The business issues facing an organisation at any particular time will vary but examples include; not a very good ROI (Return on Investment), disruptions to growth and loss of customer confidence. There can also be IT (Information Technology) issues such as; how to get the most out of systems we already have, staff productivity and training, system integration issues like incompatible and duplicate data, and frustrations with computers generally. Personal issues include stress.
Causes can vary a great deal too. A common one is a lack of an overall approach (strategy) to information systems so that the organisation does not have the information and business processes it needs to execute its business strategy successfully.
Frequently there to too much focus on IT, so that the organisation loses sight of business requirements. For example, one organisation was trying to make a business case for workflow software (software that automates business processes). They were having trouble defining the benefits for the business case and an analysis revealed there was no business process design to create any benefits. The project leader thought that the possible general benefits of the software, like speeding up business processes, were automatic as a result of computerising a process. Whereas in reality other factors, like reluctance to delegate, can mean just automating systems will not solve the problem.
Lack of an enterprise-wide view of all systems, both manual and automated, causes; integration problems, poor allocation of priorities, poor use of resources, and communication and training problems because you cannot see the wood from the trees. This in turn causes unnecessary stress.
There are also shortcomings with current approaches to IT strategy, which stem from a lack of system thinking. Perhaps this is not surprising as the term Information Technology makes no reference to systems. For example, business functions are missed, so are the interaction between business functions. Also projects and tasks are carried out in the wrong order, causing unnecessary re-working and confusion.
There are basically two solutions, do it yourself or get some outside help. To do it yourself here are some guidelines. First we need to be clear what an Information Systems (IS) strategy is. Our view of IS strategy is a general plan of action to produce a general (strategic) information systems design, which meets business objectives, aligns with the general business strategy and encompasses IT. Information systems are not just another word for IT, but are a way of looking at the business, which is systematic and independent of technology, and includes manual systems. The whole business is seen as a system of business processes. It also includes people aspects, such as training, and organisational aspects, where required, and business resource management such as cash flow.
The general benefits of an information systems strategy are that it allows you to increase profits by resolving the complexity. This is done by looking at the big picture outwards and downwards, from an integrated business perspective, in a systematic way, with IT as an integrated part of the business rather than isolated data islands. So it reduces confusion and stress, while increasing your understanding of the business and IT. Resources are targeted more effectively as it is clearer what will make the most contribution to the business strategy. Resources are can also used more efficiently by seeing areas of commonality and the best order to carry out tasks from an efficiency point of view. Balancing effectiveness with efficiency enables you to get your priorities right and approve projects with more confidence. Communication and training are easier. It also helps to see where you a heading for in 1 to 2 year's time. The best direction to go in, how to increase ROI, revenue and productivity, protect existing market share and reduce costs, becomes much clearer. Furthermore, you have a plan against which to measure progress.
You need first to realise that information systems strategy is not a one-off but has to be changed continually to adapt to a changing environment and to capitalise on better ideas. So the highest level approach is based on the life cycle of creation, then operation, modification and finally disposal. As all these processes can be seen as acting on the strategy, the strategy has to be designed to optimise all these processes.
Define business objectives correctly so that the IS strategy aligns with the business strategy. Scope the project properly. It is easy to miss out of the way offices or some products, services or business functions. Don't miss interaction between functions as do some approaches to strategy. Do projects in the right order to avoid or minimise re-working. If re-working cannot be avoided, make sure this is in the plan. The same applies to tasks, for example, don't try to design the database before you know what you want out of it, otherwise you will go round in circles re-working.
If you want to outsource the work, here is some idea of the specification of the person you need. At least 10 years experience of information systems. Not just an IT person but someone with a business focus and experience of systems in a wider context, including manual systems and organisational aspects. Someone who has been a computer programmer. Experience of your business sector experience might be useful, but can mean less innovative input than from someone whose ideas are drawn from a wider experience in other sectors. You already have the sector knowledge yourself, after all. Be careful though. In the example in Causes above, the project manager who thought benefits from software produced automatic business benefits, without considering design, worked for one of the large consulting firms.
Please click here for some examples
Telephone: +44 (0)20 8573 3911
Email: vlilley@lilleyinfosys.co.uk