Purpose

To develop and maintain an organization-wide information system strategy based on current and evolving business goals and strategies.

Focus

To define immediate and mid-term approaches for information system projects to optimally support the business as it evolves.

You will need:

Inputs

Business plan Corporate vision or philosophy AS IS Information System Documentation

Contributors

Senior Client Representatives, Information Technology management

Experts

Data administrators; Lead systems analysts, Project planners

Advisors

Executive management

Techniques

Problem definition, Problem/symptom reduction, Enterprise modeling, Data modeling, Process modeling, System usage matrices, Affinity analysis, *CRUD matrices

Tools

Data and/or process modeling, Spreadsheets, Word processors

Agenda

The following example depicts the sequence of activities during a typical 5 day session.

Time

Participant activities

Day 1, a.m.

• Introductions and agenda presentation

• Assess and revise business goals and strategies

Day 1, p.m.

• Create high-level process model of business

• Define business problems and opportunities

Day 2, a.m.

• Determine benefits of solving business problems

• Create high-level data model of major business entities

Day 2, p.m.

• Explode process model down 1 level

• Evaluate the impact of emerging technologies on each business area

Day 3, a.m.

• Validate data model and identify key attributes

• Overlay organization chart on process model

Day 3, p.m.

• Define data entity ownership

• Develop CRUD (Create, Retrieve, Update, Delete) matrix

Day 4, a.m.

• Define strategic information system initiatives in break-out sessions

• Validate CRUD matrix

Day 4, p.m.

• Present proposed initiatives for group discussion

• Evaluate potential project scopes based on affinities

Day 5, a.m.

• Define first-cut project scopes and initial estimates

• Prioritize strategic projects

Day 5, p.m.

• Revisit open issues and questions lists

• Assign post-session tasks and schedule post-session meeting

Tips and Tricks

This session should be a recurring event. Conduct it annually and/or within the year whenever major changes in the business world (i.e., corporate buy-out, new executive management, etc.) endanger or invalidate the existing deliverables.

Warning

Do not waste the effort required to create a strategic information plan by not maintaining the deliverables to reflect completed work as well as externally mandated changes. The cost of the on-going update may easily exceed the cost of initial development, but the payback in terms of visibility, objective evaluation criteria and proactive project planning will be tremendous.

Output description

The deliverables of this session set the tone for all major information technology projects for the immediate (1 - 2 year) and mid-term (3 - 5 year) future. These documents are an objective set of criteria for the evaluation, planning, scheduling and resource allocation of all major IT projects.

Problem/opportunity statements define what the organization has to address.

Critical success factors identify information needs and systems that are critical for organizational success.

Strategic systems visions select information systems within the organization that enable or enhance a competitive advantage.

Technology architectures assess current and emerging hardware and software technologies that may impact the organization and require an appropriate strategy.

High-level data models present major entities, potential key attributes and the business relationships between entities.

Business class diagrams present major classes, significant attributes, key methods, and the critical associations between classes.

High-level process models are functions performed by the business with organizational units responsible for each identified process.

Affinity matrices relate data entities to business function, business function to IT systems, business function to organization chart, etc.

IT project lists identify scope and prioritize information system projects with forecasts of required effort and cost.