There has been a lot of discussion over the past couple of decades about the “alignment” of business and technology. Since the discussion rages on, one can only assume that there is still some amount of disconnect between the perceptions, needs and expectations of business users and executives, and the services and capabilities delivered to organizations by the IT departments. What seems to be missing from the discussion, however, are details about the specific reasons there is a perceived gap in the first place. So, just what are the issues which seem to keep business and IT in opposite camps?

There are several factors which contribute to the perception that technology departments are not “aligned” with their business counterparts, and organizations just don’t have the luxury of time these days to quarrel over this any longer. Consider the following thoughts about how to change the discussion in your organization, so this topic can finally be put to rest.

Wrong Initial Assumption
Just the idea that there is an “alignment gap” between business users and IT staff causes strife on both sides, and leads to misunderstandings and distorted expectations. The real issue isn’t about alignment at all. Rather, it’s about integration - the level of integration of IT and technology in the business. Unless the IT function is totally outsourced, IT is part of the organization and should be integrated into the organization, just as are the marketing, finance or product development departments, so that the overall goals and objectives of the organization can be achieved.

All organizations have a need for technology in order to operate with any level of effectiveness or efficiency. Even the smallest 2-3 person company is using email, has a web site, has accounting and other back office software supporting business processes, and likely has other software supporting specific functions within the company. Large organizations leverage technology at increasing levels in order to gain competitive advantage, support marketing and sales, and customer service functions as well as back office functions.

IT departments are busy hustling trying to keep up with the latest technologies to understand how they can be used in the existing organization. In addition, they are focused on designing and delivering new/enhanced services to users, resolving issues with current services, increasing security to guard the organization against intrusion, and learning about the business domain (as it frequently changes) to understand how the organization all fits together.

Instead of complaining about one another, business users and IT staff can take positive steps toward more fully integrating the IT department into the business by remembering one simple phrase – “we’re all in this together”. While this seems simplistic, keep in mind that organizations have a set of strategies and goals, and it is the responsibility of each employee (“business side” as well as IT) to ensure their efforts are contributing to the accomplishment of the goals and objectives. How do you and your conversations contribute to or deter the integration of all functions for the achievement of the organizations goals?

Wrong Priorities
Most IT departments are overwhelmed with the number of requests for new services and capabilities. Without clear direction from business executives or governance processes in place, the IT department has no way to determine the correct prioritization of requests – however small – resulting in the IT department often working on a “first come, first served” basis.

Additionally, project outcomes are not always aligned with organizational strategies – rather, they are often intended to address local, silo’ed needs of one particular department. While the needs may be justified, the resources might be better spent on delivering more strategic capabilities. Someone must question the business case for each investment of resources. If the business executives aren’t, it will fall to the IT department as they wrestle with priorities, likely resulting in some level of incorrect decision-making. Clear prioritization of investment priorities, consistent with executing the business strategy, removes IT from the job of trying to make these decisions, and leads to better discussions on appropriate investment of resources (and alignment of the entire organization toward the objectives).

Wrong business process definition
Technology solutions are often requested to address manual business processes in an organization. While automation of manual processes should accomplish efficiencies, it is important to understand how technology can be leveraged to exponentially increase efficiencies. Simply automating a manual process won’t provide the return on investment that could otherwise be realized.

When a business group desires to automated a manual process, it is imperative that someone question how the new process could and/or should work in the future. For example, could documents be electronically routed, signed and stored rather than processing paper forms? This might be a simple example; however, IT organizations which challenge their business users to better define their future processes often find business users “pushing back”, assuming IT “just doesn’t understand what we do”. In reality, the IT staff is generally trying to determine whether/which technology solutions can make processes more effective. In this case, it is appropriate for IT to question business users to make sure the investment is appropriate and adequate.

In the end, it takes a commitment on the part of business and IT staff to change the dynamics and conversation in an organization. Business users – talk with your IT counterparts to help them understand the specific business challenges you are facing. While business users are increasingly technology savvy, IT staff have a broad understanding of the entire enterprise, and can use that knowledge to make your job easier. IT staff – take the time to understand the end result your business customers are trying to deliver, and how their actions fit the strategic goals of the business. Working together to solve problems and accomplish goals makes the entire organization better and stronger. Isn’t it better to work together? Your bonuses likely all come from the same pot of money.

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