expedite implementation of IS plan

You were invited by the university president to prepare an IS plan for the university, discuss what are the steps in order to expedite the implementation of the IS Plan.

Planning an IS plan can somehow complex. If I were to think of steps in order to expedite the implementation of IS plan to ensure that something takes place or dealt with more quickly than usual I would rather take into consideration some factors.

• Project management

We should determine the time to be allotted in order to complete the plan. With this we can utilize time management and other factors concerning schedules. Other than managing time we should also consider who will manage the plan and create planning teams that is capable in planning an IS. Project management must be properly supervised and development practices are also one most significant factor to be considered. We need to better understand the plan so that implementation won’t become more complicated. That is why such issues must be put into consideration.

• Adaption of resources and information

Issues involving data conversion and allocation of resources must also be considered. Proper usage of resources must also be recognized because it might cause several failures, either when it comes to implementation or allocation of data.

• Training people

Training is also the most important factor to be considered. IT staffs that are properly trained will make the project easily done. They need to have knowledge in terms of managing data and IS plan implementation. One of the things that are essential to successful continuous improvement in order to expedite implementation of IS plan are strongly matters on the people involve around the plan.

should i recommend outsourcing??

How can you determine if outsourcing is advantageous to your organization? Would you recommend outsourcing to USeP?

When we are in the midst of making a decision we usually visualize everything first before making moves. How can I determine if it can add improvement to my organization if I recommend outsourcing? Is there a need to outsource? In today’s time, outsourcing is already commonly introduced to every organization. Is it also for the reason that it offers a lot than in-source.

Yes, considering the fact that when we outsource we will have an access to a larger talent pool and a sustainable source of skills. But if I suggest outsourcing in my school it could be one of the biggest decisions to be made. Because when we outsource, it also means that we are withdrawing the business function involving the transfer of people and the sale or resources to a provider because we are hiring somebody else to do all or part of the work instead of the person or company originally hired.

I think there is no need for outsourcing in USeP because we have lots of human resources that are expert in the field of creating systems and things like making databases. We have lots of staffs that are brilliant enough to provide the needs of the school so there is no need for us to outsource. It will just cost us money to outsource while in fact we can still save a little amount if we just hire people inside the school to do the work. Yet, we can still acquire outside the organization to improve our ideas so that we can develop better systems.

Yes, it will advantageous if we outsource if the organization has limited staff to do a certain job in-house. If we want to improve something better that we think our resources cannot do the job. There is a need to outsource if we want to have access to operational best practice that would be too difficult or time consuming if we develop it in-house. And if we want to standardize our business process and that is the time we outsource.

Although outsourcing offers a lot more, the school can minimize the cost if they will hire people inside the organization and we can still make sure that our concept and design are out of harm’s way and protected.

paradigm shifts?

In the spectrum of organizational change, which is the most radical type of change: automation, rationalization of procedures, business reengineering, or paradigm shifts?

When a business is in the midst of increasing their productivity, it faces different kinds of organizational change. There are lots of ways in order for a business to make it more efficient and to improve operational flexibility. In the spectrum of organizational change, the most essential type of change is paradigm shift which is the radical conceptualization of the nature of the business process and the organization.

Even though it takes a larger risk than the other type of change it has become the most widely applied organizational change to many other organizations for it changes the overall business process thus making a better impact if it is a success. Although business reengineering is also one radical type of change because this approach deals also in redesigning the way work is done in order to better support the organization’s mission and to reduce cost which has the objective of radical improvement in performance and not just incremental improvement, the term paradigm shift is still the most radical type for this kind of approach has found uses in other situation, representing the concept of a major change in a certain thought-pattern.

If this kind of organizational change will be properly implemented and is put into better application by the people in the organization it can create a big radical change in personal beliefs, complex systems, replacing the former way of organizing with a radically different way of thinking. Through this change, it makes an influential technique and a start of something new to improve profits and business operations. Because when we have the focus on making efficient business with the most profitable segment we can make it grow unpredictably fast simply by making a general change in the organization and the best and most radical type of change is paradigm shift.

steps for critical success factors approach

The last time we have a discussion about this topic; it was reported by two of my classmates in management information system. Even though it was reported clearly (I think) the explanations given are still a bit unclear to me. But after reading the fourth assignment I was forced to have some thorough study or even comprehensive reading about the topic. But reading does help. It sure does.

