Strategic planning in computer services: is the tail wagging the dog?

The purpose of this paperlpresentation is to review the traditional strategic planning process and then discuss how the focal point of the strategic planning process must move toward putting the customer first. It includes a brief description of the traditional strategic planning process; a discussion of the make-up of the strategic planning team; an explanation of the identification of goals, objectives, and strategies; and a discussion of the impact of TQM on the strategic planning process. The development of the Armstrong State College strategic plan for 1993-95 is discussed as an example of including customers in the development process. Finally, there is a recommended course of action for evaluating the strategic planning process. A checklist for evaluating the strategic planning process is provided. INTRODUCTION In his book, Academic Strategy: The Management Revolution in American Higher Education, George Keller states: The notion of strategic plaming strikes many as something reserved for West Point generals and executives of multinational corporations, and an activity that restricts and confuses leaders of good judgment, strong vision, and wide experience. For many years, strategic planning within the computer services organization has been solely a function of the computer services staff. Generally conducted by the Director or other functional head, development of the strategic plan was restricted to only those individuals who could be trusted to articulate the technology architecture, products, and services that would be provided for the next five years. The perception existed, and still exists in many camps today, that most customers are not computer literate enough to understand the intricacies of new and emerging technology and therefore could not be trusted to participate in the strategic planning process for information technology. This type of strategic planning process results in a plan for information technology that reflects the needs of the Computer Services Organization, not necessarily the needs of the college or university. The end result is a plan that implies the computer services organization is defining computer requirements for the entire college or university. Using a more graphic metaphor, it could be argued that the tail is wagging the dog in the development of a strategic plan for information technology. More realistically, the strategic plan for information technology should reflect the needs and developments anticipated by the campus constituency. The strategic plan, although perhaps conceptualized by the Computer Services staff, needs to be thoroughly reviewed by all the major customers on campus. In addition, there must be a mechanism that allows all customers to provide input to the strategic plan. In this way, the strategic planning process becomes another service to the customers on campus. THE TRADITIONAL STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS There are several models available for strategic planning. Some models focus on the process while others focus cm the end product, the strategic plan. Migliore (1990) defines strategic planning as: . the process of developing direction for an organization. It is both a product and a process. The product is the plan itself. It is in writing and clearly defines where the organization intends to be in the long term, usually three to five years. The plan includes objectives, strategy, and the short-term steps to ensure overall success. The process is the interaction that takes place in developing the plan. Everyone involved in executing the plan should be involved in its development. Migliore also identifies eight steps involved in the strategic planning process. 1. Define purpose or mission. 2. Perform an environmental analysis. 3. Assess strengths and weaknesses. 4. Identify assumptions. 5. Prescribe written specific and measurable objectives. 6. Develop strategies on how to meet objectives. 7. Make longand short-range plans. 8. Evaluate and control. ~Perrnission to copy without fee all or part of this material is granted provided that the copies a= not made or distributed for direct commercial advantage, the ACM copyright notice and the title of the publication and its data appeafi and notice ls gwen that copying M by pernusslon of the Assoctatlon for Computmg Machinery, to copy otherwtse, or to republish, requires a fee ana70r specific permission. 01994 ACM 0-89791-656-5/94/459940 $3.50 1 Meet the Shadowy Future 49 Migliore’s steps are typical of the traditional perspective of strategic planning. Those individuals involved in the process of developing the strategic plan should be familiar with these steps and their implications for computer services organizations. THE STRATEGIC PLANNING TEAM The makeup of the strategic planning team has always been viewed as being very critical to the successful development of the strategic plan. In many computer services organizations, the strategic planning team has been composed of the director and functional area managers. Depending on the size of the computer services organization, the typical strategic planning team includes the managers of user services, system administration, system development, business administration, and networks. Although much of the literature on strategic planning suggests that professional planners be involved in the strategic planning process, most computer services organizations are not large enough to support individuals that only perform planning functions. Mintzberg (1994) suggests that planners should not be involved in the creation of strategies. They should be involved in supplying data, helping managers to think strategically, and programming the strategic vision. In some organizations, like Armstrong State College, there are so few members of the computer services organization that every member of the organization is, by default, a member of the strategic planning team. During the development of the 1993-95 strategic plan, there were only six individuals in the entire Computer and Information Services organization. These individuals had responsibility for providing all administrative and academic computing support. A major consequence of small organizations is that few individuals in the organization are familiar with the process of developing a strategic plan. At Armstrong State College, for example, every member of the computer services organization, except the director, had no formal training or prior experience in developing a strategic plan. It is important in every computer services or user services organization that the strategic planning process include junior members of the organization. It is only through including these individuals that they are able to develop an understanding and familiarity with the strategic planning process. Another problem faced by computer services organizations that is more predominant in the smaller organization is the issue of formal education. Most individuals in computer services organizations have technical degrees, either computer science or management information systems. In most technical degree programs, there is no requirement to take course work in organizational development or strategic planning. Therefore, the organization is faced with developing a strategic plan with individuals that do not understand the planning process and are not familiar with how it works. IDENTIFICATION OF GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND STRATEGIES The identification of goals, objectives, and strategies are critical to successfully articulating the strategic plan. Even more important, however, is the articulation of a vision for computing over the next five years. Vision statements are almost nonexistent in the final planning documents yet are probably the most important aspect of the planning process. Numerous authors suggest that the CEO or president of an organization is responsible for defining the vision. In the computer services organization, the director or functional leader is responsible for the organizational vision. Jablonski (1991) contributes the following: It all begins with the CEO/president defining the corporate vision. This vision translates into a set of corporate objectives. Corporate goals translate into the tasks (and eventually measurable parameters) that are performed by management and workforce personnel. Although the responsibility for defining the vision might rest with the computer services director, in reality, everyone in the organization should be involved in defining the vision. Baltzer ( 1994) writes: It is imperative that the members of the IT organization develop a “shared vision” of what they value as individuals and as members of the IT organization, and a “shared vision” of the purpose for the IT organization as a whole within the institution. This vision will be based in part on the customer communities identified for the institution, in part on the overall institutional mission and goals, and in part on the profiles of individuals within the IT organization. Once the vision is articulated, the next step is to develop a set of goals for the organization to accomplish over the next five years. Davis and Olson (1985) indicate that goals are general guidelines for the direction in which information technology should be directed. Objectives, however, are more specific and should be stated so that performance or nonperformance can be measured. THE IMPACT OF TQM ON THE STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS As the focus changes to putting the customer first, the strategic planning process must change. Customers are intensely interested in participating in the strategic planning process. They are also stakeholders in the technology evolution on campus. Jan Baltzer suggests that the strategic planning process must include the development and communication of a shared vision by the Information Technology organization. To truly develop a shared vision for the information technology organization, there must be broad-based involvement in