Whenever you start to talk with companies about IT Service Delivery improvement or IT Optimization, the conversation inevitably turns to business alignment (if it doesn't then you are in even bigger trouble). This alignment is due to the ongoing challenge of the IT Department to provide the link between the "IT Industry" and the "IT Users". In the middle of this tug-o-war of activity is the IT Department, a mediator between the two, trying to facilitate a steady equilibrium.

In the inserted image, the external pressures of "IT Users" are shown at the top and the "IT Industry" pressures at the bottom. By no means a comprehensive list, but you get the point.

"IT Industry" is strongly dominated by vendors, but influence definitely comes from professional groups, IT media, investors and and other parties who try and influence the IT industry.

So to deal with this IT Service Delivery executives, management and technical staff have a large range of strategies to consider. Through this category I will explore some of my ideas on what strategies are worth considering and some approaches on how to tackle.