Information Vision and Architecture

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Information Vision and Architecture
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IS vision

• The development of an overall management system
  for information technology for an organization is
  not complete without a technical and managerial
  framework for future decisions that are business
  driven
• Information technology vision and architectire is
  a shared understanding on how computer technology
  has to be used and managed in the business

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Information technology vision and architecture

• must be specific enough to guide planning and
  decision making but flexible enough to withstand
  restatement each time a new information system is
  developed
• should provide the long term goal for the IS
  planning effort-vision and architecture represent
  the overall design target

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Vision and architecture

• an ideal view of the future and not the plan on
  how to get there
• must be flexible enough to provide a context for
  individual decisions but more than just fluff
• must focus on long term, but usually exact dates
  are not specified

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Vision and architecture

• Information vision is a written expression of
  the desired future for information use and
  management in the organization
• The information technology architecture depicts
  the way information resources should be deployed
  to deliver that vision

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• An information vision and an information vision
  architecture together translate a mental image of
  the desired future state of information use and
  management into a comprehensive set of written
  guidelines, policies, pictures, or mandates
  within which an organization should operate and
  make decisions.
• Regardless of the form, vision and architecture
  should provide the business, managerial and
  technical platform for planning and executing IS
  operations in the firm.

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Vision and architecture

• A vision and architecture adds more value to an
  organization when it is comprehensive rather than
  detailed and when it is clearly communicated.
• Vision creation starts with speculating how the
  competitive environment of the business will
  change in the future and how the company should
  take advantage of it. Once the business vision is
  specified, the information vision for the
  organization may then be written.

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IT Architecture

• When a vision for future information use has been
  formulated, the IS organization, often in
  co-operation with user-managers, must design an
  information technology architecture.
• This architecture specifies how the resources
  available to users and the IS organization must
  be deployed to meet the information vision.

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• Stefferud, Farber, and Dement (1982) postulate
  that the design of a computing architecture
  consists of four elements-processors, networks,
  services, and standards. Their architecture is
  known as SUMURU.
• Nolan divides an information technology
  architecture into data, applications, and
  communications components. He also suggests that
  the process of building an architecture starts by
  assessing current hardware, software, data,
  communications, management controls, personnel,
  and user elements of the system.

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IT Architecture

• An information technology architecture should
  specify a structure in two categories
• Managerial
• Technical

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• Managerial category
• People - their values and beliefs
• Management systems used for guiding information
  resources
• Technical category
• Hardware and network
• Data architecture for the organization
• A design for the software or applications
  architecture
• Decisions about these 5 areas collectively
  specify the information technology architecture
  for an organization.

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Values

• This module states basic human beliefs that
  should guide IS decision making.
• Role of the user-manager
• Technological leadership role
• Productivity and quality emphasis
• Service orientation and professionalism
• Supporting diversity versus achieving integration

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Management Systems

• Role of the IS Organization
• Breadth of media and application
• Linking mechanism with the business plan
• Corporate versus division IS responsibilities
• Strategic and commodity vendors
• Funding
• Mechanisms for IS planning and control

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Network infrastructure

• Location
• The Workstation
• General-Purpose vs Single-Purpose Nodes
• Supported Operating Systems
• Path and Node Redundancy
• Hierarchical vs Peer-to-Peer
• Supported Communications Protocols
• Public vs Private Networks
• Bandwidth

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Data

• Ownership and Sharing
• Stewardship
• Security vs ease of access
• Breadth of Data Access
• Access to External Data Services

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Application

• Assumed User
• Application Location
• Process-Driven or Data-Driven Design

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Steps in Developing a Vision and Architecture

• Review of the Current Situation
• Analysis of the Strategic Direction of the
  Business
• Recognition of General Technology Trends
• Identification of a Vision for the Role for
  Information
• Determining the Architecture
• Communication of the Visison and Architecture
• Migration plan

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Benefits of a Vision and Architecture

• Better IS Planning
• Communicating with Top Management
• Helping Vendors
• Creating a Context for Decision
• Achieving Integration and Decentralization
• Evaluating Options
• Meeting Expectations of Management

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Five-level framework for applying IT strategies
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Five-level frameworkfor implementation of IT
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Why levels?

• Globalisation of construction, general
  competitive pressure of market economy... ?
  National level IT strategy
• Deregulation, threats from outside the industry,
  increasing demands for quality... ? Strategy for
  construction profession

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Why levels?

• Competition, threat of new entrants, free trade
  of services foreign competition ..... ?
  Enterprise level strategy (strategic mgt.)
• Fundamental operation level of construction is
  the project, better project management ?
  Project level strategy
• Focus on core competencies, construction process
  ? Product level strategy

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IT for Business Process Reengineering in
Construction
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BPR

• Change is one of the most important elements of
  succesful business management today. Continous
  improvement is through change. This applies also
  to construction.
• Business process reengineering (BPR) is a
  methodology for implementing change
• IT plays an essential role in BPR

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BPR methodology steps

• Identifying processes for redesign
• Identifying change tools (levers)
• Developing vision
• Understanding existing processes
• Designing new processes

(Betts 1999)
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Main change levers

• IT can help improving information flow
• Human resources and structural change New types
  of teams (cross-functional), empowerment and
  advancement policies, etc.

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Process analysis

• To understand existing processes, detailed
  process maps must be drawn up with some choice of
  flowcharting method

Fish-bone Mind map Etc.
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Process change

• Typically, high-impact processes must be
  addressed first
• Resistance to change will occur in organisation
  (especially radical changes) especially because
  BPR may cause downsizing

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Process change
Example
(Airline ticketing process, Juran 1998)
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BPRIT Case 1 Kodak

• Fujis launch of a single-use camera had a
  significant market impact which caused Kodak to
  take up concurrent engineering to speed up
  product development. This was facilitated through
  the use of a shared database with which remote
  design teams could interact ? parallel,
  independent designs from engineering specialists
  but with dynamic status-checking of the work of
  others through the shared database.

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BPRIT Case 2 DEC

• Digital Equipment Corporation built an expert
  system XCON building on the accumulated knowledge
  of their design and field service engineers ?
  reduced cost of rework, reduced installation
  delays.
• XCON is also used by sales personnel for
  specifying alternative configurations. ? XCON
  represents a radically new approach to internal
  logistics management.

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Famous BPR cases

• Xerox/Canon Canon could sell photocopiers
  cheaper than Xeroxs manufacturing costs ? Major
  process restructuring at Xerox.
• Ford/Mazda Mazdas Orders Payable mechanism
  worked satisfactorily with 5 employees whereas
  Ford had problems with 500 employees (1986) ? By
  1990 only 125 Ford staff were needed, by learning
  from Mazda process.

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BPR in construction

• More effective IT support of improved
  construction processes possible, but IT
  implementation must be rationalized (not
  technology oriented)

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