Module 10 (Extra) – IS Planning: Tactical & Operational
Tactical Stage of IS Planning
• Builds on the Strategic Stage.
• Focuses on how to achieve the strategy.
Main Activities:
• Project Identification – Choose which IS projects to do.
• Project Evaluation – Assess and rank projects.
• Resource Allocation – Decide budgets, people, and time.
Outputs of Tactical Planning:
• Investment plans.
• Technology implementation plans.
• Organisational transformation plans.
Tactical Planning – Quick Overview Table:
Activity What it means Key Question
Select IS projects that support
Project Identification Which projects should we do?
strategy
Score and rank each project by Which projects are worth
Project Evaluation
value and risk doing?
Assign budget, staff, and time to Who does what, and how
Resource Allocation
each project much will it cost?
Operational Stage of IS Planning
• Short-term, detailed planning.
• Focuses on day-to-day execution of projects.
• Definition: Operational IS planning is the detailed short-term plan to carry out the projects
from tactical and strategic plans.
Key Areas:
• IS Operations.
• IS Development.
• IS Support.
Typical Outputs:
• Annual operating budget.
• Project plans and schedules.
• Resource allocation.
• Technology maintenance plans.
IS Planning Levels – Comparison Table:
Planning Level Time Frame Focus Key Output
Long-term (3–5
Strategic Vision and direction IT Architectural Blueprint
years)
Medium-term (1–3 Investment &
Tactical How to achieve strategy
years) implementation plans
Short-term (< 1 Budgets, schedules,
Operational Day-to-day execution
year) resource plans
Steps in Strategic IS Planning
1. Identify and understand the business drivers – Know what the organisation wants to
achieve.
2. Create the IS Vision – Define long-term IS goals aligned with business vision.
3. Define the gap – Compare current IS position with desired position.
4. Define the planning approach – Choose methods (SWOT, scenarios, etc.).
5. Define business needs – Identify what the business requires from IS.
6. Define data requirements – Decide what data is needed.
7. Create the IT Blueprint – Technology platform, data resources, applications, IS
organisation, IT policies.
8. IS Tactical Planning – Detailed medium-term plans (projects, resources, etc.).
9. Review and assess the IS Plan – Check alignment, feasibility, and benefits.
Steps at a Glance:
Step Name Output
1 Identify business drivers List of business goals
2 Create IS Vision IS vision statement
3 Define the gap Gap analysis report
4 Define planning approach Chosen methodology
5 Define business needs Business requirements
6 Define data requirements Data needs list
7 Create IT Blueprint IT architectural blueprint
8 IS Tactical Planning Project and resource plans
9 Review IS Plan Approved IS plan
Module 11 – IS Project Planning and Management
Definition of a Project:
• A temporary activity with a specific purpose, start and end date, and budget.
• Different from normal daily operations.
Project Management
• Definition: Planning, scheduling, monitoring, controlling, and reporting on project activities
and progress.
Project Manager's Main Responsibilities (Plan – Schedule – Control – Report):
• Create a plan.
• Schedule tasks.
• Monitor progress.
• Communicate with stakeholders.
• Control changes and resources.
The Project Management Triangle
• Scope (What needs to be done).
• Quality.
• Time (Schedule).
• Budget (Cost).
• Key Point: Changing one side affects the others.
Project Management Triangle – Impact Table:
If you change... It affects...
Scope (add more work) Time increases and/or Budget increases
Time (shorter deadline) Scope reduces and/or Budget increases
Budget (less money) Scope reduces and/or Time increases
Quality (raise standard) Time and/or Budget increases
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
• Definition: A visual tool that breaks a project into smaller, manageable tasks/sections.
• Helps with planning, scheduling, and assigning work.
• Used in all phases of the SDLC (System Development Life Cycle).
Gantt Chart
• A bar chart that shows project schedule over time.
• Shows start and end dates of tasks.
• Useful for seeing dependencies and progress.
PERT Charts & Critical Path Method (CPM)
PERT (Program Evaluation Review Technique):
• Used when task times are uncertain.
• Uses three time estimates for each task:
o Optimistic (best case).
o Most Likely.
o Pessimistic (worst case).
• Formula for Weighted Average: (Optimistic + 4 × Most Likely + Pessimistic) ÷ 6.
PERT Formula Example:
Estimate Value (days) Formula Result
Optimistic (O) 2
Most Likely (M) 5 (2 + 4×5 + 10) ÷ 6 = 32 ÷ 6
Pessimistic (P) 10 ≈ 5.3 days
Critical Path Method (CPM):
• Identifies the longest sequence of dependent tasks.
• Any delay on the critical path delays the whole project.
• Helps focus management effort on important tasks.
Key Tools Summary
Tool Purpose Best Used When
WBS Break project into tasks Planning & organising
Gantt Chart Visual schedule Tracking progress
PERT Handle uncertain times Complex projects with risk
CPM Find critical tasks Strict deadlines
PERT vs CPM – Quick Comparison:
Feature PERT CPM
Focus Time uncertainty Task dependencies
Time estimates 3 estimates (O, M, P) 1 fixed estimate
Best for Projects with unknown durations Projects with known durations
Output Expected task duration Critical path (longest path)