Purpose of IS Planning and Major Challenges

Discuss the purpose of IS planning and identify its major challenges?

To start with this written answer, to be truth is that I don’t really know the purpose of IS planning. And yet with research and scans of paper I’ve read many articles and books regarding to this question. I’m confused with several questions in my mind and wonder how this plan works and process because of so many resources I’ve read. Though several unanswered question had left behind my mind and this lead me to clarity to answer this given question. The methodology I would use in answering this question is handed on the process of what I had understood regarding with this question. To know first the meaning of IS planning to uncover the significance and clarification of what lies behind IS and its process as well as the participation with the company, though its only part of my method in answering this but the key to this problem is the reflection that I will share later on.

First of all what is an IS? According to wikipedia.org “The term information system (IS) sometimes refers to a system of persons, data records and activities that process the data and information in an organization, and it includes the organization’s manual and automated processes.” As you could grasp from the wikipedia it stated that is involves systems of persons, data records and activities you could notice how IS influence the company from of its work. And when the IS process the plan for the company it generate not only the upper system of the company but involves from head to foot of the company that would play a major role in the plan and every angle should be observe. I’m not yet started with the answer for this question but I’m on the process of giving clarification of what is IS planning is all about. As you can notice how IS draw its part in the company on the important role it plays in controlling the system and flow of the information to utilize it for maximization profit and success for the company.

Information System is a set of people,procedures, and resources that collects, transforms, and disseminates information in an organization. A system that accepts data resources as inputs and processes them into information products as outputs. Information system planning plays a fundamental role in the business. It support the business process and operations. It also supports the decision making by its employees and managers. Lastly it support the company strategies for competitive advantage. Thus, Strategic information systems can help provide and service that give a business a comparative advantage over its competitors.

Yesterday was a great history and future will be a big mystery, what had happened in the past is now a part for the present to plan that lies ahead. IS (Information System) team usually looking all problems on critical angle because one single system problem might cause a domino effect to other sub-system. Planning the future must involve everything under the sun and the sun itself though you can predict what would happened, but it must also anticipate what are the hindrances that the road you are taking. As what had happened in our past technology presentation on our subject Future Technology, which we didn’t anticipated the possibilities of problem. That we need to canceled the presentation and retreat for the next year to come for presentation of our dioramas in our past technology. Though it’s so sad, that this event had happened and it’s really disappointing that we need to wait another time for our presentation because we had already set our time in the range of time frame but hopefully with great heart our beloved professor had given us a chance. In line with the reflection I’d share to discussion of the question that is focusing the purpose of IS planning, is to have a timely characteristic that would plan ahead of time and planning need not to be long enough, so in the process time it would have much more time to work out of what the plan is aiming. Time is gold and they say once it tick it wouldn’t tick the time again. Next is useable, Information System plays a big role in corporate or in company because it holds the company state whether it incline or decline though it is only a tool for the company to use the IS that holds the company to be stable and IS plays a big role from input to output product of the company and its system. Company might have a big system and a multiple sub-system in each division, different fields assigns different system and task. To control the flow within the system is really a big and a complex task to an IS because it wouldn’t be timely if this thing would crash down like a domino so useable characteristic plays a part in this discussion. Useable in a sense that the system is centralized to all the project or system, it would eliminate some of the problem in the company. And if it is useable and centralized it would be easy to implement the project on the other sub-system of the company because it is easy to maintain and that would be the third characteristic that I would like to introduce. Maintainable this would cater many different strength of the company one’s it is centralized it would be easy maintain and maintainable must be done quick and fast so if errors or problem occur it would easily debug so it is very important to have oneness in the company. And what is the sense of making an IS plan if the plan is not maintainable it is like making trash to a paper bin. The fourth part that I would identify the major challenge in dealing with ISP is the Quality. We as IT professional we should criticized the quality of the plan as one of the factors that can help to produce a better IS planning. So much more, the fact that this would lays the companies attributes on systems flows and success. It also implies every strategical way that could be a basis for the quality of the company. With this quality factor the decision and every plan for the entire system would surely have a greater chance in dealing and resolving problems in the company. Lastly, to complete the cycle of this challenges that IS planning should have would be the Reproducible. Through with this characteristic, the people involve in IS planning were getting to a point of having the same and one yet very essential plan.

In summary, successful management of information system planning and major challenges of business managers and professional. Thus, the information system function a major functional area of business that is as important to business success as the function of operations management and marketing. An important contributer to operational efficiency employee productivity and customer service and satisfaction. Finally a major source of information and support needed to promote effective decision making by the company managers and executives.

Reference:

Aventureworks.com, December 2008, Information System Planning, “http://www.aventureworks.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12”

Michael M. Gorman ,December 2008, Information System Plan article, September 1, 1999 , www.tdan.com, “http://www.tdan.com/view-articles/5262”

Alan R. Simon, Nov. 2008, Business Plan, July 1995, “How to be a successful computer Consultant Third Edition – p.100”