- As a strategic driver, IT needs to work with the business. Yet, traditionally IT has not worked hand-in-hand with the business. IT does not know what information it needs from the business to execute on its initiatives.
- A faster time to new investment decisions mean that IT needs a repeatable and efficient process to understand what the business needs.
- CIOs must execute strategic initiatives to create an IT function that can support the business. Most CIOs fail because of low business support.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- Understanding the business context is a must for all strategic IT initiatives. At its core, each strategic IT project requires answers to a specific set of questions regarding the business.
- An effective CIO understands which part of the business context applies to which strategic IT project and, in turn, what questions to ask to uncover those insights.
Impact and Result
- Uncover what IT knows and needs to know about the business context. This is a necessary first step to begin each of Info-Tech’s strategic IT initiatives, which any CIO should complete.
- Conduct efficient and repeatable business context discovery activities to uncover business context gaps.
- Document the business context you have uncovered and streamline the process for executing on Info-Tech’s strategic CIO blueprints.
Document Business Goals and Capabilities for Your IT Strategy Research & Tools
Start here – read the Executive Brief
Read our concise Executive Brief to find out why you should define the business context, review Info-Tech’s methodology, and understand how we can support you in completing key CIO strategic initiatives.Besides the small introduction, subscribers and consulting clients within this management domain have access to:
1. Identify and document the business needs of the organization
Define the business context needed to complete strategic IT initiatives.
- Document Business Goals and Capabilities for Your IT Strategy – Storyboard
- Business Context Discovery Tool
- Business Context Discovery Record Template
- PESTLE Analysis Template
- Strategy Alignment Map Template
Workshop: Document Business Goals and Capabilities for Your IT Strategy
Workshops offer an easy way to accelerate your project. If you are unable to do the project yourself, and a Guided Implementation isn't enough, we offer low-cost delivery of our project workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a roadmap in place to complete your project successfully.
1 Identify the Missing Business Context (pre-work)
The Purpose
Conduct analysis and facilitate discussions to uncover business needs for IT.
Key Benefits Achieved
A baseline understanding of what business needs mean for IT
Activities
1.1 Define the strategic CIO initiatives our organization will pursue.
1.2 Complete the Business Context Discovery Tool.
1.3 Schedule relevant interviews.
1.4 Select relevant Info-Tech diagnostics to conduct.
Outputs
Business context scope
Completed Business Context Discovery Tool
Completed Info-Tech diagnostics
2 Uncover and Document the Missing Context
The Purpose
Analyze the outputs from step 1 and uncover the business context gaps.
Key Benefits Achieved
A thorough understanding of business needs and why IT should pursue certain initiatives
Activities
2.1 Conduct group or one-on-one interviews to identify the missing pieces of the business context.
Outputs
Documentation of answers to business context gaps
3 Uncover and Document the Missing Context
The Purpose
Analyze the outputs from step 1 and uncover the business context gaps.
Key Benefits Achieved
A thorough understanding of business needs and why IT should pursue certain initiatives
Activities
3.1 Conduct group or one-on-one interviews to identify the missing pieces of the business context.
Outputs
Documentation of answers to business context gaps
4 Review Business Context and Next Steps
The Purpose
Review findings and implications for IT’s strategic initiative.
Key Benefits Achieved
A thorough understanding of business needs and how IT’s strategic initiatives addresses those needs
Activities
4.1 Review documented business context with IT team.
4.2 Discuss next steps for strategic CIO initiative execution.
Outputs
Finalized version of the business context