ALL BENEFITS ARE TANGIBLE — I JUST CAN'T GET MY HANDS ON THEM

A growing number of leading management consultants are highlighting from their work the link between investments in information technology and successful business performance. Whilst many senior executives have taken this message to heart and have invested heavily in IT, they are frustrated by the seeming lack of progress and escalating costs in their information services operations. Some rules of thumb for the “non‐technical” senior executive by which he or she can measure whether the technology investments being proposed are the right solutions are given. It is suggested that “Return on Investment” is not the best measure of success in IT and gives an alternative measure by linking the investment to achievement of business objectives. In the process, it explodes one or two myths about IT.