Before I will jump into many conclusions and expounding into thousands of words what are the steps for critical success factors approach, I will discuss first what critical success factors really mean and where it first originated. The CSFs approach was applied in case studies carried out in the UK universities. It was applied also as a component of a strategic information management (SIM) methodology put forward by Wilson. The CSFs approach was combined with the value chain concept by Porter in order to form an information audit. The idea of identifying critical success factors as a basis for determining the information needs of managers was proposed by Daniel in 1961 but it was popularized by Rockart on 1979. The ideas were very simple: in any organization certain factors will be critical to the success of that organization, in the sense that, if objectives associated with the factors are not achieved, the organization will.

Critical success Factors define key areas of performance that are essential for the organization to accomplish its mission. Identifying the business drivers for change and the critical success factors is the most important element of any business transformations. John F. Rockart concludes that CSF’s are areas of activity that should receive constant and careful attention from management. Critical success factors are strongly related to the mission and strategic goals of your business project. Whereas the mission and goals focus on the aims and what is to be achieved. Critical success factors focus on the most important areas and get to the very heart of both what is to be achieved and how you will achieve it.

For most businesses, there are only a generally a limited number of areas – like sales or product development – which makes a business succeed. We can select critical success factor with insights and analysis. The success or failure of your business depends on how you approach your unique set of critical success factors. Understanding these factors and spending 100 percent attention to them is a sure way to add power to your efforts and jump start towards a new level of performance.



For better understanding about the steps on critical success factors approach, let’s go further than the business issues. Let us narrow our senses. The following definitions are mostly ideas based on the explanation given by myGoals.com.
Critical success factors cannot be specifically defined for the masses because success can be defined quite differently by each individual, and for the goal at hand. Therefore, in order to identify critical success factors, it is first necessary to come to terms with your own personal definition of success. Each individual’s own definition of will be influenced by several key factors:

•Success is subject to individual interpretation based on upbringing, past experiences, role models, personal motivations and goals. For some it might be to own a home in an upscale neighborhood, while for others it might be a career in the Peace Corps. Carefully contemplate your definition of success based on your values—not what your brother-in-law or Madison Avenue tells you it is. Your own definition of personal success directly influences critical factors leading to that success.

•Your view of success will change at various times throughout your life. For example, what might be deemed successful in college or on your first job is very different from successfully raising a family or comfortably retiring in the Caribbean. Your definition of success will continue to change, so don’t make the error of pursuing an outdated version of it. Success factors will change over time.

•Personal success is sometimes measurable and sometimes not. Accumulating a certain amount of wealth is one way to measure success, but it is not the only way; a successful marriage may be far more meaningful to many people and can only be measured by how the two partners feel about each other as the years go by.

•Very few people achieve success accidentally. Most people who achieve success first defined it then planned for it; they set a goal to achieve it. Critical success factors change with the goal.



Once you have defined personal success for yourself, your next step is to set goals that will lead you to your definition of success. You must create realistic, viable plans to achieve those goals. Follow your plans, be flexible, and enjoy the process. It’s not about keeping up with the Joneses. Here are five success factors that will directly affect your success in achieving any goal:


Critical Success Factor #1: Clearly Identify your Goal

The first step is to identify your special set of critical success factors. Clearly determine what the goal is. Be specific when identifying your factors. Test your assumptions by imagining a decline in a particular factor. How would that impact your business? And then imagine an improvement in that factor and think if what will its impact in you business.


Critical Success Factor #2: Identify the Obstacles

The next step is to establish a measurement scale for each critical factor. List all the hindrances standing between you and the goal. Identify resources, assistance, information or anything else that might be needed to reach the goal. As you're writing, don’t get discouraged by the obstacles– they’re absolutely necessary to help you with the next step in completing your plan.

Critical Success Factor #3: Know the Tasks Necessary to Overcome Each Obstacle

Set the baseline after establishing a measurement structure for a factor. Taking each obstacle one at a time, write one or more ways the obstacle could be overcome. These are tasks that will comprise your to-do list. Expect to have several tasks per obstacle.

