Coordination of Information Systems Plans with Business Plans1

Abstract
Recent research has shown that the challenge of coordinating information systems plans with business plans impedes effective information systems planning. Interviews with twenty top information systems executives employed by medium to large organizations in diverse industries revealed four general reasons for the difficulty of this coordination. The interviews also uncovered four general actions that the executives take to attempt to meet the challenge. The results suggest that the presence of a top management mandate for coordinating the plans distinguishes IS executives who did not report the difficulty from IS executives who did.