TABLE OF CONTENTS A number of different methods have been proposed for doing IT strategic planning. Many of these failed because they were not pragmatic. They were filled with jargon. They were not common sense. While the methods change, the issues associated with IT strategic planning often do not.
These issues can be divided into the following categories.
The role of management and others in the planning process is not well defined.
What people are supposed to do with the plan is not considered. The emphasis is on accomplishing the plan.
What the plan is really intended to accomplish is not considered.
How the plan elements are to be linked to the business is not clearly determined. This raises issues in alignment and impact of the plan on the business.
Some people lose sight of the fact that the plan is just the plan. It does not, in and of itself, result in change.
Here are some general guidelines for IT strategic planning.
Make sure you have some defined method for getting resources and money for the action items in the plan after the plan is approved.
Involve as many managers and staff as you can, to get more support for the plan.
Try to have about half of the action items in the plan be nonproject based. That is, they address policies, procedures, organization, roles, etc. things that can be done without money.
Develop the plans as lists and tables of issues, objectives, strategies, and action items that can be...
