into what went wrong or right from previous experiences and how “what went wrong” could possibly have been prevented. A new manager will find out some of the challenges and obstacles that must be overcome as the organization moves toward maturity.