Business/IT Alignment: The Executive Perspective

How are companies managed today and what part does state-of-the-art business/IT alignment play? Executive information systems (EIS) should support top management in “managing a company.” But many executives complain that EIS bear little relevance to their management task. This article examines the role of business/IT alignment within a new-generation EIS architecture and contributes a business-driven model. A prototype demonstrates an instantiation of this approach. The findings are synthesized to seven recommendations on business/IT alignment that should lead to better EIS architecture.