Critical Success Factor #4: Assign Deadlines

Next is setting new goals. Create a gap between where you are and your baseline and your target for that factor. Assign a start and completion date to each task in the plan. It’s ok to be working on several different tasks at the same time, but don’t over do it. Be realistic.


Critical Success Factor #5: Follow the Plan

By the time to you've reached this step, you will have defined a goal plan. You have now defined a baseline and a target for each factor. Complete each task in succession. Revisit your goal plan often and make sure to use your reminder system to keep you on track. Use any idea generation process you are comfortable with. Develop several possible initiatives to raise the level of that factor. With luck your ideas will work together and harmonize in terms of impact or implementation requirements. If you generate challenging ideas, select the best option. Choose based on return on investment, required resources, scheduling conflicts, time to impact, total cost, and possibility of success in opposition to risk of failure. Depending on the specific factor, and the size of the gap, you may plan to close it in stages or shoot the gap all at once. Once you launch your gap closing initiatives, continually measure your results. Report your progress to participants and stakeholders and post it publicly.


If the success plan is too long or a little bit complicated, try to break it into several smaller more manageable plans. Do not rely on luck or things outside you control as part of the success plan. Be flexible enough; expect your success plan to change before you complete it. Circumstances change, unexpected events occur, and your plan should be updated to adapt to changes. Use planning software to help construct your plan and modify it regularly. Seek the input of others who have expertise in the area or who have completed similar goal. Reward yourself for practical success as significant milestone are accomplished.



To top it all, critical success factor was designed to help a business achieve personal success, regardless of how you chose to define it. It helps you select and pursue personally fulfilling goals; you create a clear, defined path to your own personal success. Critical path method is extremely effective tools for creating viable plans and keeping you on track. As what the saying goes, “you can’t mange what you can’t measure”. This tells us that the positive results don’t come easy and are driven by many factors besides management alignment. Because its human nature to revert the old comfortable ways.

As priorities change (and circumstances change), goals will change as well. Defining steps of approach provides a convenient, flexible, and easy way to manage your path to personal success. We encourage everyone to pursue their goals with passion. Personal success is yours alone to define, pursue, and achieve.

purpose of information system planning and what it is major challenges

There is a fundamental, certain reality that needs to be clearly taken into consideration in information system planning. These are its purpose and major challenges prior the information system plan. This evolution is a reality that must be recognized and addressed directly and responsibly. Although many of us, no doubt, already know what is behind information system planning, that is not a realistic option. Nor it is a responsible one for future generations. The purpose of IS planning are many and diverse, but there focus is one at the same time, namely, to make the business grow.

Does a business need to plan an information system strategically? What are their grounds in making these things possible? I am a little bit confused thinking of a better idea that could possibly considerable and significant. As always, I look for better answers and found out that the simple purposes why a company needs information systems planning is to implement a universal system of data transfer and data access and to develop automated reports to assist in managing the workforce development programs, to compile, analyze and coordinate the collection of data relevant to the needs of the business. In its simplest terms, the main intention why a business does information system planning is in order to improve service to their clients.

The reason why organization does IS planning, these includes the constant competition of measures and countermeasures, the tendency to keep weakness out of mind or perhaps the ordinary failures of design or execution. Planning method is designed for taking an occasional fresh look at the future challenges and possible strategies, for rethinking matters such as impressive strategy and higher-level defense planning. The essence of Information system planning is to deal with future uncertainty by generating capabilities usable for different purposes and circumstances.

Strategic planning for information system is essential to organizational success, especially in times of increasingly rapid change. The reason why a business needs to plan an information system is simply because the impact of information system as well as information technology contributes a lot in the performance of the business and to the success of the organization. The purpose is to promote capabilities-based planning for diverse contingencies, both large and small and emphasize the need for hedge capabilities permitting future challenges. While we are hopeful that technological changes will play important roles in helping us to adapt to this coming reality, we also need to acknowledge and address the fact that information system plan constitute a major part in the development of the business scheme.


An information system planning has begun to make more efficient use of its resources to serve its growing demand. However, to meet the growing demand for many resources, a company or an organization must carry out a plan to realign its capital resources and to acquire support service more efficiently. At the same time, an organization needs to improve its process for allocating resources.

