Putting the Business in IT Strategy

Andy Jordan is President of Roffensian Consulting S.A., a Roatan, Honduras-based management consulting firm with a comprehensive project management practice. Andy always appreciates feedback and discussion on the issues raised in his articles and can be reached at [email protected]. Andy's new book Risk Management for Project Driven Organizations is now available.

  Leadership   Strategy  

Anyone who has been involved in IT departments over the last 20 years or so knows that it has been a real rollercoaster ride. From the IT-driven Y2K initiatives to the post-2000 swing away from technology driven projects, to the fundamental shift in IT infrastructure that is being driven by cloud-based computing, there is never a dull moment. The IT department of today, and indeed the role of the CIO, is very different than it was back when those Y2K initiatives were starting up. While many of those changes have been for the better, that isn’t always the case.

In particular, many organizations struggle to engage with IT in the development and application of strategy. For many companies, IT provides support services for business strategy but doesn’t drive strategy themselves. In other words, there is recognition that virtually all of the project proposals developed to support the strategic goals will have technology elements, but there is little understanding of how technology-focused projects can directly support those goals.

There are a number of different reasons for that. If we are honest, some of the history of the last 20 years--when it sometimes felt like IT versus business rather than a collaborative partnership--plays a part. However, the biggest challenge is that technology remains inaccessible for many business leaders. Executives are expected …

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