Deck 6: Strategic Information Systems Planning

Question 1

When making a decision about new IT capabilities

A) they should be standardized so that the operations can be managed efficiently.
B) they should be flexible so that the firm can react to local needs better and more quickly
C) IS professionals should make the decision after weighting the trade-off between standardization and flexibility
D) general and functional managers should make the decision after weighting the trade-off between standardization and flexibility
E) The end user of the technology should make the decision after weighting the trade-off between standardization and flexibility

Answer 1

general and functional managers should make the decision after weighting the trade-off between standardization and flexibility

Question 2

Which of the following is(are) not the purpose(s) of strategic information system planning process?

A) Gathering information about the availability of current IS resources
B) Gathering information about the performance of current IS resources
C) Selecting IS projects to fund as part of the yearly budgeting process
D) Providing a roadmap for decision-making about information systems
E) All of the above are the purposes of strategic information system planning process

Answer 2

Selecting IS projects to fund as part of the yearly budgeting process

Question 3

When performing an information systems assessment, what kind of information systems resources does the planning team need to take inventory of?

A) Technical resources
B) Data and information resources
C) Human resources of IS professionals
D) Human resources of the user community
E) All of the above

Answer 3

All of the above

Question 4

Information Systems Guidelines are a set of statements specifying how the firm should use its technical and organizational IS resources to achieve the IS vision. What is (are) the purposes(s) of these guidelines?

A) To simplify tactical and operational decision-making
B) To ensure that future decisions are aligned with the information systems vision
C) To set expectations for behavior
D) To guide future decision making
E) All of the above

Question 5

Which of the following is not an advantage offered by the information system planning process?

A) The planning process enables and supports intra-organizational communication
B) The information systems plan is an informal contract that specifies the objective of information systems deployment and the responsibilities of the parties involved.
C) The planning process gives the firm an overall direction and purpose when selecting IS projects.
D) The planning process is a cost-effective way to select IS projects to fund as part of the yearly budgeting process
E) All of the above are the advantages offered by the information system planning process

Question 6

Why do we need to create an Information System Vision during the strategic IS planning process?

A) It tells us the opportunity for new strategic directions and initiatives that new technologies make possible.
B) It helps us understand the performance of our current IS resources.
C) It defines the role that information systems should play in the organization
D) It provides a set of guidelines that the firm should follow when using and managing IS resources
E) All of the above

Question 7

The following statement: "We will store data centrally for all mission critical applications" is an example of:

A) Information Systems Vision
B) Information Systems Guideline
C) Information Systems Assessment
D) Information Systems SWOT analysis
E) Strategic planning

Question 8

A long-term proposal that identifies new systems, new projects, or new directions for the IS organization is an example of:

A) A business strategy
B) A strategic initiative
C) An information systems assessment
D) An information systems vision
E) An information systems guideline

Question 9

Which of the following parties should be involved in the process of strategic information system planning?

A) IS professionals
B) Functional managers
C) General managers
D) End-users
E) Only A, B and C

Question 10

There are six key questions that senior executives should answer when getting involved in information systems management. The first question is "How much should we spend on IT?" This question is intended to:

A) Decide what the role of information systems and technology should be in the organization.
B) Decide what business processes are most important to the firm at a given point.
C) Decide the degree of service the firm needs, and that they are willing to pay for.
D) Weigh the cost/benefits of standardization and flexibility.
E) Assign responsibility for information systems projects.

Question 11

Which of the following is(are) not the purpose(s) of strategic information system planning process?

A) Gathering information about the availability of current IS resources
B) Gathering information about the performance of current IS resources
C) Selecting IS projects to fund as part of the yearly budgeting process
D) Providing a roadmap for decision-making about information systems
E) All of the above are the purposes of the strategic information system planning process

Question 12

When there is a limited potential for new systems and functionalities to make a substantial contribution, but even a small disruptions to current IS infrastructure can endanger the firm's well-being and future viability. The firm should:

A) View IS as a tool to support and enable operations, but offer little potential to significantly benefit the organization.
B) Closely monitor its current systems, and need to be willing to fund their maintenance and upgrade.
C) Be extremely proactive with respect to information systems and IT investments.
D) Engage in some reorganization
E) Do all of the above

Question 13

An information system vision defines the role that information systems should play in the organization. For what kind of organizations do information systems play a more strategic role?

A) The organizations whose success in the marketplace depends heavily on their ability to introduce IT innovations
B) The organizations which are more mature and less IT-intensive
C) The organizations whose information systems impact their day-to-day operations
D) All of the above as information systems should always play a strategic role
E) None of the above answers is correct

Question 14

Which of the following statement(s) about a firm's Proposed Strategic Initiatives is(are) not true?

A) They are long-term (three to five year) proposals that identify new systems and new projects.
B) They need to be precisely articulated.
C) They must be aligned with the information vision and the proposed role of IS in the firm.
D) They need to identify a set of future avenues for exploitation of the IS resources.
E) All of the above statements are true

Question 15

The advantages of the IS planning process are:

A) To enable and support intra-organizational communication
B) To create a shared mental image of team members' role
C) To specify the objective of IS deployment
D) To create a context for decision making
E) All of the above

Question 16

What is the output of the information systems assessment process?

A) A snapshot of the current "state of IS resources" in the organization
B) The organization's mission and future direction, performance targets, and strategy
C) The ideal state the firm should strive for, in its use and management of its resources
D) A roadmap for decision-making about IS
E) All of the above

Question 17

The strategic IS planning process is a five-phase-sequential process starting from "Strategic business planning."

Question 18

The information systems planning process is an iterative process because IS vision may need to be revised according to the result of the information systems SWOT analysis.

Question 19

The four quadrants of the strategic impact grid are the factory, support, turnaround, and operations.

Question 20

In the Outrigger case study, Outrigger had 10 years' worth of customer data.

Question 21

Business managers must be involved in the strategic planning and management of information systems.

Question 22

Strategic Alignment is the degree of fit and consonance between the priorities and activities of the IS function and the strategic direction of the firm

Question 23

The objective of the strategic IS planning is to define how the firm plans to use and manage IS resources to fulfill its strategic objectives

Question 24

For less IT-intensive firms, IS may be a "necessary evil."

Question 25

The four quadrants of the strategic impact grid are the factory, strategic, support, and turnaround.

Question 26

Briefly discuss the two analytical tools that help managers deciding the role of information systems.

Question 27

Information Systems Guidelines are a set of statements specifying how the firm should use its technical and organizational IS resources to achieve the IS vision. What are the purposes of these guidelines?

Question 28

What are the advantages offered by the information system planning process?

Question 29

What are the six key Information Systems decisions managers must be involved with?

Question 30

What are the five phases of the IS planning process?

Question 31

Why should general and functional managers be involved in the IS planning process? Provide examples as appropriate.

Question 32

What is the relationship between the overall business plan and the IS plan? Should one support the other and, if so, which one? Provide examples where appropriate.