Deck 3: Assessing Strategic Alignment Maturity

Question 1

Organizations that are at Strategic Alignment Maturity Level 1 can be characterized as having the highest level of Strategic Alignment Maturity.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Competitive advantage can come from the appropriate application of IT as a driver of business strategy.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Extrastructure refers to an overinvestment in IT infrastructure in order to achieve competitive advantage.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

The purpose of analyzing and prioritizing gaps during the Strategic Alignment Maturity assessment process is to understand the activities necessary to improve the business-IT linkage.

Question 5

All of the following terms are considered to be synonymous with alignment except:

A) linkage.
B) integration.
C) harmony.
D) disjoint.

Question 6

The most mature level of the strategic alignment maturity assessment is the improved process level.

Question 7

Firms need to consider changing both their business scope and their infrastructure as a result of IT innovation.

Question 8

The Established Focused Process level of Strategic Alignment Maturity concentrates governance, processes, and communications towards specific business objectives.

Question 9

Which one of the following is concerned with training, salary, performance feedback, and career opportunities?:

A) Skills Maturity
B) Governance Maturity
C) Partnership Maturity
D) Communications Maturity

Question 10

Which of the following is true about the Strategic Alignment Maturity model?

A) iIt has 6 maturity levels and 5 criteria.
B) iIt has 5 maturity levels and 6 criteria.
C) iIt has 5 maturity levels and 4 criteria.
D) iIt has 4 maturity levels and 5 criteria.

Question 11

The first step in the Strategic Alignment Maturity assessment process is to sustain alignment.

Question 12

The following are all criteria of the Strategic Alignment Maturity assessment except:

A) Communications Maturity.
B) Scope and Architecture Maturity.
C) Governance Maturity.
D) Leadership Maturity.

Question 13

Alignment evolves into a relationship where the function of IT and other business functions adapt their strategies separately.

Question 14

The Optimized Process level of Strategic Alignment Maturity tends to be directed at local situations or functional organizations.

Question 15

The Governance criterion of the Strategic Alignment Maturity model focuses on ensuring ongoing knowledge sharing across organizations.

Question 16

The Partnership Maturity criterion includes all of the following except:

A) IT program management.
B) business sponsor/champions.
C) IT investment management.
D) shared goals/risks/rewards.

Question 17

The Strategic Alignment Maturity Assessment Model is primarily concerned with integrating multiple business functions by using an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system.

Question 18

The Committed Process level of Strategic Alignment Maturity tends to be directed at local situations or functional organizations.

Question 19

It is highly improbable that organizations at a Strategic Alignment Maturity Level 1 will be able to achieve an aligned IT business strategy.

Question 20

A focus of the Scope and Architecture criterion of the Strategic Alignment Maturity model is concerned with effectively applying emerging technologies.

Question 21

____________refers to applying Information Technology in an appropriate and timely way, in harmony with business strategies, goals, and needs.

Question 22

A person whose role is to facilitate inter-unit knowledge sharing is defined as a(n)___________

Question 23

A tool which provides a comprehensive vehicle for organizations to evaluate business-IT alignment in terms of where they are and what they can do to improve alignment is referred to as_____________

Question 24

The maturity criterion that is concerned with ensuring ongoing knowledge sharing throughout the organization is referred to as___________

Question 25

The maturity criterion that is concerned with demonstrating the value of IT in terms of
contribution to the business is referred to as________________

Question 26

The maturity criterion that is concerned with factors that enhance the organization's cultural and social environment as a component of organizational effectiveness is referred to as_______________

Question 27

The Communications Maturity criterion includes all of the following except:

A) protocol rigidity.
B) understanding of IT by the business.
C) understanding of the business by the business.
D) knowledge sharing.

Question 28

Each of the following is a step in the process of assessing Strategic Alignment Maturity except:

A) choose and evaluate success criteria.
B) develop business and IT strategic objectives.
C) analyze and prioritize gaps.
D) set goals and establish a team.

Question 29

The maturity criterion that is concerned with ensuring that the appropriate business and IT participants formally discuss and review the priorities and allocation of IT resources is referred to as______________--

Question 30

The Competency/Value Maturity criterion includes all of the following except:

A) business metrics.
B) business' perception of IT value.
C) service level agreements.
D) benchmarking.

Question 31

The primary objective of the strategic alignment maturity assessment is to help with the mutual understanding between IT and business executives with regards to all of the following except:

A) agreement that a criteria needs to be improved.
B) agreement that a good criteria can be better.
C) disagreement with how good or bad a criteria is.
D) disagreement with the specific maturity "number" they are at.

Question 32

The maturity criterion that is concerned with how each organization perceives the contribution of the other; the trust that develops among the participants and the sharing of risks and rewards is referred to as__________--

Question 33

A management practice that firms use to facilitate knowledge sharing between business and IT functions best describes:

A) inter-unit liaison.
B) Delphi approach.
C) benchmarking
D) strategic planning.

Question 34

The Governance Maturity criterion includes all of the following except:

A) inter-unit liaisons.
B) business strategic planning.
C) prioritization process.
D) steering committees.

Question 35

The Scope and Architecture Maturity criterion includes all of the following except:

A) innovation/entrepreneurship.
B) standards articulation.
C) architectural transparency.
D) managing emerging technology.

Question 36

The Skills Maturity criterion includes all of the following except:

A) career crossover.
B) management style.
C) standards articulation.
D) cultural locus of power.

Question 37

The disparity between different members of an organization with respect to their assessment of maturity alignment within their organization is referred to as an __________________.

Question 38

The maturity criterion that is concerned with IT infrastructure flexibility and transparency is referred to as____________________

Question 39

Leveraging IT assets on an enterprise-wide basis and the focus of applications systems on driving business process enhancements to obtain sustainable competitive advantage best defines the:

A) Initial Process.
B) Committed Process.
C) Established Process.
D) Improved Process.

Question 40

Which one of the following considers IT as a value center?:

A) Initial Process
B) Committed Process
C) Established Process
D) Improved Process

Question 41

List and briefly describe the five levels of the Strategic Alignment Maturity model.

Question 42

Organizations that are at Strategic Alignment Maturity Level can be characterized as having the lowest level ______of Strategic Alignment Maturity.

Question 43

List four things an IT manager needs to do in order to successfully manage and integrate IT into the organization's strategies.

Question 44

____________describes a group decision support tool that can be used to help attain
convergence.

Question 45

The step in the Strategic Alignment Maturity assessment process that is concerned with ensuring there is an executive sponsor, champion, and representative business and IT leaders is best described as__________________

Question 46

List and briefly describe the six criteria of the Strategic Alignment Maturity model.

Question 47

List and briefly describe the six steps of the Strategic Alignment Maturity assessment process.

Question 48

________________refers to a consensus of the maturity levels by the members of the maturity assessment team.

Question 49

___________is the step in the Strategic Alignment Maturity assessment process that is concerned with developing and cultivating an "alignment behavior.".

Question 50

Surveys of business and IT executives have shown that a critical issue for them is achieving strategic alignment. Discuss the importance of IT-business alignment and why it is difficult to achieve and sustain.