How to Decide IT Planning and Prioritizing

IT Planning and Prioritizing

Organizational Planning A unified strategic plan ties together the: Strategic plan, Business plans, and Budget by using balanced scorecards and business process maps to strictly tie actions and expenses to mission-serving strategies.

A unified strategic plan ties together the:

Strategic plan,

Business plans, and

Budget

by using balanced scorecards and business process maps to strictly tie actions and expenses to mission-serving strategies.

Balanced Scorecards A balanced scorecard identifies four areas that your strategic plan should address: financial , constituent (or customer), internal business processes , and employee learning and growth .

A balanced scorecard identifies four areas that your strategic plan should address:

financial ,

constituent (or customer),

internal business processes , and

employee learning and growth .

Balanced Scorecard Constituent strategies might include: starting a newsletter to inform and engage constituents, or program-related services, such as offering classes to job seekers or providing counseling to abuse victims.

Constituent strategies might include:

starting a newsletter to inform and engage constituents, or

program-related services, such as offering classes to job seekers or providing counseling to abuse victims.

Balanced Scorecards Internal business process strategies might include: replacing analog phones with a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system, or instituting a new purchase order process.

Internal business process strategies might include:

replacing analog phones with a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) system, or

instituting a new purchase order process.

Balanced Scorecards Employee training and growth strategies include: employee bonuses, internal training, and mentoring and coaching programs. Balanced Scorecards

Employee training and growth strategies include:

employee bonuses,

internal training,

and mentoring and coaching programs.

Example: Supporting Criteria Strategy Area Objectives Measures Targets Initiatives Increase constituent awareness of our accomplish-ments by distributing a monthly email newsletter Consti-tuents Increase mission awareness Increase donations Improve communi-cation eCRM analytics Donations increases 5% increase in new prospects 7% increase in donations Start monthly newsletter Add member- ship to web site Publicize in NP Times

Technology Planning You can’t budget effectively on a year-to-year basis . Long-term planning allows you to spread out recurring costs and space out large projects in ways that even out the expense.

You can’t budget effectively on a year-to-year basis .

Long-term planning allows you to spread out recurring costs and space out large projects in ways that even out the expense.

Technology Planning Developing a road map for major system upgrades and replacements will smooth and foster adoption. Large projects, such as email system upgrades or changing databases, can be planned in ways that will ease the pain for everyone involved.

Developing a road map for major system upgrades and replacements will smooth and foster adoption.

Large projects, such as email system upgrades or changing databases, can be planned in ways that will ease the pain for everyone involved.

Elements of the Plan Technology plans should have at least three components: Strategy Support Actions

Technology plans should have at least three components:

Strategy

Support

Actions

A plan answers these questions How will the actions laid out in the plan support the mission and organizational strategic plan? How will staff be resourced to use the technology? Does the organization have a coherent strategy for application support and training?

How will the actions laid out in the plan support the mission and organizational strategic plan?

How will staff be resourced to use the technology?

Does the organization have a coherent strategy for application support and training?

Business Process Mapping

Comprehensive evaluation SWOT analyses Technical and end-user assessments of options Clear understanding of business needs versus software assumptions Creativity

SWOT analyses

Technical and end-user assessments of options

Clear understanding of business needs versus software assumptions

Creativity

360  Participation Software evaluations have to be made by both the technologists and the users, and those decisions have to be vetted from the top. If the users don’t know what the application will do for them, it’s not worth buying

Software evaluations have to be made by both the technologists and the users, and those decisions have to be vetted from the top.

If the users don’t know what the application will do for them, it’s not worth buying

Conclusion Good planning requires that you understand who you are, what technology must do well for you, and where you can get away with it by doing things more creatively, or, perhaps, not quite as elegantly as a for-profit organization might.

Good planning requires that you understand who you are, what technology must do well for you, and where you can get away with it by doing things more creatively, or, perhaps, not quite as elegantly as a for-profit organization might.

Resources Further information and relevant links are at the Managing Technology to Meet Your Mission wiki: http://www.meetyourmission.org / Contact me: Peter Campbell [email_address] http://techcafeteria.com

Further information and relevant links are at the Managing Technology to Meet Your Mission wiki:

http://www.meetyourmission.org /

Contact me:

Peter Campbell

[email_address]

http://techcafeteria.com