Edge in sophistication. Every industry has its leading edge of advanced usage, and it typically lies at the intersection of IT and emerging business opportunities. Think advanced simulations, the trading of derivatives or affinity marketing. Does your company compete in these realms, and if it does, what role, if any, does IT play?

While many IT organizations will have strategies for all four quadrants, we have found that the relative priorities are rarely agreed upon explicitly with the business and that corporate IT often leans too much toward the left side of the diagram. There is a real opportunity for IT organizations to raise their profile by articulating how well aligned they are with their company's overall competitive positioning. It's not a difficult exercise, but when was the last time you really did it?

David Moschella is global research director at the Leading Edge Forum, a Computer Sciences Corp. company. Contact him at dmoschella@earthlink.net.