Module SLP: Alignment of IT Strategy and Business Strategy

Alignment of IT strategy and business strategy
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Alignment of IT strategy and business strategy
The alignment of IT and business strategies are also referred to as IT-Business alignment that is a state of dynamics in the business where organizations use information technologies effectively to accomplish their goals. Alignment is the ability to manifest a positive relation between accepted financial measures of organizational performance and information technologies. Business performance is one key and the most important aspect of strategic and professional planning. It could be described as how well or how an organization is working in a bid to attain its goals. Organizational performance and strategic management are complementary. Managers should know the performance of their organizations in order to make the required strategic changes where possible (Indranoi & Kecharananta, 2015).
Every business organization has a different management structure depending on their purposes of operation. The management of an organization has four main functions that are not limited to organizing the operations, coordination of activities, planning for the future operations and controlling the resources at a maximum profit. The comparison of management activities in different organizations is arduous because most of the management functions are similar in all types of organizations regardless of their purposes. The difference in the management of an organization may be due to factors such as the size of the organization and its purpose of the operation. The Human Resource (HR) department is the cornerstone of successful management of any firm (Miceli & Heneman, 2000).
Developing an alignment strategy in an IT-Business setup with the aim of a managing department of business operation requires calculated planning in running the process. The management needs the best practices to give an incorporated holistic service. Major challenges a business management can face include the execution of a model strategic phase of planning to integrate all the components of development to match the alignment of the core missions of the organization (Tanaka, 2011).
The creation of an alignment strategy in business requires strategic steps towards the goals of the organization. The first step is defining the visions of the company that involves the establishment of a vision statement for the company that will enable the management to strategize towards the achievement of the vision. Secondly is the establishment of the roles of the IT department in the company that will be handled in essential by the management. The role will clearly define specific duties such as management of benefits and payroll issues, outsourcing, hiring and firing decisions among others. Thirdly is the development of an overview of the company. A total evaluation will be completed and a workplace plan established to provide the current picture of the company and the ways to reach the set goals of the company (Greenberg, 2003).
Subsequently, it is necessary to investigate the needs of the company in developing the alignment strategies that should seek the necessary resources such as the ways to attract talented workforce i...