DB FPX 8405 Assessment 1

Management Functions

Five main functions of management are:

• Planning: Planning is forward-looking and prescribes the organizational path.
• Organizing: Work subdivisions have to be delineated, set in order, and coordinated so that each portion works in conjunction with the others in a coherent manner to be organized. This requires a formal authority structure as well as direction and flow of the authority.
• Staffing: Staffing involves the process of hiring an efficient workforce for the enterprise at the managerial and non-managerial levels.
• Directing: Direction, communication, motivation, and supervision are all functions of directing, and they are the ones who ensure employees carry out their functions effectively in order to achieve desired goals.
• Controlling: Actions taken to keep events from veering off from those planned make up the control function.

The 4 Objectives of IT Planning

• Promote awareness of the need for strategic planning and incorporating technology into the strategic plan, revising and enhancing the plan periodically.
• Provide executive leadership of aging services organizations with an overview and guidance on incorporating technology and strategic IT planning into their strategic plans.
• Provide comprehensive guidance, tools, recommendations, and resources to aid an organization’s IT leadership in carrying out strategic and operational IT planning.
• Offer examples of providers that have successfully executed strategic IT planning

Strategic Planning

Strategic planning involves understanding an organization’s current condition and possible courses of action to determine its future direction and follow a particular direction. It usually provides an answer to at least one of three basic questions: What do we do? To whom do we do it? How do we excel?

DB FPX 8405 Assessment 1 Emerging Wireless Technologies 

Purpose of Strategic Planning

• prioritize to more effectively accomplish the mission of the organization.
• Project the organization’s desired future.
• Periodically review the strategic vision.
• Make the strategic vision tangible enough for the organization to take action.

Characteristics of an Effective Planning Process

• Incremental implementation of effective strategic planning.
• Well-defined list of strategic goals and initiatives for short- and long-term positioning.
• Inclusive and collaborative exploration and decision-making.
• Strategically driven business plans based on data that reflect the vision and goals of the organization.
• Moving from “divergence” to “convergence” through an outside-in process

Approving Strategic Initiatives and Resource Integration

To implement strategic planning effectively, approval of strategic initiatives and a list of priorities must be delegated to them. Aligning resource investments with the operating and capital budgeting functions of the organization is also crucial for effective implementation.

Keys to Success

As you start strategic planning, take note of these 5 success keys:

• Step by step: Define the organization’s capacity to lead, finance, and implement priority initiatives step by step.
• Seek help: Engage an outside consulting agency/consultant for an outside-in planning project.
• Watching the outside: Be aware of outside changes that influence strategic planning.
• Periodic revision: Review and revise the strategic plan periodically for needed modifications.
• Involve the CIO: The CIO should be at the core of strategic technology and IT planning.

Effective Strategic IT Planning

Effective strategic IT plans should address key elements of the organization:

• Hardware and infrastructure
• Software
• Staffing and support
• Organizational goals
• Data analysis
• Integration

Understanding Organizational Direction and Business Objectives

IT executives must ensure the IT function is aligned with the organization’s objectives and goals. IT planning needs to be informed by the organization’s products/services, customer base, and strategic initiatives.

DB FPX 8405 Assessment 1 Emerging Wireless Technologies 

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