Business-IT alignment sounds easy, but in practice proves hard to achieve and sustain. Alignment depends on communication, and communication is often elusive. The business sees only the benefits while IT sees only the costs, making it hard to come together. The consequences of poor alignment can be severe. Business looks at IT as an albatross, and IT looks at the business as a relentless taskmaster.
Tension fills the air every time IT and business meet.
In the most extreme cases, the animosity between business and IT comes out into the open. Alignment is impossible under such conditions. When alignment is pretty good, look to fine-tune the existing situation. Most shops can improve IT flexibility and responsiveness, no matter how well everything else is going. IT shops with lousy business-IT alignment need to focus on building a foundation before they worry about anything else.