There is no shortage of research, advice, tools and recommendations concerning IT/business alignment. A Google search will surface more than 12 million results. Yet, CIO Magazine’s “2010 State of the CIO Survey” revealed that aligning IT initiatives with business goals remains the top activity of focus for CIOs. So why does alignment continue to be a top focus of CIOs? In Info-Tech’s opinion, it is because alignment requires the corporate perspective only the CIO can bring. Alignment is multi-faceted and complex and cannot be delegated.
IT/Business Alignment Defined
Alignment has become an overused buzzword. Companies tout business and IT alignment as key to success in managing IT effectively. Failing to achieve strong alignment has been blamed for the demise of many IT leaders.