STRATEGIC PLANNING

  Companies develop and maintain IT systems to support their current and future business operation. Most successful IT managers engage in long-range planning, even as they handle day- to-day maintenance and support.

Strategic planningis the process of identifying long-term organizational goals, strategic, and resources. It looks beyond day-to-day Activities and focuses on a horizon that is 3,5, or even 10 years in the future.

Now this  is the question, Why system Analyst  need to know strategic planning ?  System Analyst should focus on the  large, strategic role of IT as they carry out  their day-to-day responsibilities . During strategic planning top managers ask a series of questions that is called a SWOT Analysis because it examine a company’s Strengths(S), weaknesses(W), opportunities(O), and Threats(T), Each question may lead to an IT related issue; which in turn requires more review, analysis, and planning.

A SWOT analysis contributes to the strategic planning process by identifying technical, human, and financial resources.

From Strategic planning to Business Results

A company develops a mission statement based on the firm’s purpose, vision, and values. The mission statement is the foundation for the company’s major goals, shorter-term objectives and day-to-day business operations. Critical success factors are vital objectives that must be achieved  fro the enterprise to  fulfill its mission,  and critical business issues are the key problems, opportunities, and constraints that affect  and shape the firm’s decisions just like a SWOT analysis.