(Note: This is a reply to Mr. G.'s thread in USeP-IC Web Forum - Assignment 4: You were invited by the university president to prepare an IS plan for the university, discuss what are the steps in order to expedite the implementation of the IS Plan.)
It has been discussed in various studies by most experts in the past years until now that strategic planning for the business operations of an organization is a very crucial part in targeting towards the success of the company. An information system, as I have discussed in my earlier posts, contains so much of the essential data and gathered facts about the company that it is considered as a critical unit inside the company. That is why planning which is prepared primarily for the business operations and processes alone as most people perceive it to be, also has to be tactically deliberated for the information system (IS).
Information Systems Strategic Planning
Let me talk first about IS plan and its strategic approach. So why plan? Any organization needs to plan to obtain resources. A business unit needs to allocate funds for the financial support of the company’s ongoing functions. And with the day-to-day operations of the business, it needs to have facilities and equipments which aid to perform its functions. The people support is another concern. Of course finding the appropriate staff to execute the tasks needs to be done carefully. Who else will make use of the facilities and equipments for the business functions but the workforce? The right persons for the right jobs should be well taken care of. The next reason is that, strategic planning has to be done to align information system (IS) with business. Since the information system holds the vital information of the business it is then important to make plans for this department and to make it parallel with the major company’s operations. The IS plan is needed to establish goals, schedules, and milestones in order to track progress of the business. And IS being in the background, the IS plan is important to provide an opportunity for communication with top management and user management.
If we will be able to track the progress of most corporations today, changes that are taking place is very fast compared to the business world of the past years. This is one of the effects of the use of technology and its applications to business. So, you see, the integration of IT brings more advancement and efficiency especially to the competency of the business in the conglomerate world. IS strategic planning has to be done to identify needed applications. This are just few of the motivations why the information system (IS) plan should be aligned with the business plan in such a way that its goals and objectives should be addressed also by the major operations accommodated by the IS.
Sometimes most people are doing plans of which attitude is sometimes confusing. It is like deliberating over preparing the outcomes of the tasks to be done or outlining the processes of the operations. There is actually a discrete distinction and a likewise similarity and connection between planning and forecasting. Forecasting, as what most people tend to do, is predicting the future. That is how they have a tendency of guessing the outputs of their projects, calculating their expenses, expecting some varied changes in the rates and conditions of their products, and the like. It is like foreseeing the status of your business in the forthcoming years. Whereas in planning, you are making steps in preparing for that future. I guess some people especially those who make up the management team of the company were able to ‘forecast’ their business status but failed to implement plans they made to address whatever may be brought by the changes they expected to happen in their organization. Or there may be chances that the company was able to forecast their future, made respective plans for the expected status or condition, but what they have imagined turned out to be the opposite of what they have been looking forward to.
That is how and why strategic IS planning comes into view – to handle the adjustments that may happen. Strategic planning involves establishing a mission statement. The key people involved should know the general purpose of the organization, and its major role and functions in the community. The mission states who you are and what you do in the company, not what you are supposed to achieve. These are the services that you are responsible for; it is your place in the organization.
Planning should also include assessing the environment. This will give idea for the key people on how to play the game. Assessing the environment is important to evaluate the status of the organization in the community. By evaluating its standing, the key people might know on where and what area should they start in particular for making the necessary actions in the strategic plan. Specifically, this includes assessing the capabilities of the IT department. The IT department houses the important components operated by the personnel of the company, thus it is significant to check the capabilities of the division. If IT department should be evaluated, the readiness of the company to use IT should not be left unnoticed. Even if the IT components are very well geared up, these may not be taken full advantage of since the company lacks the eagerness to apply its concepts to its operations. The company should also check the status not only itself but its customers, of how they are doing, their relationship and service with them; and the status of the industry, of the economic condition, including the outside connections with colleagues and business associates. By knowing the economic standing of the society where the company belongs, it can gain ideas on how to plan and act or implement programs with regards to the demands of the community in the current situation of the industry. Remember that the company has its role to play and with the mission to guide it, it shall get its way to its vision in a manner that is beneficial and fairly advantageous to both internal and external aspects.
Correlation with the society, the environmental aspect, government regulations and the like should also be taken notice. Most importantly is, the current situation regarding technology. I have discussed in the aforementioned statements the role of fast-evolving technology to business. Now this is where the assessment of the company with regards to its competency in technological innovations and its applications to business comes in. Assessment is quite similar to SWOT analysis – strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. In assessing the capabilities of the IT department and the readiness of the company to use IT is like evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the company. These components are internal and can be mainly found inside the company. While the status of the customers, the industry, including that of the economy, government regulations, environment, society and the like are external factors that they are involved in assessing the opportunities and threats of the business.
