“Executives see savings in budget line items and value in a bill of services. IT sees savings in the things no one has to do anymore and value in the things no one could do before.”
This is a fantastic article illustrating the difficulties of IT Collaboration. Basically, mutual understanding is often lacking. IT looks like a customer service organization. Yet, the strategic success of the organization often hinges on IT’s ability to deliver. Part of the problem is that there is no “good” definition for IT. How do you measure IT performance? I have yet to see a good answer, and even those who would try cannot really provide an accurate unit of measure. The question becomes even more complicated in a regulated world. For instance, implementing ITIL and other frameworks helps you begin to understand what IT costs and what IT produces, but then leaves an organization prone to stagnation due to the bureaucracy involved in adhering to the framework.
How do you define and measure IT? Its a complicated and maturing answer for sure, and I would love to hear your thoughts.