What are the most common conflicts between IT and business stakeholders?

In my experience, the main hurdle between IT and business stakeholders is that there is no proper communication throughout the project. The timelines and resource management expectations are very different from a business perspective, but in reality, they are very different. Also, the change requirements from the business side are very unrealistic at times with very strict deadlines.

Communication is where it all starts, IT and business should have clear communication plans, channels, and stakeholder mapping. Often, it is seen that both are speaking different languages, to overcome this situation it is important to understand each other perspective and find a common language where the synergies align. IT, not communicating often is a commonality that needs to be addressed by the CIO.

in a simple word, requirements. It's essential for the business to precisely define its requirements to ensure that IT can develop a solution that meets both business and IT objectives efficiently, without incurring unnecessary expenses.

Ownership is where I found most conflicts. Technology decisions should be made in support of business and not for the sake of technology. I have seen situations where business chooses to not be involved in the decision making. At other times IT chooses to not invite business to be involved in decision making. The same is true in testing. Product owners should be business aligned, not technology aligned. In too many cases, business turns this over to IT and we accept the responsibility of prioritizing enhancements and testing. The result in the mish mash of ownership is that systems do not provide the promised benefits, users are unsatisfied, and business is less effective. It is worth the time to do the job correctly.

D'après mon expérience les principales causes de Les conflits entre les parties prenantes de l'IT et de l'entreprise peuvent être résumés en en 5 grands éléments que sont: les Différences de priorités et d'objectifs, le Manque de communication et de compréhension mutuelle, l'Incompatibilité entre les budgets et les besoins, le Manque de collaboration et d'implication des métiers et la Résistance au changement. Pour prévenir et résoudre ces conflits, il est essentiel de mettre en place une communication transparente et ouverte entre les parties prenantes. Il est également important de définir des objectifs communs et de s'aligner sur les priorités de l'entreprise.

Aligning business and IT strategies is paramount for achieving a common goal within an organization. Often, conflicts arise when IT and business strategies are misaligned, leading to divergent priorities and objectives. While IT stakeholders may prioritize technical, business stakeholders focus on customer satisfaction, revenue generation, and market share. These differences can result in disagreements over the value, cost, and risk of IT investments. To overcome such challenges, it's essential for both parties to align their visions, missions, and goals. By demonstrating how IT initiatives support and enable business outcomes, organizations can ensure harmony between business and IT strategies, ultimately driving success and innovation.

In my view, common conflicts between IT and business stakeholders often arise from misaligned priorities, communication breakdowns, and differing perspectives on resource allocation. Business stakeholders prioritize revenue, growth, and customer satisfaction, while IT focuses on technical aspects like system stability and security. These differences can lead to disagreements over project timelines, budgets, and the perceived value of IT investments. Clear communication and a shared understanding of goals are essential for resolving these conflicts and fostering successful collaboration between IT and business stakeholders.

It is important for teams to develop strategic and operational objectives together from the beginning. This helps to ensure all objectives align while working towards same goal. Again, effective communication can never be overemphasised here.

Dans une entreprise commerciale par exemple, l'informatique n'est qu'un simple outil et bien souvent pas très bien considérée : elle empêche de faire le business en toute liberté en mettant des contraintes que les métiers ne comprennent pas toujours. Il va falloir user de pédagogie pour faire accepter cela. Mes plus belles réussites c'est quand un commercial vient me voir et me dit : comment on peut faire pour paramétrer le système pour éviter d'avoir à l'avenir un souci avec un client. L'informatique est devenue son alliée !

El área de IT tradicionalmente ha sido vista como centrada en aspectos técnicos y de infraestructura, lo que ha llevado a percibirla como obsoleta o un "gasto" por la alta gerencia. Esta reputación subraya la importancia de evolucionar hacia un enfoque de Transformación Digital (TD), donde IT se convierta en un socio estratégico en la toma de decisiones. Al enfocarse en cómo la tecnología puede apoyar el negocio, mejorando ingresos o reduciendo costos, IT puede demostrar su valor y contribuir significativamente a los objetivos organizacionales. Este cambio de perspectiva es clave para una mejor integración y alineación con los objetivos empresariales. "dejemos de pensar en fierros y pensemos en evolucionar"

Resource constraints arise from unrealistic expectations by IT and business together. When you enter into a project without clear outcomes and expectations and work your way up towards a quintessential situation that is when problems start piling up. Requirement gathering is very important and needs to be performed with a 360-degree view or the bigger picture in mind by IT. Brainstorming, Probing questions, role plays, and workshops are some of the tools that can be used. Involving business stakeholders and capturing their views before the beginning of the project is essential.

Negotiating realistic expectations is imperative not only in resource management but also in goal alignment as the resources support the outcome of the goal

Para gestionar esto se debe de seguir las siguientes practicas: Estimar y asignar el presupuesto de forma realista y transparente, considerando los costos directos e indirectos, los imprevistos y los márgenes de error. Controlar y monitorear el gasto del proyecto, utilizando herramientas de gestión financiera y reportando el estado del presupuesto periódicamente. Optimizar y priorizar el uso de los recursos, aplicando criterios de valor, necesidad y urgencia, y buscando alternativas más económicas o eficientes.

Impact on business processes Changes proposed by IT may have a significant impact on existing business processes, leading to resistance from stakeholders who are comfortable with the current way of working and are reluctant to adapt to new methods ????♂?

Resources are never enough. It is about prioritising to improve efficiency. Scale of preference must be used to allocate resources effectively. Objectives to be met must be "SMART". And innovative ways of maximising limited resources in meeting needs rather than wants is very critical.