Information system planning is somehow a necessity for the same reason that every now and then technology changes. IS planning has become a part of a company’s over-all plan because it assist the business in the improvement of the company’s information technology. Information systems are a primary part of organizations, and when they change, the organization also changes. Since technology is always changing, a need for a new and updated information system is a must. Thus, in support with this fast change an information system needs redesigning. Change is a part of the process and must be carefully managed. The term completion, when talking about a new system, refers to the entire process of organizational change surrounding the introduction of a new system.

That is why in an ideal world, a comprehensive information system planning would solve all the problems that information system manager face and the organization itself. That is mainly the reason why we elaborated more clearly the purpose of information system because Information system planning sometimes involves the whole organization. Unfortunately, the world continues to change at such a rate that plans must be continually updated. Without information system plan a business plan will not be completed for the reason that IS plan itself were critical success factor. That is why many companies particularly those large ones has developed a complete and inclusive technology planning procedure to boost technology project launch and approval. That is also the main reason why a continuous and ongoing information system planning is really a must.

Businesses does information system plan for the reason that it enhances productivity of the business itself. By observation, information systems often do seem to greatly increase productivity. It helps the business in creating better and efficient output that could possibly satisfies the need of the clients. It plays in the success or failure of mergers and also acquisitions. Manager throughout the information system planning have strongly embrace linking performance with resource and operations management responsibilities. Evaluating the direct impact of information system planning on the business processing and accuracy may be difficult to achieve. IS plan is effective in providing employees the knowledge they need to accurately and consistently business process. In applying that knowledge, a number of factors may get involved, making it difficult to isolate the effects of IS plan in the business from other factors that might influence those same results. This remains a critical issue and a great challenge for all organizations.



Challenges, what are the most frequent challenges we always come upon during the IS planning. I did not attempt to list every challenge, just the primary ones. There are lots of challenges but I just want to focus on one major challenge that always occurs when an organization develops an information system, it is planning for change in a changing world. Change is a continuing presence in all forceful and successful businesses. The challenge lies in knowing what, where, and how to change – and what, where, and how not to – and proactively planning to make the business in the future even better than they are today.

A common challenge of information system planning is that they fail to spend enough time in the early stages of their planning processes providing the community with information about the changes and challenges that lies ahead and the consequences of failing to plan for them. This challenges still remains as a constant challenge because during the IS plan, developers mostly fail to put into action what is the real nature of the plan. Many of these instances are common since people tend to forgot to elaborate what are the possible consequences when the plan fails.

Because of such reason, during IS planning an accurate prediction of the course of events sometimes not even possible. That is, hesitation is not only everywhere and large, but also impossible to get rid of it by merely working hard to do so. So what do we do about this burden of uncertainty? In a phrase, we should get on with business – learning to plan in a way that includes the expectation of surprises and the need for adaptations.

Information system planning a long time ago was possible only because all design and development was centralized and during those times was acceptable preliminary part because budgets were ever increasing, schedules always falling and information was not yet part of the corporations’ critical edge. Well, today is different, really different. Budgets are decreasing, and slipped schedules are being cited as preventing business alternatives. Budgets are one of the major challenges in IS planning. In the business world even outside world, constant change always happens and so high budget demands and poor funds. This two causes the IS plan to fail, not always but sometimes.

Businesses face significant challenges addressing information security program requirements and establishing a comprehensive and integrated security program. Information security is critical to the confidentiality, integrity and availability of data, and to protect assets required to support the business. Lack of management oversight contributes to inefficient practices and weaknesses in electronic information and physical security. These factors can also be a major challenge during the IS plan.

Since information technology has become commonplace in organizations, the potential for wasting time and money on unwise choices has not diminished, but rather has increased. Since every program and every task can benefit from computers and related technology, need for new and improve system continual arise within the organization. If systems are designed and implemented without some kind of plan, an organization risks having systems that are incompatible, cannot share data, require different hardware, or otherwise less than best possible. In other words, a technology investment – whether a purchase of technology or the development of a new system – may be cost effective in relation to its original justification, but be wasteful when in the context of all the other programs of the organization. Thus, managers’ responsibility to make decisions about individual systems has been complicated by the need to ensure long-range compatibility and connectivity. Making sound decisions now requires looking at the technology of the organization as a whole, rather than program by program or task by task. An IS planning provides conceptual models for making decisions where wide and long-range compatibility is required.

