Many IT managers have assumed that if they just “do their job,” then they are also meeting organizational goals. In other words, they assume that IT and business goals are basically in alignment. Someone higher up the chain of command has made sure that the projects in the IT portfolio all directly support the business strategy and goals. This is usually not true.
Part of the issue is that most IT personnel do not understand the dynamic nature of strategic business planning. The business must change and adapt to the competitive environment, which then triggers a change in business strategy. If these changes are not communicated to IT, IT can be left pursuing some goals that are no longer relevant to the business.
Lessons Learned (Moral)
As a company, management has to adapt to changes and competition. Never assume that the current stated business strategy and goals are 100% up-to-date. Also recognize that IT and business strategy alignment is no easy task in a stable environment, much less a dynamic one.
Primary Task Response: Within the Discussion Board area, write 400–600 words that respond to the following questions with your thoughts, ideas, and comments. This will be the foundation for future discussions by your classmates. Be substantive and clear, and use examples to reinforce your ideas.
Conduct research using the library and Internet for information about business goals and how they are related to IT goals. Select at least 2 business goals for a hypothetical organization, and respond to the following questions:
· What are some of the IT goals that would be related to the selected business goals?
· What are some of the issues that must be addressed when attempting to align these business and IT goals?
· How do the IT goals support or conflict with the business goals?
Responses to Other Students: Respond to at least 2 of your fellow classmates with at least a 200-word reply about their Primary Task Response regarding items you found to be compelling and enlightening. To help you with your discussion, please consider the following questions:
· What did you learn from your classmate's posting? What additional questions do you have after reading the posting?
· What clarification do you need regarding the posting?
· What differences or similarities do you see between your posting and other classmates' postings?
Full Answer Section
Sure, here is my response to the discussion board prompt:
Business Goals and IT Goals
Business goals are the objectives that an organization sets out to achieve. They are typically high-level, strategic goals that define the overall direction of the organization. IT goals, on the other hand, are the objectives that an organization's IT department sets out to achieve. They are typically more specific and tactical than business goals, and they are focused on supporting the achievement of the business goals.
For example, a business goal might be to increase market share by 10% in the next year. An IT goal that could support this business goal might be to implement a new customer relationship management (CRM) system that would allow the organization to better track and manage customer interactions.
IT Goals for a Hypothetical Organization
Let's say that a hypothetical organization has the following two business goals:
- Increase customer satisfaction by 5% in the next year.
- Reduce operating costs by 10% in the next year.
Some of the IT goals that could be related to these business goals include:
- Implement a new customer feedback system that would allow the organization to collect and track customer satisfaction data.
- Implement a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) system that would help the organization to streamline its operations and reduce costs.
- Implement a new cloud computing platform that would allow the organization to save on IT infrastructure costs.
Issues in Aligning Business and IT Goals
There are a number of issues that must be addressed when attempting to align business and IT goals. These include:
- Communication: There must be clear communication between the business and IT teams about the organization's goals and objectives.
- Understanding: The business and IT teams must have a shared understanding of the organization's business processes and operations.
- Alignment: The business and IT goals must be aligned so that they are mutually supportive.
- Measurement: There must be a way to measure the progress of both the business and IT goals so that the alignment can be tracked and evaluated.
How IT Goals Support or Conflict with Business Goals
IT goals can either support or conflict with business goals. When IT goals support business goals, they can help the organization to achieve its objectives more effectively and efficiently. For example, the IT goal of implementing a new CRM system could support the business goal of increasing customer satisfaction by providing the organization with a better way to track and manage customer interactions.
However, IT goals can also conflict with business goals. For example, the IT goal of implementing a new ERP system could conflict with the business goal of reducing operating costs if the new system is more expensive than the old system.
It is important to carefully consider the potential impact of IT goals on business goals before making any decisions about IT investments.
Conclusion
Business goals and IT goals are closely related. IT goals can support or conflict with business goals, so it is important to carefully consider the potential impact of IT goals on business goals before making any decisions about IT investments. By ensuring that business and IT goals are aligned, organizations can improve their chances of achieving their objectives more effectively and efficiently.