An IT strategic plan that best leverages IT in achieving organizational goals will include enterprise architecture (EA) impacts. EA is the practice of analyzing, designing, planning, and implementing enterprise analysis to successfully execute on business strategies1. EA helps organizations structure IT projects and policies to align with business goals, to stay agile and resilient in the face of rapid change, and to stay on top of industry trends and disruptions1. EA also describes an organization’s processes, information processes and personnel and other organizational subunits aligned with the organization’s core goals and strategies2. By including EA impacts in the IT strategic plan, an organization can ensure that the IT initiatives are consistent with the business vision, objectives, and tactics, and that they support the desired business outcomes3.

A comparison of future needs against current capabilities, a risk-based ranking of projects, and IT budgets linked to the organization’s budget are all important elements of an IT strategic plan, but they do not necessarily leverage IT in achieving organizational goals. A comparison of future needsagainst current capabilities can help identify gaps and opportunities for improvement, but it does not provide a clear direction or roadmap for how to achieve them. A risk-based ranking of projects can help prioritize the most critical and beneficial projects, but it does not ensure that they are aligned with the business strategy or that they deliver value to the stakeholders. IT budgets linked to the organization’s budget can help allocate resources and monitor costs, but they do not reflect the impact or contribution of IT to the business performance or growth.