Through these we can set goals and objectives of the organization which will serve as guiding principles for the business to follow. These goals and objectives should, of course, be aligned with the vision and mission statement of the company. Goals are something which the organization wanted to achieve. Thus, it should set program objectives or measurable targets that specifically initiated or established and agreed by all the workforce of the company.
Since planning involves many processes, it should derive strategies and policies. These strategies and policies will serve as scheme and rules or program of actions from which they are based. Most successful organizations develop plans and strategies for their operations. Strategies that should be considered are for technology focus, of what and how the latest applications of innovations can be used in the business; personnel and career development – of course, there should be tactics on how to build-up and improve the skills and capabilities of the human resources who operate on IT, hence, appropriate trainings should be implemented; apart from that the strategies should mainly focus on ways to align the programs of the information system to the operations of the company in general. Corresponding policies that will be derived are for the following: funding criteria, of how much to spend on IT; allocation criteria – priority setting (with so many concerns to be taken notice of, there should be a well-balanced allocation in which essential components shall be regarded with the right level of priority.); organizational arrangements – how things should go along in the organization, of how the set of instructions and information details be taken and passed to; use of outside IT services (there might be common cases as in the company will consider outsourcing for some reasons. Hence corresponding policies should be accomplished to set boundaries and rules and regulation concerning the limits, contracts, etc.); selling IT services to outside organizations (apart from outsourcing, the company may think about off shoring their services to outside organizations. These may involve matters concerning with business relations to other companies and, as in outsourcing, certain policies shall be constructed to have guidelines and procedures for both parties to follow.)
There should also be long-, medium-, and short-range plans that will be developed. Of course, when you make strategic planning, you only not include preparations that are due for long years and even within a short period of time. There are actions that are and have to be implemented on ten-year basis, two to three years scheme, or even in months’ time. If ever plans are only made exclusively in a long-term basis or a short-term one, how can the management evaluate the outputs of the plans if not after the implementation? Most importantly, sudden changes which may occur in between these periods brought by varying factors will not be addressed immediately and efficiently. Short - range plans are made and are intended to be implemented within the next year, the next budget period, and common cases are mainly for developing and operating current systems. Medium – range plans are committing to development efforts for applications that will take more than one year to complete. That is, meeting management’s current information needs, projected into the future for as many years as needed to complete them. Most organization call these “long – term planning”. On the other hand, long – range planning is the preparation for the management’s future information needs. These are not application specific, unlike in short and medium – range plans where systems and programs are being specified and taken actions in particular; they are investments in infrastructure, that it is usually done for a longer period of time where the management can foresee the up and downs of their business status, hence can let them decide the steps for some improvements in their infrastructure in any way applicable; it is creating an information architecture, that within a span of many years, the structural design of the IS may expand, be developed, and interconnected to a larger scope of networks.
Lastly, if there are plans formulated, it should be implemented. Plans that are not carried out are considered writings on the water. They are useless if not put into action. Results of the applications of the plans made should likewise be monitored. Evaluation is an essential part of business strategies. If then, how can we check the positive and negative feedbacks of the plans? Not only after a certain phase has done that should an evaluation be made. As the project implementation is going on, the results and the outputs could as well be recorded and supervised. In this way, necessary actions could be made respectively which corresponds as to how these plans formulated are being carried out and yield results.
The University
A university is an institution of higher education that offers programs beyond the high school level. Colleges and universities provide necessary training for individuals wishing to enter professional careers. They also strive to develop students’ creativity, insight, and analytical skills. By acquainting students with complex ideas in an intellectually stimulating environment, colleges and universities can provide unique opportunities for personal enrichment while also preparing students for future careers. In most cases, state boards of higher education provide funds for these schools and oversee their programs of instruction. Most state governments establish systems of higher education. Institutions as state colleges and universities were originally founded to offer education in agriculture, science, and engineering, but most later expanded their curriculums to become large multipurpose universities. In some other places and countries, provincial governments establish boards of higher education responsible for allocating funds to provincial universities and overseeing their programs of instruction. In addition, the federal and provincial governments provide substantial funds for all institutions of higher education, including private colleges and universities. This public funding dramatically reduces costs for students. (Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2007. © 1993-2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.).
