Framework for Operational Alignment Maturity Assessment Case Study: Ferdowsi University of Mashhad

Measuring operational alignment maturity, or in other words, business processes- information systems alignment maturity, has been important as a way to evaluate the success of operational alignment implementation. However, studies on alignment have been mainly focused on measuring strategic alignment maturity. Therefore, given the differences between strategic alignment and operational alignment, the results of these studies have not been very effective in measuring operational alignment maturity. That is why the present study aimed to provide a framework for measuring operational alignment maturity. To that end, ten dimensions of operational alignment were determined and then, confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis. Next, neural networks was used to assess the importance of each of these dimensions. Then, based on the position of each of these dimensions in the importance-performance analysis matrix and after examining the gap between the current and desired status of each dimension using the pairwise mean comparison test, the level of operational alignment maturity for each dimension was determined. As the results indicated, alignment of non-core business processes with management information systems (D7) at optimized level, alignment of core business processes with management information system (D4) at improved and managed levels, as well as alignment of management processes with knowledge-based information systems (D2), alignment of core business processes with strategic information systems (D3) and alignment of non-core business processes with knowledge-based information systems (D8), all three at establised and focused levels, were identified. Moreover, the alignment of management processes with strategic information systems (D1), the alignment of core business processes with knowledge-based information systems (D5), the alignment of core business processes with operational information systems (D6), all three at commited level, as well as alignment of support processes with operational information systems (D9) and alignment of support processes with knowledge-based information systems (D10), both at initial and ad hoc levels, were determined.