From strategic intent to implementation: How Information Technology initiatives take shape in organizations

Organizational success in a growing global marketplace requires industry leaders to continually evaluate themselves against their competition. In today’s competitive global marketplace, market leaders are discovering that market and product differentiation are not enough. Organizations must be able to identify and build upon processes and competencies by developing the skills of the individual to improve and achieve new advantages. Organizational leaders must develop a long-range perspective and motivation – this has been termed strategic intent. Research suggests that aligning IT and business objectives while creating a shared understanding between IT and functional managers can enable an organization’s ability to leverage IT resources. In this paper, we offer a comprehensive definition of strategic intent, identify categories of key success factors necessary for the successful incorporation of strategic intent into an organization’s planning process, and discuss the role of IT in delivering on strategic intent.