How to Use the Strategic Alignment Maturity Model

Alignment maturity enables easy transitions to new technology that supports business goals.

The strategic alignment maturity model involves coordinating organizational strategies so the organization's goals are met. Alignment requires that individual departments function together and integrate their goals with other departments and the overall goals of the organization. Organizations increasingly depend on information technology for success and efficiency. In an effort to succeed, organizations use the strategic alignment maturity model to identify departmental and corporate alignment with IT strategies and resources. The model determines additional investments and strategic changes that must be made.

Instructions

1. Identify the corporate vision. The vision explores where the company wants to go, what it wants to be and what it will look like when it reaches its ultimate goals. Make the vision clear, concise, exciting and attention-grabbing for employees and managers.

2. Explore the corporate strategies that will get you to your vision. Set time goals for each step along the process. Use benchmarks and checkpoints to test the effectiveness of the strategy and efficiency of its accomplishment. Align the strategies with your corporate mission statement.

3. Create an IT mission. Identify why the department exists, what group it is in, what its purpose is and state the core values of the department. Add how IT supports the corporate mission, vision and strategy.

4. Review your departmental strategies to test their alignment with corporate strategies and other department's strategies. Rate each strategy in one of five categories. Initial/ad hoc processes are not aligned with the business strategy, and the business does not recognize the importance of IT, so investments are low. The committed processes occur when the organization begins to see IT as an asset and the company becomes commitment to become aligned with IT. When you reach established focused process, the company institutes a governance and process to utilize IT to create long-term competitive advantages. Improved/managed process illustrates IT as a value center of the organization and leverages IT assets throughout the organization. The final stage is optimized process where business and IT strategies are integrated and support one another.

5. Use this rating system to evaluate corporate and departmental governance, partnership, communication, maturity and scope, employee and departmental skills, partnerships and departmental and investment value. Explore employee and partnership dedications to corporate goals and alignment based on the five criteria.

6. Explore the areas where the rate is not optimized process. Build strategies that encourage knowledge sharing, liaison roles and cooperation and trust between business department, IT and the corporation as a whole.

7. Create goals or levels of service for which IT can strive. Measure the performance of the department based on specific service criteria. Identify areas where improvements are necessary, especially areas that need consistent improvement.

8. Identify who makes the decisions for the department and about its investments, then create a companywide strategy of governance.

9. Encourage and form partnerships between IT and the company and IT and other departments in the company. Allow IT the opportunity to participate in strategy creation and recognize its contributions to the organization.

10. Build a flexible infrastructure where new technologies that drive corporate strategy and goals are easy to implement. Allow IT to provide customized solutions for customers and the company.

11. Evaluate the skill levels of all corporate human resources, and take into consideration social and cultural differences. Build strategies that encourage skill growth.

12. Identify how IT supports business strategies and what its capabilities are. Create and implement new strategies to support these areas so your organization balances its financial goals, customer service objectives, learning and growth goals and internal business processes.

References

• New Jersey Institute of Technology; Strategic Alignment Maturity; Jerry N. Luftman
• "European and Mediterranean Conference on Infomraiton Systems"; Organizational Factors to Assess Strategic Alignment on SME; Guiterrez, et al.; July 2006
• SlideShare; Information Systems and Strategic Management; Dr. Matthew Montebello, University of Malta
• Fujitsu Consulting; The Six Dimensions of Business and IT Alignment; Elby Nash
• Oakland Univeristy; "Communications of the Association for Information Systems"; Assessing Business-IT Alignment Maturity; Jerry Luftman; December 2000
• Universidad Nacional de Ingeneria; An Organizationwide Approach for Assessing Strategic Business and IT Alignment; Mathias Ekstedt, Ph.D., et al.; 2005