The University of Southeastern Philippines is just one of the many state universities in the region which offers quality education at affordable cost. Demands from incoming freshmen students to enroll in the university continues to increase every year because of the known quality of education that the University provides at an affordable cost. It has also been noted that USeP has highly satisfactory performance in standardized exams as evident in the past years where it has established its name as one of the many top high-percentage-passers-producer schools in the country. And a few more competitive advantages of the university include: strong research, development and extension, partnership with various international agencies in development undertakings, equivalency program and accreditation schemes, ladderized education system, and still more. The University envisions itself as a premier university in the ASEAN region. Its mission is to produce world-class graduates and relevant research and extension through quality education and sustainable resource management. Aligned with these mission and vision, the university specified goals for key result areas on instruction, research development and extension, and resource management. With six (6) major colleges comprising the university, and more or less than eighty (80) academic programs (bachelor, diploma, graduate), USeP shall address with the highest regards its status in the academic formation of tertiary education. Thus, the administration and management system shall take the latest development in organizational structure to be able to provide these offers to the students, faculty, and staff, and maintain and further improve its competitive status.
The university as a well-built institution with solid foundation needs a stronger information system that will serve as a developing center which aids the large scales of information processes. Being an educational organization and a center of excellence, it shall continue to make strategies in planning and make effective implementations to these plans to go along with the ongoing demands in the society. The success of the university lies greatly on the underlying critical factors and that is mainly comprised of its information system.
As I was deliberating on the root question of this topic, that is, if I am invited by the university president to prepare an IS plan for the university, discuss what are the steps in order to expedite the implementation of the IS Plan, I had a very hard time organizing my thoughts on the major aspects of my would-be answers. I have discussed in my statements above the foreword concerning the Information System (IS) strategic planning. Now I just have to relate it to the university particularly to where I belong: the University of Southeastern Philippines. Being an Information Technology (IT) student, I have an amount or knowledge about the application of technology in various fields in the industry. I have also learned the wide scope of IT and its diverse effects and benefits to an organization. Only in my later years that I have been exposed to reality situations as in analyzing current circumstances not only outside the campus but also to our own university as well. With the span of time that I have stayed in the university, I have slight awareness of its major operations especially with regards to my course. Nevertheless, this may be the beginning that I should grab the information concerning the university and the school’s information system (IS).
I do not actually see high – end service and functionality in school if we talk of technology. Admittedly, we have meager resources, facilities that are there and being used but are just less than sufficient to say that we are competitively gaining edge over our co-universities and colleges. Even so, I can not blame it to the administration alone or those who are part of the management team of the school. Outside factors might have some influence. Taking into account the financial matter of the university alone, and just thinking that we are a state university (that is, government funded), I am just hopeful that this institution where I belong will still be able to earn competitive edge among others despite the lack of resources. And proudly to speak, we are surviving.
Nevertheless, it is not enough reason to sit, hope and wonder how all these things go along the way it should, without putting in mind the reason why the university exists, what does it do, and how on earth will it continue to bear the challenges and demands of the society taking in mind that it envisions to be a premier university in the ASEAN region. As it continues to excel as an educational institution, should not we, students, think of how can we may be able to spend efforts to help the university in its mission? We all have learned that the heart of an organization is the IS. Hence, it should be supplied with enough blood to be able to pump more to sustain the body. To function well, it should be regularly checked and maintained, if not improved, to play its major role.
Let me begin with a point of entry back to my main subject. To be effective in its business operation, the university shall have an Information System (IS) strategic plan which, more or less, is comprised with the aforementioned components. For its years of existence, I am confident that the university has made its IS plan and is continuing to make plans and implement it. Although there are problems that arise every now and then, these are just normal and the administration for sure, always finds ways to mitigate, if not possibly eliminate complications. Until now, it is evident that the information system we are currently using is undergoing construction and maintenance. After years of gaining experience in developing own system, to going outsourcing, to turning back to in housing, there has not been a situation, I should say, that the school had a stable IS. And we all know several aspects behind that. However, it is not enough to say that there are unstoppable factors beyond our control that influence the system that is why until now we could not have the stability we could ever dream of having. Maybe there are numerous key major points inside our organization that should be re-examined, and primarily, it is the Information System (IS) plan.
Financial matters
Michael M. Gorman in his published article online says that every year, $300-700 million dollar corporations spend about 5% of their gross income on information systems and their supports. That's from about $15,000,000 to $35,000,000! A significant part of those funds support enterprise databases, a philosophy of database system applications that enable corporations to research the past, control the present, and plan for the future.
