It takes a lot of careful analysis to really understand the business need and your reasons for attacking it. So far so good, but too many efforts seem to stop here. The all important second blank is filled in with the result of your action the need that will be met, the change that will take place, the impact that you seek. This is just the beginning of the thinking process, but it is where all strategies must begin. For tools to help you define your business problem and explore ways to attack it, see our handbook Making Smart IT Choices .
Stakeholders are everywhere.
No governmental program or proposal can escape them. We know that the users or customers of services are stakeholders. Most efforts to use information on their behalf take them into account. But stakeholder considerations don t stop there. Even when you are sure all the relevant stakeholders are identified, avoid the tendency to assess only the positive impacts.