The Alcan Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Alcan - Case Study Example Lastly, the paper also identifies some other IT projects or initiatives recommended to help support any changes in governance that is believed to suit Alcan. Accenture IT Governance Model Efficient, Predictable Operators Quadrant: Undoubtedly, Alcan faces the some challenge of identifying governance priorities like any other contemporary organizations, which revolve around information technology. Accenture IT Governance Model is a useful strategic management tool that helps organizations in identifying their quadrant thus making it easy to identify governance priorities. According to Kiritsis (719), the three main factors influencing the positioning of a firm within Accenture IT Governance Model include rate of change, operational efficient, as well as product or service differentiation. From the four quadrants of Accenture IT Governance Model, Alcan falls in the first quadrant of Efficient, Predictable Operators, given the fact that it has slow rate of change while attempting to enh ance operational efficiency within the firm. Kiritsis (720) identifies the fact that organizations falling in this quadrant are likely to meet business needs through supporting low-cost orientation. In addition, such firms keep costs low through minimizing changes whilst engaging in maximization of lifecycle of information technology assets. What’s more, organizations falling in the quadrant keep costs low through leveraging cost-saving devices through sharing of devices, outsourcing, and co-sourcing amongst others (Kiritsis 720). These are the same scenarios within Alcan when the CFO believes that the firm does not and cannot spend $300 million in IT as Robert asserts. In addition, the firm’s Corporate IT function organization structure has the infrastructure shared devices group indicating that Alcan attempts to keep costs low through leveraging cost-saving devices. Weill and Ross model of IT Governance The definition of IT governance as the decisions rights coupled with accountability framework that are applied within organizations to stimulate desirable behavior in as far as the use of IT is concerned, is a perfect description of the Weill and Ross Model of IT Governance. In this perspective, Weill and Ross Model of IT Governance identifies five key decision domains that include IT principles, IT infrastructure strategies, IT architecture, business applications needs, and IT investments. Alcan uses different governance styles in these five key decision domains in a bid to achieving efficiency through information technology (Kiritsis 657). IT governance styles are determined by the inputs and decision making process within Alcan. Nonetheless, every group within the IT department is represented in terms of information technology governance in the Alcan. Leadership monarchy is a governance style applied within IT principles domain as well as the IT investment domains. This is because despite the fact that the IT investment domain uses more that it is allocated by the CFO, it is the CFO who does the decisions in as far as IT investments are concerned. On the other hand, IT monarchy is a governance style that is highly seen within IT architecture. Various groups of IT senior managers define the architecture of the information technology with respect to the requirements and functions of their respect units. With