use or Use?

[Burc Oral]

When we talk about strategic use of IT, somehow the thinking shifts to
"using" IT. One may go further and think of an "exploit". Isn't IT
part of the business? It is in fact. To this end, a more neutral
term, aligning has been made very popular. This also recalls two
sticks being lines up in my mind!

So, how do we define the relationship between "business" and IT. What
is Use?

This is a aggregation of several verbs!

First business must "allow" IT to "influence" business thinking,
activities and processes about its capabilities and potentiality.
Let's refer to this as "shaping" and it flows from IT to business.
Timeline is hell breaks loose.

Next is the IT being "prepared" for business demands by being
proactively ready. This necessitates information flow from business to
IT early and often, so that IT is expectant about changes in
requirements and ready for the fire! IT precisely starts "predicting"
the business demand. The metaphor in this case is hell is about to
break loose.

Most often, hell breaks loose and the demand from business has to be
met by IT unconditionally. This is where IT has to become flexible and
"adjust" to the challenging environment. That is, IT adapts to the
needs of business.

Strategic Use then combines: allow-influence-shape-prepare-predict-
adjust-adapt

SUIT starts at the point when IT is allowed to influence business,
becomes efficient when IT is prepared and predicts the business needs,
and performs as the unexpected happens by adapting to the situation.

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Burc Oral
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