Today, the extent to which a company's processes and it systems are integrated is the extent to which their strategic plans can be attained and the focus on long-range goals can be kept consistent (Hassan, 2010). This integration of systems is now critical for businesses to attain the level of process, department and division synchronization necessary to attain their strategic plans. From the context of tight coordination within a company to attain strategic goals and objectives, it planning and strategic planning continue to converge. Another factor that illustrates how the general principles and strategies of strategic planning apply to it planning is from the customer orientation mindset. The focus on who exactly the customer is for a given series of it systems must always stay in focus for the projects and programs to stay on track and meet or exceed expectations, and deliver value. The same holds true with the strategic plans of businesses and their focus on delivering value and return on shareholder investment over time (Hassan, 2010). This common focus on the customer is essential for both to stay on track and gain support internally, and attain their specific goals.

Where it planning and strategic planning diverge however is in the area of technology emphasis. Increasingly this is becoming the only area of divergence. It planning will continue to focus on how to take technology and modify it to support legacy systems and applications...

It planning is also given the challenging task of attaining all of these areas of focus while at the same time guiding investment to reduce costs (Lavarda, Giner, Bonet, 2011). All of these conflicting demands on it are what make it significantly different than strategic planning processes within a company. It also is what paradoxically is forcing it to become more coordinated and consistent in approach and direction with strategic planning.
Conclusion

While the differences between it planning and strategic planning are continually narrowing, the latter does still have the dual task of cost reduction and continual improvement of process performance. It is a critical element in the strategic planning of any business in the 21st century.

References

Hassan, H.. (2010). The Relationship between Firms' Strategic Orientations and Strategic Planning Process. International Journal of Business and Management, 5(11), 35-49.

Rosalia Aldraci Barbosa Lavarda, Maria Teresa Canet Giner, & Fernando Juan Peris Bonet. (2011). Understanding how the strategy formation process interacts with the management of complex work. European Business Review, 23(1), 71-86.

Titus, V., Covin, J., & Slevin, D.. (2011). Aligning strategic processes in pursuit of firm growth. Journal of Business…