implementing business systems to support business needs Establish an information strategy based on an evaluation of the business strategy. Establish a development plan of user-oriented systems to meet business information needs and priorities. Define an information architecture for the future development of compatible data-sharing systems. Establish a technical strategy for the best use of new information technology. Define the most effective organization of the information system function within the enterprise. - Evaluate the effectiveness of existing systems - Identify data as a corporate resource and establish a basis for its analysis and control - Assess the impact of the effective use of information technology on the overall organization of the enterprise - Increase the awareness of management about developments in and opportunities of information technology - Improve communications within the enterprise about the effective use of information technology
- Involve users in the management of system
development to increase their confidence in the possibilities offered by new systems Planning of the information environment of any enterprise is essential for the following reasons: - Fast developments of information technology leading to integration of computer and communication technologies - The impact of information technology on successful performance of the enterprise - Widespread use of information technology for all business activities and management levels within the enterprise - The need to use scarce resources (e.g., people, money) in the most effective way to provide information In addition to the considerations behind Information Engineering, ISP has the following general characteristics.
Relates the Information Strategy
The diagram shown below illustrates the
relationship of the information strategy to the business strategy and to the state of the art of information technology. It deals with business and information strategy.
The ISP primarily addresses the following topics:
- What is the current business and information
environment?
- What are requirements for change?
- What should the target information environment
be?
- How can this goal be achieved?
Information Strategy Planning considers the target information environment from four points of view:
- The structure of the enterprise in terms of
what it may keep information about and the activities that may use this information (i.e., information Civil Engineer)
- The systems and databases needed to
support the activities of the enterprise (i.e., business systems Civil Engineer)
- The technical facilities which are required
to run these systems and databases (i.e., technical Civil Engineer) THIS DIAGRAM SHOWS THE DIFFERENT - The appropriate organization of the CIVIL ENGINEER LEVELS IN ISP information activities An ISP defines clear products, produced during the planning process, on which strategic decisions can be based. These straightforward products are the prime basis for communication among all persons involved in the planning process. ISP products follow the concepts and definitions of information engineering so that they can be used again in subsequent stages of the development process. In addition to project management tasks to plan, activate, control and end the ISP project, there are four task groupings in an ISP, with a major milestone review at the end of each group of tasks. The tasks are decomposed further into subtasks. The tasks and subtasks lead to well-defined products. This group of tasks produces an overview of the enterprise. It includes conducting discussions with top management to clarify the mission, objectives and critical success factors of the enterprise, and exploring the current information management organization and the technical and information Civil Engineers. Tasks in this group are: - Analyze Business Strategy - Analyze Information Management Organization - Analyze Current Technical Environment - Define Preliminary Information Architecture - Milestone Review The tasks in this group describe the information needs and activities that support the business objectives. By defining the relationship between overall business objectives and specific information needs, this group provides the basis for setting priorities and for building architectures for future systems. Tasks in this group are: - Analyze Current and Planned Systems - Determine Business Information Needs and Priorities - Milestone Review This sequence of tasks results in the creation of three enterprise-wide Civil Engineers: the information Civil Engineer, the business systems Civil Engineer, and the technical Civil Engineer. It also recommends a future information management organization. Tasks in this group are: - Define Information Civil Engineer - Define Business Systems Civil Engineer - Define Technical Civil Engineer - Define Future Information Management Organization - Milestone Review The final set of tasks in an ISP project evaluates strategies for implementing the Civil Engineers, including managing the transition from current to new systems. A strategic plan is also prepared. The strategic plan sets priorities for each of the following types of projects: - Analysis and design projects - Personal computing applications - Technical projects - Organizational projects - Other specific information technology projects
The tasks in this group are:
- Define Strategies and Plans - Agree on Information Strategy The ISP tasks are interdependent. Products of one task can be used or modified in another one. Products can also be important for review and communication purposes during the ISP process, or they may be necessary for subsequent stages of information engineering. To enhance project management, reviews are scheduled after each of the five major ISP tasks is completed. Purpose of Information Planning The purpose of an information planning activity is to answer specific planning questions within the enterprise. A methodology will help the analyst obtain the right answer to the right questions. Applying a methodology is never an end in itself. The planning effort must ultimately lead to other projects. It is important that the organization as a whole support the decisions in order to ensure that they are successfully implemented. An ISP project provides a framework for communication about what is relevant to these decisions. During this communication process, the analyst should be sensitive to conflicting opinions and interests, resolving them to improve the overall commitment to the decisions that are taken. So, an information planning project can be considered, in part, as a communication process. The ISP methodology addresses matters that are important for information planning decisions. The ISP tasks lead to products that support the communication of these aspects within the enterprise. The specific information aspects that are relevant for the enterprise in a given planning situation may differ, depending on the problems and circumstances that the enterprise faces. Therefore, in any planning situation, the analyst must choose the ISP tasks and products that will best support the decisions to be made. The ISP methodology can be seen as a general philosophy of information planning. It provides a toolkit of tasks, techniques, and products from which a proper choice can be made.