Strategic Alignment is the connecting link between the execution and strategy. Project Execution is important. However, it is nothing but putting the strategy into action. It is most usual that the link between the strategy and execution of a plan is often not given its required attention (Campbell, Kay and Avison, 2005, p. 657). The strategy is one part of the strategic alignment. The strategy is a high-level plan which is formulated to achieve specific objectives under uncertain conditions. The strategy is important because it gives a common vision for the whole organization which serves as a North Star. Companies having a strategy to produce better results and those with strategic alignment; having a better link between the strategy and execution can have even better results (Walter et al., 2013, p. 315).
Strategic Alignment does not necessarily mean to focus on what to do, but also on what not to do and stop doing. Strategic alignment aids companies in using more resources and time on what is more important. Strategic alignment helps not only in dedicated projects, but also in day-to-day operations. It helps in today’s business and prepares for tomorrow (Yayla and Hu, 2012, p. 378).
Strategic Alignment can help in the assessment of the strengths of the organization and of those areas which need improvement. It gives the company a common vision with already measures of success (Salimian et al., 2012, p. 12018). Improvement in all programs which need enhancement is identified. Branding strategies, public relations, and marketing techniques can be established. It can also aid me potential strategic collaborations and affiliations (Chebrolu and Ness, 2013, p. 9).
In the context of IT, strategic alignment with business and information systems is an important domain which offers a great opportunity for understanding its importance (Sadeghi, 2011, p. 1102). A study has shown that top management of companies is well aware of and is capable of fully understanding the relationship between the information systems and its business position (Aversano, Grasso and Tortorella, 2012, p.468). For example, the strategic alignment of business and information systems regarding self-driving cars is needed to be successful to make it a successful project (Thrun, 2011).
References
Aversano, L., Grasso, C. and Tortorella, M 2012, A Literature Review of Business/IT Alignment Strategies, Procedia Technology, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 462 – 474.
Campbell, B., Kay, R. and Avison, D 2005, Strategic alignment: a practitioner’s perspective, Journal of Enterprise Information Management, vol. 18, no. 6, pp. 653 – 664.
Chebrolu, S.B. and Ness, L 2013, How Does Alignment of Business and IT Strategies Impact Aspects of IT Effectiveness?, International Journal of Applied Management and Technology, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 1–15.
Sadeghi, D 2011, Alignment of organizational change strategies and its relationship with increasing organizations’ performance, Procedia Social and Behavioral Sciences, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 1099–1107.
Salimian, H., Khalili, S., Nazemi, J. and Alborzi, M 2012, Alignment in the organization’s strategy window (concentration on business strategy and operations strategy), African Journal of Business Management, vol. 6, no. 51, pp. 12016-12022.
Thrun, S 2011, Google’s Driverless Car, viewed 11 September 2018, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp9KBrH8H04>.
Walter, J., Kellermanns, F.W., Floyd, S.W., Veiga, J.F. and Matherne, C 2013, Strategic alignment: A missing link in the relationship between strategic consensus and organizational performance, Strategic Organization, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 304–328.
Yayla, A.A. and Hu, Q 2012, The impact of IT-business strategic alignment on firm performance n a developing country setting: Exploring moderating roles of environmental uncertainty and strategic orientation, European Journal of Information Systems, vol. 21, no. 4, pp. 373–387.
+447462439809