Before I start to present my questions to the company officers, I will just try to recall some important notes which are related to planning or strategic information systems plan.
What is Strategic Information System Plan?
In our previous topic in this forum, we’ve already discussed some information about Information System Plan and Business Plan which is both linked to the word “plan”. We all know that plan is very important since it is the very first step for you to develop tactics. It is a crucial part of an organization especially when it comes in developing a strategy and plans for aligning information systems with the business strategies of an organization.
As I defined IS plan and strategic IS plan in my previous post, Information System Plan can also be compared with strategic information system plan. In developing an IS plan, one thing we need to do is projecting the firm’s objectives and formulized the policies and authorization and above all is you must identify what specific project you want in the future. An IS plan should be useable, timely, maintainable and flexible so that for some circumstances it can be modified if needed. As I mentioned on my post on the fourth assignment on management information system subject that was based on an article written by Somendra Pant and Cheng Hsu, strategic information system plan is a management function not a technical one. SISP is typically the analysis of a corporation’s information and processes using business information models as well as the evaluation and analysis of the possible risk, current needs and requirements. It is used to determine the best targets for purchasing and installing new Management Information System and help an organization maximize the return on investment (ROI) in their information technology.
By the way, before I start I will define first the SISP (Strategic Information System Plan).
According to Allan Warr, Strategic Information System Plan (SISP) is the process of deciding upon the direction, development and policies for an organization’s use and management of information and networking technologies. It also involves the developments of Information Technology infrastructure, determining the application for the information system and the improvements to the management and sourcing of Information System/Information Technology resources. Today, public and private sectors of most large organizations are practicing the Strategic Information System Plan approach.
Hence in this case, I was task to impart a crucial part of an organization which is very vital for aligning some strategies in an organization. Waaah… amazing..hehe! The company officers have invited me to meet with them to discuss the direction of the company. Before the meeting, I was asked to provide a set of questions so that they can be prepared. Moreover, these questions should be answered with explanations to maximize the output.
These are the question I formulated:
What is the mission and vision of this company?
Every organization has vision and mission. Since i will be doing a job for the company, the organization should orient me about their VMGO, it will help me a lot because i will be aware of why does company offer services for. It is also pertinent to be familiar with the company’s vision and mission in SISP implementation because it serves you in carrying out leadership role, unifying efforts and building alignment and loyalty among employees. Mission tells you the fundamental purpose of the organization. It defines the customer and the critical processes. It informs you of the desired level of performance. A Vision outlines what the organization wants to be, or how it wants the world in which it operates to be. It concentrates on the future. It is a source of inspiration. It provides clear decision-making criteria.
What are the goals and objectives of this company?
All companies have goals and objectives knowing that every company should possess an ideal success to the business. Objectives could cover growth, profitability, technology and some offerings however goals are ultimate time-based measurements to be achieved by implementing strategies in pursuit of the company's objectives. In making a business proper, the company should provide an objective and goal, because these two main words denote the achievement and success of the business. It would help give a direction and organize strategy to the business. It is important for me (as hired to develop a strategic information system plan) to know every objectives and what the company want in a company, if ever they may succeed or fail they know how to bring back the company and change another plan to overcome their goals and objectives.
What is the company profile?
It is very significant to be oriented with the firm's history, number and quality of its human, financial, and physical resources organizational and management structure, past, current and anticipated performance, and its reputation, and the standing of its goods or services. In other words to know first the different company products and operations that the company have to have easy way in developing SISP.
What business is in your company?
In developing a strategic planning, it is very much important to define the business clearly. There should be a clear definition of the business in terms of their responsibility in their customers, on what they really do in their customers or in their company. Try to see the things that the company needs to reduce, stop or avoid based on the current state of the organization.
Why the need for change?
Knowing the reasons why the company needs to change is also essential. One factor to consider is why the company takes risk on changing their current system. Because as technology changes, the organization’s practices also change and it will have a great effect to those people who are working in the company. That’s why you should meet the needs of the company that hired you.
What are the critical success factors of the company?
Identifying the Critical Success Factor which is necessary for an organization or project to achieve its mission is also important. It is a critical factor or activity required for ensuring the success of a company. In any organization certain factors will be critical to the success of that organization, in the sense that, if objectives associated with the factors are not achieved, the organization will fail - perhaps catastrophically so.
