Why would I still want to concentrate on Business Driven IT?

I'm a bit frustrated with the view of IT systems in companies today. Not only are policies usually impeding the development of anything that would increase productivity, but the motivations for developing IT aren't usually really business-driven. In my opinion, IT is a tool that increases productivity and creates new opportunities. I want IT investments to be based on sound business sense. I feel that too often IT is a hole into which directors feel they have to pour money into to stay competitive, without real needs and benefits driving the decisions.

I'm a strong proponent of Web Oriented Architectures (WOA). By embracing WOA and opening up some processes of the company, I think that companies can be a lot more flexible and productive than today. It has been too long that we have been held prisoners by illusionary IT policies and technology praising IT that doesn't serve its users. I think the best accounts of WOA are written by Dion Hinchcliffe at hinchcliffe.org


A lot of research has been done on the value of IT. However, I feel that most research is too academic in the sense that it doesn't really give you any tools if you really need IT. And you do. Research is often done on how IT investments influence profitability, productivity or another dependent variable. The research I have read has pointed to that the amount of investment doesn't correlate with the value of IT. According to the research, IT usage and how it is implemented is what actually determines the value of IT systems.

What I'm doing is taking a step back. I want to implement only the parts of an IT system that I know will influence the bottom line. I'm creating a process for how to create really business driven IT systems.