Following is a checklist to ensure that you hit the mark as you work through the process of aligning IT with your overall business objectives.
1. Identify business drivers
Assess which business objectives require IT enablement (e.g., new product, acquisition of another company, etc.)
2. Create IT vision
Document the general guidelines or policy that guides the ideal way in which IT decisions will be made and the IT organization will operate. Include culture and, management style.
3. Identify the IT capability required to meet business priorities in the following areas:
Strategy
Process
Infrastructure
Organization
4. Access current alignment of the IT capability with the envisioned IT capability in these three areas:
Investment
Asset
Organization
5. Identify alignment gaps in the three areas (investment, asset, organization)
Identify the root cause of misalignment in each area
Document the steps to close the gaps
6. Prioritize IT initiatives
Consider constraints such as capacity, budget, disruption of business and which will deliver the biggest “bang for the buck”
7. Evaluate implementation options
Use the list of initiatives to create an IT roadmap
Include feedback from the business side to mitigate unknowns
8. Create migration plan
Document a plan to include steps, deliverables, responsibility and timing
Plan with flexibility
To find out more about the importance of IT and business alignment, discover signs your organization might not be aligned and learn the steps to alignment, download The Challenge: Aligning IT with Business Objectives infographic.
