Project management and strategic planning Essay

forefront Language style English (U.K.). Write strategic readying and execution of instrument steps involved in any project within IT discussion section. have-to doe with the Total gauge management steps followed. What atomic number 18 the chores showd? Which problem solving and decision making method actings would you suggest to be utilized? Explain.References both 2 Sources from the net, or Textbooks or journals.An disposals IT strategic planning should combine some amount of tactical planning. An IT division would require a strategic planning policy to ensure that the stave members and students can use of goods and run the ne dickensrk on the campus as and when required. As per the university requirements, ein truth(prenominal) the schools should have a functional IT system, with certain criteria and specifications. The IT planning would also help the school to make out and receive technology from other schools and in this way be of capacious help to the students . An IT Department should be a part and parcel of the procreation policy and plowes of the educational institute. It should be considered as a very fundamental educational and schooling tool, for the students and rung members. Let us now catch at the actual strategic planning process and how it can be implemented in an educational institute.Strategic Planning is a process of making important decisions in the organisation so that a attach between the present and the future trends is formed, choosing the organizations goals, establishing the policies needed to collide with specific objectives and recognising the means of assuring that policies are implemented in an take over manner. In a nutshell strategic plans are the action plans (Majdchov, 2003 & Strategic Initiatives, 2007).strategic PLANNING PROCESSConsidering an example of a circumspection institute with supernumerary reference to the project to be carried out in the IT segment, the following dilate a manager in t he unit will have to procure and organize (ICFAI).A Manager who is responsible for strategic planning would change the intentions or objectives of the organisation concrete and measurable strategic plans, policies and budget allocations (Majdchov, 2003 & Strategic Initiatives, 2007).Step one Defining the mission of the organizationBased on the above work assignments, companies change their mission over a utmost of time to reflect changes in the external environment. The IT unit should address plebeian chord important issues What is the art supposed to do? Who are the customers? What goods or work does it offer?An IT department targets the discordant problems and issues, which are normally faced in a laboratory system of an organisation. The IT department would provide services to the lag and the students and non merely provide goods alone to the audiences mentioned above (Kotler, 1999).Step two Drawing up organizational objectivesThe strategic planning process in an IT department will broadly comprise of the following main objectives to be achieved. This would help to fasten the means of accomplishing the mission Students online exams / reports / marks,Laptop management (Wi-Fi connection), lucre control,LAN Connections,PC Maintenance, AMC annual maintenance contract,Software and hardware troubleshooting,UPS, marketer management,Requisition and procurement of PCs, UPS etc,Intranet management,ERP package connectivity, andServer support (Kotler, 1999 & ICFAI)Step triplet Assessing and Analysing SWOTThe mangers need to analyse well the organisations menstruum situation in grade to stimulate an hard-hitting outline to actualise a competitive edge availableness of KRAsAvailability of E-commerce technologies and processesAvailability of skills in management of the supply chain or the vendor counselling of Proprietary technology, superior technological skills, IP, Patents, and the issues concerned with them (Kotler, 1999 & ICFAI)Step four Formu lating strategyMichael Porter has described three strategies which can help a unbendable / unit to gain competitive edge over others.Overall cost Leadership An IT firm has to consider the capital investment and access to it, the plan skills required, intense super mickle of labour, products designed for ease in manufacture, etc in order to achieve the its objectives (Kotler, 1999).Differentiation The IT department may differentiate its products and services into technical and engineering support, strong capability in identifying the LAN, vendors, ERP, Wi-Fi, Internet, skills of the staff members needed, Intranet, etc (Kotler, 1999).Focus entirely the above mentioned policies should be directed towards meeting the strategic target of fulfilling the staffs and the students requirements (Kotler, 1999).Step five Implementing strategy harmonise to McKinsey et al, the best-managed companies exhibit the following 7 elements, known as McKinsey 7-S framework for business success. These include strategy, structure, and systems (known as hardware to success) and style, skills, staff and shared out values (known as software to success) (Kotler, 1999 & ICFAI).In an IT department, style refers to the common ways of thinking and behaving of the staff members. Skills refer to the unique method of discourse problems experienced by the organization, especially apply creative solutions. laging is the process of hiring, raising and allocating the work by the department. Shared values refer to the common guiding values shared by the staff members (ICFAI).During the implementation, the manager should constantly superviseing device the technology, staff, incentives/reward system, decision-making processes, structures and functions (ICFAI).IMPLEMENTING TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENTThis involves selecting the right staff members and using ensuring that the services are of high case. The process of TQM is continuous in the organisation so that quality of the organisation would improve (through having appropriate processes, products and services). Feedback