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Strategic Planning We know that the aim of strategic planning and critical evaluation of plans are to assist a successful development of company. Experts in strategic planning made a real revolution in traditional forms of planning and management. Strategic planning involves usage of methods in optimization of organizational, technical and social components of strategic approaches as well as focuses attention on psychological and social-organizational factors in effective functioning and planning. We can notice that strategic planning often acts as a link between strategic goals of the company in order to make the work more effective (Strategic information planning 8). Strategic planning can be understood as the process of partnership. A person responsible for strategic planning acts as a strategic partner, taking part in formulation of strategies of the companies in common.
So, actually, the aim of strategic planning is to use full potential of resources for the companys effectiveness. We will start to examine the model of strategic planning basing on strategic plan for information systems prepared for Monash University Library. First of all, lets define the main steps of strategic planning. Strategic planning process should consist of assessment, strategy and execution. Lets examine Monash University Library's strategic plan to find out whether it is based on these steps.
Strategic plan for information systems prepared for Monash University Library consists of several parts: introduction, key strategic initiatives, technical infrastructure required to achieve key initiatives, and appendix. It represents a comprehensive program to secure and protect the Monash University Library's electronic information systems and data assets. Strategic plan defines a framework of practices important for the Monash University to support the university's own high standards and commitment to the preservation and protection of intellectual property, privacy, and quality technology-related services for all people who become involved with the institution. Monash University's Information Systems Strategic Plan provides guidelines on supporting, sustaining and developing a rich information systems environment (Monash University Strategic Plan, Introduction n. p. ). People responsible for this strategic plan underline that the key goal is to ensure that their information technology infrastructure is robust, reliable and stable (Introduction, n.
p. ). The plan supports the library's key strategic initiatives by ensuring that the systems building blocks are refined, consolidated and in line with the technology of the 21 st century (Introduction, n. p. ). The plan analyzes all information related to library's information systems and examines trends. According to this plan, over the next 2 - 3 years the library will play a major role in the consolidation, standardization and application of information management platforms across the university. (1. 2 Trends). No wonder that the university needs to retain, and maintain its high research profile and to better manage this output along with learning and teaching output in a structured, accessible way.
Further, strategic plan examines necessary conditions to achieve key initiatives. They are as follows: Provide a reliable information technology infrastructure to support the access and delivery of information; Assess and recognize needs of people involved in the institutions systems when determining access rights, internet quotas, the retrieval and delivery of information in any format requested; Provide necessary information customer support; Provide support for library hardware; Provide disaster recovery and backup processes for critical and core systems; Provide a client friendly digital / electronic information technology environment to mention a few. Section 2, Key Strategic Initiatives is made in accordance with new library's initiatives in strategic plan. Steps important to access each of these aims are outlined in the Information Systems Divisional Plan. This section is divided into several parts: 2. 1 Information Resources: Access and Delivery.
The aim of it is to provide reliable and seamless access to high quality scientific and scholarly information, regardless of the location of the information or of the user (2. 1. Information Resources: Access and Delivery, n. p. ). The initiatives are as follows: to develop an intranet, to enhance and develop electronic reading lists and lectures online, to develop guidelines on the use of the metadata and database management, etc. Sub-section 2. 2. Information Resources: Collection Management is aimed to ensure that the selection, acquisitions, cataloguing, storage and preservation of scholarly information are in line with the needs and requirements of the university community (2. 2.
Information Resources n. p. ). Subsection 2. 3. Physical environment is aimed to enrich the study experience through provision of innovative and welcoming learning spaces that both stimulate learning and respond to student needs (Subsection 2. 3. Physical environment n. p. ).
And, finally, subsection 2. 4. Quality assurance with the goal to commit to best practice in service provision and resource management while still ensuring financial and administrative accountability (2. 4. Quality assurance n. p. ). The third part of Strategic Plan for Information Systems defines technical infrastructure required to achieve key initiatives. Subsection 3. 1. (Standard operating environment for hardware and software) explains the necessity to have a standard operating environment that is able to ensure cost effective support.
The initiatives are as follows: to control operational budget and to provide hardware that is not more than four years old. Besides, the library should continue to purchase high-end computers as well as lease them in staff areas that require the latest technology to enable efficiencies in work flow. Subsection 3. 2. (Printing / copying environment) dwells on convenience of the library's collections that are in a digital form. According to this section, the library needs to continue to move towards flexible delivery of information and to provide access to electronic databases, electronic reading materials, and lecture notes, some of which are no longer available in print format. The initiatives of this section are to review installations of printing environment an to review micro scanners for further roll outs.
Section 3. 3. examines servers housed and administered by ITS. It defines steps which will provide adequate disaster recovery for critical systems. According to the first stage, the production server will be replaced. The possibility of using storage area network solutions will be examined. After the implementation of this stage, production server will be able to cope with growth for the next several years.
The second stage will investigate failover solutions. After the implementation of the second stage, the staff will retire existing disaster recovery system. Finally, the third stage will plan for the retirement of the web server in the next 1 - 2 years and monitor disk storage options. Finally, Section 4 (Appendix) lists summary of achievements against 2003 initiatives. It provides with key initiatives and planned outcomes.
Moreover, it lists technical infrastructure required to achieve key initiative, provides us with SWOT analysis of Information Systems Division, strengths requiring involvement to become strategic advantage and server specifications. Basing on this plan, we can make conclusion that it consists of all main steps used for strategic planning. The strategic plan for information systems prepared for Monash University Library is in full accordance with basic strategic planning. Bibliography Monash University Library Information Systems. Strategic Plan 2004 - 2006. Retrieved April 21, 2006.
web Strategic information planning. Framework for Designing and Developing System Architectures. Retrieved April 21, 2006. web
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