But first ......
Why is Corporate Profiling Relevant?
The Global direct and indirect cost of challenged or failed IT Projects is estimated to be as high as $6.2 Trillion per annum.
(Ref ZDNET.com Sept 2009: http://budurl.com/a2qd)
Only one in three of today’s IT projects can expect to be successfully delivered.

One in four will either fail or be cancelled and the rest will be “challenged” with massive budget overruns and not delivering the required functionality.

Ref CIO.com June 2009: http://budurl.com/gd76
Corporate Profiling is a simple yet comprehensive process that delivers an in-depth blueprint of the organizational structure, its technology, people, processes, up-stream and down-stream customers and their relationships.
(Ref: Wikipedia)
Corporate Profiling promotes 3 key principles
1. Visibility 
Visibility of an organization’s key elements is vital to the profiling process and can only be achieved once an organization has been unbundled or dissected
2. Collaboration
Profiling promotes collaboration on all strategic decisions to ensure that unbiased quality decisions are arrived at, consensus is achieved, and decisions are fully supported. Collaboration is also a prerequisite for requirements gathering
3. Accountability
Accountability empowers employees to drive change and to feel involved rather than becoming cynical or resistant to change. Accountability is also a critical factor for ensuring quality input into strategic project decisions

What Corporate Profiling is Not !
Its Not Technically Oriented 
– its all about Business
Its Not a “Silver Bullet” 
– it Requires Diligence
Its Not a Project Management Tool

Nor is it a Q.A. or IT Governance Framework
Its Not a Framework for IT 
– but it is a Business Framework Senior Executives use to drive Pre-Investment andPre-Implementation Decisions
Its Not IT Driven 
– but it is driven by the Chief Executives & Business
The Pre-Implementation Sequence of Events
Begin with a conclusive organizational decision 
Start with the support of all stakeholders
Be supported by organizational strategies
Proceed with clear communications channels
Put IT Risk and Governance measures in place
Monitor the quality and progress of the project and celebrate successes along the way
Incorporate a plan for organizational change management
Include a continuous  input and feedback mechanism
Ensure appropriate training for all system users
Conclude with full user adoption and success metrics appraisal 
Note that these steps cannot be undertaken until a Corporate Profile has been established
How is a Profile Constructed?
The 3 Categories to be Unbundled are: 
Organizational or business, 
Management, 
Implementation or IT

Although Corporate Profiling does not include an analysis of Competitors, Industry or Government Regulations, it is important to remember the External Environment is a major influence on decisions to invest in IT Projects.
Step A: Separate out the Components & Influencing Factors 
 
The 3 Categories must always be Interconnected by common Strategies 
These Strategies need to Straddle every Function & Business Unit connecting them to the organizations Goals & Bottom-Line Objectives
Functions & Business Units are Connected by Processes each of which is linked to People
Organizational Processes extend to Suppliers and Customers in its External Value Chain
s
There are Four Primary Layers
The 3 Categories must always be Interconnected by common Strategies
These Strategies need to Straddle every Function & Business Unit connecting them to the organizations Goals & Bottom-Line Objectives
Functions & Business Units are Connected by Processes each of which is linked to People
Organizational Processes extend to Suppliers and Customers in its External Value Chain
Step B: Profile Core Processes
To identify the points of process integration, an organization needs to determine what its current processes and systems are, how they envision them to be, and what needs to be done to achieve the desired outcomes
Using the profiling information from “Profiling Information for an Organization” as the starting point, they can begin to profile their core processes
Step C: Unbundle your Pre-Implementation Process
By unbundling the pre-implementation process we are able to break down each step into specific disciplines. 
These disciplines all require strategic decisions at the project’s outset so they can be successfully established, managed, and adopted by the organization throughout the project’s life cycle. 
Step D: Profiling the External Value Chain
Irrespective of what strategy an organization pursues or what benefits the new IT system will deliver, the organization needs to identify how and where its customers and suppliers will either impact or be affected by the new system and processes. 
If an organization is pursuing a strategy to catapult it into the status of “Industry Leader,” it will most certainly need a stronger alliance and tighter integration with its upstream or downstream customer processes. 
Decision Making
Some of the common reasons for investing are: 
A changing business or external environment
The incumbent system is out of date and cannot handle new requirements
The vendor no longer supports the incumbent system 
IT budget deadlines to spend before the end of the tax or financial year
To gain competitive advantage
An emergent or disruptive technology
Change of strategy
Increased efficiencies
Reduced operating costs
To meet customer demands.
Profiling the What & Why of the Decision
(sample profiling questions)
What external factors have driven the decision to invest in a new IT system and why?
What internal factors have driven the decision to invest and why? 
What are the primary objectives of the system?
What expected benefits will the system deliver to the organization, functions, and business units?
What organizational needs will the new system address? 
Why are these needs important? Rate each need between 1-5, with 5 being the highest importance
What is the business case supporting the project?
Profiling the Who of the Decision
(sample profiling questions)
Who is the project sponsor? (The person in the organization who proposed the IT system and will be accountable for it until the project’s conclusion.)
Who in the organization made the IT investment decision?
Who is driving the decision to invest? 
Is the Project Sponsor also the decision driver?
If this is not the same person, what are the specific reasons for that person being the Project Sponsor?
Do all of the relevant senior executives support the investment decision? (Note that even indirectly affected executives need to be included in answering this question.)
What are their reasons for agreeing with and supporting the investment decision?
What reasons were given for disagreeing with the decision?
Profiling the How of the Decision
(sample profiling questions)
Based upon Who made the IT investment decision, How was the decision actually made? Collectively, collaboratively, or in isolation?
Who was involved in the investment decision-making process and How were they involved?
What input from the relevant C-level personnel, senior executives, and managers supports and evidences the above answer? 
How did they quantify their reasons and support for the investment decision?
Have all appropriate internal users and stakeholders been included in the investment decision? How have they been involved?
What external parties have been included in the investment decision and How have they been involved?
The Profiling Chapters Follow in my book
IT Risk & Governance
Strategy & Success Metrics
Communications & Gathering Requirements
Gaining Support for the Project
Managing Change
Solution & Vendor Selection Framework
Training & Development
Succeeding at Corporate Profiling