Many organizations struggle to build alignment between business strategy and IT priorities. This disconnect can have an enormous ripple effect that extends far beyond technology in the form of lost trust, security gaps, fragmented shadow IT solutions that are not properly monitored and managed, and IT investments that don’t fully support business objectives. These problems contribute to higher costs, higher risk, lower performance, and missed business opportunities.
Let’s discuss the keys to achieving and measuring business and IT alignment in a way that prevents these issues, maximizes the value of IT investments, drives innovation, and creates a foundation for sustained growth and success.
The Power of Open Dialogue
Open dialogue and continuous communication with clients are the cornerstones of effective business-IT alignment. This goes beyond merely responding to technical issues. Business and IT must become strategic partners in the organization’s success.
Only through regular conversations can both sides truly understand the business goals and vision of the organization and the critical role of IT in achieving them. As the organization grows and evolves, business-IT alignment makes change management more seamless because of continuous communication and collaboration.
This approach enables you to maintain optimal day-to-day functions and processes, which frees up more time and resources for higher value tasks and initiatives. Instead of viewing technology as a solution to a problem, IT can be utilized to drive new efficiencies and innovations that propel the business forward.
Leadership’s Role in Building and Maintaining Business-IT Alignment
The responsibility of ensuring business-IT alignment rests heavily on executive leadership. A senior leader at the C-suite level, such as a CFO or CIO, should take charge of this alignment, focusing on the strategic vision and establishing policies to support that vision. This will allow IT teams to manage routine, day-to-day operations while contributing their insights to strategic decision-making and revenue-producing tasks.
Assessing Business-IT Alignment Effectively
To measure the effectiveness of business-IT alignment, both quantitative and qualitative metrics are important. This includes key performance indicators (KPIs) like user satisfaction, cost savings, and the completion of strategic initiatives. These metrics provide accountability and a clear picture of how well the IT strategy supports and enhances business objectives.
Seeking a New IT Provider?
If your organization is considering a new IT provider, pay close attention to the communication practices of your current provider. Are they engaging in regular business reviews? How transparent are their operations? If communication, engagement, and/or transparency are lacking, these could be signs of deeper issues, including the inability or unwillingness to align with your business strategy.
From day one, Resultant seeks to understand and build alignment with your business strategy, priorities, and goals. The first step is to perform a full IT assessment to determine the current state of business-IT alignment and identify opportunities for improvement.
Contact me today to start the process