What are the strength and weaknesses in your company?
Strength and weaknesses must also identify to know are the positive or negative aspects of the external and internal environments that are under the direct control of a firm. Listing of a company's strengths and weaknesses are a normal part of any attempt at strategic information systems plan (SISP) for virtually all companies. Strengths are those things that your company does well which help you perform your jobs, deliver value to your customers and/or give you an advantage over your competition. It is important to determine your weaknesses to get them out in the open, with everyone in basic agreement that these are actually weaknesses, so the team can determine what to do about each one, if anything.
What are the impacts of current strategy implementation to the organization?
With this question, I can produce strategy implementation planning. This new strategy implementation planning defines change management approach, defines action plan, evaluates action plan, and defines follow-up and control procedure.
How do we involve employees in developing the strategic plan?
Some organizations get input from employees on current issues and concerns as part of assessing their current situation. Others include employees in getting reactions to already-decided on strategic plans, while others actively involve employees in developing the plan itself. There is no one right answer: It depends on your circumstances.
What is the current alignment of top management regarding on information strategic information systems plan?
I can formulate new ideas regarding this question. These ideas consists of understanding the strategic priorities of top management, aligning information systems (IS) strategies with the strategic plan of the organization, adapting the goals/objectives of IS to changing goals/objectives of the organization, maintaining a mutual understanding with top management on the role of IS in supporting strategy, identifying information technology (IT)-related opportunities to support the strategic direction of the firm, educating top management on the importance of IT, adapting technology to strategic change, and assessing the strategic importance of emerging technologies.
How do we deal with resistance to change?
It is really important to know and foresee resistances that might encounter especially stakeholders are involved. These stakeholders can include owners, managers, customers, employees and vendors.
Who is your customer?
Whom do you have to satisfy in order to survive and thrive in your career? Of course, your first customer is your boss, the person who signs your paycheck. Your primary job at work is to make sure that you are satisfying his or her essential needs. Do you know what they are?
You can define a customer as anyone who depends on you for his or her success and anyone you depend on for your success. Under this definition, your colleagues and your staff are also your customers. Everyone around you whom you help, or who helps you, is a customer in some way.
Who is your external customer, the customer who uses what you produce? This is the focal point of business success. Your ability to accurately identify the external customer whose satisfaction determines your success in your career is critical to every element of strategic planning.
What does your customer value? What specific benefits does your customer get from using your products or services? What does your customer want and need from you to be completely satisfied? How does your product change or improve his or her life and work
The twenty-first century has been called the Age of the Customer. The customer is king or queen. Your ability to identify and satisfy your key customers is a critical determinant of your success and your rewards in life.
How the analysis phase is done in the previous information systems planning of the organization?
This is the question that needs the knowledge in understanding the information needs of organizational subunits, identifying opportunities for internal improvement in business processes through IT, improving understanding of how the organization actually operates, developing a “blueprint” that structures organizational processes, monitoring internal business needs and the capability of IS to meet those needs, maintaining an understanding of changing organizational processes and procedures, generating new ideas to reengineer business processes through IT, and understanding the dispersion of data, applications, and other technologies throughout the firm.
In terms of cooperation, how the systems developers of the organization interact with each other in developing an information system?
In this question, I can come up new strategic cooperation process for the organization. This strategic cooperation process involves avoiding the overlapping development of major systems, achieving a general level of agreement regarding risks/tradeoffs among system projects, establishing a uniform basis for prioritizing projects, maintaining open lines of communication with other departments, coordinating the development efforts of various organizational subunits, identifying and resolving potential sources of resistance to IS plans, developing clear guidelines of managerial responsibility for plan implementation.
What are their technologies?
This will help in the study of their existing technology platforms, the infrastructure, the state and format of the data and information present. Along with this is the governance of their technology. Many technologies present in the company will sometimes result to difficulties management. There should be clear and specific choice in the standards, responsibility and approval structure in selecting and implementing technology to avoid difficulty of integration.
If they answer these few questions I put together, I can provide them an output to discuss. They must analyze their plan to achieve their goal and don’t plan to fail. Set their priorities and be ready on some resistances they might encounter.
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