www.astesj.com 746 A Framework to Align Business Processes: Identification of the Main Features Joaquina Marchão 1,* , Leonilde Reis 2 , Paula Ventura Martins 1 1 Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Faro, University of Algarve, 8005-139, Portugal 2 School of Business Administration, Polytechnic Institute of Setubal, 2014-503, Portugal A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T Article history: Received: 21 December, 2020 Accepted: 04 March, 2021 Online: 27 March, 2021 Information and Communications Technologies are developing faster today than ever before, giving an important contribution to the global economy. Organizations in developed and developing economies explore new technologies to gain advantage and add value. That evolution also brings an increasing complexity to the organizations’ management. The alignment of organizational practices with international standards and best practices worldwide accepted in this domain is a relevant topic. To identify gaps in Information and Communications Technologies management area, a brief analysis of international standards will be considered in the state-of-the-art. Considering that Information Technology Infrastructure Library and Control Objectives for Information and related Technology are the most used in the literature review, this paper will propose an Information and Communications Technologies management framework based on those two standards. The approach pretends to solve some gaps found in process alignment, continuing improvement of Information and Communications Technologies services in the context of the organization, driving stakeholder satisfaction and cost optimization. Concluding, the final goal of this paper is to present the framework features analysed, to allow an integrative and multidisciplinary vision, leading to cost optimization, increasing communication, and stakeholder satisfaction. Keywords: ITIL COBIT Business Process 1. Introduction This work is an extended version of the paper [1] originally presented in 2020 at the 15th Iberian Conference on Information Systems and Technologies (CISTI). Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) is one of the main motors of economic development in the XXI century and a success factor of strategic business evolution. In this context, the theme of ICT management and governance processes in organizations is considered relevant, especially on the alignment of organizational objectives and ICT operational efficiency and management of services based on stakeholders needs. A company must implement information technology that is oriented to customers and stakeholders to be competitive [2]. Applications have become an integral part of business strategies while creating new opportunities for alliances and collaborations [3]. Core assets of organizations, business processes shape the functioning and efficiency of organizations [4]. Process modelling guidelines are a valuable instrument for increasing the quality of process models [5], and the human factor is of great importance in Business Process Management (BPM) implementation [6]. Early involvement of stakeholders from top management to the operational level is essential for successful implementation of BPM [7]. The way processes are designed and performed affects both the quality of service that customers perceive and the efficiency with which services are delivered [8]. Managing and using IT services is considered very important for modern businesses to improve their performance [9]. The management of IT services is increasingly driven by the necessity of cost reduction and quality improvement. As a result, new organizational models have been created and implemented aiming at achieving economies of scale, while improving customer satisfaction and experience has been one of the main focuses of recent research in Service Science [10]. Information Technology (IT) grows very rapidly and affects the success of the business lifecycle of an organization [11]. The constant evolution and diversity of technologies and components used in hardware, software and communications networks [12], results on complex management and governance processes in ICT departments ASTESJ ISSN: 2415-6698 * Corresponding Author: Joaquina Marchão, Email: jamarchao@gmail.com Advances in Science, Technology and Engineering Systems Journal Vol. 6, No. 2, 746-753 (2021) www.astesj.com Special Issue on Multidisciplinary Sciences and Engineering https://dx.doi.org/10.25046/aj060286