Developing and sustaining a knowledgeable workforce is a significant challenge for most businesses and information system planning is just one initiative to address this critical issue. We recognize that we must have a properly trained workforce to analyze the complex details of information system and all information that needs extensive study.


Planning for a better future, for both current and future generations, is one of the most important and long-lasting functions of local businesses. It is very important, therefore, that it be undertaken for the right reasons and with the right attitudes. We live in a rapidly changing world in which the failure of the information system planning team to plan for and adapt to changing conditions can adversely affect our economy, our environment, and our social well-being – both within and beyond the organization. So, when we make changes on our information system plans, it is important that we do so with a great sense of responsibility to ourselves and to future generations – not just to fulfill legal obligations under state law or not just because our current plans may be “out of date.”


Planning without context is merely wishful thinking. Effective planning needs to take place with a conscious awareness not only of current conditions, but also of the changes and challenges that lie ahead. While we face serious, even frightening, challenges in the years ahead, we must face them with a spirit of optimism and determination to confront and address them effectively.


An important factor of a successful information system plan is the awareness of how important and relatively extraordinary they are. Given the major changes and challenges we will be facing in the coming years and decades, and the urgent need for us to begin addressing them as soon as possible, this next round of information systems plan may be the most important in our lifetimes. As a result, it is critical that they be done responsibly and well, because the opportunity to do them again may not occur for another decade.

To top it all, businesses develops information system plan to build a high performing organization. Since most businesses spent lots of funds on its information technology they established support and is making steps in developing an integrated business that produces satisfying and pleasing outcomes. To preserve or maintain financial and benefits payment information and produce reliable performance and workload data, the organization must sustain its commitment.


During these times, a few words that will still remain even if it is expounded in 2000 words is that every organizations in a business world either in a competition or not still needs information system plan for this can help in the pursue of the main reason why they land a business – high revenue.



hiphip huri..

two most frequently experienced causes of frustration in IS professionals and users while working on an IS plan?

What are the two most frequently experienced causes of frustration in IS professionals and users while working on an IS plan?


At first, I am still in the midst of finding my brain to help me shop for wonderful answers but unfortunately I cannot find one. I think I should rest, a kind of deep rest. Well, I know and I must know that I should keep on going.

As human we do have frustration or dissatisfaction, even vampires. When we fail, it keeps repeating because during the time of failure we also lose self esteem and self confidence. One of the best examples is that when we are having an exam and we study for all night but suddenly when the examination comes we don’t have any answers because the content of the exam are different form the one we have studied. Failure does not always have to be negative, it can also be a positive experienced if the procedures involved in the failure are analyzed and corrected. If one does something always right, there is no opportunity for learning. Failure gives opportunity for learning from previous mistake. When one does something right, only one confirms what is already known and how to do it. Learning takes place when a mistake is identified and it is corrected (Ackoff 1994). The idea is to take advantage of the failure and turn the negative feeling around by analyzing what went wrong and correcting it for future times.

But what if we are swimming on a broader sense? What if we are talking about those Information system professionals and users who are working on an Information system plan? As we all know, this kind of planning needs lots and series of research and serious study. Thus, if it is not successfully done, it will be one of the cause of frustrations of some IS professionals. It will be difficult for them to accept the fact that after all of their little feelings of distress and efforts their work will just be seen in the trash and not in the company.

But it is not actually the most frequently causes of frustrations but the minor one. Let us focus now on the frequent reactions of IS professionals while working on an IS plan. One of the things that make continuous efforts at the same time motivating and frustrating is what often seems to be a constant watercourse of problems. Strong skills in solving problem are essential to successful continuous improvement activities. Without which one will be doomed to solve the same problem repeatedly. Sometimes when life is playing with us, system failures can be the most frequent problem. It happens when a system does not meet its requirements. It is like a bullet in gun failing to designate its target.

