Integration of requirements determination and business process re-engineering: a case study of an Ambulatory Care and Diagnostic (ACAD) centre

This paper explores the political character of business process re-engineering (BPR) and its associated information systems (IS) change. This political character means that the scope of business processes and their associated IS, the scale and type of change and the evaluation of BPR success are subject to different interpretations depending on the role and interests of those stakeholders involved with them. Therefore although BPR and IS change are functionally related, even coupled processes, they nevertheless react to different political factors and thus do not flow along in a synchronised, parallel way. Rather, they depend upon other stakeholders, and the choice of which stakeholders to give importance to is greatly influenced by their perceived usefulness in the change process. In the case studied, IS, BPR, the consortium and the builder were all vital to the project's success, whereas staff interests were excluded or manipulated because they were seen as resisting change. Managing change processes and stakeholders during a re-engineering project therefore involves the motivating and controlling of several parallel processes, some of which are advancing while others are blocked. The reason why some processes and stakeholders gain a voice in the project depends on their ability to reduce uncertainty and thus to move the project forward.     

E-MEMO: a method to support the development of customized electronic commerce systems

In many industries structural change through E-Commerce is challenging firms to re-align their strategies as well as re-engineer their business processes with new competitive environments while taking advantage of technological opportunities. This article presents E-MEMO, a method for multi-perspective enterprise modelling with special emphasis on processes and technologies for E-Commerce. It serves to analyse and design corporate information systems that are balanced with a company’s E-Commerce strategy and its organisation. E-MEMO offers specific languages for modelling strategies, business processes, and related resources. In addition to that, it provides a library of reference models including strategy networks to guide strategic planning and models of business processes. In order to further support the implementation of information systems a transformation has been defined that allows for generating workflow schemata from business process models. Since design-oriented research is not predominant in the Information Systems field, the epistemological challenges of the chosen research approach are discussed, too.     

Rapid business and IT change: drivers for strategic information systems planning?

Today's organizations increasingly plan new information systems (IS) to better compete. Through such planning, they attempt to align their IS strategy and their business strategy. This study tested the impact of business and information technology (IT) change on strategic information systems planning (SISP) horizon, of horizon on the planning itself, and of the planning on the alignment of IS strategy and business strategy. A questionnaire defined business change, IT change, and alignment as multi-item scaled questions, and planning horizon as a single, nonscaled one. It defined a multi-item scaled SISP measure as both a second-order construct and as single-order constructs for its individual phases. A postal survey collected data from 161 IS executives. Constructs were extensively validated. The analysis used structural equation modeling, and surprisingly found that business change predicted longer SISP horizons, but IT change predicted neither longer nor shorter ones. Planning horizon predicted SISP itself (as a second-order construct and as all of its phases), and such planning (as a second-order construct, and as strategic awareness and strategy conception phases) predicted alignment of IS strategy and business strategy. These findings suggest that practitioners more carefully assess their own degree of caution in setting planning horizons in response to business and IT change. In fact, the findings suggest it may not be necessary for practitioners to shorten planning horizons in a rapidly changing environment.     

STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLANNING Aligning Business Goals with Technology

For strategic business planning to be successful in the prevailing competitive business environment, current and future technology needs must be considered. In many organizations, it is the responsibility of the IS manager to ensure that the information systems support these business needs. The IS manager must have a clear understanding of the organization's strategic business plan and must tailor IS projects to meet that plan's objectives. Enterprisewide information management and enterprise analysis can help the IS manager understand the business strategy and predict the effects of technology on that strategy.     

STRATEGIC BUSINESS PLANNING Aligning Business Goals with Technology

Abstract

For strategic business planning to be successful in the prevailing competitive business environment, current and future technology needs must be considered. In many organizations, it is the responsibility of the IS manager to ensure that the information systems support these business needs. The IS manager must have a clear understanding of the organization's strategic business plan and must tailor IS projects to meet that plan's objectives. Enterprisewide information management and enterprise analysis can help the IS manager understand the business strategy and predict the effects of technology on that strategy.     

Transforming an Organization Through Prototyping: A Case Study

An organizational prototype is a forum to address simultaneously process, behavioral, and cultural change pursuant to business process redesign (BPR). in this case study, IS personnel facilitated organizational prototypes, thereby extending their knowledge of business systems to a new sphere, facilitating business process redesign. Success of the prototypes led to success in obtaining corporate funding for new client/server systems to support the changes in business operations.     

Supply chain management information systems capabilities. An exploratory study of electronics manufacturers

Supply Chain Management Information Systems (SCM IS) play an increasingly critical role in the ability of firms to reduce costs and increase the responsiveness of their supply chain. This paper develops an empirically supported model of the organizational capabilities enabled by SCM IS. The model integrates and enriches theoretical and empirical studies of competitive strategy, supply chain management, and interorganizational information systems. Evidence from an exploratory case study of three large firms in the electronics manufacturing industry is examined to build a better-supported theory of SCM IS capabilities. The findings suggest the organizational capabilities enabled by SCM IS can be conceptualized as the level of support provided for: operational efficiency; operational flexibility; internal planning and analysis; and external planning and analysis. The theoretical model furthers an understanding of SCM IS capabilities and is sufficiently developed to permit operationalization for future studies evaluating the effectiveness of SCM IS.     

