Getting clear.

The road to clarity begins and ends with understanding. Understanding can make the difference between moving ahead on an important IT investment or not. The bottom line: It’s more effective to demonstrate an IT investment’s strategic business value when it is expressed from each executive’s frame of reference in language they understand.

Assess. What value does the organization expect from its current initiatives? How does the organization measure success? How does it perform versus industry IT benchmarks?

Analyze. What value would a new solution provide in terms of Return on Investment, Internal Rate of Return, or Net Present Value? How would that value change under alternative scenarios?

Articulate. How can you translate this information into business, operational, and bottom line impacts?

Answer. How can you turn this into a compelling presentation using the unique language and concepts of the organization’s C-level executives?