Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Analyze the external and internal environments impacting IT (e.g., SWOT, PESTLE).
• Translate organizational goals into specific, measurable IT strategic objectives.
• Develop a comprehensive, multi-year IT roadmap aligned with business milestones.
• Define the financial model and justify strategic IT investments (e.g., TCO, ROI).
• Establish a governance model to track and manage strategy execution.
• Communicate the IT strategy effectively to business stakeholders and the IT team.
• Identify and manage the strategic risks and dependencies inherent in the plan.
• Measure the strategic value and impact of IT initiatives.

• CIOs, CTOs, and IT Directors
• IT Managers and Department Heads
• Enterprise Architects and Strategic Planners
• Business Relationship Managers (BRMs)
• Senior Business Analysts
• Consultants specializing in IT transformation

• Group activities to develop a SWOT analysis for a case company.
• Individual exercises in creating a basic IT strategic roadmap.
• Role-playing a presentation of the IT strategy to a simulated Board.
• Case studies focusing on successful and failed IT strategy implementations.
• Workshops on calculating TCO and ROI for major projects.

Unit 1: Strategic Alignment and Vision

• Analyzing the current organizational strategy and goals.
• Identifying business drivers, capabilities, and gaps.
• The role of IT in competitive advantage and digital disruption.
• Defining the IT mission and vision statement.

• Conducting internal IT capability assessment.
• External analysis using PESTLE and competitive frameworks.
• Performing SWOT analysis specific to the IT organization.
• Identifying the technology trends and future state architecture.

Unit 2: Developing the IT Strategy Roadmap

• Techniques for prioritizing competing IT initiatives.
• Translating vision into actionable strategic objectives.
• Using frameworks like Balanced Scorecard for IT.
• Defining critical success factors (CSFs) for the strategy.

• Structuring the IT roadmap (short-term, mid-term, long-term).
• Linking initiatives to business value and outcomes.
• Resource estimation and sequencing of key projects.
• Managing strategic dependencies across the portfolio.

Unit 3: Financial Justification and Investment

• Calculating Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for strategic assets.
• Techniques for Return on Investment (ROI) and Net Present Value (NPV).
• Developing compelling business cases for major investments.
• Structuring the IT budget to align with strategic priorities.

• Portfolio management principles for IT investments.
• Assessing risk and reward across the portfolio.
• Gate reviews and decision points for major programs.
• Reallocating funds based on strategic performance.

Unit 4: Strategy Execution and Governance

• Designing the IT strategy governance framework.
• Establishing an effective IT Steering Committee.
• Defining roles and responsibilities for strategy owners.
• Monitoring progress and managing exceptions.

• Identifying strategic risks (e.g., technology obsolescence, poor adoption).
• Developing mitigation and contingency plans.
• Continuous monitoring of the external risk landscape.
• Integrating strategic risk into the enterprise risk profile.

Unit 5: Communication and Strategy Refinement

• Developing a communication plan for various audiences (Board, Business, IT staff).
• Crafting a compelling narrative and elevator pitch.
• Ensuring organizational buy-in and engagement.
• The role of the CIO as a strategic evangelist.

• Establishing a regular strategy review cycle.
• Gathering feedback and measuring strategic KPIs.
• Techniques for adapting the strategy to changing business conditions.
• Embedding strategic review into the annual planning process.