Nearly every company, regardless of
their size, faces the challenge of aligning IT objectives with business objectives. Though the task is difficult, aligning
new technologies with business goals can
lead to streamlined operations and improved
efficiencies.
“Aligning your IT objectives appropriately
can help you realize major business objectives that include service-level improvements, cost reduction, compliance, information protection, and business process support and automation,” says Dave Braner, CIO
of CIMCO Communications.
Smart Business spoke with Braner about
aligning IT objectives with business objectives, what the biggest challenges are and the
importance of developing metrics.
Why is it crucial for IT management to align
its objectives with the company’s business
goals and objectives?
Businesses are changing structurally and
operationally in response to new trends in
technology and business practices. The role
of technology is becoming more and more of
a competitive advantage as organizational
dependencies on information and data
increase. How IT is integrated into the core of
a business and the integral relationships
required between the IT organization and
senior leadership are crucial to the success of
a growing organization
As companies become more transaction-based, the value in IT investments grows. IT
is no longer a cost-center or stand-alone function. In order to grow a company, IT initiatives have to be tied tightly to key strategic
business goals and objectives.
What specific benefits can be realized by
alignment?
Successful, properly aligned IT projects
create a chain reaction of benefits.
Increases in performance can lead to
improved customer satisfaction, which, in
turn, leads to higher revenue and market
share. By basing IT investments on their
ability to drive the business forward, not
only does the organization’s performance
increase but so does the IT department’s
overall success.
How should a company get started?
It is imperative that IT management be
involved in strategic planning for the business. Once the business’s strategic goals are
set, establish a plan in which you translate
the overall business objectives into measurable IT services. This allows you to effectively
allocate your IT resources and maximize
business value with every project you implement. Next, create an infrastructure that
allows you to accomplish your planned
objectives. Identify key resources, both internal and external, and their alignment so your
entire staff can function efficiently. Finally,
determine the functionality of each project
and measure how it improved operations
across the organization. Make sure to take
baseline measurements in order to appropriately report significant change.
What are the biggest challenges?
Every business has its own set of unique
challenges. Here are some challenges that
can touch any IT organization:
- Managing costs: This is always the No. 1
concern. To ensure that investments will
bring the best return, assess the current state
of your organization and its ability to deliver
value. - Changing metrics: All too often in IT, when
you finally find a pattern, there is a change
and your current metrics become obsolete.
Be prepared to adjust midcycle, as it is
inevitable. - Understanding requirements: Ensure that
you fully understand internal customers’
needs and the requirements to ease their pain
as well as meet the business’s goals. - Leadership support: Major infrastructure
changes and enhancements are significant
investments. Senior management may not
always see the big picture and often have
varying opinions about how to spend budget
dollars. Showing direct correlation between
IT initiatives and business goals can help
earn IT funds. - Poor prioritization: IT project wish lists do
not get shorter. Poorly prioritized projects
can end up costing additional money and
time. Consider time, capital and outcomes
when prioritizing projects.
What metrics are typically used when aligning IT and business objectives?
One of the most important ways to monitor
your success is to evaluate your work and
show tangible results. Although it is recommended that you develop metrics significant
to your organization’s success, there are
some standard metrics that can work well for
any organization.
- Percentage uptime: How long are your
applications staying up? Consider the times
when the applications are down and how
they affect the function of that application
and the cost per employee during downtime. - Functionality: What purpose is the application serving, and what process is it improving? Determine whether the project is meeting a purpose for the business.
- Problem resolution: Are user issues being
addressed in an efficient way? Is there one
central location for users to go to for the
application? What is the time to repair for
problem resolution?
Metrics should always be tailored to a company and its objectives. Determine what metrics capture the true results of your projects
to calculate the return on investment for your
organization.
DAVE BRANER is Chief Information Officer of CIMCO Communications. Reach him at (630) 691-8080 or [email protected].
