Information System Planning

Process in which organization will think about IS introduction in the organization. Here organization will first find out the current situation and type of business processes used (complexities also) and the data which is being used in those business processes.

Planning includes mission, objectives, strategies and policies.

IS Planning
Information systems planning involves several planning activities: Strategic IS Planning - aligns investment in IT with a companys business vision and strategic organizational goals. Tactical IS Planning - evaluates current and projected information needs of the organization, prioritizes IS development projects, and develops allocation plans for financial and technology resources. Operational IS Planning - develops plans such as annual operating budgets and individual IS project plans.

Information System Planning, essentially involves

(i)

Identification of the stage(s) of information

system in the organization;

(ii)

Identification of the applications of

(iii)

(iv) (v)

organizational information systems; Evaluation of each of these applications, based on established evaluation criteria; Establishing a priority ranking for these applications; and Determining the optimum architecture of information system for servicing the top priority applications.

Development of IS Plan
A good IS plan should address the following topics 1.The purpose of the plan Overview of the plan contents Current business organization and future business organization Key business processes

2. Strategic Business plan Current situations Current Business organizations Changing Environment Major Goals of Business Plan 3. Current Systems Major systems supporting Business functions and processes Current Infrastructure,( capabilities, h/w, s/w, database). Difficulty meeting Business requirement Anticipated Future Demands

4.New Developments New System Projects (Project Description ,Business Motto) New Infrastructure Capabilities Required (h/w ,s/w,database, telecommunication and Internet etc.) 5. Management Strategy Acquisition Plans, management controls, internal re-organization, Major Training Initiatives, personnel strategy.

6.Implementation Plan Anticipated Difficulties (Shortage of Resources) Progress Reports (generating reports on Scheduled basis) 7.Budget Requirement Current and future requirements Financing

For an effective IS plan, the organization must have a clear understanding of both its long and short term information requirements. For establishing information requirement of organization as a whole, two principal methodologies are used: 1) Enterprise Analysis (using BSPBusiness system Planning) 2) Critical Success Factors

Nolan Stage Model for IS Planning A/c to the Model ,any organization will move through stages of maturity with respect to the use and management of information system. It is ,in fact a contingency model that helps managers diagnose the stage(s) of information system in an organization and thus provides a set of limits to planning.This Model is called Contingency model because it states:IF these features exists THEN the information system is in this stage.

STAGE 1 (INITIATION STAGE) Technology is placed in organization Only a small no. of users STAGE 2 (EXPANSION STAGE) Rapid and Uncontrolled growth STAGE 3 (CONTROL STAGE) Organization gain control over the technologys resources by implementing formal control processes and standards.

STAGE 4 (INTEGRATION STAGE) At this stage organization gain experience and maturity in IS/IT applications Planning is well established. STAGE 5 (DATA ADMINISTRATION) Emphasis on managing corporate data. Contributed to strategic advantage to the organization. STAGE 6 (MATURITY STAGE) IS/IT matches with the objective of the organization. Leads to Business Development

The Four Stage model of IS Planning (developed by Bowmen )

1.Strategic Planning Matching the overall organizational plan with the IS plan 2.Information Requirement Analysis Identifying Broad organizational information requirements. 3.Resource Allocation Allocating resources for IS development and operation 4.Project Planning Formulating a plan giving Resource requirements for specific IS projects and schedules

Identifying IT Applications
The first step towards planning for IT infrastructure in a business enterprise is systematic identification of applications for better IT infrastructure planning and its integration with the overall business plans of the enterprise. There are two broad approaches to systematic identification of IT applications. 1. Structured Approach (more focused ) Business System Planning Critical Success Factors 2. Unstructured Approach