A FRAMEWORK FOR DEVELOPING AN INFORMATION SYSTEMS STRATEGY

摘要

Planning an Information Systems strategy is a decision-making process. Such a crucial process should not be undertaken in isolation. This paper will describe and discuss a general framework that may be adopted when developing an Information Systems strategy. The proposed framework focuses on a five-stage model; an example of possible tools and techniques that can be adopted at each stage will be discussed. The framework spans the past, the present, and the future and incorporates a plan and a review stage. Each stage poses a single question. This approach to developing an Information Systems strategy systemically focuses the mind on the five key questions in turn. First, what has been learnt from experience in terms of successes and failures. Second comes a critical analysis of the current situation. Third is the identification of future information system objectives allied with business objectives. Next stage plans how to progress towards these objectives by exploiting relevant experiences, strengths and opportunities whilst overcoming weaknesses and threats. The third and forth stages are iterative both within and between each other. Finally the whole process should be reviewed, this completes the cycle and provides part of the input into the first stage of the next cycle.