If we take this as a basis for the budgetary case of the university, roughly speaking, we could not get this much money from our financial resources. Although the statements were taken from a study of business corporations and large scale companies, we could not deny the fact that the figures are just revolving around those numbers, and to think they are in dollars! We are all aware of the fact that our school is a government institution and perhaps one of the reasons why, even though the quality education offered here is at an affordable cost, facilities and maintenance are at stake. I think the university can not stretch their budget that far since it does not hold its own fundings and to think that before releasing it, the money matters has to undergo processes in the government before it goes to the school pocket.
Financial resources allocation is just one problem why the institution can not make its way to all-out implementation of their plans. That is why there should be appropriate actions to find ways on how should the plans be carried out in spite of the lack of resources.
Let’s take a break first on the financial approach. I have searched here a realistic basis of the characteristics of a quality Information System Plan which I think, if followed by most organizations, will yield favorable consequences.
The ISP must be timely. An ISP that is created long after it is needed is useless. In almost all cases, it makes no sense to take longer to plan work than to perform the work planned.
The ISP must be useable. It must be so for all the projects as well as for each project. The ISP should exist in sections that once adopted can be parceled out to project managers and immediately started.
The ISP must be maintainable. New business opportunities, new computers, business mergers, etc. all affect the ISP. The ISP must support quick changes to the estimates, technologies employed, and possibly even to the fundamental project sequences. Once these changes are accomplished, the new ISP should be just a few computer program executions away.
While the ISP must be a quality product, no ISP is ever perfect on the first try. As the ISP is executed, the metrics employed to derive the individual project estimates become refined as a consequence of new hardware technologies, code generators, techniques, or faster working staff. As these changes occur, their effects should be installable into the data that supports ISP computation. In short, the ISP is a living document. It should be updated with every technology event, and certainly no less often than quarterly.
The ISP must be reproducible. That is, when its development activities are performed by any other staff, the ISP produced should essentially be the same. The ISP should not significantly vary by staff assigned.
These characteristics are the ideal ones needed for an effective IS plan. If the organization needs to have an IS, it would be beneficial if the components will be checked and based on these quality characteristics.
Nevertheless, the strategic approach of the Information Systems (IS) plan is to deliver the most valuable business information at the earliest time possible in the most cost-effective manner. Gorman described the following Information Systems Plan Development Steps which will help and guide the analysts and management of the organization in implementing there is project at the right time and at the right sequence:
First, is to create the mission model. The mission model, generally shorter than 30 pages presents end-result characterizations of the essential raison d=etre of the enterprise. Missions are strategic, long range, and a-political.
Second, is to develop a high-level data model. The high-level data model is an Entity Relationship diagram created to meet the data needs of the mission descriptions. No attributes or keys are created.
Third, is to create the resource life cycles (RLC) and their nodes. Resources are drawn from both the mission descriptions and the high level data model. Resources and their life cycles are the names, descriptions and life cycles of the critical assets of the enterprise, which, when exercised achieve one or more aspect of the missions.
Fourth, is to allocate precedence vectors among RLC nodes. Tied together into a enablement network, the resulting resource life cycle network forms a framework of enterprise=s assets that represent an order and set of inter-resource relationships.
A university is an institution of higher education that offers programs beyond the high school level. Colleges and universities provide necessary training for individuals wishing to enter professional careers. They also strive to develop students’ creativity, insight, and analytical skills. By acquainting students with complex ideas in an intellectually stimulating environment, colleges and universities can provide unique opportunities for personal enrichment while also preparing students for future careers. In most cases, state boards of higher education provide funds for these schools and oversee their programs of instruction. Most state governments establish systems of higher education. Institutions as state colleges and universities were originally founded to offer education in agriculture, science, and engineering, but most later expanded their curriculums to become large multipurpose universities. In some other places and countries, provincial governments establish boards of higher education responsible for allocating funds to provincial universities and overseeing their programs of instruction. In addition, the federal and provincial governments provide substantial funds for all institutions of higher education, including private colleges and universities. This public funding dramatically reduces costs for students. (Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2007. © 1993-2006 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.).
