An enterprise is concerned that ongoing maintenance costs are not being considered when prioritizing IT-enabled business investments. Which of the following should be the enterprise's FIRST course…

Implementing a balanced scorecard for the IT project portfolio is a strategic reporting tool but does not directly address the root cause of not including maintenance costs in individual project business cases.

Establishing a portfolio manager role is beneficial for oversight but doesn't inherently guarantee that all project proposals will include life cycle maintenance costs unless it's a specific mandate for the business case process.

The most direct and immediate way to ensure ongoing maintenance costs are considered in IT investment prioritization is to require that all new business cases explicitly incorporate full product life cycle costs, including long-term operational and maintenance expenses. This forces stakeholders to consider the total cost of ownership from the outset, providing a more accurate financial picture for decision-making.

Mandating an enterprise architecture (EA) review with business stakeholders can help with strategic alignment but is a broader activity and doesn't directly enforce the inclusion of detailed maintenance costs in initial investment proposals.