Strategic IT Planning
If we do not know where we want to be in 3-5 years, how do we ever stand a chance of getting there? Strategic planning is the process that gets us out of our day-to-day thinking. It lets us think about the important rather than the urgent. Perhaps most importantly, it allows us to create a mechanism for achieving what is important.
A strategic plan for IT is the single most important tool for communicating your intentions to senior leadership. High level strategy is what senior leaders are most concerned with in organizations. Having a documented plan allows you to have conversations with C-Level executives about your goals. Most importantly it provides senior leadership the opportunity to redirect any of your efforts that might not be 100% in line with their vision. These conversations allow senior leadership to establish an understanding of what the IT department is doing without having to be involved in day-to-day operations.