The University of Southeastern Philippines is just one of the many state universities in the region which offers quality education at affordable cost. Demands from incoming freshmen students to enroll in the university continues to increase every year because of the known quality of education that the University provides at an affordable cost. It has also been noted that USeP has highly satisfactory performance in standardized exams as evident in the past years where it has established its name as one of the many top high-percentage-passers-producer schools in the country. And a few more competitive advantages of the university include: strong research, development and extension, partnership with various international agencies in development undertakings, equivalency program and accreditation schemes, ladderized education system, and still more. The University envisions itself as a premier university in the ASEAN region. Its mission is to produce world-class graduates and relevant research and extension through quality education and sustainable resource management. Aligned with these mission and vision, the university specified goals for key result areas on instruction, research development and extension, and resource management. With six (6) major colleges comprising the university, and more or less than eighty (80) academic programs (bachelor, diploma, graduate), USeP shall address with the highest regards its status in the academic formation of tertiary education. Thus, the administration and management system shall take the latest development in organizational structure to be able to provide these offers to the students, faculty, and staff, and maintain and further improve its competitive status.
The university as a well-built institution with solid foundation needs a stronger information system that will serve as a developing center which aids the large scales of information processes. Being an educational organization and a center of excellence, it shall continue to make strategies in planning and make effective implementations to these plans to go along with the ongoing demands in the society. The success of the university lies greatly on the underlying critical factors and that is mainly comprised of its information system.
As I was deliberating on the root question of this topic, that is, if I am invited by the university president to prepare an IS plan for the university, discuss what are the steps in order to expedite the implementation of the IS Plan, I had a very hard time organizing my thoughts on the major aspects of my would-be answers. I have discussed in my statements above the foreword concerning the Information System (IS) strategic planning. Now I just have to relate it to the university particularly to where I belong: the University of Southeastern Philippines. Being an Information Technology (IT) student, I have an amount or knowledge about the application of technology in various fields in the industry. I have also learned the wide scope of IT and its diverse effects and benefits to an organization. Only in my later years that I have been exposed to reality situations as in analyzing current circumstances not only outside the campus but also to our own university as well. With the span of time that I have stayed in the university, I have slight awareness of its major operations especially with regards to my course. Nevertheless, this may be the beginning that I should grab the information concerning the university and the school’s information system (IS).
I do not actually see high – end service and functionality in school if we talk of technology. Admittedly, we have meager resources, facilities that are there and being used but are just less than sufficient to say that we are competitively gaining edge over our co-universities and colleges. Even so, I can not blame it to the administration alone or those who are part of the management team of the school. Outside factors might have some influence. Taking into account the financial matter of the university alone, and just thinking that we are a state university (that is, government funded), I am just hopeful that this institution where I belong will still be able to earn competitive edge among others despite the lack of resources. And proudly to speak, we are surviving.
Nevertheless, it is not enough reason to sit, hope and wonder how all these things go along the way it should, without putting in mind the reason why the university exists, what does it do, and how on earth will it continue to bear the challenges and demands of the society taking in mind that it envisions to be a premier university in the ASEAN region. As it continues to excel as an educational institution, should not we, students, think of how can we may be able to spend efforts to help the university in its mission? We all have learned that the heart of an organization is the IS. Hence, it should be supplied with enough blood to be able to pump more to sustain the body. To function well, it should be regularly checked and maintained, if not improved, to play its major role.
Let me begin with a point of entry back to my main subject. To be effective in its business operation, the university shall have an Information System (IS) strategic plan which, more or less, is comprised with the aforementioned components. For its years of existence, I am confident that the university has made its IS plan and is continuing to make plans and implement it. Although there are problems that arise every now and then, these are just normal and the administration for sure, always finds ways to mitigate, if not possibly eliminate complications. Until now, it is evident that the information system we are currently using is undergoing construction and maintenance. After years of gaining experience in developing own system, to going outsourcing, to turning back to in housing, there has not been a situation, I should say, that the school had a stable IS. And we all know several aspects behind that. However, it is not enough to say that there are unstoppable factors beyond our control that influence the system that is why until now we could not have the stability we could ever dream of having. Maybe there are numerous key major points inside our organization that should be re-examined, and primarily, it is the Information System (IS) plan.
Financial matters
Michael M. Gorman in his published article online says that every year, $300-700 million dollar corporations spend about 5% of their gross income on information systems and their supports. That's from about $15,000,000 to $35,000,000! A significant part of those funds support enterprise databases, a philosophy of database system applications that enable corporations to research the past, control the present, and plan for the future.
