Strategic Planning for Information Systems [Hardcover]

Prof John L Ward (Author), Joe Peppard (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0470841478 | ISBN-13: 978-0470841471 | Publication Date: June 15, 2002 | Edition: 3

"Accessibility and clarity of purpose maintained throughout."
Journal of Information Technology

"Clear, practical, comprehensive."
Output

"A clear exposition of the impact that IS has had on business performance."
Long Range Planning

"Lucid analysis."
Computer Weekly

Strategic Planning for Information Systems (3rd Edition) explores the impact that Information Systems (IS) have on business performance and the contribution IS makes to the strategic development of organizations. It describes IS tools, techniques and management frameworks - all of which identify opportunities for strategic thinking, and shows how IS is an indispensable component in the implementation of a strategic plan.

Since the earlier edition of Strategic Planning for Information Systems, much has changed in the way business is organized. However, the essence of the book remains the same - it is a practical and comprehensive book written in a clear and straightforward way. This new edition focuses more on strategic management of IS than on the progress made in recent years in either technology or business processes. This 3rd edition is substantially updated and illustrated with new cases material and examples. Additional material will cover the role of ecommerce, knowledge management and benefits management systems. This book will also show why Information Systems and Information Technology investment works for some organizations and not for others.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Building on the success of past editions, Strategic Planning for Information Systems considers both the implications of the developments in IS/IT and the most useful aspects of recent thinking and experiences concerning IS/IT strategic management. Topics covered now include:
* New developments in strategic management
* The Internet, e-commerce and e-business
* Outsourcing, including web services and Application Service Providers
* Knowledge management
* Enterprise systems
* Investment appraisal and business benefits delivery
* Managing the IT infrastructure and the supply of IS services
* Organising and resourcing the IS function
* Building relationships between business and IT management
* Developing an IS capability

From the Back Cover

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.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 640 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 3 edition (June 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0470841478
• ISBN-13: 978-0470841471
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 1.6 x 8.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #852,810 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rich resource for experienced strategic planners, September 13, 2001

By 

Mike Tarrani "www.tarrani.com" (Deltona, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Strategic Planning for Information Systems (John Wiley Series in Information Systems) (Hardcover)

In one respect this book is a classic because it is frequently referenced in the body of literature on IS/IT management and IS/IT strategic planning. Out of the past 50 or so articles on the topic (including corporate and city/state/Federal government strategic plans, PHd dissertations and white papers) over 75% have cited this book.

This is not, however, a "how-to" book that describes a coherent strategic planning process. It's a collection of standalone chapters on each key element of strategic planning. The material is presented in sequential order, but no single chapter depends on another. Moreover, there is no smooth continuity between the chapters or a master chapter that ties it all together. That said, this book is valuable from two perspectives:

(1) Each chapter is highly focused and contains a wealth of information on its topic.

(2) Used as a collection of mature techniques this book could be used to support an effective strategic planning process.

The main value is the fact that each element of strategic planning is thoroughly covered. I frequently use this book as a catalog of procedures and techniques for numerous projects, including strategic planning, assessment, process improvement and IS/IT organizational improvement.

If you are seeking a book that shows step-by-step how to perform IS/IT strategic planning you may not like this book. However, if you are an experienced practitioner this book is a wonderful resource to which you'll find yourself frequently referring.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Required for completeness of your IS/IT collection, April 5, 2000

By 

Jose F Silva (Cambridge, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Strategic Planning for Information Systems (John Wiley Series in Information Systems) (Hardcover)

The number of books on IS/IT has grown out of control in the previous years; most have nothing but a jumble of facts (and fictions) and the author's untested, unwise opinions. (Hence giving the field a bad reputation.) However, Ward and Griffiths have something else: they have a framework, they have put serious work into building it, and they write it from both the business and the IS/IT point of view. Their portfolio approach to IS/IT solutions is based on strategic thinking tools (BCG matrices and other product/business unit portfolio analysis tools). This makes it more amenable to integration with other parts of management and strategy.

One would be remiss not noting that there is a weak thread in the book: although the principles and ideas developed in it are flexible -- and extensible -- enough to apply in the current environment of IS/IT, it still has a flavor of centralized control and deterministic planning.

Overall, this is a book everybody who is interested in IS/IT should have read (and underlined!).

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Apply business consulting technique to IS/IT, March 20, 2002

By 

Ma, Tien Jui (Taipei Taiwan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Strategic Planning for Information Systems (John Wiley Series in Information Systems) (Hardcover)

Run IS/IT as a service business? Then you need this book which apply popular business consulting world technique to IS/IT. Value chain by M. Porter and 2x2 portfolio adapted from BCG are the two most important techniques to explore.

And you need to know where you are now and where you are going to in order to obtain a really useful strategy. The 3-era-5-stage reference model introduced here is a very powerful tool to position yourself right.

The authors also explored 4 important strategy subject areas for IS/IT: information, application, technology and resource. Which provide useful insight for us.