Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Align Technology and Business
The most fundamental but sometimes difficult concept to convey is the
idea that technology must follow the business, and not the other way
around. Many failed IT projects try to shift an organization's operations
to fit a newly purchased or newly developed application. Certainly there
are many very fine application suites for human resource management,
accounting, inventory management, and the many other tasks necessary
for a modern organization to operate. Solutions such as SAP, PeopleSoft,
and Great Plains include a wide range of modules to suit the needs of
different business environments, but it is not enough to select a product
and then expect an organization to shift its operational processes to suit.
Information technology is a logistical element that supports other opera-
tional functions within an organization, and it should not be considered
as more. At the same time, it must not be discounted as an afterthought
or add-on to be maintained by convenience. The addition of new tech-
nologies may make new service offerings possible, if the enterprise archi-
tect can convey details of the new offering to executive staff members
throughout the organization in terms that can be understood by technical
lay persons.
Apply Clear Governance Principles
An enterprise architect must be sensitive to business drivers during the full
technology life-cycle process, from specification through tombstoning.
Planning and procurement affect successful projects just as thoroughly as
skills planning and user training. This is where a formal IT governance
framework can function to improve coordination with other business ele-
ments by aligning enterprise operations with the overall organizational
governance model. Governance and planning should be kept separate
from functional management, as the skills and focus needed for these
roles vary widely. Clear ownership and responsibility must be tied to the
management of each project, while an overall vision provides guidance
and coordination with the rest of the organization.
As a related matter, personnel promotion should not provide the only
mechanism for incentivization, ensuring that skilled and effective tech-
nologists are not moved into management roles purely to provide recog-
nition of their success. According to the “Peter principle,” it is easy to
