Develop an Information
Strategy Plan
Introduction
Aim
This presentation is prepared to support and give a general
overview of the ‘How to Develop an Information Strategy
Plan’ Guide and should be read in conjunction with the
publication.
Use of the Guide
This guide covers the subject of developing an ‘Information
Strategy Plan’.
The guide firstly explains why strategic planning is required for
companies. Next, a step-by-step procedure for developing an
Information Strategy Plan is presented.
The final section includes the implementation requirements of an
Information Strategy Plan. This part is a summary of the ‘How to
Implement an IT Strategy’ Guide.
Strategic Planning
Strategic Planning aims to provide an
understanding of the functions of the
business, as well as a map for its future.
What business are you in?
Where are you now?
How did you get there?
Where do you want to be in the
future?
How are you going to get
there?
Strategic Planning
Business Strategic Planning
Process that your organisation employs to make decisions about
its business direction.
Information Strategy Planning
Deals with the whole ‘information resource’ of an organisation and
its relation with the general business environment.
Strategic Planning
Information Strategy should be integrated
with Business Strategy and other aspects of
the organisation.
Strategic Planning
As business and information strategies
become aligned, organisations can answer
questions such as:
1. Is IT adequately supporting our activities?
2. Can we reduce the cost of core processes?
3. Can IT help us ‘tie in’ to clients on a long-term basis?
4. Is IT improving staff satisfaction and motivation?
5. Can new services and products be created?
6. Can IT help us gain new markets?
7. How can the organisation’s information and knowledge be
managed as a resource?
8. How can the new technologies be used to address
changing business needs?
Developing an Information
Strategy Plan
There are five stages in developing an
Information Strategy Plan:
1. Initiate Information Strategy Planning Project
2. Identify Your Business Position
3. Examine Capabilities and Technologies
4. Develop System and Technology Roadmap
5. Prioritise Solutions
Developing an Information
Strategy Plan
Five stages are linked:
1. Initiate Information Strategy Planning Project
i.i.Gain
Gainsenior
seniormanagement
managementapproval
approvaland
and
sponsorship
sponsorship
Find
Findaasenior
seniormanager
managertotosponsor
sponsorthe
thewhole
wholeproject
projectfrom
from
its inception to the implementation of new IT systems.
its inception to the implementation of new IT systems.
ii.ii.Appoint
Appointaachampion
champion
Initiate
Initiate Have
Haveaakey
keyemployee
employeeoror‘champion’
‘champion’who
whodrives
drivesthe
the
Information
Information process with energy and commitment.
process with energy and commitment.
Strategy
Strategy
Planning iii.
iii.Appoint
Appointteam
teamand
andschedule
scheduleactivities
activities
Planning Appoint
Project Appointaateam
teamthat
thatrepresents
representsaacross
crosssection
sectionofofyour
your
Project organisation’s business area.
organisation’s business area.
iv.
iv.Involve
Involvebusiness
businessmanagers
managersand
andemployees
employees
Planning
Planningprocess
processshould
shouldinvolve
involvedifferent
differentparticipants
participants
from senior managers to employees.
from senior managers to employees.
2. Identify Your Business Position
i.i.Assess
Assessyour
yourcurrent
currentbusiness
businessposition
position
•What is your current market position
•What is your current market position
•How
•Howdodoyour
yourcustomers
customersseeseeyou?
you?
•What are your strengths and weaknesses?
•What are your strengths and weaknesses?
•What
•Whatkind
kindofofculture
cultureand
andbusiness
businessvalues
valuesdo
doyou
youhave?
have?
•Does your organisation make decisions centrally
•Does your organisation make decisions centrally or or
delegate responsibility?
delegate responsibility?
Identify
Identify ii.ii.Examine
Examineyour
yourfuture
futurebusiness
businessdirection
direction
Your
Your Do you want to stay in the same business?
Do you want to stay in the same business?
Business Where do you want to be in the future?
Business Where do you want to be in the future?
Which are your priority business areas?
Position
Position Which are your priority business areas?
iii.
iii.Decide
Decidewhat
whatrole
roleIT
ITshould
shouldplay
playin
inyour
your
business
business
•Decide
•Decide onon your
your general
general approach
approach toto developing
developing ITIT
systems.
systems.
•Will
•Willyou
youwant
wanttotouse
useITITtotoenter
enterinto
intonew
newmarkets?
markets?
•Decide how much to spend
•Decide how much to spend on IT.on IT.
3. Examine Capabilities and Technologies
i.i.Identify
Identifyyour
yourcurrent
currentITITcapabilities
capabilitiesand
andkey
key
technologies
technologies
•Examine
•Examinethe
thetype
typeofofITITsystems
systemsandandinfrastructure
infrastructureyour
your
organization has.
organization has.
•How
•Howappropriate
appropriateare
areyouryourexisting
existingsystems
systemsand and
technologies?
technologies?
•Which major activities are not supported by IT?
•Which major activities are not supported by IT?
Examine
Examine ii.ii.Identify
Identifyyour
yourcurrent
currentIT
ITcapability
capability
Capabilities
Capabilities Consider
Consideryour
yourorganisation’s
organisation’sITITcapability
capabilityininrespect
respecttotoIS
IS
and
and and computer technologies, IT training and awareness
and computer technologies, IT training and awareness
Technologies and
andITITbusiness
businessprocesses.
processes.
