Analysis of IT Governance on Spanish Organizations - Enterprise Information Systems Design, Implementation and Management: Organizational Applications - page 446

Figure 5. Industries of the organization partici-
pating on first research

relationship with the key elements of IT gover-
nance considered:

• Strategic alignment of IT.

• Value delivery of IT.

• Organizational structures.

• Processes of IT Governance.

• Performance management.

In order to identify this, the questionnaire was
focusing on obtaining information about the degree
of definition and implementation of:

the organizations, the authors searched for a well
defined organizational structure, as well as a good
definition and implementation of the business
processes. In general, SMOs in Spain have the
ISO 9.001 certification, which identifies processes
and organizational structures. But this is only a
threshold level of excellence; since this certifica-
tion is not seen, by the managers, as a driver for
a better management of the organization, and is
only considered as a “must have” (needed, for
example, to access to contracts with the Spanish
Administration).

• The organization, in terms of departments,

responsibilities, coordination mechanisms,
etc.

• The business processes.

• The business strategy and reporting/moni-

toring mechanisms.

• The organization, processes and strategy

of IT.

• The location and attributes of IT within the

organization.

• IT decision making mechanisms.

• IT and the relationship with other depart-

ments/business units.

balanced scorecard

strategy

Finally, the authors looked for the existence of a
balance scorecard, not only in itself, but also as an
element that is timely and consistently reviewed
and managed. Alternatively, the authors looked
for the existence of a set of structured business
objectives, monitored consistently and driving
the process of decision making.

To analyze the degree of strategic alignment
on the organizations, the authors analyzed the
existence of a business strategy and, eventually,
an IT strategy. But this is not always present on
the SMOs: instead, successful SMOs can have
a clear statement of strategic goals and metrics
(such as sales increase, production increase, cost
cutting objectives), and a clear understanding of
the implication of IT on the goals.

conclusions

There were 16 organizations that participated on
this phase, with different sizes and industries.

processes and organization

One of the key elements for IT governance is the
existence of organizational structures that man-
ages and drives IT, and the related processes. In