The following (slightly paraphrased) was submitted in response to a plea for involvement. The same themes have come up in conversations with others. A question that needs to be answered is, to what extent do these statements represent the views of [your company here] at large?
We must have a consistent, persistent high level strategic plan that integrates the needs of IS and the business. This plan should provide a picture 5, 10, and 20 years into the future.
This plan should not just come from IS, but should be developed in conjunction with the business acitivities we support. It should NOT be about technology, but more about directions, desires and needs.
There must be a continuing effort to connect this plan to the everyday tasks being done by analyst/programmers. We must always provide the means for technology workers to understand how their projects tie into the plan."
The stated (official) business directions may be enough to point us in the right direction. We may have some difficulty, however, in using them to anchor an IS strategic plan. Or -- we could view their softness as an opportunity to reassess our position.
We (IS) have succeeded fairly well up to now in making computer information technology available and useful within [your company here]. Do any of the institutional directions appear to strain our current cultural paradigm? If so, we may need to do some serious self assessment.
Many of the directions have to do with integration. Some have to do with managed care or some other modification of the practice itself. These kinds of directions will definitely affect IS. How much integration activity will our current culture be capable of? How well can our existing systems and processes adapt to radical changes in the medical practice and its support activities?
I leave you now with this thought. If you were responsible for information systems strategies and plans, what would you do with this information? Don't be shy. How would you form a data management infrastructure to support these stated directions? Please comment, criticize, suggest. Suggestions will be added to this page or to goals, objectives, plans -- whichever seems most appropriate.
Comments, Suggestions and Questions may be addressed to: WhiteLake Data Management
Last modified: Jan-09