Assessing value-based objectives for developing business-IT strategies

In order to ensure a competitive advantage for their organizations, the management of Information Systems (IS) and Information Technology (IT) has been requiring more attention from business and IT executives. The alignment between business and IS/IT is one of the most important issues that companies must address if they wish to identify and respond to the threats and opportunities of the market in which they operate. Moreover, efficient management of and planning processes for IS/IT may support successful business strategies. However, successful IT alignment depends on identifying a rich and exhaustive set of objectives that truly represent the values of the executives of the organization. The non-establishment of these objectives may well be largely responsible for IT failing to contribute to business strategies. This paper uses the value-focused thinking approach to identify a set of means and fundamental objectives in a Brazilian enterprise that ought to be considered for developing an efficient business-IT planning. This study focuses on how the objectives found could support organizations to achieve their strategic goals.