The strategic dimension of transactional information systems: some organizational implications

Abstract. Often information systems (IS) are classified in three groups: (a) transactional, used mainly for co-ordination and resource allocation purposes at the operational level of a company; (b) tactical, often employed to support the resource procurement activities typical of middle management; and (c) information systems for strategic decision making, designed to help in the planning and strategy design processes which are the direct responsibility of top management. In general, the amount of care and management attention that companies give to these different types of systems is proportional to their position in this hierarchy: little attention is devoted to the mundane transaction-pushing systems and exquisite care is put into developing the sophisticated decision making aid for the CEO and his/her staff.
The IS/IT literature has been reporting quite commonly cases in which companies have attained or lost great competitive advantages by way of their transactional information systems [for example, Emery Worldwide, Baxter Healthcare ASAP system, and Frontier Airlines]. The aim of this paper is to identify actions that companies can take to realize potential benefits of their IS, in particular from their low-level, transactional IS.
Among other actions, we will conclude that companies would be better off if they: (a) have the IS department at the right place in the organization, staffed with people knowledgeable about the basic nature of the business in which the company is engaged; (b) are sensible to what can be called 'strategic maintenance' of systems, (c) set up a formal procedure for IS planning to ensure coherence between IS plans and business plans, derived, in turn, from business strategy, and (d) keep abreast of the relevant technology.
Several examples taken from European companies are used to illustrate these conclusions.     

Opportunistic strategy formulation for IS/IT planning

Existing models and frameworks for information systems and information technology (IS/IT) planning are not robust enough to explain or predict strategic gains and many organizations are wary of investing further in their information infrastructure. Because technology is not the only ingredient of success, a complete and rigorous reconsideration of the techniques, options and approaches to IS/IT planning linked to business strategy is needed. It is argued that this can only be achieved through consideration of the recent organizational processes involved for creating a successful IS/IT strategy. This paper reviews aspects of both the literature on business strategy and IS/IT planning and considers case examples from two organizations in which the contrasting outcomes from the same technical innovation illustrate the dynamics of opportunistic strategy formulation.     

How useful are strategic plans for information systems?

Although much research has been done in the area of strategic planning for information systems (IS), relatively less research has focused on the output of the IS planning process, namely, the IS plan. This paper examines the usefulness of IS plans through a field survey of 136 IS executives. Results indicate that IS plans are generally perceived to be useful for supporting business objectives, improving systems integration, exploiting information technology (IT) for competitive advantage, and prioritising IS development projects. Conversely, IS plans are perceived to be less useful for clarifying the role of IS, evaluating IS performance, anticipating surprises and crisis, and adapting to unanticipated situations. Implications of these results are discussed.     

Development and validation of an Internet self-efficacy scale

Although much research has been done in the area of strategic planning for information systems (IS), relatively less research has focused on the output of the IS planning process, namely, the IS plan. This paper examines the usefulness of IS plans through a field survey of 136 IS executives. Results indicate that IS plans are generally perceived to be useful for supporting business objectives, improving systems integration, exploiting information technology (IT) for competitive advantage, and prioritising IS development projects. Conversely, IS plans are perceived to be less useful for clarifying the role of IS, evaluating IS performance, anticipating surprises and crisis, and adapting to unanticipated situations. Implications of these results are discussed.     

It-Enhanced Productivity and Profitability

Abstract

Applications of modern information technology – the management philosophy engendered by TQM and BPR, global networks, the Internet, intranets, mass customization and integrated logistics, and data warehousing and mining – have significantly affected business profitability and productivity. By standing ready to serve as innovators in continuing this trend, IS people will not only help their organizations compete, but will also help finally lay the productivity paradox to rest.     

A study of subsidiaries’ views of information systems strategic planning in multinational organisations

This research examines information systems strategic planning (ISSP) in multinationals from the perspective of the subsidiaries. The research was carried out through interviews with the IT and business managers in subsidiaries of nine large American, European, and Japanese multinationals. The evidence from this study reveals that, in the majority of these organisations, IS planning is either centralised or moving towards centralisation. The main focus of IS planning, in many of these organisations, is to control cost and achieve scale economies. As centralisation increases IT tends to control the planning process and, as a result, IS planning becomes more tactical than strategic and is dominated by IT infrastructure planning. Project implementation was the main criterion used to measure IS planning success. However, due to the dominant role of IT, the subsidiary business managers are often less satisfied with the IS planning approach compared with the subsidiary IT managers. The level of involvement of business managers and their satisfaction with ISSP was related to the degree of decentralisation of responsibility for IS planning.     