If we take this as a basis for the budgetary case of the university, roughly speaking, we could not get this much money from our financial resources. Although the statements were taken from a study of business corporations and large scale companies, we could not deny the fact that the figures are just revolving around those numbers, and to think they are in dollars! We are all aware of the fact that our school is a government institution and perhaps one of the reasons why, even though the quality education offered here is at an affordable cost, facilities and maintenance are at stake. I think the university can not stretch their budget that far since it does not hold its own fundings and to think that before releasing it, the money matters has to undergo processes in the government before it goes to the school pocket.
Financial resources allocation is just one problem why the institution can not make its way to all-out implementation of their plans. That is why there should be appropriate actions to find ways on how should the plans be carried out in spite of the lack of resources.
Let’s take a break first on the financial approach. I have searched here a realistic basis of the characteristics of a quality Information System Plan which I think, if followed by most organizations, will yield favorable consequences.
The ISP must be timely. An ISP that is created long after it is needed is useless. In almost all cases, it makes no sense to take longer to plan work than to perform the work planned.
The ISP must be useable. It must be so for all the projects as well as for each project. The ISP should exist in sections that once adopted can be parceled out to project managers and immediately started.
The ISP must be maintainable. New business opportunities, new computers, business mergers, etc. all affect the ISP. The ISP must support quick changes to the estimates, technologies employed, and possibly even to the fundamental project sequences. Once these changes are accomplished, the new ISP should be just a few computer program executions away.
While the ISP must be a quality product, no ISP is ever perfect on the first try. As the ISP is executed, the metrics employed to derive the individual project estimates become refined as a consequence of new hardware technologies, code generators, techniques, or faster working staff. As these changes occur, their effects should be installable into the data that supports ISP computation. In short, the ISP is a living document. It should be updated with every technology event, and certainly no less often than quarterly.
The ISP must be reproducible. That is, when its development activities are performed by any other staff, the ISP produced should essentially be the same. The ISP should not significantly vary by staff assigned.
These characteristics are the ideal ones needed for an effective IS plan. If the organization needs to have an IS, it would be beneficial if the components will be checked and based on these quality characteristics.
Nevertheless, the strategic approach of the Information Systems (IS) plan is to deliver the most valuable business information at the earliest time possible in the most cost-effective manner. Gorman described the following Information Systems Plan Development Steps which will help and guide the analysts and management of the organization in implementing there is project at the right time and at the right sequence:
First, is to create the mission model. The mission model, generally shorter than 30 pages presents end-result characterizations of the essential raison d=etre of the enterprise. Missions are strategic, long range, and a-political.
Second, is to develop a high-level data model. The high-level data model is an Entity Relationship diagram created to meet the data needs of the mission descriptions. No attributes or keys are created.
Third, is to create the resource life cycles (RLC) and their nodes. Resources are drawn from both the mission descriptions and the high level data model. Resources and their life cycles are the names, descriptions and life cycles of the critical assets of the enterprise, which, when exercised achieve one or more aspect of the missions.
Fourth, is to allocate precedence vectors among RLC nodes. Tied together into a enablement network, the resulting resource life cycle network forms a framework of enterprise=s assets that represent an order and set of inter-resource relationships.
Fifth, is to allocate existing information systems and databases to the RLC nodes. The resource life cycle network presents a lattice-work onto which the business information systems and databases can be attached. Achievement of all the difference projects is the achievement of the Information Systems Plan.
Sixth, is to allocate standard work break down structures (WBS) to each RLC node. Detailed planning of the difference projects entails allocating the appropriate canned work breakdown structures and metrics. Employing WBS and metrics from a comprehensive methodology supports project management standardization, repeatability, and self-learning.
Seventh, is to load resources into each WBS node. Once the resources are determined, these are loaded into the project management meta entities of the meta data repository, that is, metrics, project, work plan and deliverables.
Eight, is to schedule the RLC nodes through a project management package facilities. The entire suite of projects is then scheduled on an enterprise-wide basis. The PERT chart used by project management is the PERT chart represented by the Resource Life Cycle enablement network.
Ninth, is to produce and review of the ISP. The scheduled result is predicable: Too long, too costly, and too ambitious. At that point, the real work starts: paring down the suite of projects to a realistic set within time and budget. Although the process is painful, the results can be justified and rationalized.
Lastly, is to execute and adjust the ISP through time. As the ISP is set into execution, technology changes occur that affect resource loadings. Because a quality ISP is automated, the recasting of the ISP should only take a week or less.
I have also searched critical success factors that are identified to achieve successful implementation of the IS plan. This includes fundings and resources, project sponsorship and/or management, training, communications, and shared vision. Let me just use these as my basis for suggesting ways on how to expedite or speed up the IS plan of the university.
