PLM Strategy Alignment   IT solutions enable processes. And processes need to achieve targets on objectives. Objectives need to be aligned to organizational strategies. Therefore it follows that IT solutions need to be aligned to organizational strategies.   Quite intuitive?   You’ll be surprised at the number of organizations where implemented solutions have not delivered sufficiently to the organization’s goals and strategies. And the number of projects that have lost their way for lack of a guiding star. There is a strong need to ensure direction and this can be most effectively achieved through alignment. Simply put, ensuring that solutions are aligned to functions that are in turn aligned to the organization is a reasonably fool-proof way of ensuring success. We use alignment frameworks based on Hoshin-Kanri that put a structure to ensuring that the organization’s strategies, objectives and targets are deployed down through the relevant functional areas to the level of the IT solution under consideration, helping articulate what the solution needs to deliver so as to enable the organization to achieve it’s goals. Ensuring that the implementation of the IT solution is measured by metrics that are aligned to those of the organization. So a successful IT implementation delivers to the business and helps the business achieve its goals. Strategy alignment is not only for fresh implementations. And not a one time exercise. Going through the rigor of a structured alignment exercise at a regular cadence ensures appropriate alignment in strategies, objectives,  metrics and targets. Setting the foundation for continuous improvement initiatives. And ensuring increased efficiencies and effectiveness.