Strategic Planning of Information Systems

Code:

MCI0003

Acronym:

PESI

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Information Science

Instance: 2014/2015 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Department of Informatics Engineering
Course/CS Responsible:	Master in Information Science

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MCI	20	Plano de estudos oficial	1	-	6	56	162

Teaching language

Suitable for English-speaking students

Objectives

Aims

To endow students with skills to plan information systems and technologies in an organization in a strategic perspective.

Learning outcomes and competences

Strategy and information systems 

- to identify the challenges of information systems and associated solutions; 
- to show how information systems can support different types of strategies; 
- to state and asses strategic matters in the development of an information system; 
- to show how information systems can help companies using synergies, key skills and strategies based on network in order to reach competitive advantages; 
- to assess the challenges of strategic information systems associated to innovative management solutions; 
- to describe in a historical perspective the information systems in organizations using Nolan’s model; 
- to describe the critical success factors of information systems and consequences of lack of strategy of information systems and information technologies; 
- to describe the strategy involving information systems and information technologies using Earl’s model; 
- to describe and apply the cycle model of strategic development of information systems; 
- to describe and apply the model to the strategic development of information systems 

Strategic analysis for IS 

- to define a business strategy, IS strategy, IT strategy, strategic alignment; 
- to distinguish IS planning and IS strategic planning; 
- to be capable of assessing the strategic impact of IS in organizations; 
- to state the main approaches of strategic planning and its application on strategic planning of information systems; 
- to state the reasons of the gap between the theory and practice of strategic planning of information systems. 

Strategies of information and knowledge management 

- to explain the concepts of information management, knowledge management, collaboration, information and knowledge sharing; 
- to identify the types of information culture and describe its influence on the definition of information and knowledge strategies in organizations; 
- to explain the narrow relationship between collaboration and information management in present organizations; 
- to explain the emergence of the collaborative networks of organization as a business strategy supported by IS; 
- to analyse an organizational situation and specify a collaboration and information management strategy. 

Working method

Presencial

Program

M1: Introduction to strategic IS and strategic planning

Information Systems (IS) Information Technology systems (IT), Human Activities Systems (HAS), Information Systems Planning (ISP) Strategic Information Systems Planning (SISP)
Historical perspective of the evolution of IS. Stage of the development of IT/IS (Nolan 1979). The different stages in the evolution of IS: Data Processing Era; Management Information Systems Era; Strategic Information Systems Era.
Cycle of strategic development and strategy involving IS/IT. Model for strategic planning of IS/IT.

M2: Strategic analysis of IS/IT

Cycle of strategic development
Business strategy:
Techniques and tools for strategic analysis: SWOT analysis, External environment analysis, Macro environment analysis, Porter’s five forces (competitive forces), Critical success factors, Internal environment analysis, Resources analysis, Core capacities and skills, Value chain, Strategic options, Business portfolio, Balanced scorecard.

Business Model:
Concept of business model and Typologies of business models

Information architecture:
IS planning. Zachman and Ward frameworks. Business processes, Modelling business processes, Business Systems Planning.
Conceptual modelling as a business and information systems planning tool.

Information system:
MacFarlan application portfolio. Investment assessment and establishment of priorities in the various application portfolios.
M3: Strategies of information and knowledge management
Information as an asset. Information culture.
Implementation of enterprise systems of information and knowledge management. Management of information assets. Policies and implementation aspects. Management of knowledge resources.
Methodologies, tools and techniques for information and knowledge management in organizations. Knowledge management as a technological process vs. social process. Tools to collect and share knowledge.
Planning and analysis of requirements of information and knowledge management systems. Social networks. Actor network theory.
Implementation of information management system: content management; collaborative writing; other collaborative technologies.

Mandatory literature

Ward, John; Strategic planning for information systems. ISBN: 0-471-96183-3
David Boddy, Albert Boonstra, Graham Kennedy; Managing information systems. ISBN: 978-0-273-71681-5
Anita Cassidy; A practical guide to information systems strategic planning. ISBN: 0-8493-5073-5
Claudio Ciborra; The Labyrinths of Information. ISBN: 0-19-927526-2
Kenneth C. Laudon, Jane P. Laudon; Management information systems. ISBN: 1-405-87276-4

Teaching methods and learning activities

Theoretical classes provide students with the conceptual, theoretical and methodological basis to carry out the projects.

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation without final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Participação presencial	10,00
Trabalho escrito	90,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Elaboração de projeto	56,00
Estudo autónomo	26,00
Frequência das aulas	52,00
Trabalho de investigação	28,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

Students have to reach a minimum grade of 40% in all components 

Calculation formula of final grade

30% - (TG) Group assignement (class) 
20% - (AI) Analysis of papers (individual) 
30% - (EI) Essay (individual) 
20% - (PA) Discussion of papers (group)

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

Working students have to perform the scheduled assignments.

Classification improvement

Students may improve the grade of assignment 3.