News
New ISACA Guide Helps Enterprises Create an Effective Business Case for IT-related Business Investments
May 2010 by Marc Jacob
More than 60 percent of organizations will invest the same or slightly fewer resources on IT projects related to compliance and risk management in 2010, according to an ISACA survey of more than 2,000 IT professionals in North America. This makes it even more important to create strong business cases for IT-enabled investments. To help professionals initiate projects with the greatest ROI, ISACA has released a new publication titled The Business Case Guide: Using Val IT 2.0.
The Val IT framework enables organizations to evaluate and manage investments in business change and innovation. It can help increase the value of technology and lead to business growth. For example, Val IT can greatly reduce the costs from inefficiencies by giving executives the tools for evaluating projects much as a skilled investor manages an investment portfolio. Both The Val IT Framework 2.0 and The Business Case Guide: Using Val IT 2.0 are available as free downloads from www.isaca.org/valit.
Building on the first edition, published in 2006, the updated Business Case Guide is fully aligned with Val IT 2.0 and provides how-to tips, maturity models and examples for using a business case as a powerful tool. The guide covers the process from initial selection and implementation, to ongoing operation, to retirement.
“Many organizations view the business case as a necessary evil or a bureaucratic hurdle that must be overcome, but a well-developed business case for a business change program is one of the most valuable tools available to management,” said Peter Harrison, CGEIT, a co-author of the guide and leader of value management at IBM. “The quality of the business case and the processes involved in its creation has an enormous impact on the success of the project.”
The Business Case Guide: Using Val IT 2.0 is applicable to all enterprises, regardless of size, sector and location. The content of the easy-to-follow guide is relevant to all types of investment in business change. A print edition can be purchased from the ISACA Bookstore (www.isaca.org/bookstore).
