Strategic Planning for Management Information Systems

     The literature of management information systems (MiS) concentrates largely on the nature and structure of MIS's and on processes for designing and developing such systems. The idea of "planning for the MIS" is usually treated as either one of developing the need and the general design concept for such a system, or in
the context of project planning for the MIS development effort.

     However, strategic planning for the informational needs of the organization is both feasibie and necessary if the MIS is to support the basic purposes and goals of the organization. Indeed, one of the possible explanations for the failure of many MIS's is-that they have been designed from the same "bottom up" point of view that characterized the development of the data processing systems of an earlier era. Such design approaches primarily reflect the pursuit of efficiency, such as through cost savings, rather than the pursuit of greater organizational effectiveness.

     The modern view of an MIS as an organizational decision support system is inconsistent with the design/development approaches which are appropriate for data processing. The organization's operating efficiency is but one aspect for consideration in management decision making.The achievement of greater organizational effectiveness is the paramount consideration inmost of the management decisions which the MiS is to support; it also must be of paramount importance in the design of the MIS.

Comment: That the MIS designer cannot hope to get involved in such things as organizational missions, objectives, and strategies, since they are clearly beyond his domain of authority.

Source:
Strategic Pianning for Management information Systems By William R. King /
http://www.communityweb.net/users/jlaprade/king%20sp%20for%20mis.pdf