The Ongoing Business and IT Love-Hate Relationship

Back in 2000, I remember the discussions about how the IT group and business leaders were disconnected from each other. The IT group was often faulted for delivering too little, too slowly at too high of a cost, while the business side was viewed as ignorant with all things IT. A decade later in 2010, the level of frustration on both sides remains the same, and if anything, the onus is largely on IT to change.

The recession is still fresh on everyone’s minds, and the “business as usual” mentality is more outdated than ever. According to ARC Advisory Group, a certain give and take needs to take place with improved collaboration between IT and business. From the evaluation process through post-implementation, a clear understanding of strategies and business processes as well as functions and features must exist. Sound familiar? It’s ironic since collaboration and communication is something we talk about regarding the supply chain. Yet, that continues to be a work in progress for the majority of suppliers and their partners.

In the past, the love-hate relationship between business and IT may have been tolerable. But, the recent recession shows us that tolerance may be at the breaking point for companies teetering on the edge. Can your company tolerate it anymore, and if you can, for how much longer?