IT strategy is a broad area ranging from considering how IT should support the business strategy for a whole organisation to a specific technology strategy developed to fill a business need. Whatever the scope of the strategy development work, the overall approach tends to be as follows:
– Understand the current situation - this forms the baseline for all future work
– Work with business people to define the future - what is the vision? What are the specific goals?
– Develop and analyse the gaps between the desired state and the current state
– Define how to fill the gaps and develop the portfolio of activities

When assessing the current situation, it is important to use appropriate diagnostics and to compare against best practices both from the client's industry and, where relevant, from other sectors. When developing vision it is important to think about "stretch" goals, but not unrealistic goals. An important consideration is "appropriate technology" - it is very easy to aim too high and not be able to bring business users with you. In this sense, strategy development should be tempered with a good understanding of practical change management.

IT strategy development typically includes also the big picture of technology within the business context: portfolio management and IT governance. A lot has been written on this topic, but a good way to think about it is in terms of the lifecycle of projects: how they are approved (i.e. financed), initiated, monitored and reviewed at completion.

A very specific area of IT strategy relevant to lifesciences companies is validation strategy - for more information, click here.