IT strategic planning processes

Chapter 12 of the course textbook introduces IT strategic planning processes. Company CIOs are often challenged with determining what kind of newer information systems should be acquired, and when and where to deploy the resources. Budgetary constraints can sometimes force a business to stick it out with antiquated legacy systems that offer less than optimal performance for longer periods of service than desired, sometimes exceeding the known historical time-to-failure data, which can jeopardize business efficiencies, operational readiness, or product quality.

Question:

Perhaps you have been in a workplace situation where you were tasked with utilizing an older or outdated technology that did not meet the necessary standards to perform your assigned tasks efficiently, or that jeopardized business processes or operations. Describe a replacement Information System that could have been utilized to provide a solution and enhance the efficiency of your efforts.

Remember, one goal of the Discussion assignments is to create an atmosphere of interaction by posting meaningful responses that advance and expand the depth of the discussion. Do this by providing additional support to your peers’ initial and response posts, or if appropriate, by challenging them if you feel that the data that they presented is weak. Likewise, when a peer challenges the data in your posts, debate the issue, and providing further support for your points of view on the topic.

Answer Preview

I once worked as a cashier in a hotel that did not use the transaction processing systems. The hotel had no computers for storing inventory information or generating sales and orders by customers. My work involved taking the orders from the customers physically, calculating the transactions and writing them physical receipts which they would give at the kitchen counter in order to receive what they ordered. The process was slow leading to accumulation of customers and long queues which affected the operations; leading…