<p><em>Strategic alignment focuses on the activities that management performs to achieve cohesive goals across the IT (Information Technology) and other functional organisations (e.g., finance, marketing, H/R, research, manufacturing). Therefore, alignment addresses both how IT is in harmony with the business, and how the business should, or could be in harmony with IT. Alignment evolves into a relationship where the function of IT and other business functions adapt their strategies together. Achieving alignment is evolutionary and dynamic. It is a process that requires strong support from senior management, good working relationships, strong leadership, appropriate prioritization, trust, and effective communication, as well as a thorough understanding of the business and technical environments. Achieving and sustaining alignment demands focusing on maximizing the enablers and minimizing the inhibitors that impact alignment. Once the maturity of IT business alignment is understood, an organisation should be able to identify opportunities for enhancing the harmonious relationship of business and IT.</em></p>

Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) is a structured and coordinated approach for identifying, assessing, and managing risks faced by an organization. Implementing ERM standards and frameworks has several benefits, including improving focus and perspective on risk. ERM aids in developing leading indicators to detect potential risk events and provide early warning signals. ERM also incorporates key metrics and measurements of risk to improve reporting value and analysis and monitor possible changes in risk vulnerabilities or likelihood. An ERM facilitates an efficient risk management (RM) process, allowing businesses to manage risks efficiently across various departments through a robust risk management framework. This framework includes the related department’s team, working rules, and operational tools, covering all types of risks, including financial, strategic, operational, and accidental losses. The primary advantage of ERM is its ability to create a systematic and intentional process for identifying and addressing risks, treating risk management as a structured exercise where liabilities are addressed as part of a comprehensive framework rather than ad-hoc problem-solving. ISO 31000, NIST risk management framework, and COSO ERM framework are widely used frameworks for managing enterprise risks. Implementing a robust enterprise risk management standard has a positive relationship with business performance.

With looming talent shortages and the mainframe era IT staff retirement, workforce planning is necessary in order to maintain business continuity. Without a dedicated workforce plan, CIOs and business leaders will be unable to meet the business requirements of the future. To 46% of business leaders, workforce planning is a top priority, yet only 13% do it effectively. The aim of the study is to provide a guidance on best practices in workforce planning to all the organizations in Kenya. The findings are that some organizations in Kenya have executed and implemented best practices in workforce planning. There is a positive relationship between good workforce planning practices and business performance.

Business Continuity Planning (BCP) is essential to the success and continued operation of organizations, and it directly impacts business performance. Good BCP helps institutions prepare for unexpected disasters and crises, enabling them to continue operations in the event of such incidents. BCP plays a critical role in the performance and success of organizations. By establishing a robust BCP, organizations can minimize disruptions, ensure continued operations, and protect their long-term interests, contributing to better business performance. Some of the standards and frameworks that can be leveraged to deliver an effective BCMS are ISO 22301, ISO 27001, COBIT, ISO 31000, ISO 14000, ISO 20000, and ISO 9001. The research design was a qualitative case study. Managers in some Kenyan organizations lack strategies to design and implement suitable, adequate, and effective BCMSs. There is a positive relationship between an effective BCMS and organizational performance.

IT processes are the functions and duties that Information Technology (IT) performs. These activities include development and maintenance of applications, supporting infrastructure (e.g., hardware, systems software and networks) as well as managing human resources. All of these activities have some dependency among each other. Information Technology processes is a practice of ensuring that IT organization serves the needs of the business in a systematic manner so that good performance of the enterprise is guaranteed. It is a set of practices and procedures brought together in unison to ensure IT alignment with business needs. Some widely acknowledged and used IT process frameworks to make IT efficient and effective are Control Objectives for Information and related Technology, (COBIT), IT Service management (ITSM) and IT infrastructure library (ITIL) and ISO 38500.