Conceptual dependencies between two connected IT domains: Business/IS alignment and IT governance

Mastering the complexity of IS engineering processes which are more and more constrained with the rapid market change became an essential requirement. IS engineers are challenged to develop systems that can meet the requirements of modern organisations in a continuously evolving environment. As far as IS engineering is concerned, IT governance has also the responsibility to master the change process and the evolution of the IS. We argue that Business/IS alignment and decision making mechanisms serve each other: strategic alignment is well performed when leaders make adequate decisions in time and strategic alignment facilitates the decision making process related to the information system (IS) and business processes (BP). We argue that it is essential to understand the dependencies and implications between ITG and alignment in order to improve both as a whole and to enhance the sustainability of ISs we engineer. This work provides a first stage in the understanding of Business/IS alignment and IT governance requirements and of their dependencies. It also offers a comparison framework for IS development approaches with respect to their ability to support Business/IS alignment and IT governance requirements.