Discussion 2: Shared Practice—WestJet—Aligning IT and Business Strategy

Understanding the best practices that others have taken on the road to success can assist you in your own journey. Best practices usually cannot be simply “copied and pasted” from one industry, business, or situation to another. But, through the process of sharing and synthesizing each other’s ideas, it is possible to find new ways to improve your own experience, both personally and professionally.

For this Discussion, read the case study:

“WestJet Airlines: Information Technology Governance and Corporate Strategy” by Malcolm Munro and Sharaz Khan.

By Day 5:

Post your description and analysis of the case, as it pertains to the following prompts:

• How can Cheryl Smith help managers at WestJet better understand the role of information technology in corporate strategy?
• How might WestJet’s experience influence the way your organization aligns its IT and business strategies?
• Based on an Internet or Walden Library search, describe the best tools and techniques organizations can use to align IT strategy with business strategy. What alternatives do organizations have to ensure their IT and business strategies are in alignment?
• What risks does the organization take if it does not invest in the resources necessary for maintaining alignment between IT and business strategy?

Review a selection of your colleagues’ posts from earlier in the week, focusing on the best practices and key activities that are necessary in successfully managing business information systems. By Day 7, respond to two or more of your colleagues in one or more of the following ways:

• Explain the similarities and/or differences between your own findings and those identified by your colleague. Why do you think your analysis of the case was similar to or different from your colleague’s?
• Share what you believe could potentially impede or enable an organization when aligning its IT and business strategy.
• Offer additional best practices or tools organizations could use in aligning IT strategy and business strategy. Explain why those are important and effective. What specific steps does an organization need to take to make sure it continuously monitors how well these strategies align?

Please be specific, and use citations and references as appropriate and necessary.

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