Design of Strategic Information Systems

Abstract

It is clear from the previous three chapters that information processing is central to strategic planning. It is equally clear that strategic MIS design presents distinctive challenges. For example most strategic techniques are data-dependent and yet the data are scarce. Thus the emphasis of strategic MIS is as much on developing information, or on intelligence, as it is on subsequent processing. Secondly much strategy-making is non-routine and unstructured with information needs being difficult to predict, so that formal MIS may have a limited role. These characteristics also make strategic planning difficult to organise and manage, so that responsibility for strategic information is dispersed and diffused and strategic awareness is not easily cultivated. Thus potential strategic information may be lost and critical strategic messages may not be recognised.