In his new book, Strategic IT Portfolio Management: Governing Enterprise Transformation, Jeffrey Kaplan describes how to use portfolio strategy to govern both business change and technology. By following Kaplan’s approach, senior executives can ensure technology investments create measurable value to the organization.
Largescale enterprise transformation efforts often fail because business leaders and IT project teams are out of sync, according to Kaplan. As he describes it, the solution is strategic portfolio management, a governance method that fuses all the elements of enterprise transformation: The business strategy, the technology, as well as individual projects.
“Trying to figure out if an organization is spending too much money on information technology is a futile exercise,” said Kaplan. “IT spending varies depending on organizational structure, business model, and degree of automation. Instead of debating how much is too much, executives need a method that allows them to evaluate investments and assets based on the scope of potential returns.”
Portfolio management defines the decision-making process with a focus on strategic objectives and results. It ensures that the process is not redefined with each new project or initiative — a scenario that costs organizations significant time and money each year. Strategic IT Portfolio Management highlights many of the root causes for the IT value dilemma organizations face today, and explains how executives can prevent and counter these issues. The book also defines the executive leadership team that will drive the strategic management agenda, the enterprise architecture, and accompanying road map.
Strategic IT Portfolio Management: Governing Enterprise Transformation, ISBN 0976609304, is available now for $29.95 at Amazon.com.
