IT Strategic Planning:
Maximizing the Value of Your IT Investment

What is this course about?

In this course, you gain the knowledge and skills to develop an IT strategic planning process, define an IT vision for your business, find technology opportunities that enable the business strategy, communicate your plan to stakeholders and monitor its execution.

What is IT strategic planning?

IT strategic planning is a process used by organizations to map IT programs and services against the business goals to achieve alignment with the overall business strategy and priorities.

What background knowledge do I need?

A general knowledge of IT and business practices is helpful, but no prior experience with IT strategic planning is assumed.

Who will benefit from this course?

IT and business professionals, senior executives, project and program managers, enterprise architects and anyone involved in IT strategic planning can benefit from this course. Those who are involved in the day-to-day execution of the projects will also benefit.

My expertise is in business and not in IT. Is this course appropriate for me?

Yes, this course focuses on a common sense approach to aligning your IT services to business goals. A high degree of technical knowledge is not necessary. Similarly, if you are working in IT and do not have a business background, this course will help you to see the bigger picture of which IT is an integral part.

I don't work in a commercial environment. Is this course right for me?

Regardless of your environment, you still need to maximize your IT investments. This course benefits anyone working in government, non-profit and for-profit organizations.

My company outsources most of our IT. Will this course benefit me?

Yes, even if you outsource your IT services, you still need to plan for how IT will enable your business strategy.

How does this course differ from Course 3310, Applying Strategic Thinking to Operational Management?

If you are involved in creating an IT strategic plan that aligns with your organization's business objectives, you should take Course 907, IT Strategic Planning: Maximizing the Value of Your IT Investment.

If you are primarily responsible for ensuring that the organization achieves its goals at the operational level, then you should take Course 3310, Applying Strategic Thinking to Operational Management.

Because of the complementary nature of these courses, if you are involved in both designing strategy and managing an operational department, then you may consider taking both Course 907 and Course 3310.

What specific tools and techniques are discussed in this class?

The tools and techniques you learn in class are: SWOT analysis, balanced scorecard, Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), risk management, COBIT, and decision matrices.

How much time is spent on each topic?

What kinds of activities are in the course?

Through an engaging case study and interactive team activities, you apply best practices and methods to develop a critical strategic plan that aligns IT with the business. Activities, which make up approximately 60 percent of the course, include:

• Deriving key business objectives and core values
• Justifying the need for an IT strategic plan
• Prioritizing business objectives with the schema template
• Performing a maturity assessment using the Cobit framework
• Conducting a SWOT analysis
• Assessing risks for IT initiatives
• Applying filtering tools to select the top strategic initiatives
• Calculating Total Cost of Ownership
• Compiling and presenting the IT strategic plan
• Quantifying results using a balanced scorecard approach

How is this course structured?

This course is structured around a dynamic style of learning created by Learning Tree called RealityPlus^TM - an immersive experience that engages you in authentic tasks within a simulated real-world context. Through media-rich case studies and role playing, you are immersed throughout the course in an evolving scenario where the decisions you make affect the outcome of the simulation. The RealityPlus learning method is presented in a safe environment where you gain new skills and practice the most effective techniques to bring back to your job. At the end of your course, you are prepared to immediately and successfully apply these new skills within your organization!

Is this course endorsed by the IIBA^®?

Yes. Learning Tree is an Endorsed Education Provider (EEP^TM) by the International Institute of Business Analysis (IIBA^®). This course has been approved by the IIBA^® as supporting core concepts and knowledge outlined by IIBA^®'s Business Analysis Body of Knowledge^® (BABOK^®). Completion of this course counts as 17 continuing development units (CDUs) that will assist you in qualifying for or maintaining the Certified Business Analysis Professional^TM (CBAP^®) certification. For more information about CDUs and how to register them with the IIBA^®, please see the Learning Tree IIBA^® EEP^TM Q&A or http://www.theiiba.org.

The IIBA^®, an independent, nonprofit professional association for business analysts, created the BABOK^®, which is a collection of knowledge for professional business analysts. The BABOK^® reflects generally accepted practices and describes business analysis areas of knowledge, their associated activities and tasks, and the skills necessary to be effective in their execution.

Is this course applicable toward a Project Management Institute (PMI) certification?

Yes. Though this course is not designed as preparation for an exam, it is beneficial to anyone working toward, or maintaining, a PMI certification. Most PMI certifications require a specific number of PDUs in order to obtain and maintain the credential. Completion of this course provides 17 professional development units (PDUs).

Learning Tree offers several courses that help you prepare for PMI certifications, including Course 276, Preparing for the Project Management Professional (PMP)^® Exam, which prepares you for PMI's most popular certification. For more details on these courses and PMI certifications, please see the Learning Tree PMI Registered Education Provider Q&A.

How does this course relate to other Learning Tree courses?

Learning Tree offers several other courses that may be of interest to you, including:

• 212, Building an Effective Business Case 
• 1197, Achieving ITIL® Foundation Certification 
• 993, ITIL® Intermediate Qualification: Service Design 
• 994, ITIL® Intermediate Qualification: Continual Service Improvement 
• 287, Complex Project Management