Business-IT alignment is the correspondence between the business objectives and the Information Technology (IT) requirements of an enterprise. These two factors often seem to contradict, but many economic and technical experts agree that alignment between them, maintained over time, is crucial to the success of an enterprise.

Business-IT alignment involves optimizing communication between executives who make the business decisions and IT managers who oversee the technical operations. The implementation of flexible business plans and IT architectures, as well as effective cost allocation, are critical components of any business-IT alignment effort. Technical department managers can formulate and submit proposals that can be tailored to ensure the optimum return on investment (ROI). Business executives can attend IT department meetings and seminars to improve their understanding of the technical capabilities and limitations of the enterprise.