• Explore More Strategy Topics

  Agile Agility Alignment Architecture Benchmark Business Cost Decision-Making Definition EA Enterprise Architecture Enterprise Archuitecture Execution Framework Good Enough Governance GTD Heuristic IEEE 1457 IT IT Governance ITIL Management Measurement Methodology Performance Planning Planninig Principle Principles Process Project Reference Architecture Research Security Simple Small Wins SOA Social Architecture Software Architecture Solution Standards Strategy Technology Thinking TOGAF Trends Zachman

• Blogroll

  • Enterprise Architecture: From Incite comes Insight…
  • Pragmatic Enterprise Architecture
  • Serge Thorn’s IT Blog
  • Smart (Enough) Systems
  • Technology Architecture & Projects
  • The Practice of Leadership
  • Todd Biske: Outside the Box
  • User-Centric Enterprise Architecture

Stephanie Overby CIO.com presents her view of the Anatomy of an IT Strategic Plan as follows:

• Timing: Most IT leaders will want to start thinking about the IT strategic plan in the spring to best position themselves for the budgeting cycle. An IT organization’s first strategic plan can take anywhere from three months to a year to write.
• Time Frame: The plan should cover three to five years, with the most focus on the next 12 to 18 months unless there is a longer-term project on the table.
• Medium: Word document and/or PowerPoint presentation. Create an abbreviated version that you can turn to anytime someone has an issue or question.
• Length: 15 pages. Or less. If using PowerPoint, 25 slides. Or fewer.
• Executive Summary: The plan should begin with a summary targeted for the business audience.
• Scope: High-level goals and plans for all areas of information technology that affect the business, not just the infrastructure. A road map for IT is useful in illustrating overall strategy.
• Business Context: Lay out the specific business drivers, assumptions and plans that informed the IT strategic plan. (For example, the business is planning to acquire smaller companies so IT’s plan is to focus on integration technologies.)
• IT Principles: Short statements of purpose that will guide IT decision making and implementation.
• Metrics: Put measurements of progress in place when you create the strategic plan instead of waiting for review time to figure it all out. The goal is not precision but the ability to measure appropriate progress toward goals.
• Review: You should review the plan and revise it as necessary at least once during the fiscal year.

This is a great checklist for your IT strategy…

Technorati Tags: Strategy, Plan, Planning, IT Strategy, Goals, Objectives, Management

Related Posts

• Agility Means Simple Things Done Well, Not Complex Things Done Fast
• The ISO 38500 Standard for IT Governance
• Heuristics as an Architectural Tool
• The IT Alignment Trap

Comments

• Search for:

• Welcome

  Welcome to Architecture and Change. You can subscribe to my blog using RSS or you can subscribe by e-mail

• Contact

  
  
  

• Busy Reading...

• Interesting Blog Stats

• Show of Support