A Structured Methodology for Developing IT Strategy

This paper presents a practical case study of a methodology for the systematic creation of an IT strategy, as developed at the University of Pretoria, a large South African research university. The methodology is pragmatic rather than academic and was developed for implementation in a university environment. The resulting strategy takes into account strategic alignment, business drivers and external influences. The current IT organisation and infrastructure is assessed and contextualised. IT risks, as aligned with the corporate risk management process, are identified, as are current and planned IT projects. The key results of the application of the methodology are a set of aligned and interlinked documents describing the IT strategy, enterprise architecture, IT governance and information technology planning.