The fundamental objective of Information

Strategy Planning (ISP) is to develop a plan for

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.