Abstract:

Information Technology is ubiquitous in most institutions. Nearly all business processes are based on information system and IT is a means to increase business performance. Indeed, information system (IS) is a key component of the value chain and a source of competitive advantage in effectively meeting the needs of users and improving the functioning of informational, organizational and technological processes.

To enhance its value in use and make it an asset for organizations, it is necessary to align the information system strategy with the business strategy. In the field of information systems, many researchers have studied the issue of strategic alignment that contributes considerably to the improvement of the organizational performance.

This study constitutes a first stage in understanding the alignment of academic information systems for careers in education. It presents a set of computer tools used by universities in the management of business projects. It anticipates future works on designing a general blueprint for the alignment of IS strategy to the business strategy of universities and introduces the key elements for the implementation of IS governance models aimed to increase the performance of universities and meet current guidelines and requirements of the Moroccan Ministry of higher education.

It presents the first outcomes of the pilot investigation done with the stakeholders of the information system at Hassan II University in Casablanca, which is composed of eighteen multidisciplinary institutions and about one hundred thousand students. This study, whose main goals are strategic alignment, good governance and organizational performance, will be conducted on other Moroccan universities.

Keywords:

information system, strategic alignment, governance, business processes, education, organizational performance.