Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 12.4
Strategic plan
The Steps of IS Planning
Some projects are identified
through overall IS objectives,
whereas additional projects, called
unplanned projects, are identified
from other sources. All identified
projects are then evaluated in terms
of their organizational priority.
Previously unplanned
systems projects
Develop overall objectives
Identify IS projects
Set priorities and
select projects
Analyze resource
requirements
Set schedules and
deadlines
Develop IS planning
document
by people and events not directly related to the problem. Creative analysis can help organi-
zations achieve their performance goals. According to Michael Hugos, principle at the Center
for Systems Innovation and one of
Computerworld
's 2006 Premier 100 IT Leaders, “Cre-
ativity is where we come up with ideas for combining available resources to create systems
that could meet performance requirements.”
25
Critical analysis
requires unbiased and careful questioning of whether system elements
are related in the most effective ways. It involves considering the establishment of new or
different relationships among system elements and perhaps introducing new elements into
the system. Critical analysis in systems development involves the following actions:
•
critical analysis
The unbiased and careful
questioning of whether system
elements are related in the most
effective ways.
Questioning statements and assumptions.
Questioning users about their needs and
clarifying their initial responses can result in better systems and more accurate predictions.
Too often, stakeholders and users specify certain system requirements because they
assume that their needs can only be met that way.
•
Identifying and resolving objectives and orientations that conflict.
Each department in
an organization can have different objectives and orientations. The buying department
might want to minimize the cost of spare parts by always buying from the lowest-cost
supplier, but engineering might want to buy more expensive, higher-quality spare parts
to reduce the frequency of replacement. These differences must be identified and resolved
before a new purchasing system is developed or an existing one modified.
