A New Framework for IT Investment Decisions

Making Better IT Investment Decisions A New Framework for IT Investment Decisions is an essential guide to getting more out of IT for business. Fully illustrated and explained with reference to numerous examples from across industries and the world, this is a groundbreaking book for advancing businesses beyond some of the unhelpful investment frameworks of the past, and attaining more accurate, comprehensive and profitable knowledge of how to approach IT projects and systems. An urgently needed new framework There is always enormous pressure on businesses to control their spending and maximise the benefits of all investment projects. This applies particularly to IT spending, where the business case for a typical IT project can often be unclear to managers and investors. Any decision on IT investment involves an assessment of the potential costs and benefits. But the benefits are hard or impossible to calculate using traditional measures such as return on investment (ROI). A new framework is needed in order to make better IT investment decisions and this book provides it. The framework is based on simple ideas about the way in which IT systems interact with a business. Building on these simple ideas, some radical conclusions can be drawn about the nature of IT investment and how it affects a business. These conclusions are very different to the commonly accepted approach to IT investment. Key to the new framework is the concept that most IT spending is geared towards building future capabilities that will not generate an immediate return. These ideas are brought together into a simple decision table that managers will find invaluable in making better decisions about IT projects. A guide for all business managers This book is for business executives who need to make investment decisions about IT projects, or who need to understand the thinking behind such decisions. This includes almost all business managers, not just those who are directly concerned with IT. It also includes those in the public and not-for-profit sectors.