IT Organization Circa 2017

I closed the last post by postulating that by 2017, IT strategy as a distinct entity with its own strategic planning process will be history.  Let me expand on that thought.

In the early-90’s I had the privilege to be a partner in Ernst & Young’s Center for Business Innovation, in Boston, involved in many enlightening research studies into business innovation, IT effectiveness and organizational change.  When first established as a research organization, we were called the Center for Information Technology and Strategy (CTAS).  We quickly realized that people would read that as “Center for Information Technology Strategy.” (Leaving out the “and” makes a big difference!)  Even back then we held a position that over time, IT strategy would be totally integrated into business strategy – one process, one plan (with, of course, many sub-plans).   So the very idea of a research center/think tank focused on IT strategy was short sighted and doomed to be short lived.  The name was promptly changed to the Center for Business Innovation – a more noble purpose for IT!

My point here is that evolving towards level 3 business-IT maturity means integrating the business and IT strategic planning processes into one common process – IT creates business possibilities, IT impacts the strategic context, and business strategy depends upon IT for implementation.  All the discussion of Next Generation Enterprises (Enterprise 2.0) call out new forms of collaboration as a key.  We can therefore anticipate that strategic planning for HR, Six Sigma/Process Improvement/OD, and other global services will also become fully integrated into business planning – they typically are not even coordinated today!  Note that by bringing these planning processes together, the relationships between the “magic 3″ of people, process and technology are all addressed in a collaborative, simultaneous, and ultimately continuous process!