_____________________________________________________________________

A Practical Guide to Information Systems Strategic Planning
by Anita Cassidy

Today's technological advances are directly affecting the success of business tomorrow. With recent-- and continual--improvements in technology, many organizations are finding their information systems obsolete, and are having to take a close look at their current Information Systems and answer some tough questions, including:

How well are our current Information Systems applications meeting the business needs today?
How well can they meet the needs of our business tomorrow?
Are we obtaining true value from the investments made in Information Systems?
Are we integrating the Information Systems projects that provide the most value to business?
What mission, objectives, and strategies are necessary to meet the business challenges of the future?

A Practical Guide to Information Systems Strategic Planning helps take the "guess work" out of evaluating current and future Information Systems, and provides the necessary tools for maximizing the investment made in new technology. This invaluable guide shows readers how to take advantage of the latest technology available in Information Systems planning, and how to develop a solid Information Systems plan that is directly linked to their business' goals.In an easy-to-follow, hands-on format, this complete reference describes a process for facilitating communication between business management and the Information Systems functions.

Both Information Systems Executives and general business executives will find the information they need to develop a successful, value-added Information Systems plan. Readers will find a step-by-step approach to the process of developing an Information Systems plan that helps them gain a competitive edge well into the future.

_________________________________________________________________

Practical Steps for Aligning Information Technology with Business Strategies:
How to Achieve a Competitive Advantage
by Bernard Boar

Cutting-edge techniques for equipping your IT organization to meet the challenges of today's business world. Today's leaner, meaner, total quality business organizations look to information technology to provide them with a sustainable competitive advantage. That's why the IT managers who are in greatest demand are those who are well versed in modern strategic planning techniques and capable of developing a dynamic IT organization ever alert to their companies' current and future business needs. Written by an author at the cutting edge of today's IT business strategy revolution, this book offers you a clear, easy-to-implement action plan for reengineering your business's IT organization with an eye to building, sustaining, and expanding a competitive advantage. You will find:

Charts and templates that an IT staff can customize and use today
Techniques for overcoming most architecture problems
Diagramming technique for drawing exceptionally clear blueprints
An in-depth discussion of business IT alignment
How to design an internal IT business economy
Tips on how to get the biggest bang for the buck while optimizing customer service
Proven techniques that radically improve application development

_____________________________________________________________________

Strategic Planning for Information Systems
by John Ward and Joe Peppard

Strategic Planning for Information Systems explores the impact that information systems (IS) and information technology (IT) have on business performance and the contribution that they make to the strategic options of organisations. It describes tools, techniques and management frameworks to both align strategies for IS and IT with business strategy, as well as seek out new opportunities through innovative deployment of technology.

This book demonstrates why strategic planning for information systems is essential to organisational success, especially in times of increasingly rapid change. Over the long term any organisation will get the information systems it deserves, according to the approach adopted to the use and management of IS/IT. To obtain the whole range of benefits available from IS/IT and avoid the potential pitfalls, every organisation must establish the means to manage IS/IT as an integral part of its approach to strategic management.

In the six years since the second edition of Strategic Planning for Information Systems , much has changed in the way business is organised and in the importance of IS for competitive strategies. However, the essence of the book remains the same - it is a practical and comprehensive book written in a clear and straightforward way. The new edition introduces more approaches and techniques to aid in developing and implementing strategies - to enable management and IS/IT professionals to identify what needs to be done and how best to do it.

_____________________________________________________________________

The IT Payoff:
Measuring the Business Value of Information Technology Investments
by Sarvanan Devaraj, Rajiv Kohli

A systematic, step-by-step methodology for assessing the value of technology investments and establishing a mechanism for an ongoing evaluation.

Yesterday, IT budgets were approved on faith. Today, they're subject to relentless questioning—and in many cases, they are being slashed indiscriminately. But neither approach is achieving the most important goal: maximizing business value. The IT Payoff gives IT and financial decision-makers what they desperately need: a systematic approach to measuring the true impact of IT spending, and making rational technology investment decisions.

