3 Reasons Why You Need Strategic Alignment & IT Project Management
As technology has evolved, the way we conduct business has changed as well. Traditionally, IT and other departments did not need to work together or align their strategies in order to be successful. This is no longer the case. In fact, businesses that do not align strategies across all departments, including IT, will be less successful. Strategic alignment and IT project management are key to having a profitable 2020.
Three Reasons Why Businesses Need Strategic Alignment
Most people think of IT as the support team when a computer malfunctions or difficulties logging into programs arise. While these are functions of IT, the way IT is involved in business has changed. If businesses do not begin to have strategic alignment and IT project management, they will fall behind their competitors.
There are three primary reasons companies must adapt and align their IT projects with the rest of their departments to achieve their business goals:
- The complexity of IT projects: IT projects are no longer simple. Well over 500+ coding languages now exist, and more are being created every year. The number of cloud-based tools for business productivity is nearly impossible to measure. IT projects are now more than just simple login errors and technology malfunctions. IT projects are part of every department in every business. If any part of a business strategy is completed online, it is now part of an IT project. Furthermore, the complexity of IT projects will only continue to increase. More devices are becoming wireless, so more cloud-based apps are being developed to work on mobile devices. This means IT project management and strategic alignment must be ready to work on a variety of platforms. Someone needs to be able to assist employees if an app isn’t quite as responsive as it should be on a tablet, and that person is likely someone from IT.
- Dependence on IT to achieve business goals: Gone are the days of downloading programs onto each individual company computer. Businesses are turning to the cloud for project management and increased productivity. By 2021, it is predicted that cloud data centers will process 94 percent of businesses’ workloads. However, this means that IT project management must be involved to ensure data is properly backed up in the unfortunate event something goes wrong with the cloud. Furthermore, increased security measures must be in place to protect private data.
- Consistent changes to the IT environment require additional strategic planning: The cloud has changed the way businesses operate. In order to continue meeting your business goals, IT project management must be involved to ensure the business continues smoothly. As more of your departments’ work leaves the hard drive and goes into the cloud, IT must be involved in strategic alignment and planning. Otherwise, IT will be consistently playing catch up. This will decrease productivity and increase the length of time it takes for your IT department to assist other areas in your business.
Technology solutions are now multi-facilitated projects that are engineered to help businesses succeed in multiple areas. With the right technology solutions provider on your side, your business can achieve the highest level of strategic alignment in your company’s history. However, it is important to note that strategic alignment alone will not the end-all, be-all solution. Your organization must also implement IT project management that aligns with your other departments’ project management to ensure you meet your business goals and realize the results from your IT investment.
