32. Future Investement Possibilities.docx

Future Investment Possibilities

By Marcel Noeverman
Previous version by Hajo van Ravenswaay
Based on the original version of Yelei Zhang

The use of this tool should result in a description of the future capabilities of the IS function to initiate new projects and to maintain high quality in the provided services (Salmela & Spil, 2003).


Information Collection

Seeking Alternatives

Prioritization of Possibilities

Goal

Understand the current situation and potential future changes. How does the business strategy match with current IS systems?

Find reasonable potential alternatives

Ranking of the potential alternatives based on an analysis of benefits, resources and risks

Methods

Use already available information and for example a SWOT analysis

Questionnaires

Methods stimulating the generation of creative ideas, e.g. brainstorming

Different methods are available

Participants

Functional business management, IS management and users. Sometimes also senior management and consultants.

Functional business management, IS management and users

Functional business management, IS management and users. Sometimes also senior management and users.

Result

Information about the current IS/IT recourses

Trends in the industry

Proposals of IS projects that can solve the existing needs and contribute to the sustaining development of the business

A list of prioritized proposals


Therefore, it is important to collect some information first. We need to know what the current situation is and also what will be important in future. Further, alternatives must be generated, for example by using one of the methods suggested in table 1. In the end these possibilities must be prioritized to be able to make a well thought decision. After the last step, the process starts again by the collection of information.

Tabel 1: Investigating future investment possibilities

Bibliography

Salmela, H. & Spil, A.A.M., (2003). Dynamic and emergent information systems strategy formulation and implementation. International Journal of Information Management 22, p45