regarding customer gaiety is gained, and accordingly improvements are made. The company needs to gain an insight of how the user would be using the product. Any shortcoming should be identified and modified, as and when needed. Some of the steps in TQM include Studying the current quality situationDefining the quality needsPlanning for a quality control program initiated by the managersHaving structures, functions and strategies for implementing the quality programAllocating and obtaining the resourcesMonitoring and military rank of the quality control program (Hashmi, 2000) troubleS FACEDThe IT department may face several major problems in cases of IT resource troubleshooting, logistics management, customer satisfaction, changes in the vision of the organisation, leadership problems, incompetent human resources, adoption of new technologies, managing the IP, obsolete facilities, etc (ICFAI). unitary of the major problems faced by the organisation previously, was regarding the presence of viruses in various internet systems. This seemed a threat to the security of the network. The organisation had to develop a policy to prevent entry and spread of such virus on its network system. This ensured that all external connections including CDs, pen drives, removable discs, etc, were thoroughly scanned so that any virus threat would be contained. The users were also aware of the security measures that had to be followed whilst using the network. A strong firewall was installed to ensure that all data entering and existing the network was thoroughly monitored. In this way, the IT department effectively overseed virus threats.A study was conducted in the Institutes IT Department to determine the effectiveness and the efficiency of the IT departments network system. More than 100 individuals were interviewed, which included 80 students and 20 teachers. It was found that when a definite plan was introduced since 2004, the quality of services provided by the IT department improve drastically. About 75 % of the staff members and 65 % of the students agreed to this. The IT personnel are conducting quality checks at various levels to ensure that the services are effective and can enable the organisation to achieve its goals.Services Provided Percent of Staff who felt that the services were goodPercent of Staff who felt that the services were satisfactoryPercent of Staff who felt that the services were poorCommentsInternet75214Internet services are very good with fast connectivity and lightning speedsIntranet503515Intranet exists, but not updated regularlyMessenger251363Not utilized very often during instructionMail65269Utilised very frequently and beneficial to all the faculty members and students. all(prenominal) staff and student is given their own id and passwordLibrary 781210Services are limited (no of databases subscribed)College Database502426Not updated for longTeleconference system562519Although, the system is effective and very useful, frequent disruptions occurPROBLEM SOLVING AND DECISION MAKING METHODSGroup Decision making method may be useful in large and complex departments, as the decision adopted seem to be better.Delphi group technique brings a panel of experts together in order to identify the problem and develop solutions for them. Responses are collected and averaged by the people coordinating the group. It is utilised more often to immediately take in acute problems faced by the unit. such(prenominal) problems are time consuming and expensive to solve. Interacting groups is the most common form of group decision making, in which the members openly discuss the problem, develop ideas, fence in about each of them, and choose the best alternative.Decision Tree is a complex instrument that helps the decision-maker to consider various alternative courses needed to solve the problem and select the most appropriate alternative. The decision-maker can implement and monitor the alternative (Kotler, 1999 & ICFAI). Overall, I do feel that from the efforts of the management of the organisation and from the IT department itself, an effective network system has been develop which is very useful for the students and the staff members. This educational tool helps in education, instruction, and research and even in providing information to the general public. Regular feedback should be taken from the users, administrators, etc, in order to determine if any modification is required for the IT System, and effectively introduced into the IT strategic plan. Over, the last four years, incorporation of an IT plan has ensured a faster network, security, greater access, and increased support. The IT department has also certain trouble shooting devices in place to handle any situation. This has helped the organisation to achieve its objectives.ReferencesHashmi, K. (2000), Introduction and Implementation of Total fictional character Management (TQM), Online, Available http//www.isixsigma.com/library/content/c031008a.asp, Accessed 2007, November 23.ICFAI Introduction to management, ICFAI Center for Management research.ICFAI Project Management, ICFAI publication of management research.Kotler, P. (1999), Marketing Management the Millennium edition, tenth ed, Prentice Hall.Majdchov, H. (2003), Strategic Management For The Nonprofit Organizations, Electronic Library of scientific Literature, vol. 51, no. 3. http//www.sav.sk/journals/ekoncas/ekon2003_07.htmStrategic Initiatives Leading Transformative Change, Online, Available http//www.strategicinitiatives.com/, Accessed 2007, November 23.The University of carbon monoxide at boulder (2002). 2002 Information Technology Strategic Planning Report. Online, Available http//www.colorado.edu/ITplan/2002itsp.pdf, Accessed 2007, November 23.The University of Colorado at Boulder (2002). 2002 IT Strategic Vision, Online, Available http//www.colorado.edu/ITplan/vi sion.pdf, Accessed 2007, November 23.The University of Colorado at Boulder (2002). Current Situation (Trends), Online, Available http//www.colorado.edu/ITplan/trends.pdf, Accessed 2007, November