Supposed the organization followed all the good criteria mentioned in the previous statements, it does not guarantee full-blown success to the company if the actions are only done late. What can our best cards do if they are not operated at a time it is most needed? Such is a factor of failure, if we talk of delay. Thus, it is a must that strategic plans are to be implemented at the right time and at the right place. There are no rooms for improvements if we do not speed up our implementation.
Assuming the government and all our partner agencies is ready to allocate funds for our resources, that may lessen our worries of acquiring budget requirements of our ISP. But an effective approach here is, adequate resources, be it human or materials, must be committed to all projects that they must not be diverted to other competing demands unless such demands threaten the mission of the university. I’m talking here of a sample situation wherein all the operational projects of the university ask for a slice of the budget for their own implementation that a big part of it is taken and less is left for the critical IS implementation. The administration may consider this and think of a better way that is also fair for all. Equipments should also be available on time and are functional to the best way it could to perform its tasks efficiently and timely. If the capacities of these equipments are at risk, the institutional operations will be affected caused by the delay.
In project sponsorship and management, each and every individual that is part of the management team shall be dedicated and active in promoting the projects of the IS plan. There must be evident cooperation among all bodies and departments concerned, and that these bodies shall act quickly upon any necessary changes that may happen. Take note again, delay causes problems.
On the training aspect, the administration shall prepare functional and effective training plan to be implemented in a timely manner before and after the IS plan implementation. Personnel and technical resources should be trained appropriately.
There should also be a clear statement of goals and strategies including project timetables and it should be well-communicated frequently among concerned bodies. Communications during (or even before) the implementation project shall be clear and concise and must be maintained at a regular basis. This is very important since in starting a project, the one who are in charge of it should be updated of the whereabouts and be keep-informed of what should be, and what is going on the project.
Most importantly, the overall team shall have a shared vision. All the individuals who are part of the management, administration, and even those who are not involved in spearheading the implementation as long as affected by the IS implementation, must have a common vision. Ownership must be shared among all. It is by this that all can have the enthusiasm to contribute help to the implementation of the IS plan because everybody feels they belong to the success of it. If and then, this little factor can bring out active participation among the bodies, and the risk of delay caused by unwilling and passive members will be eliminated.
In addition, since the primary factor with regards to the implementation of the IS plan is time, I would suggest that the project team (which composed of varying responsibilities for each functional area, like the following: Advisory Team, Project Sponsor, Project Manager, Functional Lead, Technical Lead, Infrastructure Lead, Research and Development Lead, Data Conversion Lead, Interface Lead, Client Lead, and Security Lead) shall complete their tasks in a timely manner and reduce cases of actions that may cause delay and further risks. The said team should attend meetings as scheduled, follow-up reports and review of documents and revisions promptly. And should communicate regularly with each team members, relate issues, risks, and changes to management as needed, evaluate problems and provide necessary corrections to documentations, meetings, and in any way applicable.
It is not always on the content side of the Information System (IS) plan tends to fail but also on the methodologies and the management which implements it. It is therefore important to improve the strategic approach to these plans as it is one of the most critical issues facing the organization of today. Potential factors leading to some risks include also the organizational and managerial side. Thus, to expedite the implementation of the IS plan, the university shall make ways to organize well its project team, and follow the suggested steps above in defining an efficient IS plan, and implementing it.
Sixth, is to allocate standard work break down structures (WBS) to each RLC node. Detailed planning of the difference projects entails allocating the appropriate canned work breakdown structures and metrics. Employing WBS and metrics from a comprehensive methodology supports project management standardization, repeatability, and self-learning.
Seventh, is to load resources into each WBS node. Once the resources are determined, these are loaded into the project management meta entities of the meta data repository, that is, metrics, project, work plan and deliverables.
Eight, is to schedule the RLC nodes through a project management package facilities. The entire suite of projects is then scheduled on an enterprise-wide basis. The PERT chart used by project management is the PERT chart represented by the Resource Life Cycle enablement network.
Ninth, is to produce and review of the ISP. The scheduled result is predicable: Too long, too costly, and too ambitious. At that point, the real work starts: paring down the suite of projects to a realistic set within time and budget. Although the process is painful, the results can be justified and rationalized.
Lastly, is to execute and adjust the ISP through time. As the ISP is set into execution, technology changes occur that affect resource loadings. Because a quality ISP is automated, the recasting of the ISP should only take a week or less.
