Lakhasly

As these examples show, there is a need for dynamic and real-time alignment processes between IT and busi- ness at the tactical and operational levels, such that resource allocation decisions, project selection and exe- cution priorities, and technology-choice decisions are cal- ibrated against operational and strategic business requirements from IT. Lack of such processes would likely lead to applications being wrongly configured or implemented, waste and duplication of resources, and failed projects.As a result, there is a lack of practice-based guidelines for managerial action, for accomplishing tactical alignment.Such difficulties notwithstand- ing, it has become near impossible to execute many aspects of business strategy without the development and implementation of corresponding platforms and applications from the IT side.

As these examples show, there is a need for dynamic and real-time alignment processes between IT and busi- ness at the tactical and operational levels, such that resource allocation decisions, project selection and exe- cution priorities, and technology-choice decisions are cal- ibrated against operational and strategic business requirements from IT. Lack of such processes would likely lead to applications being wrongly configured or implemented, waste and duplication of resources, and failed projects. There has been a slew of recent practice- based accounts of failed IT projects, deployment of busi- ness – irrelevant applications and technologies that do not improve work processes or register a significant financial impact, and discarded IT applications and infra- structure (Malhotra & Galletta, 2004; McAfee, 2003; Jeffery & Leliveld, 2004). Such difficulties notwithstand- ing, it has become near impossible to execute many aspects of business strategy without the development and implementation of corresponding platforms and applications from the IT side. IT-business alignment at the tactical level therefore continues to be necessary and as illustrated above, quite elusive. As far as academic research is concerned, although the literature (Luftman, 2003; Kohli & Devraj, 2004; Weiss et al., 2006) suggests that managerial mechanisms and strategies (such as IT- business collaboration, appropriate IT governance and control structures, and relevant technical skills, for instance) are necessary for successfully implementing applications, there is no systematic and inclusive defini- tion of what constitutes IT-business alignment at the tac- tical/operational level. As a result, there is a lack of practice-based guidelines for managerial action, for accomplishing tactical alignment.