Proceedings of the World Congress on Engineering and Computer Science 2014 Vol I

WCECS 2014, 22-24 October, 2014, San Francisco, USA

Strategic Information Systems Planning (SISP)

Arwa A. Altameem , Abeer I. Aldrees and Nuha A. Alsaeed


Abstract—Strategic Information Systems Planning (SISP) is II. PROCEDURE THE STRATEGIC ROLE OF INFORMATION
an important activity for helping organization to identify
strategic applications and to align an organization’s strategy SYSTEMS
with effective information systems to achieve organization’s
objectives. Today, improved strategic information systems Information systems have assumed an increasingly
planning is the most critical issue facing information systems. strategic role in organizations. It helps organizations to
Strategic information systems planning plays a major role that conduct their daily activities, functions properly (accurately
makes huge contributions to businesses and other organizations. and timely manner with the help of software) , and supports
In this paper, an overview of Strategic Information Systems
decision making [3].
Planning including its importance, stages, and success are
presented. Information systems can be regarded as a strategic
resource in an organization. The opportunities can be
Index Terms— Information systems planning, Strategic classified in 4 areas:
information systems planning, Strategic planning.  To gain competitive advantage.
 To improve productivity and performance.
I. INTRODUCTION  To enable new ways of managing and organizing.
Over the last decade we have seen an increase in
 To develop new businesses.
recognition of IT and the more integrated role IT has begun
to play in the strategy of organizations. The usage of modern This is not to say, however, that all strategic systems
information technologies in the organization management provide an organization with an advantage. As a system can
will be successful only if information system development is be strategically important for different reasons – it can be a
aligned with the organization system development strategy. source of competitive advantage or it can be a strategic
This regarded as the strategic information systems planning necessity. All strategic systems become strategic necessities
(SISP) [1]. The nature of Information Systems in today’s as in an evolutionary theory of strategic development [4].
organizations coupled with raised pressure to leverage Strategic role is helpful for the planning of the
technology assets has raised the importance of SISP. It is a organization because through strategic role the future will be
key concern facing top organizations and information planned [3]. This expanding role has forced strategic
systems executives. systems planners to change the scope, objectives, style and
SISP is a process used by organizations to integrate sources of expertise in planning.
long-range use of applications to further their purposes, has
become the most critical issue facing executives today.
Lederer and Sethi define SISP as ―the process of identifying III. THE NEED FOR STRATEGIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS
a portfolio of computer-based applications to assist an PLANNING
organization in executing its business plans and realizing its
business goals‖ [2]. Since the 1980s, SISP has come to be one of the most
Effective SISP can help organizations to use important steps in successful introduction and optimization
information systems to reach their goals and objectives. It of technology in organizations. Although most literature
can also enable organizations to use information systems to reviews state that the success of any Information System is
significantly affect their strategies. However, the failure of directly related to SISP. It was previously the work of
SISP can result both in lost opportunities and the waste of technology and systems professionals. It became changed to
expensive information systems resources. be a collaborative planning challenge of parties (managers,
business unit managers, technology and systems
professionals, and sometimes external stakeholders) [5].
In an organization, SISP can bring information systems
users and information systems professionals together and
establish a mutual understanding of the value of information
Manuscript received July 08, 2014; revised July 25, 2014. systems and the problems associated with them. SISP can
Arwa A. Altameem is with King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia help organizations to develop priorities for information
( e-mail: araltameem@ksu.edu.sa). systems development by ranking such systems in terms of
Abeer I. Aldrees is with King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (
e-mail: aaldrees@ ksu.edu.sa).
their efficiency, effectiveness, and strategic value. Effective
Nuha A. Alsaeed is with the Saudi Commission for Tourism and SISP can assist organizations in using information systems
Antiquities, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (e-mail: nuhas@scta.gov.sa).

