Monday, September 15, 2008
- Grover S. Kearns et al.
Is IT Alignment a strategic weapon to gain competitive advantage? Duh! But do you know to what extent information intensity affects competitive advantage? Hmm...
Crafting a Vision for IT (Monday, August 21, 2006) What is the purpose of a vision statement for IT? This article examines how a vision can accelerate the business value generated by an IT Organization.
IT Strategy: IT Cannot be a Profit Center (Friday, September 08, 2006) IT Strategy: Of late, there is a lot of emphasis on IT ROI. While this is commendable, extending this argument to convert the IT Organization into a profit center is taking it to another extreme. For example, are HR, finance, and marketing profit centers? Why not?
IT Value Mapping (Friday, September 08, 2006) Why do some IT organizations create unprecedented shareholder value, while others earn the contempt of their business leaders? It is no secret that aligning IT with business improves IT ROI, what is often in doubt is how to make it happen. Can you say with certainty that your IT is aligned with business? Can you prove it? If improving IT ROI is an imperative for you, read on. This paper will show you how to improve ROI by 10% or more…and
IT Strategy Framework (Monday, September 25, 2006) IT Strategy requires a process and a framework. The former provides the steps and the latter the toolkit. Together they help an organization get to an IT Strategy that maximizes IT ROI. This article addresses the latter.
Information Technology II: How to Close the CIO Leadership Credibility Gap (Friday, October 06, 2006) New research suggests that companies are more likely to achieve high performance when the CIO is a genuine peer of other C-suite executives. But this level of respect comes only to those who earn it.
What is IT Strategy? (Saturday, October 14, 2006) There are many definitions of IT Strategy. Which one is true?
Talk to Me: The Disconnect Between Business and IT (Monday, May 07, 2007) The disconnect between business and IT is often lamented. A lot is spoken and written about this chasm. Ostensibly, a lot is done to bridge it. Yet, most would agree the chasm still exists.
Why IT ROI doesn't matter? (Friday, November 03, 2006) Does IT ROI matter? Great many intelligent people are spending sleepless nights and countless dollars calculating IT ROI. The author argues that they are wasting their time and shareholder dollars!
Putting IT Strategy in Context (Wednesday, November 08, 2006) Often, the emphasis is on creating an IT Strategy. Before you do, understand the context of IT Strategy i.e. what is its role and scope.
Achieving and Sustaining Business and IT Alignment (Thursday, November 16, 2006) This article was originally published in 1999. However, it is on the money even today. Authors Jerry Luftman and Tom Brier walk through the issue of business and IT Alignment with specific examples and advice on how to achieve this goal. A must read!
Enterprise Information Systems Strategy and Planning (Thursday, November 16, 2006) Porter (2001)’s proposition of the evolution of technologies in business emphasizes the need for
information systems strategies to enable the real-time optimization of the value chain. It is echoed throughout the
literature that information technology strategies need to be aligned with business strategies. This paper proposes a
framework for the development of information systems strategies and plans driven by business objectives and
strategies. It provides an integrated framework for the development of technology architectures and business
processes across the value chain. A systematic approach to enterprise information system planning is presented.
7 Steps to Business and IT Alignment (Monday, November 20, 2006) No business will ever reach the goal of “business and IT alignment”. Should this discourage you from pursuing business and IT alignment? NO! It is a worthy goal to pursue. Indeed, it is a critical one to pursue. You might never reach alignment but you can take steps to get ever closer. This requires a process. Often, we ignore the fact that business and IT alignment is a process. This process does not have a starting point nor does it have an end. It is a series of “learn and do” cycles that incrementally get towards alignment. Let me explain.
IT Alignment Maturity Model (Wednesday, December 06, 2006) One of the toughest questions to answer is: is my business is alignment with IT?
Prof. Luftman tries to answer this question in this paper originally published in 2000.
IT Strategist's Dilemma (Saturday, December 09, 2006) Every strategist faces the "stay the course" or "cut and run" choice, at least once in their careers. How do you decide which course is the correct one? More, importantly, is this even a correct or complete set of choices?
IT Strategy Template (Friday, January 12, 2007) Enclosed is a simple template to create an IT Strategy for your organization. This is intended to be the starting point not a definitive or exhaustive workbook on creating an IT Strategy.
Yellow Corporation: Using IT to Drive Business (Monday, January 22, 2007) To Yellow Corp.'s CEO Bill Zollars, poor alignment means poor communication, missed deadlines and wasted effort, and all of those add up on the balance sheet in a business that can't afford inefficiency. Read how accountability and Net-enabled express delivery and logistics services boost customer satisfaction, cut waste and improve delivery speeds.