I have also searched critical success factors that are identified to achieve successful implementation of the IS plan. This includes fundings and resources, project sponsorship and/or management, training, communications, and shared vision. Let me just use these as my basis for suggesting ways on how to expedite or speed up the IS plan of the university.
Supposed the organization followed all the good criteria mentioned in the previous statements, it does not guarantee full-blown success to the company if the actions are only done late. What can our best cards do if they are not operated at a time it is most needed? Such is a factor of failure, if we talk of delay. Thus, it is a must that strategic plans are to be implemented at the right time and at the right place. There are no rooms for improvements if we do not speed up our implementation.
Assuming the government and all our partner agencies is ready to allocate funds for our resources, that may lessen our worries of acquiring budget requirements of our ISP. But an effective approach here is, adequate resources, be it human or materials, must be committed to all projects that they must not be diverted to other competing demands unless such demands threaten the mission of the university. I’m talking here of a sample situation wherein all the operational projects of the university ask for a slice of the budget for their own implementation that a big part of it is taken and less is left for the critical IS implementation. The administration may consider this and think of a better way that is also fair for all. Equipments should also be available on time and are functional to the best way it could to perform its tasks efficiently and timely. If the capacities of these equipments are at risk, the institutional operations will be affected caused by the delay.
In project sponsorship and management, each and every individual that is part of the management team shall be dedicated and active in promoting the projects of the IS plan. There must be evident cooperation among all bodies and departments concerned, and that these bodies shall act quickly upon any necessary changes that may happen. Take note again, delay causes problems.
On the training aspect, the administration shall prepare functional and effective training plan to be implemented in a timely manner before and after the IS plan implementation. Personnel and technical resources should be trained appropriately.
There should also be a clear statement of goals and strategies including project timetables and it should be well-communicated frequently among concerned bodies. Communications during (or even before) the implementation project shall be clear and concise and must be maintained at a regular basis. This is very important since in starting a project, the one who are in charge of it should be updated of the whereabouts and be keep-informed of what should be, and what is going on the project.
Most importantly, the overall team shall have a shared vision. All the individuals who are part of the management, administration, and even those who are not involved in spearheading the implementation as long as affected by the IS implementation, must have a common vision. Ownership must be shared among all. It is by this that all can have the enthusiasm to contribute help to the implementation of the IS plan because everybody feels they belong to the success of it. If and then, this little factor can bring out active participation among the bodies, and the risk of delay caused by unwilling and passive members will be eliminated.
In addition, since the primary factor with regards to the implementation of the IS plan is time, I would suggest that the project team (which composed of varying responsibilities for each functional area, like the following: Advisory Team, Project Sponsor, Project Manager, Functional Lead, Technical Lead, Infrastructure Lead, Research and Development Lead, Data Conversion Lead, Interface Lead, Client Lead, and Security Lead) shall complete their tasks in a timely manner and reduce cases of actions that may cause delay and further risks. The said team should attend meetings as scheduled, follow-up reports and review of documents and revisions promptly. And should communicate regularly with each team members, relate issues, risks, and changes to management as needed, evaluate problems and provide necessary corrections to documentations, meetings, and in any way applicable.
It is not always on the content side of the Information System (IS) plan tends to fail but also on the methodologies and the management which implements it. It is therefore important to improve the strategic approach to these plans as it is one of the most critical issues facing the organization of today. Potential factors leading to some risks include also the organizational and managerial side. Thus, to expedite the implementation of the IS plan, the university shall make ways to organize well its project team, and follow the suggested steps above in defining an efficient IS plan, and implementing it.
***
Some of the written statements above are original statements from authors' articles. I would like to acknowledge the following articles and online reviews which helped me in constructing the essay:
Information Systems Strategic Planning
E.R. McLean and J.D. Soden, Strategic Planning for MIS, Wiley-Interscience, (1977)
Michael M. Gorman, Information Systems Plan: Rationale for an Information Systems Plan, The Data Administration Newsletter, (Sept. 1, 1999)
Taken from http://www.tdan.com/view-articles/5262
North Carolina State University Student Information System Implementation Project
[url=http://www.fis.ncsu.edu/sis/structure/charter041306.pdf ]http://www.fis.ncsu.edu/sis/structure/charter041306.pdf [/url]
The Implementation of Strategic Information Systems Planning Methodologies
By: Albert L. Lederer, Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA 15260, Vijay Sethi School of Management State University of New York at Buffalo Buffalo, NY 14260
http://zulsidi.tripod.com/pdf/sisp2.pdf
Microsoft Encarta Dictionaries
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