What are the models and methods of information system strategic planning?

First, the key success factor method (CSF)

1970 Professor William Zani of Harvard University used key success variables in the MIS model, which are the factors that determine the success or failure of MIS. 10 years later, Professor John Rockart of MIT improved CSF into MIS strategy. Using this method, we can identify the key factors of enterprise success, determine the information demand of the organization and understand the position of information system in the enterprise. The so-called key success factors are the important factors related to the survival and success of the organization. They are the decision-making information that organizations need most, and they are also the activity areas that managers pay attention to. In different organizations and different business activities, the key success factors are different, even in the same type of business activities of the same organization, at different times. Therefore, the key success factors of an organization should be judged by the organization, including the industry structure, competitive strategy, position in the industry, changes in the market and social environment, etc.

CSF is to find out the key factors of enterprise success through analysis, and then determine the system requirements and plan around these key factors. The steps are as follows:

(1) Understand the strategic objectives of enterprises and information systems.

(2) Identify all successful factors that affect strategic objectives.

(3) Determine the key success factors.

(4) Determination of performance indicators and standards.

The tool used to determine the key success factors is the branch causality diagram. For example, an enterprise has a goal of improving the competitiveness of its products. It can draw various factors that affect it and their sub-factors with branches, as shown in Figure 4.2. 1.

Figure 4.2. 1 Branch Diagram

How to evaluate which of these factors is the key success factor is different for different enterprises. For an enterprise accustomed to the personal decision-making of senior staff, the choice of senior staff is mainly in this picture. For enterprises accustomed to group decision-making, Delphi method or other methods can be used to synthesize the key factors envisaged by different people. Applying the critical success factor method in top management will generally have good results, because every top leader will always consider what is the key factor in his daily life. Generally, it is not suitable for middle-level leaders, because most of the decisions faced by middle-level leaders are structured and have less freedom, so it is better to apply other methods to them.

Second, the strategic goal set transformation method (SST)

From 65438 to 0978, william king regarded the strategic objectives of the organization as an "information collection", which consisted of strategic variables such as mission, objectives and strategy. The process of strategic planning is the process of transforming the strategic objectives of an organization into those of a management information system. As shown in Figure 4.2.2.

Figure 4.2.2 Transformation Method of Strategic Target Set

The first step of this method is to determine the strategic set of an organization. First, check whether the organization has a written strategy or long-term plan. If not, it is necessary to build such a strategic set.

The second step is to transform the organizational strategy set into MIS strategy, which should include system objectives, system constraints and design principles. This transformation process includes determining the corresponding MIS strategic constraints for each element of the organizational strategy set, and then proposing the whole MIS structure. Finally, select a plan and send it to the general manager.

Third, Business System Planning (BSP)

Business System Plane Method (BSP) is a structured enterprise management information system planning method proposed by IBM in 1970s. It is similar to CSF method. First, the system objectives, business processes and data are determined from top to bottom, and then the system is designed from bottom to top to support the realization of the system objectives. As shown in Figure 4.2.3.

Figure 4.2.3 BSP method

1. Main bearing bush

The BSP method starts with the enterprise goal and gradually transforms the enterprise goal into the goal and structure of the management information system. It gets rid of the dependence of management information system on the original organizational structure, analyzes the data needed for decision-making from the most basic activity flow of the enterprise, and then designs the system from bottom to top to support the realization of the system objectives. The main steps of BSP are shown in Figure 4.2.4.

Figure 4.2.4 Main steps of BSP

(1) At the initial stage of the study. Set up a planning team to conduct a systematic preliminary investigation, analyze the current situation of the enterprise, understand the relevant decision-making process of the enterprise, the main activities of the organizational functions and departments, the main problems existing, and the views of various personnel on the information system. It is necessary for the management departments at all levels to reach a consensus, clarify the development direction of the enterprise, and let the information system support these goals.

(2) Define business process (also called enterprise process or management function group). Defining business processes is the core of BSP method. The so-called business process is a set of logically related decisions or activities, such as ordering services, inventory control and other business processing activities or decision-making activities. Business process constitutes the management activities of the whole enterprise. Identifying business processes can help enterprises understand how to achieve their goals more deeply and can be used as the basis for establishing information systems. According to business process, information system is relatively independent of enterprise organization, so the change of organizational structure will not cause the change of management information system structure.

(3) Business process reengineering. On the basis of business process definition, analyze which processes are correct; Which processes are inefficient and need to be optimized with the support of information technology; Which processes are not suitable for computer information processing and should be cancelled. After checking the correctness and completeness of the process, the process is grouped by function, such as business plan, financial plan and cost accounting.

