Business organisations are emerging from the recession with business processes and work flow cycles that are hindering their ability to make the most of the tentative economic recovery” so says a computing survey of over 150 IT decision makers in a report sponsored by Sage Software

Over 62% of respondents cited communication issues between sales and finance departments and a further 61%of interviewees said that inaccurate forecasting information led to difficulties in long-term business decisions.

A similar report by Exact Synergy Software found that a lack of transparency of business processes is making it difficult for UK finance and management professionals to identify their most profitable business areas. Despite this hampering current performance, firms remain confident that they will see growth in the region of 5-10 per cent over the coming 12 months.

Are these findings a reflection of businesses, protecting themselves in tighter times by retaining their cash and accepting those inefficiencies as a trade-off against risk? Or is it that the Management Team are actually unaware of these issues?

Someone within these organisations is flagging it as an issue and yet it’s not being translated into action; why is that?

I raise the question because I believe that IT and MIS strategy is something that is understood and actively managed by both the smaller business and the much larger organisation where IT and MIS are actually represented in the Board Room. The gap is in the middle ground, the medium-sized business where ownership and domain expertise are absent from the organisation structure and that vacuum is filled with either an “IT person” or an IT support Contract.

Are these findings true within your organisation? Drop me a line if you’d like a full copy of the reports or discuss any of the issues raised.