Opening Thoughts - Are You Aligned?
Whenever business undergoes a change of focus, there is a resurgence of interest in the topic of “business-IT alignment.” Whether we transition into a period of economic uncertainty with greater attention to costs, into an opportunistic period of market repositioning through M&A, or into a period of competitive differentiation through innovation, there is a renewed focus on IT and its performance in serving the business—that “alignment” thing.
Alignment has occupied the “top ten” CIO concerns list longer than any other single issue, judging by dozens of surveys and hundreds of anecdotal observations. The only difference is how high on the list it appears. Alignment concerns are rising again as many organizations wrestle with impending change and uncertainty. It never disappears from the list, though, because even when many IT leaders claim to be “aligned,” it is common to find that not all of their business-side counterparts agree. Why is that the case?
What is really happening here is that there are multiple perspectives on the word “alignment.” When IT leaders address a specific stakeholder calling for alignment, they often don’t pay enough attention to other voices using the same word in a different way. It is critical to determine the specific “type” of alignment you are being asked to achieve. When business unit leadership, COOs, and many CIOs say “business-IT alignment,” they are usually focused on aligning business objectives with projects, the most common measure of alignment. When CFOs say it, though, they are frequently focused on aligning overall business value with bottom-line IT costs. When CEOs say it, they are usually talking about aligning business strategies with everything: projects, applications, infrastructure, and costs. Which perspective is dominant and the one IT leaders should care most about? The simple answer is whoever is asking, but the real answer is “all of them” and each perspective requires a different approach.
In this issue of Architecture and Governance Magazine, we present several approaches to addressing the “alignment” challenge. In “EA: Bringing Order to Chaos,” we explore EA as a means to establish an enterprise transformation context. Later on, we examine the relationships between business processes, applications, and infrastructure in “Managing Risks Using Software Maps.” In the last two articles, the operative word is “action” as we look at EA and IT governance as bridges to aligning with business and transformation strategies.
A&G readers have consistently expressed interest in stories about the relationship between business and IT organizations and how organizations have used EA, portfolio management, and governance concepts to address alignment and transformation issues as businesses adapt to change. If you have a story along those lines to share, please submit your idea to editor@architectureandgovernance.com for consideration. As always, we welcome your thoughts.
George S. Paras is the editor-in-chief of Architecture & Governance Magazine and managing director of EAdirections.