Technologies
iii.
iii.Identify
Identifyexternal
externalsystems
systemsand
andtechnologies
technologies
Search
Searchthe
theITITmarket
marketand
andidentify
identifynew
newtechnologies
technologieswhich
which
may be of use to your company.
may be of use to your company.
4. Develop System and Technology Roadmap
i.i.Map
Mapyour
yourproject
projectlife
lifecycle
cycleprocesses
processes
To
Tounderstand
understandhow
howyour
yourorganisation
organisationfunctions
functionsititisisaa
good
goodidea
ideatotomodel
modelyour
yourbusiness
businessininaagraphical
graphicalform.
form.
ii.ii.Examine
Examineyour
yourinformation
informationsharing
sharing
requirements
requirements
Decide
Decidewhich
whichsystems
systemsneed
needtotoshare
shareinformation,
information,and
and
think about how this could be achieved.
think about how this could be achieved.
iii.
iii.Explore
Explorethe
therelevance
relevanceof
ofthe
theInternet
Internet/ /E-
E-
business to your organisation.
business to your organisation.
Examine
Examine whether
whether Internet
Internet / / E-business
E-business could
could give
give you
you
Develop
Develop advantage in your project life cycle.
advantage in your project life cycle.
System
System and
and iv.
Technology iv.Decide
Decidewhich
whichmajor
majorsystems
systemsyou
youwill
willneed
need
Technology Decide
Decidewhich
whichsoftware
softwaresystems
systemsarearemost
mostimportant
important
Roadmap
Roadmap according to your business activities.
according to your business activities.
v.v.Plan
Planyour
yourinfrastructure
infrastructurerequirements
requirements
Decide
Decidewhat
whattechnology
technologyinfrastructure
infrastructureyour
yourorganisation
organisation
will need to support its systems.
will need to support its systems.
vi.
vi.Standardise
Standardiseyour
yoursystems
systems/ /technologies
technologies
To
Toease
easeproject
projectcommunication,
communication,ititisisimportant
importanttotoreach
reach
agreement on standards systems.
agreement on standards systems.
vii.
vii.Plan
Planyour
yourpeople
peopletraining
trainingand
and
requirements
requirements
Train
Trainyour
youremployees
employeesaccording
accordingtotothe
therequirements
requirementsofof
the new system.
5. Prioritise Solutions
i.i.Prioritise
Prioritisecritical
criticalsoftware
softwaresystems
systems
Your organisation’s vision and business directions can
Your organisation’s vision and business directions can
guide you in prioritising the critical software packages
guide you in prioritising the critical software packages
that you must install first.
that you must install first.
ii.ii.Indicate
Indicateresources
resourcesand
andtimeframes
timeframes
•Indicate
•Indicatehow
howmuchmucheach
eachsystem
systemwill
willcost?
cost?
•How many people are required?
•How many people are required?
•How
•Howlong
longititwill
willtake
taketotoinstall.
install.
•Who
•Who is responsible for theinstallation?
is responsible for the installation?
Prioritise iii.
Prioritise iii.Plan
Planhow
howyou
youwill
willmanage
managechanges
changesto
tothe
the
Solutions
Solutions document
document
•Indicate
•Indicatehow
howyour yourIS ISPlan
Planwill
willbe
bemaintained.
maintained.
•How often it will be reviewed?
•How often it will be reviewed?
•Who
•Whowill
willdo
doit,it,and
andwhat
whatresources
resourcesare
areneeded?
needed?
•How much will it cost?
•How much will it cost?
•What
•Whattraining
trainingwillwillbe
berequired
requiredtotomaintain
maintainit?
it?
iv.
iv.Communicate
Communicateand
andseek
seekfeedback
feedback
ItItisisimportant
importantthat
thatother
otherpeople
peopleininthe
theorganisation
organisationhave
have
aa‘buy-in’ to the strategy.
‘buy-in’ to the strategy.
iv.
iv.Get
Getauthorisation
authorisation
Secure
Secureauthorisation
authorisationfor
forfunding
fundingthe
thepriority
prioritysolutions.
solutions.
Implementing an Information
Strategy Plan
Implementing IT Strategy guide suggests
that:
Specification of user requirements
Software selection
Sequence of implementation
What are the major issues when replacing expensive
‘legacy’ systems?
Timescales and resources
Managing expectations.
Training and support
are important factors for the implementation
of an IS Strategy Plan.
Implementing an Information
Strategy Plan
It is also important that the developed
strategy to be presented clearly to a defined
audience.
The strategy can be Other parties
presented to the affected by the plan:
following:
- Clients
- Senior managers - Sub-contractors
- IT managers and staff - Associated companies
- Participants in the - Unions
planning process
- User representatives
Implementing an Information
Strategy Plan
For large organisations ‘piloting’ a system is
often the first step towards implementation.
Pilot projects have some advantages
including:
Reduced risk of time and cost over runs
Reduced risk in selecting the wrong system
Benefits are achieved earlier thus increasing
management and user confidence
The organisation is able to revise its requirements
The level of training required can be assessed
The approach fits well with the construction industry’s
tendency to fund IT systems on a project basis
Managing Changes to an
Information Strategy
The strategy planning project needs all the
elements shown in the figure below in order to be
successful. If any of the elements are missing,
strategic planning will face difficulties.
Concluding Remarks
Information strategy will demonstrate to the
organisation how it can gain business benefits
from IT.
Information strategy should be based on the
business strategy to gain a greater
understanding of the potential of IT systems.
Continuous sponsorship and involvement from
the top management is needed.
Organisations need resources, infrastructure
and incentives to implement the strategy.