This book's methodology addresses today's most critical issues in technology investment, including: identifying where technology can add the greatest value; timing the adoption of new technologies; and coordinating process change with technological change. The authors present a detailed case study, showing how a top healthcare provider used this book's methodology to transform their approaches to technology investment.

The IT Payoff concludes by outlining a complete action plan for the technology decision-maker: one that encompasses operational, strategic, and management issues, addresses partnerships throughout and beyond the organization, and can gain the full commitment of top management.

New, step-by-step techniques for quantifying the real value of information technology

* Bringing "balanced scorecards" to the technology arena
* Capturing impacts that conventional approaches miss: process, organizational, and strategic impacts
* Technology "S-curves": Sweet spots in the technology lifecycle
* Determining when a technology is most ripe for exploitation-and when to move on
* Evaluating the "conventional" approaches to technology cost-justification

What works when: cost-benefit analysis, breakeven analysis, NPV, economic models, statistical models, and common sense models?
* Coordinating process change with technology investment
* Making sure new technology and new processes work in tandem
* Strategic IT: Applying technology where it will deliver the greatest business value
* Identifying the projects most likely to enhance organizational effectiveness
* The unique challenges of e-business investment Technology evaluation for Web-centered environments
* Identifying your best opportunities to add value through technology
* Avoiding key pitfalls that lead to insignificant or negative ROI
* Deciding when to implement leading-edge technology-and when to jump off the technology curve
* Detailed case studies from healthcare and manufacturing
* New metrics, detailed templates, and concrete action plans
* Valuable for financial professionals, IT decision-makers, line-of-business managers, software clients

Today, nearly half of all capital investment is information technology related—and yet, decision makers still find themselves asking the most fundamental questions: Does technology really add value? If so, when? Where should one look for it? What's the best way to quantify technology ROI—and maximize it? If you're asking these questions, The IT Payoff gives you powerful new tools for answering them.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

Do It Smart: Seven Rules for Superior Information Technology Performance
by Kempis, Ringbeck, Augustin, Bulk, Hofener and Trenkel-Bogle

"It" is information technology (IT), and Kempis and Ringbeck are principals at consulting powerhouse McKinsey and Company. They and a team from McKinsey report the results of a 15-month research project that studied the relationship between the effectiveness of IT and corporate success for leading international companies.

The authors make the distinction between IT effectiveness and IT efficiency, which they argue is easy to measure and which they define basically as the cost of IT as a percentage of revenues. IT effectiveness, on the other hand, is indicated by the "availability, functionality, and utilization rates of IT applications for each core business process." These core processes include research and development, sales, purchasing, production, and administration. Kempis and Ringbeck developed a tool to measure effectiveness and explain that they found four different "IT cultures": stars, big spenders, cautious spenders, and laggards. By focusing on 27 percent of the companies in the survey that were designated "stars," they distill seven rules for superior IT performance. The authors also consider future IT challenges and applications.

__________________________________________________________
Applied Strategic Planning:
How To Develop A Plan That Really Works
by Leonard Goodstein, Timothy Nolan, J. William Pfeiffer

Written by three top consultants and trainers, Applied Strategic Planning shows managers and CEOs a clear, totally effective way to identify and implement strategic objectives. Applied Strategic Planning surpasses other strategic planning models in many key areas, including:

*Emphasis on organizational culture
*Integration of business and functional plans
*Performance audits
*Gap analysis
*Values clarification

Goodstein, Nolan, and Pfeiffer take managers through all phases of the strategic planning process, including:

*How to determine if an organization is ready for strategic planing
*Effectively communicate a corporate vision
*Recognize the role of culture in changing strategic direction
*Understand the various roles of a consultant
*Write effective mission statements
*Create contingency plans
Containing charts, diagrams, and checklists along with illuminating examples from the authors, extensive consulting experience, and even cartoons that convey important points, Applied Strategic Planning lets managers at the helm navigate expertly through today's unpredictable business climate.