Information Systems Planning & Change Management

1. Information Systems Department Information Systems Planning & Change Management LECTURE 5

2. Learning Objectives • When you finish this chapter, you will • Recognize different approaches to business planning in general and IS planning in particular. • Understand how IS planning methods evolved. • Know how IS planning should be carried out. • Recognize the importance of integrating IS planning into overall organizational planning. • Appreciate the many complex factors faced by IS planners.

3. System Development Life Cycle • Series of steps used to manage the phases of development for an information system: • SDLC Consists of 4 phases:

4. Why Plan? The various components of an organization's information systems (hardware, software, databases, networks, and people) need to be successfully integrated in order to provide theright information at the right place and time. An IS architecture is needed to define the IS resources that will be used to support the business strategy, and the standards that should be adhered to in order to ensure compatibility within the system.

5. Elements Of Planning Why Plan? • Plan • A method for doing or making something, consisting of at least one goal and a predefined course of action for achieving that goal. • Goal • A specific result to be achieved; the end result of a plan. • Objectives • Specific results toward which effort is directed.

6. Why Plan? Elements Of Planning • Planning • The process of setting goals and courses of action, developing rules and procedures, and forecasting future outcomes. • What Planning Entails • Choosing goals and courses of action and deciding now what to do in the future to achieve those goals. • Assessing today the consequences of various future courses of action.

7. What Planning Accomplishes Why Plan? • Allows decisions to be made ahead of time. • Permits anticipation of consequences. • Provides direction and a sense of purpose. • Provides a unifying framework; avoiding piecemeal decision making. • Helps identify threats and opportunities and reduces risks. • Facilitates managerial control through the setting of standards for monitoring and measuring performance.

8. What is IS Planning? • An IS plan is a statement of how management foresees its ISs in the future. • IS plan includes: • Activities planner believes will help achieve goals. • Program for monitoring real-world progress. • Means for implementing changes in the plan.

9. Information Systems Planning in an organization • Information system planning” is different from “project planning” • Information System Planning (ISP) is the process by which a company (organisation) analyses its information needs and plan its project carefully • ISP is an orderly means of assessing the information needs of an organisation and defining the systems, databases, and technologies that will best satisfy those needs

10. What is IS Planning? • Information systems planning should be an integral part of business planning • Business planning – the process of identifying the firm’s goals, objectives, and priorities + developing action plans for accomplishing them. • Information systems planning – the part of business planning concerned with developing the firm’s information systems resources

11. What is Business Planning? • Business Planning • Define organization’s goals and objectives • Determine resources needed to attain objectives • Create policies to govern the acquisition, use, and distribution of resources • Provide for any changes in objectives

12. Principles for IS Planning • Support the firm’s business strategy with appropriate technical architecture. • Evaluate technology as a component of a larger system. • Recognize life cycle costs, not just acquisition costs. • Design information systems to be maintainable. • Recognize the human side of technology use. • Support and control the technical system.

13. Figure .1Business planning Business Planning

14. Approaches to Planning • Top-down or goal-driven Planning • Focuses on organizational goals first, then on the needs of business units • Bottom-up Planning • Focuses on needs of business units first, then on organizational goals

15. Figure .2Top-down, or goal-driven, planning considers the organization as a whole. Approaches to Planning

16. Figure .3In bottom-up planning, the process starts with consideration of individual concerns. Approaches to Planning

17. Approaches to Planning 3. Planning by Critical Success Factors • Executives define critical success factors first so planning can address resources to support those factors • Critical success factor: issues identified as critically important to business success

18. Critical Success Factors • The limited number of areas which managers must effectively control to ensure that the firm will survive and thrive • It ensures that the planning team is able to prioritize • It focuses on business objectives, not on information systems

19. Figure .4Business planning by critical success factors Approaches to Planning

20. Figure .5Advances in IS planning since the 1970s Information Systems Planning

21. Information Systems Planning • The steps of an IS Planning: • Corporate mission statement • Vision for IT within organization • IS strategic and tactical plans • Operations plan to achieve mission and vision • Budget to ensure resources are available

22. Figure .6The steps of information systems planning

23. Figure .7Prerequisites for effective IS planning Information Systems Planning • Prerequisites for Information Systems Planning

24. Information Systems Planning 1. The Corporate and IS Mission Statements • The Corporate mission statement details the purpose of the organization and its overall goals. • IS mission statement outlines the purpose of ISs in the organization.

25. Figure .8The mission statement of a university IS organization Information Systems Planning

26. Information Systems Planning 2. The IT Vision • Wish list of what IS managers would like to see in terms of hardware, software, and communications, to contribute to goals of the organization

27. Information Systems Planning 3. Strategic and Tactical IS Planning • IS strategic plan details what is to be achieved • IS tactical plan describes how goals will be met and by when

28. Figure .9Rigid and dynamic planning Information Systems Planning

29. Information Systems Planning • Important Factors in IS Tactical Planning • Flexibility • Compatibility • Connectivity • Scalability • Standardization • Total Cost of Ownership

30. Figure .10Hardware planning Information Systems Planning

31. Figure .11Total cost of ownership per laptop computer Information Systems Planning

32. IS Planning Initiatives • Four groups of people who initiate new or improved ISs from different perspectives • Top management • IS professionals • Line managers • Users

33. Figure .12IS planning can be driven by a variety of sources. IS Planning Activities

34. Figure .13A survey of 100 CEOs and other executives shows that IT projects are initiated by business unit managers and IT managers, but also by top executives. IS Planning Activities

35. Planning Role of the IS and User Departments • The IS department is responsible for producing the IS plan in conjunction with the user departments • Chief information officer (CIO) • Leads the IS function, and is responsible for making sure that the IS plan supports the firm's business plan

36. Planning Role of the IS and User Departments • User roles in IS planning – roles: • Sponsors– senior managers who make sure resources are allocated for building and maintaining the system • Champions– individuals that recognize the importance of an IS, and exert effort to make sure that others share that recognition • IS steering committees– make sure that the IS reflects business priorities

37. The Champion • High-ranking officer who commands sufficient political clout to include IS in planning • Most effective champions are not IS professionals. • A successful champion is a leader who can: • Promote the vision of IT in the organization. • Inspire top management and subordinates alike. • Remove barriers to realizing vision. • Focus on both short-term and long-term objectives. • Be a torchbearer for making change happen. • Drive accountability to lowest organizational level.

38. Figure .14Systems analysts facilitate change by motivating, educating, and training. The Systems Analyst as an Agent of Change

39. The Systems Analyst as an Agent of Change • Planning almost always deals with change, which people tend to resist. • Systems analysts must convince users that the new system will help them in their work. • Explain how a new system will improve business performance • Train individuals in the use of the new system

40. Ethical and Societal IssuesCodes of Ethics for IS Professionals • IS professionals can find themselves in situations where the interests of different constituencies collide. • Many organizations do not provide adequate guidelines for resolving conflicts of interest.

41. Ethical and Societal IssuesCodes of Ethics for IS Professionals • IS organizations with codes of ethics • Association of Computing Machinery • Data Processing Management • International Federation for Information Processing • British Computer Society • Canadian Information Processing Society • Institute for Certification of Computer Professionals

42. Any Questions?