Computerworld Premier 100 Best in Class

Computerworld - Each year, Computerworld casts a spotlight on the individuals leading the IT industry today. We call this elite corps the Premier 100 IT Leaders.

When choosing these honorees, we look in particular for individuals using technology to solve critical business problems. And we're always intrigued with the projects these leaders dream up, sell to their executive boards and ultimately make happen. So this year, we decided to take a closer look at the most innovative of the projects, showcasing the companies and IT leaders that have shown that technology done right can deliver real business value - the Premier 100 Best in Class awards.

To select the winners, Computerworld editors reviewed the most successful projects of our Premier 100 IT Leaders for 2002. We looked for projects that demonstrated measurable payback and that were strategically important to the business and customers. Once the field was narrowed to 25 finalists, a panel of industry experts reviewed the projects.

The panel consisted of Jim Jones, managing director of The Information Management Forum; Charlie Feld, founder, CEO and president of The Feld Group; Priscilla Tate, executive director at Technology Managers Forum; and Thornton A. May, chief psychographer and futurist at Toffler Associates Inc. From those judges' evaluations, we chose 10 Best in Class winners.

On the following pages, you'll find case studies of these winning projects describing the technology, business payback and lessons learned. We hope their stories will inspire your own innovative technology project.

— Ellen Fanning

Staples, Inc.

Staples Inc.'s in-store access-point project involved making system changes to let customers consolidate their Staples.com and in-store purchases into one transaction and have the option to pay by cash, check or credit card at the cash register.



Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corp.

Burlington Coat Factory Warehouse Corp. took a calculated risk in its choice of operating systems that paid off big-time.



State Street Corp.

State Street Corp. created a system that reduces the number of trades that must be handled manually.



HON Industries Inc.

A new system at HON Industries Inc. increased scheduling accuracy at its warehouses by 20%.



GFInet Inc.

GFI Group Inc. designed a system that allows for online trading of financial and commodity derivatives.



FedEx Corp.

FedEx Corp. gave customers a Web-based guide to navigate the fast-paced world of international trade.



Wesco Distribution Inc.

Wesco Distribution Inc. developed a system to let its salespeople directly access the finished-goods inventory systems of the company's major suppliers.



Galactic Ltd.

Galactic Ltd. designed a way for its clients' employees to earn rewards for money-saving ideas.



Corning Inc.

Corning turned the standard ERP model upside down by first listening to its operations people and then picking a technology.



Lenox Inc.

After a Web site update, LenoxCollections.com saw a 115% sales increase in the fourth quarter of 2001, compared with the same period in 2000. Since the site's launch, Lenox has continued to add features, such as order status updates.