Let us just put ourselves in the situation as an IT student having a laboratory exam in JAVA or any programming subjects. We are in the middle of making our program work and then all of a sudden (sometimes expected in our own Laboratory room) the computer shuts down. What will we feel? We are not just frustrated but we want to kill whoever person we saw, right? We know that we need to start over again but we are already running out of time. We always said “it is really the end of my IT life. Wala nako’y future ani. Huhuhuhu.” It is just like ending our life at the very exact moment because we already know what will be the outcome of the said exam.

The same scenario or problems also happens in IS professionals while working on an IS plan. Since they are always facing technologies they are always prone to system failures or even system breakdown.

In the business world, failures can be looked as opportunities to improve the process that contribute to business objectives and since information systems play a very important role in the daily operations of most businesses hence the development of such systems has become very important. It is known that project managers are guided throughout the development and successful completion of the projects. But still there are still many failures in IS projects.

One of the two common causes of frustrations is the project management failure itself. This is a common fact and even more complex in most companies. The common reasons behind these failures are poorly trained or inexperienced project managers who fails to set and manage expectations, poor leadership at any and all levels, failure to adequately identify, poor plans and planning processes or misalignment between the project plan and the business or other organization it serves and poor communication. Since the great deal of responsibility lies on project managers, they need to focus their interpersonal skills to get people accomplish their work. That is why we need to learn from our own mistake and the importance of learning about project failure so that we won’t repeat the same mistake in the future. Project manager is like a bridge that links key pieces together. And in order to reach pieces effectively he needs to have a balance of soft skills and technical knowledge.

But these sources of failures can be lessened. The most common practice is by having the project planned in totally different environment and trained those people with little or no specific knowledge in project planning. To top it all, the task of analysis and design must be carried out attentively. The team should be able to spot the weaknesses in a timely manner through the use of appropriate project management tools.

We need not to be affected with any kind of causes we will encounter that will just make us frustrated. As professional, we should act like one. Although during the time of making an IS plan it has still remain largely touched by crisis and failures. In the face of these problems, there has been always some distinguished technological or physical initiative.

Be strong and always be strong for it is the best approach for meeting the environmental challenges that lie ahead.

relationship between IS plan and business plan...

What should be the nature of the relationship between the business plan and the IS plan?

What is really the nature between these two types of planning? We often identify their relationship for they both relates to businesses. Business plan and information systems plan are both decision making tools. They are quite related because they have the same purpose in which they prepare the business through planning to set out a convincing way to secure financing, internal or external or for the start-up or expansion of a business scheme. It has a goal which is to deliver the most valuable business information at the earliest time possible in the most cost effective manner.

But before I can put in plain words the nature of the relationship between the business plans and IS plan, I must first define what does these both means. Business plan as we all know is a formal statement or set of business goals, the reasons why they are believed attainable, and the plan reaching these goals. It may also contain background information about the organization or team attempting to reach these goals. The business goals being attempted may be for profit which typically focuses on financial goals or non-profit which tend to focus service goals or focuses on maximizing profit. Business plans may also target changes in perception and branding the customer, client, tax payer, or larger community. Business plan may be internally focused which target immediate goals required to reach the peripheral goals and external focused which targets goals that are important to external stakeholders, particularly external stakeholders. Having a formal, written business plan is so accepted as being crucial to success that there haven't been many studies or surveys to test this principle. If business plans were such a wonderful thing, there would be a significant and conclusive difference between businesses that have them and those that don't. Simply stated, business plan is a plan that sets out the future strategy and financial development of a business, usually covering a period of several years.

Information system plan on the other hand determines the sequence for implementing specific information systems. This kind of plan focuses on not only one information system but the entire suite of information systems for the enterprise. In lay mans term, information system plan is the end product of the information system project.

The nature relationship of the both plan is that without which there can be no exact view of the future plan of the company or shall we say it can give a hard time analyzing, solving or maybe in creating best plans for the company’s future.

Since business plan is one of the most important document of a company it is most frequently used by the managers and executives for internal planning. For a newly established business enterprise, the process of preparing a business plan serves a road map to the future by making entrepreneurs and the business owners itself think through their strategies. It can help in evaluating the basic business concepts; recognize the business limitations to avoid variety of mistakes. Thus, business plan serve as a blueprint or a guide in information systems planning.

