The question on some minds is whether there is a need to have an IT Strategy at all… The usual alligator and swamp draining anecdoteWhen you are up to your neck in alligators it's difficult to remember that your initial objective was to drain the swamp comes to mind.

After all, if a company has done “okay” without having architecture and strategy in the past, surely it will do similarly in the future? Not necessarily. Strategy needs to be discussed, developed and implemented.

It is true that often we are so engrossed in firefighting that we lose sight of changes and improvements. However, no matter what industry we are in, IT has to constantly evolve. Staying still in one position is not an option in the 21^st century. Think of it as a long treadmill – you have to run to stay still and run even faster to move forward.

It is, of course, possible to make ad hoc decisions on particular projects but once you get more than one project on the go, lack of strategy will become evident. The reason for that is one project may lead to one obvious decision, while another – send you on a different course altogether. How do you reconcile these differences? Which project should take priority and shape the direction?

Instead of making these project-based decisions, more mature organisations try to set a Strategy which will be a working, yet controlled, document. This document can be used as a guide and reference – not only will there be fewer queries but there will be more informed decision making.