It used to be that managers could delegate IT decisions to the organization’s resident computer experts and they would simply go away and decide how to design and build a solution. But now, the decisions being made can affect the whole business in terms of service and product possibilities, smooth running of day-to-day operations and opportunities for sharing information. Is it sensible to leave these decisions up to technical experts who do not always have a full understanding of the organization’s vision and purpose? Companies can and frequently do end up with a range of incompatible systems that may never achieve an optimum configuration. This can take years to sort out. Or even worse, a significant component system may be unable to fulfil management’s long-term plans for organizational change, which may necessitate being able to segment data in different ways.

But there is a problem with senior management getting closer to the IT decision-making process. Davenport (1994) says, ‘General managers … usually don’t know much about computers. They may like the idea of using information technology strategically.… But they seldom know how to translate their wishes into specific IT investments.’ How can this situation be managed?