Wasteful IT expenditure

There’s an interesting post on the PMThink! blog about how little IT investment actually brings value to the business. This is information to which all non-executive directors should pay close attention. If, on average, IT expenditure is about 30% of total expenses, and if at most 8% of it brings value, then the need for a board IT governance committee that insists on firm and clear oversight of all IT initiatives becomes critical. Directors are responsible for corporate performance, and they’re also responsible for ensuring value for money. These figures suggest that most boards are much more exposed to the ire of shareholders than they might suspect.