Changes in recent years mean that IT directors are more frequently invited to share their opinion on business strategy, after years of sitting in the back seat.

Having successfully cleared the first hurdle, the second – taking the driving seat to implement changes in relation to the business strategy – is proving far more difficult.

The IT department is still regarded as a fixer, rather than a strategic business unit aimed at driving growth. As long as IT is perceived as a utility, as opposed to a method of driving business strategy, IT directors will struggle to influence the direction of the business.

However, as businesses become more reliant on technology, or are even created by technology, IT will continue to be a key driver. How then, can IT directors get out of their pigeonholes and make their voices heard?

Firstly, the IT department needs to establish some credibility for the systems that it runs and delivers, which often provide more value than the business realises. Once this credibility is established, the project management credentials of IT can be promoted, and the IT department can volunteer to manage projects which don't necessarily have high systems content.

By definition, projects are generally the way that organisations implement and manage change, so this is a straightforward way of getting the IT department more involved with business strategy.

Creating a project definition document and getting it agreed is a good way to influence the content of a particular project. From there, it's not a massive leap to proposing projects, whether these are for the growth or rationalisation of an existing business, the creation of a new one, or whatever strategy is being contemplated. 

This is an effective way for IT directors to show that their departments do not work only on an ad hoc, reactive basis, but rather that they are proactively working towards long-term business goals alongside the rest of the organisation.