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Onita, C., and Dhaliwal, J., 2011. “Alignment within the Corporate IT Unit: An Analysis
of Software Testing and Development,” European Journal of Information Systems (20:1), pp. 48-68.
Strategic alignment between an organization's business strategy/capabilities and those
of its information technology (IT) unit is an extensively researched subject that
addresses the issue of fit between business and technology strategies. A key gap in
the literature is lack of recognition that underlying this macro level of alignment
are other, more granular levels of alignment involving the interdependent subunits
within the corporate IT unit. Given the critical interdependencies between development
and testing subunits in software engineering, this paper focuses on an alignment model
for ensuring that these two functions work together effectively. A development-testing
alignment (DTA) model is described, and a case study investigating its value and application
is presented. This DTA is decomposed into distinct components for the purposes of
theoretical clarity and pragmatic application. The case study analysis uses the model
to understand and interpret development-testing alignment in a Fortune 500 company.
We found that the development and testing functions were significantly misaligned,
and our model identified close to twenty specific aspects that needed to be considered
to enhance alignment. These included changes in specificity of scope, governance,
resource availability, competencies, and processes. Our analysis shows that the DTA
model can be usefully applied for the purpose of understanding tactical alignment
between subunits within a corporate IT unit. It also demonstrates that there is value
in considering alignment as a dynamic, context-driven, social phenomenon as well as
a useful interpretative lens for exploring organizational interactions and interdependencies.
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