It's the new trend that's sweeping the conference halls and roundtables; calling everything related to technology in your organisation a 'piece'.

Use of the word 'piece' follows on from the all-encompassing 'solution' - a term which is widely dropped, despite the fact it means nothing. As was stated previously on this blog, the term 'solution' is problematic at two levels:

1. A solution is usually a mixture of two or more substances, usually a liquid.
2. Or it is the perfect answer to a known problem. And if an application was available that really provided a perfect answer to a known business problem, wouldn't we all be using it?

Not that marketeers are going to stop calling products 'solutions' any time soon. But as mentioned above, it does seem IT managers have moved on - and now everything is a 'piece'.

"We are looking at how to make the most from our unified communications piece," says one IT manager, referring to technical resources. "So, let us re-consider how to make the most from the service management piece," says another IT manager, referring to policy and process issues.

Look out for it and be warned. 'Piece' is everywhere. And it means everything and nothing.

Further reading

• Finding solutions with Avanquest's Chris Thompson
• McAfee spam project smells like marketing guff
• What does 'strategic business agility' really mean?

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Want to contact the writer? Email Mark Samuels