Dominant actors, political agendas, and strategic shifts over time: a critical ethnography of an enterprise systems implementation

Much of the literature on enterprise systems implementation suggests that ERP systems should support the strategic objectives of the organization. In fact some ERP vendors tend to assume that implementing their products is a straightforward translation from strategy to IT-enabled business processes. But the strategic management literature reveals that corporate strategy is often contested terrain. Conflict over strategy has the potential to delay or derail ERP implementation efforts, leading to cost overruns, failures, and lack of expected benefits.This paper seeks to understand and explain how conflicts over strategy can affect the success of ERP implementations. We studied one firm's attempt to pursue information technology-enabled enterprise integration using critical ethnography. The firm is a small-to-medium sized enterprise within a large conglomerate in the Asia-Pacific region. Our findings show that, as the dominant actors and political agendas changed, so too did the company's enterprise integration strategy. The ERP system was designed to support a future corporate world and work environment that never arrived.     

Assessing the impact of integrating business planning and IS planning

One of the key elements of strategic planning for information systems (IS) is the integration of IS planning (ISP) and business planning (BP). Although this issue has received significant attention in recent years, empirical research focusing specifically on it is still relatively sparse. Here, BP-ISP integration is considered in four ways (administrative, sequential, reciprocal, and full integration), reflecting various degrees of BP-ISP integration. The relationships between these and organizational impact (measured in terms of the extent of ISP problems and the extent of IS contributions to organizational performance) are investigated through the analysis of data gathered in a “matched pair” field survey of business planners and IS executives. The results empirically validate the importance of BP-ISP integration, since it was found to have a significant positive relationship with IS contributions to organization performance and a significant negative relationship to the extent of ISP problems.     

A Systemic Approach to Change Management

As a proactive process emphasizing IT-based process change, IS planning shares several objectives with business process reengineering and total quality management. This article discusses how IS planning can form the platform for an integrated approach to change management, provides steps for achieving the integration, and suggests how IS managers can foster the IS function's supportive role in an integrated effort toward organizational change.     

A Systemic Approach to Change Management

As a proactive process emphasizing IT-based process change, IS planning shares several objectives with business process reengineering and total quality management. This article discusses how IS planning can form the platform for an integrated approach to change management, provides steps for achieving the integration, and suggests how IS managers can foster the IS function's supportive role in an integrated effort toward organizational change.     

Corporate mergers and the problems of IS integration

The process of integrating information systems (IS) during corporate mergers can be critical to their success. Factors that can support or impede the successful integration of IS include organizational and IS attributes, organizational merger management and IS integration activities. This study develops a conceptual framework for measuring IS integration success and identifies the factors influencing it. A field survey investigates the relationship between these factors and success. According to the results of our field survey of CIOs, prior merger experience, IS participation in merger planning, the quality of merger planning, the criteria used for setting IS integration priorities, and a high level of data sharing across applications appear to have a positive influence on the success of the IS integration. When changes that directly affect personnel have a significant impact, that impact seems to be mostly negative. Programming language incompatibilities also have a negative impact on IS integration success.     

Strategic context and patterns of IT infrastructure capability

The importance of a firm's information technology (IT) infrastructure capability is increasingly recognised as critical to firm competitiveness. Infrastructure is particularly important for firms in industries going through dynamic change, for firms reengineering their business processes and for those with multiple business units or extensive international or geographically dispersed operations. However, the notion of IT infrastructure is still evolving and there has been little empirically based research on the patterns of IT infrastructure capability across firms.We develop the concept of IT infrastructure capability through identification of IT infrastructure services and measurement of reach and range in large, multi-business unit firms. Using empirical case research, we examine the patterns of IT infrastructure capability in 26 firms with diverse strategic contexts, including different industry bases, level of marketplace volatility, extent of business unit synergies and the nature of firm strategy formation processes. Data collection was based on a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods with multiple participants.More extensive IT infrastructure capability is defined as a combination of more IT infrastructure services and more reach and range. More extensive IT infrastructure capability was found in firms where: (i) products changed quickly; (ii) attempts were made to identify and capture synergies across business units; (iii) there was greater integration of information and IT needs as part of planning processes; and (iv) there was greater emphasis on tracking the implementation of long term strategy. These findings have implications for both business and technology managers particularly in regard to how firms link strategy and IT infrastructure formation processes.     

Balanced scorecard: evening the odds of successful BPR

To realize the benefits of costly business process reengineering, companies need a control mechanism that links performance evaluation to strategic objectives. Researchers have long addressed how to control, measure, and evaluate this business process reengineering (BRP), but many so-called solutions continue to focus almost exclusively on the technical aspects of change. In this article, we present a control and evaluation framework, BSC-IS (balanced scoreboard-information system) that integrates BSC and BPR in the context of an IS or ERP (enterprise resource planning) project. BSC-IS is viewed as the roots of a solid evaluation tool for companies struggling to make costly BPR pay off.