IT business skill No. 6: Understanding the company's operating model
The business model illuminates how the company competes; the operating model explains how it does its work -- how the pieces fit together to turn raw materials into finished products.
Understanding the operating model gives you the same benefit that understanding the business model does: It provides the context you need to spot the difference between hypothetical and real improvement.
See also:
12 effective habits of indispensible IT pros
10 hard truths IT must learn to accept
IT inferno: The nine circles of IT hell
