Page 41 - DCAP307_PLANNING_AND_MANAGING_IT_INFRASTRUCTURE

Unit 2: Strategic Planning

Notes
Did u know? Minor or insignificant changes in the marketplace can usually be addressed
by changes in the near term business plan.

2.2.2 Components of an IT Strategic Plan

The planning process includes three distinct phases:
Pre-planning and discovery

Planning workshops
Plan development and presentation
The pre-planning and discovery phase assists organisations in the identification of business
priorities, key initiatives and goals, the mapping of critical business processes and supporting
technology systems, the collection of IT departmental performance metrics, an assessment of
the organisation’s current IT infrastructure, and a review of any existing IT strategic plans.
The planning workshop provides workbooks and templates for each participant, the use of
group decision making technology, and the facilitation by a seasoned professional. The facilitator
guides the participants through the planning process and documents all of the proceedings.
The plan development and presentation produces a final IT strategic plan for the organisation
and develops a formal presentation and review for all the stakeholders. The final report also
includes any specific observations or recommendations from the planning facilitator. This allows
for stakeholder buy-in of the organisational IT strategic plan.

Task Make distinction between pre-planning & discovery and plan development &
presentation.

2.2.3 Strategic Planning Process Problems

While the strategic planning process explained above is relied upon by numerous organisations,
it is just one strategic management approach, and it is most successful when used within stable
corporate environments. A major downside of this top-down approach is that it can be
cumbersome within a quickly changing competitive environment. When change is in the air,
successful strategies frequently develop within lower levels of the organisation where employees
and managers are closer to day-to-day operations and customer interaction. This strategic
planning model also makes the assumption that relatively accurate forecasting is available.

Notes Unfortunately, when a business environment is uncertain, long-term forecasts cannot
be relied upon. In these situations, companies often use scenario planning instead as a way
to deal with several possible outcomes.

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