Strategic systems are developed in response to critical issues that need addressed, based on to organization’s structure and technological needs, in terms of systems development. Every organization has different needs in terms of the use of and access to information and developing a system that strategically evaluates and reacts to these critical needs is a key component of strategic systems development. To offer a fuller definition of strategic systems, it is best to see what is occurring with the term itself. As it stands, the field of IT management is constantly changing and to best apply the positive changes in IT management terms the concept of strategic systems must be seen for what it is and is not.
An article from CIO magazine, “Strategic Systems: Beneath the Buzz” discusses the way the very term “strategic systems” is beginning to lose its meaning. Ever since the word came into popular usage in business and IT management circles it has come to be applied to many projects, almost just for the sake of using the term. Instead of projects being necessarily strategic, they are simply called such so it sounds efficient and practical-the fact is there is little attention being paid any longer to what it means. According to the article, “it’s imperative that IT and business leaders know what truly is strategic in order to focus scarce resources on really important, high-payoff initiatives.” In order to remedy this problem, the article sets out the redefine strategic systems and restate how they can be applied in practice as opposed to being simple rhetorical monikers.
The article defines strategy from a business perspective as “a comprehensive plan of action to achieve a goal.” With this definition in place, it puts the term in the context of a business and relates how strategies are important for businesses and how they help to achieve a particular set of goals. This is further broken down into a definition for IT and another for business with the common idea that competition drives strategy.
The article from CIO magazine also states that the strategies for IT are more complex than those for business and then looks at ways to create business value from different levels; product value, customer relationships, and cost variables. It lays these goals for strategic systems out in a “stair-step” model. In addition, the article examines strategic planning for the IT market by looking at operations management, efficiency, business effectiveness, customer relationships, and product value. As a whole, this article seeks to redefine what strategies are in an age of IT rather than simply business. The article closes with a plea to keep the use of “s-word” as something to be used only when the situation warrants it. This can be achieved through a closer examination of language and goals and is especially important in the IT environment.
