This paper presents a process-oriented model to assess the business value of information technology (IT) by examining how IT impacts critical business activities within the value chain. The study finds that corporate goals for IT can be classified into four types: unfocused, operations-focus, market-focus, and dual-focus. Executives in firms with more focused goals for IT perceive greater payoffs from IT across the value chain. Additionally, management practices such as strategic alignment and IT investment evaluation contribute to higher perceived levels of IT business value. The research uses survey data from 304 business executives worldwide to analyze the relationship between corporate goals for IT, management practices, and IT payoffs. The study confirms that corporate goals for IT are a useful indicator of IT payoffs, as executives in firms with more focused goals for IT perceive greater payoffs from IT. The study also finds that strategic alignment and IT investment evaluation contribute to higher perceived levels of IT business value. The research model includes six hypotheses, which are tested using data from the survey. The findings support the hypotheses, showing that firms with more focused goals for IT perceive higher levels of IT business value. Additionally, firms that make greater use of IT investment evaluation techniques achieve higher levels of strategic alignment, which in turn contributes to higher levels of IT business value. The study also finds that post-implementation reviews contribute more to IT business value than pre-implementation reviews. This is because post-implementation reviews allow for a more accurate assessment of the actual impacts of IT investments, rather than just the expected impacts. The study concludes that post-implementation reviews are an important tool for evaluating IT business value and that firms should focus on improving these reviews to maximize the value of their IT investments.This paper presents a process-oriented model to assess the business value of information technology (IT) by examining how IT impacts critical business activities within the value chain. The study finds that corporate goals for IT can be classified into four types: unfocused, operations-focus, market-focus, and dual-focus. Executives in firms with more focused goals for IT perceive greater payoffs from IT across the value chain. Additionally, management practices such as strategic alignment and IT investment evaluation contribute to higher perceived levels of IT business value. The research uses survey data from 304 business executives worldwide to analyze the relationship between corporate goals for IT, management practices, and IT payoffs. The study confirms that corporate goals for IT are a useful indicator of IT payoffs, as executives in firms with more focused goals for IT perceive greater payoffs from IT. The study also finds that strategic alignment and IT investment evaluation contribute to higher perceived levels of IT business value. The research model includes six hypotheses, which are tested using data from the survey. The findings support the hypotheses, showing that firms with more focused goals for IT perceive higher levels of IT business value. Additionally, firms that make greater use of IT investment evaluation techniques achieve higher levels of strategic alignment, which in turn contributes to higher levels of IT business value. The study also finds that post-implementation reviews contribute more to IT business value than pre-implementation reviews. This is because post-implementation reviews allow for a more accurate assessment of the actual impacts of IT investments, rather than just the expected impacts. The study concludes that post-implementation reviews are an important tool for evaluating IT business value and that firms should focus on improving these reviews to maximize the value of their IT investments.