A Genre-Based Method for Information Systems Planning

INTRODUCTION Currently, corporations implement diversified computer-based information systems (IS). These include organization-scale solutions such as enterprise resource planning systems, inter-, extra-, and intranet applications, product data management, and enterprise document management systems. At the same time, the end user is ever more capable of rapidly developing and tailoring small-scale applications for groups, organizational units, and personal purposes independently (Grover, Teng, and Fiedler, 1998). Furthermore, corporations are investing in information technology infrastructures that take full advantage of global networking and business process re-engineering (Broadbent and Weill, 1997; Grover et al. 1998). The emerging types of systems are becoming necessities in many smaller companies too. For example, a successful subcontracting network may require certain systems to be used by all the partners. (Song and Nagi, 1997; Toh, Newman and Bell, 1998). Evidently, the above trends call for a holistic but dynamic organizational perspective on information systems planning1 (ISP) (Huysman, Fischer and Heng, 1994; Grover et al., 1998; Spil & Salmela, 1999). We define ISP as a dynamic process where IS development and use are planned to better assist an organization in serving its purposes. This definition is in line with many authors’ definitions on strategic ISP (Lederer and Sethi, 1988; Fitzgerald, 1993; Spil and Salmela, 1999). It does not explicitly mention the concept of competitive/strategic advantage2 . By such a scope we like to extend the area of ISP to be more suitable for different organizations with different purposes and to remind