(4) Determine the data category. Defining data classes is another core of BSP method. The so-called data class refers to a set of logically related data necessary to support business processes. For example, accounting voucher data includes voucher number, debit account, credit account and amount. There are many data categories in a system, such as customers, products, contracts, inventory and so on. Data classes are divided according to business processes, that is, from the perspective of each business process, the input and output data related to it are sorted according to logical association and summarized into data classes.

(5) Design the overall structure of the management information system. After defining functions and data classes, we can get a function/data class table, which can also be called function/data class matrix or U/C matrix. The main task of designing the overall structure of management information system is to divide subsystems by using U/C matrix, and describe the framework of new information system and corresponding data classes.

(6) Determine the implementation sequence of subsystems. Due to the limitation of resources, the overall structure of information cannot be developed and realized at the same time, and there is always a priority. After dividing the subsystems, the priority order of subsystem implementation is determined according to the enterprise goals and technical constraints. Generally speaking, priority is given to the development that contributes greatly to the enterprise, is in urgent need and is easy to develop.

(7) Complete the BSP research report, and put forward suggestions and development plans.

2. Division of subsystems

BSP method divides subsystems according to the generation and use of information, and it tries to divide the enterprise process of information generation and the enterprise process of information use into one subsystem, thus reducing the information exchange between subsystems. The steps of dividing subsystems are as follows:

(1) as the U/C matrix. Use the defined functions and data classes to make a function/data class table, that is, the U/C matrix, as shown in Table 4.2. 1 Rows in the matrix represent data classes, columns represent functions, and letters u (use) and c (create) represent the use and generation of data classes by functions. At the intersection, c indicates that this data class is generated by the corresponding function, and u indicates that this function uses this data class. For example, the sales function needs to use data about products, customers and orders, so the intersection of sales lines under these data is marked with u; Although the sales area data is generated from the sales function, it is marked with C at the corresponding intersection.

Table 4.2. 1 U/C matrix (I)

(2) Adjust the function/data class matrix. At first, data classes and processes are randomly arranged, and the arrangement of U and C in the matrix is also scattered, which must be adjusted.

First, the function bar is arranged by function groups, and each function group is arranged by four stages of the resource life cycle. Function groups refer to the same type of functions, such as Business Plan and Financial Plan, which belong to the plan type and the Business Plan function group.

Secondly, arrange the rows of "data class" so that C in the matrix is closest to the main diagonal. Because the grouping of functions is not absolute, on the basis of not destroying the logic of function grouping, function grouping can be properly arranged to make U as close as possible to the main diagonal. The function/data class matrix in Table 7.3. 1 is adjusted above, and the function/data class matrix shown in Table 4.2.2 is obtained.

(3) Draw the box corresponding to the functional group and give it a name. This is a subsystem, as shown in Table 4.2.2.

(4) Connect the U-shape outside the box with the subsystems with arrows to represent the data flow between subsystems. For example, the data class "Plan" is generated by the business sub-planning system and used by the technical preparation subsystem, as shown in Table 4.2.2.

4. Comparison of three systems planning methods

The key success factor method can grasp the main problems and make the target recognition highlight the key points. Because senior leaders are familiar with this method, they are willing to work hard to achieve the goals set by this method. This method is most conducive to determining the management objectives of enterprises.

The transformation method of strategic objective set (SST) identifies management objectives from another angle, which reflects the requirements of various people, and gives a structured method of layering according to this requirement and then transforming it into information system objectives. It can ensure a more comprehensive goal and fewer omissions, but it is not as good as the former in highlighting key points.

Although the business system planning method (BSP) also emphasizes the goal first, it has no obvious goal guiding process. It leads to the system goal by identifying the enterprise "process", and gets the transformation from the enterprise goal to the system goal by analyzing the business process/data class matrix. Because data types are also summarized on the basis of business processes, we say that identifying business processes is the center of strategic planning of business system planning method, and the central content of business system planning method cannot be regarded as a U/G matrix.

The above three planning methods have their own advantages and disadvantages, which can be integrated into CSB method, that is, CSF method is used to determine the enterprise objectives, SST method is used to supplement and improve the enterprise objectives, and then these objectives are transformed into information system objectives, and then BSP method is used to check the enterprise objectives and information system objectives to determine the information system structure. This method can make up for the shortcomings of the single method and complete the planning well, but it is too complicated and weakens the flexibility of the single method.