ISBN: 978-988-19252-0-6 WCECS 2014

ISSN: 2078-0958 (Print); ISSN: 2078-0966 (Online)
Proceedings of the World Congress on Engineering and Computer Science 2014 Vol I
WCECS 2014, 22-24 October, 2014, San Francisco, USA

so as to reach their objectives and enable organizations to 4) Information Systems Guidelines: Set of statements
significantly impact their strategies. It provides guidance on that clarify use of organization’s technical and
how the information systems infrastructure of the information systems resources.
organization should be developed over time. It also ensures 5) Strategic Initiatives: Three to five year long-term
better use of information systems resources, including funds, proposals that specify new initiatives for
information systems personnel, and time for scheduling information systems organization. SISP process can
specific project [6]. be summarized graphically as shown in figure 1.
SISP can assist organizations in perfect (the best) and new
ways to build barriers against new entrants, change the basis
of competition, generate new products, use the most cost-
effective methods or strike a balance between the powers of
the suppliers [7].
SISP also ensures that whenever new systems are build
they can communicate or interface properly with pre-existing
systems. It ensures that the information systems
infrastructure is consistent with the strategic vision of the
organization. The success, and even survival, of an
organization in today’s markets is largely dependent upon
the development and implementation of a coherent and
innovative strategic information systems plan.

IV. SISP PHASES

While much has been written about SISP, the important

aspect that has been underemphasized is the planning
process or how planning is accomplished. SISP planners
have to consider the preparatory steps that ensure that
business, organizational and information strategies are Fig. 1. SISP Process
aligned in a complementary fashion. The overall role of
technology and information systems within the organization
must be determined, and the internal and external V. SISP SUCCESS
assessments need to be addressed. The most important point
to remember is that the SISP process must be part of the Developing a SISP successfully is vital for any public or
overall organization plan [8]. private organization. The success of SISP is observable in
SISP has been described in terms of phases and the the light of organization’s success. An organization’s
specific tasks within them. The phases and tasks represent success is expressed differently depending on varying
the components of the planning process, with each having its strategic directions [10].
own objectives, participants, preconditions, products, and A successful SISP will ―help its users grasp future
techniques. The phases and tasks can be used to describe an opportunities and then stretch and exploit the organization’s
organization’s attempts to be comprehensive in its strategic skills to profit from those opportunities‖ [11]. Overall, it is
planning process [9]. SISP unfolds in five phases. The vital to carefully plan ahead before the adoption of
overall five phase breakdown is as follows [8]: information systems projects because of the huge expense
1) Strategic Business Planning: Prerequisite to systems involved. Many researchers agree that clarity of the
planning: information systems strategy plan is positively associated
 It outlines an organization’s overall direction, with information systems adoption success [10][12][13].
philosophy, and purpose. SISP success can be viewed as the degree of attainment of
 It examines its current status in terms of its its objectives. There are four dimensions of objectives which
strengths, weakness, opportunities, and they referred to as alignment, analysis, cooperation, and
threats. improvement in capabilities [14].
 It sets long-term objectives. Alignment facilitates top management’s understanding of
 It formulates short-term tactics to reach them. the importance of information systems. Many studies found
2) Information Systems Assessment: Evaluation of the that greater alignment will lead to improved effectiveness of
system to assess its status (current information information systems function. The importance of alignment
systems resources) in terms of original or current is widely accepted and ranked as crucial. Analysis is the
expectations and how they are serving the study results of the internal operations of the organization. It
organization. helps planners better understand the organization’s current
3) Information Systems Vision: Ideal role that should processes and procedures. Through the cooperation,
be pursued for use of information systems planners ensure that key managers and users support the
resources. process and content of SISP. Cooperation reduces the

ISBN: 978-988-19252-0-6 WCECS 2014

ISSN: 2078-0958 (Print); ISSN: 2078-0966 (Online)
Proceedings of the World Congress on Engineering and Computer Science 2014 Vol I
WCECS 2014, 22-24 October, 2014, San Francisco, USA

possible conflicts that may put SISP implementation at risk

by creating a partnership between managers, other users, and
systems developers. The fourth dimension, improvement in
capabilities, represents the enhancement of the potential of
the planning system. The adapting of the planning process
over time represents a key component of planning
effectiveness [14]. The extent to which these objectives are
fulfilled by SISP thus offers its success.

VI. CONCLUSION

Improved SISP is a major challenge facing information

systems executives today. Successful planning is important
to the realization of the potential strategic impact of
information systems. The primary guideline for information
systems planning is that the planning process must be done
in alignment with organizational plans. Most organizations
now agree that information systems is an important strategic
organizational resource that can provide strategic advantage
and raise organization performance. The organization who
had a better SISP had fewer problems with their chosen
hardware and had smoother and more effective
implementation of their plans.

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ISBN: 978-988-19252-0-6 WCECS 2014

ISSN: 2078-0958 (Print); ISSN: 2078-0966 (Online)