From Business Strategy to IT Action

1
From Business Strategy to IT Action

• Chapter 7
• Tackle the Right Problems

2
A Practical Perspective

• in this chapter the authors are going to
  reiterate issues such ac alignment of IS/IT with
  corporate goals, prioritization if IS/IT goals,
  measuring performance such as return on
  investment
• begin viewing your Learning Alliance company
  through the texts perspective

3
Learning Alliance Companies

• Classic Finds
• Electronic Installations
• Families in Motion
• Java Estate Roastery
• Linprint
• Priddyboys
• Provis Media
• Silver Coast Winery

4
Tie to 10 Point Disaster Plan

• the chapter should get you started towards your
  disaster plan for this course
• nothing elaborate, something practical
• format
• executive summary (1 page) followed by no more
  than 4 more pages complete but succinct
• what is the problem, why is it important (money,
  critical to ongoing operations, etc. may be
  more than one)
• how will the disaster trigger be recognized and
  by whom
• how will success be measured (lower losses, a
  profit out of the disaster, something else) and
  by whom
• who is responsible to formulate the plan,
  recognize the disaster trigger, operate during
  and after the disaster, measure the response, etc
• see Exhibit at bottom of page 113 in the text
  and start with the big arrow containing
  Effective Planning

5
Practical Problems Revolve Around People

• a plan (good or bad) will fail if senior
  decision-makers dont accept it what will make
  your Learning Alliance company accept your plan?
• drill down to the next level, people likely to
  implement the plan what will make them accept
  your plan?

6
In Many Organizations the IT Plan Does Not
Effectively Tie to the Organizations Business
Strategy

• I realize this is said in every chapter, but
  repetition of this fact is important
• what can be done to tie IS/IT plans to the
  organizations plans
• have a tactical (if not strategic) plan for IS/IT
  and explicitly show where it ties to the
  organizations strategic plan
• have a member of IS/IT on the organizations
  planning committee (text calls this the right
  person)
• some companies tie this to the budgeting process
  mixed success/failure dont let IS/IT budget
  in a different way from the rest of the
  organization

7
Legacies Entitlements

• disasters can be a way of forcing organizations
  to deal with
• dead wood expenditures
• non-essential applications
• in prioritization exercises, you must be willing
  to set a priority of zero IS/IT cannot be
  allowed to say that they have to give the users
  what they want, IS/IT needs to influence users
  to help them understand what they need

8
Caveat

• page 117 118, IT Impact Management Approach to
  Legacy and Entitlement Mentality
• a great section, read it to understand its deeper
  meaning
• be prepared that if you are the proponent of this
  and do not have the support of the senior
  managers in the areas being affected then you are
  committing suicide

9
Management Expectations

• can be distorted by
• previous systems that do not compare with current
  systems
• claims by vendors and/or colleagues in other
  companies
• inaccurate metrics
• the desire by senior management to want a simple
  solution
• notice the bottom third of page 123 and top of
  page 124 the authors (usually so ready to
  demand tangible measurements of IS/IT) waffle and
  say link IS/IT to company strategic goals is
  better

10
It Aint Broke is No Way to Measure IS/IT
Projects

• why
• rapid change in IS/IT capabilities
• broken applications can be masked
• does not plan, only looks at current and past