Happy Together? (Wednesday, January 31, 2007) What three things must coexist to ensure IT Value? Read on to find the answer!
Start smart. Your first step could make your journey! (Monday, February 05, 2007) More often than not, "first impressions" make all the difference. Your opportunity to make this critical "first impression" on an IT Strategy project is with the "kick off" communication. Are you hitting it spot on? Or, are you busily creating a disaster for yourself and your organization?
Part II: Start smart. Your first step could make your journey! (Monday, February 12, 2007) Last week we looked at the importance of the IT Strategy "kick off" communication and the 5 questions it must address. This week, we will discuss each of the 5 questions and how to answer them for success!
BT Tunes IT ROI (Tuesday, February 13, 2007) How did BT get a 19% improvement in unit cost at the same time it achieved 15% increase in customer satisfaction? How did they do it in one year!!
Part III: Start smart. Your First Step Could Make Your Journey! (Monday, February 19, 2007) Previously, we discussed the importance of the "kick off" communication. We also talked about the steps to create a killer kick off letter. In this article, we will discuss how to avoid common pitfalls.
7 Signs of Trouble in Paradise (Monday, February 26, 2007) Ever wonder what happens when business and IT are not aligned? Well, like most other things in life, there are symptoms of misalignment. Monitoring them and analyzing them can help you avert disaster.
Buzzword: IT Capability (Monday, March 19, 2007) What is IT Capability? If you want to understand why some IT organizations create more value than others, it is imperative to understand this buzzword.
It's the Business Model, Stupid! (Monday, March 26, 2007) When talking about business and IT alignment, our focus always goes to business strategy and its alignment with IT strategy. This thought process recognizes a fundamental truth. Unfortunately, it only gets part of the picture.
A Framework For IT Value (Monday, April 02, 2007) In this series, we will discuss IT Value - from its definition to a framework to measure and track it
Part II: A Framework for IT Value (Monday, April 09, 2007) Last week, we lay the foundation for a discussion on IT Value. This week, we look at specific areas where IT creates value.
CIOs and CFOs Find Opportunities and Challenges in IT/Finance Alignment (Mon, 31 Oct 2005 23:00:00 PST) Chief financial officers and chief information officers have found themselves called upon to play an increasingly pivotal role in the executive suite. A group of 18 senior financial and IT officers from a cross-section of industries agreed that CIOs and CFOs are spending more time on strategy than they did in the past.
Part III: A Framework for IT Value (Monday, April 23, 2007) Last week, we focused on revenues. This week, we look at the costs in the IT value equation.
Part IV: A Framework For IT Value (Monday, April 30, 2007) Last week, we discussed the cost dimension of IT Value. This week, we will discuss the time to market dimension.
Rethinking measurement: More than evaluating performance (Monday, June 25, 2007) Management should focus on using measurement frameworks that show the hypothesized relationships between desired outcomes and the drivers (or leading indicators) of those outcomes; what's more, developing the right measures and using measurement data must be iterative and highly interactive.
An Emerging IT Ecosystem (Monday, May 07, 2007) Today, IT products and services are delivered to the customer for them to assemble and deploy. Is this paradigm shifting?
Talk to Me: The Disconnect Between Business and IT (Tuesday, May 08, 2007) The disconnect between business and IT is often lamented. A lot is spoken and written about this chasm. Ostensibly, a lot is done to bridge it. Yet, most would agree the chasm still exists.
Focus on Customer Service (Monday, May 14, 2007) Is it time to relearn the no.1 rule of business? Some airline companies seem to have gone back to school. Unfortunately, this was an expensive education because their customers took them there!
Part VI: A Framework for IT Value (Tuesday, May 29, 2007) Last week, we focused on quality and its impact on IT Value. This week, we will take a look at productivity and its impact on IT Value
Part VII: A Framework for IT Value (Monday, June 04, 2007) Last week, we focused on productivity and its impact on IT Value. This week, we will take a look at customer satisfaction and its impact on IT Value
Seeing Eye To Eye On IT (Wednesday, June 06, 2007) A discussion on Forrester's research on the business and IT disconnect. So what's new?
Business IT Alignment Maturity Model (Wednesday, January 30, 2008) Prof. Luftman has proposed a maturity model for Business IT Alignment. Does that model cover the entire value chain? The author proposes a model that plugs this hole
CIO Survey: Does IT Strategy Matter? (Monday, March 10, 2008) A survey of senior IT Executives on the value of IT Alignment. And the survey says...
Measuring IT Success at the Bottom Line (Monday, May 05, 2008) IT business value (ITBV) program provides a customer-focused, data-driven IT investment decision making process and framework for measuring and evaluating IT products, services, and support in terms that reflect business benefits. Read On...
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