IT Strategy Plan
You have spent many years as an MIS executive. You have just been hired as the new C.I.O. for a company of your choosing. You will need to create an IT strategy that addresses the necessary information technology needs and projects that the company must undertake to be successful.
You will first determine your mission, vision, and strategic goals. Once those are established, you will create your IT strategy/plan. The IT strategy should document how your business will plan, execute, and measure all activities.
You will need to present your strategy to the Executive Board. As the Chief Information Officer (C.I.O), you will need to be clear about how your efforts will increase efficiency, effectiveness, and profitability.
Instructions
Create an IT strategy/plan for your business that you can present to the Executive Leadership Team. It will need to be detailed, clear, and specific so that they can understand your plan then trust in your abilities to manage this part of the business.
Your submission should be in Microsoft Word. You may use a Microsoft Word template to create your IT plan. Appendices for the organizational chart and MIS architecture may be attached separately. Each of the following sections, should be a section of your final IT plan.
Section 1 – Summarize the business and industry that you chose. Explain the type of leadership style you believe is best suited in a changing business environment. Discuss how leadership principles will help ease the challenges of a fast changing IT environment.
Section 2 – Produce an organizational chart that adequately depicts the hierarchal relationship between the IT department and other key business positions. Using the organizational chart, summarize how decision making is impacted by “change,” planned or unplanned. Describe the internal and external stakeholders that will be impacted by the changes.
Section 3 – Evaluate the existing design of the MIS architecture then provide a summary of how the architecture supports business objectives. Analyzing your companies resources and the needs of your MIS architecture, determine the best IT systems implementation model. Create a Disaster Recovery plan that provides automated restoral of key systems and services.
Section 4 – Conduct a systems analysis in order to determine IT systems requirements based upon business objectives and goals. Conduct an inventory of existing IT resources in order to determine the impact of implementing change.
Section 5 – Create a MIS architecture baseline that outlines the current capacity and capability of the infrastructure. Examine and define the best systems life cycle methodology for changes to your MIS architecture. Defend your chosen methodology based upon the capabilities of your chosen company.
Section 6 – As changes to the MIS architecture are necessary, explain how you will implement the changes from a Change Management perspective. Demonstrate knowledge of the change control process. Create a RFP that will be submitted to executive leadership of the organization for approval.
IT Strategy Plan
The business in consideration is an electronics company that deals with the distribution and repair of computer-related devices. The electronic company has been operating for quite a long period of time and in recent time it has opted for integration IT in its functions. The decision is important due to its growth and for it to remain competitive in the current market. The business has grown to be a distributor of electronic items and it is mainly selling their items to other retailers. Therefore the proposed technology can be used in chain and supply, human resources, accounting department, managing inventory among other applications. The technology can also be applied in the sharing of information between different departments and with the suppliers and retailers. The transformational leadership is more effective in such kind of an environment because transformational leadership has a positive effect of enhancing innovation in an organization. The leaders are able to communicate effectively and promote innovation within the company. Leader innovation enhances effective commitment and workers are able to adapt effectively to changes in the IT environment (Mano, 2014). Transformational leadership promotes leadership performance which in turn increases work performance. The leadership principles such as purpose, values, leading by example, consistency, knowing the people will aid in solving most of the challenges that face the organization. For instance, purpose defines what is intended to be achieved in an IT environment. An IT leader should lead by example especially in performing IT-related tasks or introducing a change in an organization. Additionally, an IT leader should exercise good values which are aimed at promoting the growth of the business. Consistency is important in ensuring workers always work in line with the objectives and goals of the company.
Figure 1: Organizational Chart
The process of decision making in the company will be facilitated by the new structure or systems once it is implemented. The information or data for making decisions will be obtained in real-time. Real-time information facilitates quick decision making as opposed to the current file system where the users take a long period of time in retrieving information. The process of quick decision making will enhance the growth of the company. The whole process will facilitate the delivery of services in the shortest time possible. The internal stakeholders that will benefit from the introduced changes are the workers and management. The workers will use the new system in service delivery and enhancing the quality of services. It will facilitate the delivery of activities within a short period as opposed to the current system that is slow. The staff will not have difficulties in performing basic tasks such as data entry, sharing and communication. On the other hand, the management will utilize the information stored in the system for decision making and monitoring the growth of the company. External stakeholders will use the system in the ordering of their stock and for payments as well as sharing of critical information.
The existing design of MIS architecture is more effective in supporting the sharing and storage of information. The process enhances the growth of the business by facilitating most of the activities. The MIS system houses critical data and controls most of the function of a company. The architecture supports business objectives by enhancing the delivery of services and promoting efficiency. Also, the system makes the organization to remain relevant and more competitive in the current world of technological change. The objective of the company is to provide quality services to the customers thereby promoting its growth. Different company resources require MIS architecture. For instance, human resource needs the architecture for the management of the workers, financial resources requires the architecture for proper management of finances and promote transparency and accountability. MIS architecture requires proper training and management for it to perform effectively. Training of the staff on the new developments and how to use the system is necessary. The best IT implementation model in this scenario is the Verification and Validation Model also known as the V-shaped model. The data recovery plan involves the compiling of the inventory such as hardware, laptops, and desktops among others. The next step is the identification of critical software and applications used in the company and documentation of the disaster recovery plan. The final step is the development of data backup for the protection of a large amount of data.
The requirements of the IT system are the security of data, specialized individuals and equipment. Security of the data is critical because most of the data for the company will be shared and stored in the system. Therefore there should be the security of the data in terms of ensuring data is not lost or leaked to unauthorized individuals. Confidentiality and integrity of data are important in the system. Specialized skills in the field of IT are also a requirement because of the continuous changes and management of the system. The change will have a positive impact on ensuring the security of the hardware and software. The change will also facilitate the rapid sharing of information and finally, it will enhance the delivery of services. The new software/hardware will be replaced to accommodate the new requirements of the system.
The current capacity and capabilities of the infrastructure are its ability to accommodate more users such as the management, the staff and the external stakeholders. The system has an enhanced speed which implies that it has a capacity of processing information within the shortest time possible. The system can also perform several transactions simultaneously. The best system life cycle for implementing the change is the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). The system development life cycle follows the five main steps which are design, implementation, maintenance, planning and analysis. The chosen methodologies are more effective because it covers the critical sections of ensuring that the capabilities are achieved. It is a step by step approach functionalities and independent on each other. The methodology will ensure that all the details are covered.
Change is important for the organization and integration of change is one of the major tasks for IT leaders. Change will be implemented in the organization through training, mentorship and other processes such as seminars and meetings. In such programs, the workers and management will be trained on the new developments and how to utilize them in their daily activities. Communication is also important in implementing change in an organization because it helps in clarifying important issues that arise. Therefore, change can be implemented by formulating an effective channel of communication. Resources (human, capital etc) are also contributing factors in change implementation.
Reference
Mano, B. T. (2014). Effect of Transformational Leadership Style. Information Technology, Organization Culture and Leader Innovation on Leader Performance (Study in Jayapura City Government). International Journal of Business and Manaagement Invention, 3(10), 28-39.