Common conflicts between IT and business stakeholders often revolve around change resistance. Business stakeholders may resist IT-driven changes due to fear of disruptions to current processes, lack of understanding of the technology's benefits, or concerns about increased costs. IT, on the other hand, may perceive resistance as a lack of cooperation or understanding of technological requirements. Bridging this gap requires effective communication, collaboration, and demonstrating the value of proposed changes to address business needs efficiently.

Resistance to change is a common challenge in organizational transformations. It often stems from fear of the unknown, loss of control, or perceived threats to one's status quo. To address this, effective communication is key. Engage stakeholders from both IT and business departments early in the process, clearly articulating the reasons for change and the benefits it will bring. Listen to their concerns and involve them in decision-making whenever possible, fostering a sense of ownership and buy-in. Provide training and support to help employees adapt to new systems or processes, and celebrate successes along the way to maintain morale and motivation.

Change is almost always the surest thing that would happen. Strategic stakeholders' engagement is one of the very first steps in building partnerships. Teams must communicate effectively and agree on eventualities of changes that could occur along the way. And to manage change, teams must think innovation!

Un être humain résiste face au changements et se pose toujours la question du co?t/bénéfice : ""qu'est-ce que j'y gagne ?" On rejoint ici les difficultés de management et de communication en général. Souvent une politique est imposée sans en donner ni l'objectif véritable, ni les tenants et aboutissants. Au lieu de dire "cela va changer votre métier" il faut expliquer en quoi... Et surtout au préalable avoir écouté les personnes concernées, montrer que l'on a bien pris en compte ce qui était essentiel pour eux... quitte à accepter de revoir la feuille de route !! Il y va de la pérennité du savoir faire unique de chacun, de l'amélioration des conditions de travail, et d'une baisse de charge mentale.

L'adaptation au changement qui implique de comprendre les processus de résistance au changement est sans nul doute un enjeu majeur pour nos sociétés humaines dans un monde en pleine transition. Cette thématique n'est donc pas spécifique aux relations entre IT et services de l'entreprise. La solution consiste à ne pas se focaliser sur les résistances au changement mais à entamer une démarche d'accompagnement au changement. La difficulté majeure de cette démarche consiste dans un besoin de temps suffisamment long pour permettre à chaque partie prenante de s'exprimer avec l'assurance d'être entendue et comprise.

building trust between IT and business stakeholders requires open communication, mutual respect, and a shared understanding of each other's priorities and challenges. Collaborative problem-solving and a focus on common goals can help overcome conflicts and strengthen the relationship between the two groups.

La erosión de la confianza entre TI y negocios puede originarse en conflictos no resueltos o malentendidos. Para restaurarla, es crucial abordar directamente los problemas, ofrecer disculpas sinceras y trabajar hacia soluciones conjuntas. La transparencia, la honestidad y la colaboración son fundamentales en este proceso. Un ejemplo práctico sería realizar reuniones regulares de revisión entre TI y negocios para discutir proyectos en curso, identificar y resolver problemas rápidamente, y compartir éxitos, lo cual reconstruye la confianza a través de la mejora continua y la comunicación abierta. "Nuevamente, dejemos de ser TI y convirtámonos en TD"

Trust is a very sensitive issue. It cuts across every where and openness is a way to win trust from all sides. Lay all bare, and see how positive results roll in.

One of the most common conflicts between IT and business stakeholders revolves around priorities, budgets, and the balance between maintaining legacy systems and fostering innovation. Business stakeholders often prioritize revenue-generating projects over IT infrastructure investments, leading to tensions over resource allocation and project timelines. Balancing the maintenance of legacy systems with the adoption of new technologies can further exacerbate conflicts. Inadequate communication channels and collaboration frameworks can compound these issues, resulting in misunderstandings and delays in decision-making.

IT and business must be closely connected and contribute to the same business objectives. While each side may look from its own perspective at the end both sides must be aligned and committed on supporting the company business strategy. This commitment should be demonstrated and translated to constructive collaboration.

What I've experienced over the last two decades is business professionals do not understand how the businesses processes effectively utilise IT services and contrary IT consultants don't understand the business processes. After all no one evaluates the economic perspective of IT infusion. It may be the impact of focusing more on what they are doing rather than being overall and balanced academic education.

L’informatique est encore et toujours vu comme un langage souvent abscons, un raisonnement assez mystérieux, Pour les utilisateurs c’est une machine ou un logiciel toujours trop lents qui envoient des messages d erreur incompréhensibles Pour les décideurs ?a co?te cher ?a n’a pas de visibilité immédiate et le ROI n’est jamais évident Pourtant personne n imaginerait un instant s’en passer … L’informatique a toujours été un paradoxe et continue à le rester même si elle fait partie de notre quotidien Nous informaticien, n’oublions jamais de nous mettre à la place de nos utilisateurs, de parler un langage simple, d expliquer encore et encore, et de propager une positive attitude afin de donner notre savoir faire sans qu’il n’y paraisse

All other above #5 listed reasons are very common and that could be avoidable through a strong management or Governance body. The following could be considered as the reasons for building the conflict between IT & Business... 1) Demand vs Supply : The inability to foresee/visualize the the business pain/gap and how a new technology / IT system will help to answer it. If IT advocates only technology then it will result as "operation success - the patient died" 2. Travel with Business : The investment/sponsor by business should be rewarded them back with proper ROI. IT should think, How Business issue got resolved and productivity/efficiency improved. Any new rollouts will not add values to IT unless it helps the production line..