Many IT managers have assumed that if they just “do their job,” then they are also meeting organizational goals.

Many IT managers have assumed that if they just “do their job,” then they are also meeting organizational goals. In other words, they assume that IT and business goals are basically in alignment. Someone higher up the chain of command has made sure that the projects in the IT portfolio all directly support the business strategy and goals. This is usually not true.

Part of the issue is that most IT personnel do not understand the dynamic nature of strategic business planning. The business must change and adapt to the competitive environment, which then triggers a change in business strategy. If these changes are not communicated to IT, IT can be left pursuing some goals that are no longer relevant to the business.

Lessons Learned (Moral)

As a company, management has to adapt to changes and competition. Never assume that the current stated business strategy and goals are 100% up-to-date. Also recognize that IT and business strategy alignment is no easy task in a stable environment, much less a dynamic one.

Primary Task Response: Within the Discussion Board area, write 400–600 words that respond to the following questions with your thoughts, ideas, and comments. This will be the foundation for future discussions by your classmates. Be substantive and clear, and use examples to reinforce your ideas.

Conduct research using the library and Internet for information about business goals and how they are related to IT goals. Select at least 2 business goals for a hypothetical organization, and respond to the following questions:

· What are some of the IT goals that would be related to the selected business goals?

· What are some of the issues that must be addressed when attempting to align these business and IT goals?

· How do the IT goals support or conflict with the business goals?

Responses to Other Students: Respond to at least 2 of your fellow classmates with at least a 200-word reply about their Primary Task Response regarding items you found to be compelling and enlightening. To help you with your discussion, please consider the following questions:

· What did you learn from your classmate’s posting? What additional questions do you have after reading the posting?

· What clarification do you need regarding the posting?

· What differences or similarities do you see between your posting and other classmates’ postings?