IT strategic plan (information technology strategic plan)
An IT strategic plan is a document that details the comprehensive technology-enabled business management processes an organization uses to guide operations. It serves as a guide to IT-related decision-making, with IT tasks prioritized and implemented using the plan as a framework.
The plan also helps guide an organization as it formulates its overall IT strategy. While an IT strategy focuses on how IT will help the business succeed, an IT strategic plan is a roadmap to help the business implement those strategies.
Why an IT strategic plan is useful
The plan outlines areas where IT can contribute business value and where an organization can gain competitive advantage by making the best use of technology resources.
The objectives outlined in an organization's IT strategic plan should align with the organization's goals and mission but accommodate new business priorities and technologies that could drive business growth.
It's also important for an organization's IT team to know its priorities and identify the IT projects that the business should invest in.
According to Gartner, the plan outlines what has to be done in what priority and how the plan's success will be measured.
Components of an IT strategic plan
The IT strategic plan should outline a mission statement that states what it plans to achieve and how the IT strategy relates to the organization's overall business objectives.
Often the first step to creating an effective IT strategic plan is to start with reviewing the organization's strategic plan, which identifies areas where technology use can improve operations.
The IT strategic plan should include a SWOT analysis of its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats to identify both internal and external factors that can affect IT's ability to contribute to an organization's success.
This process will also help organizations analyze where the IT department currently is in achieving its goals and what it must do to achieve them. The department can then identify the barriers and the resources needed for this process.
The SWOT analysis also helps organizations identify any existing technological assets that might be obscuring a previously unknown competitive advantage and that the organization should consider investing in to capitalize on the benefit.
Finally, the IT strategic plan must be clear about its goals, including a list of technology investments that the IT department deems a priority to contribute to the organization's success.
However, the plan should also include evaluations of the company's current IT budget and allocate project-specific resources and responsibilities within the IT department to meet these objectives.