The relationship between the two is that when the company is developing an information system plan which sometimes involves the whole organization, all members of the staff look at the overall organization to anticipate problems. This is where business plan completes the information system plan using the list of information systems needed, and many documents must be reviewed in which all the files are already been stated in the business plan. There are virtually no resources to help us set up what today’s business environment really demands. Since we are now living in a world where technologies are fast changing and the needs not just for good government services but also for better living would also continue to grow. But the sad part of it is that when the technology increases the need for new resources also increases but the availability of such resources decreases due to economic crisis. That is why effective use of information technology was viewed as a major approach that could assist government and companies in managing this change. It was also understood that well defined business planning and information system planning processes were critical success factor. That is why many companies particularly those large ones has developed a complete and inclusive technology planning procedure to boost technology project launch and approval. That is also the main reason why a continuous and ongoing planning system is really a must.

IS plan is an allied of business plan for when planning an information system, the staff under the planning team will review the strategic business plan for the company, including the statement of mission, goals, objectives and priorities that set business direction. They will ensure that the company information technology strategy is carried out and that the projects are appropriately targeted to support specific business strategies and ensures that the authorized projects are in line with business needs and direction. A common accepted theory is that for a business to survive and prosper it must be flexible and nimble. It is just like applying linear thinking to a non linear situation.

Writing a business plan without a planning system in place is a massive effort that is done very rarely. Many or mostly businesses write three to five year plan and update them annually. If a continual, ongoing process is in place, a written plan is not just important. Setting up an information system plan allows and sometimes forces the company to focus on strategy. But as we all see and as what I hear from those people living in a corporate world that a significant percentage of successful businesses don’t have written business plans. As professor Albert Shapero said, “Companies that plan do better than companies that don’t, but they never follow their plan.”

To sum it all up, information system plan is somehow connected to business plan in the development of the companies’ future success. Without which there will be possibilities that they can’t meet what the people needs for these two types of plan must work hand in hand. AJA…

hephep....HURI..

My sweetest downfall…

Last night I was thinking if I really have the skills to be a so called IT professional and if I were given a chance to be one what I can contribute. It makes me sick thinking about it. I spent four years of my life or even five years to be exact in the school to study information technology. It made me upset because until now I am still a little bit confuse if I have the chance to work as an IT professional. Every time people ask me if there is a future waiting for me after the five years of great efforts, hard workings, nose bleedings and bloody attempts to pass. I don’t know how to answer back for I am still in the process of meditating where will I go. I am still hesitant to accept the fact that destiny and reality can also take part in putting my self behind the line. I am still in the route of thinking whether I will be joining the line of competition or just give my self up. That is why if people around me keep on telling that I better stop and end this foolishness, they doesn’t realize that those words makes me more weaker and weaker. That is why since my first year in college, I am already losing my way in the track of life. That is why it makes me difficult to realize that I am already the one who keeps on putting my self down. The fact brought me on the wrong side of the law for I keep on blaming the persons evolving around me in making me lose control. But when the time comes that I already realize everything it is also the time when life seems too unfair to me.

I hate the fact that I am only getting half of the encouragement and words if wisdom I need both from my mom and dad. I can not accept the fact that even my parents are doing these things to me. They make me feel that I am the most worthless individual living in this world. They are against into the career I have chosen and maybe that is the reason why they keep on discouraging me. But I need not to be affected. I can make them proud of me. I will not let anyone stops me from achieving everything I want to be. I pity them for making me believe that there will be a difficult life waiting for me in my way to the top. But as time keep on passing, I am now become conscious to the fact that maybe my parents are right. There was a time when I feel I really need to end my foolishness.

It was just last night when I am totally won over that I was such a useless person. I am no use, and I am a loser. I should have been inspired to what our national hero Dr. Jose Rizal has said about me being one of the world’s future saviors. Well, in the idea of being the superwoman or Spiderwoman, the world’s greatest savior, I need to have a super power like those super heroes in our old time in order for me to save the world. I do not need to go to school to study and wait for so many years before I can contribute something. These thoughts of being one of them strike me a hundred times. I am not really a superhero. I do not have these super powers. I can not transform into someone who will be their knight in shining armor. There is nothing special in me. What Dr. Rizal trying to point out was my ability to do something in my own way. And the only power that I have is the knowledge.

Way back my first years in this college, I just keep on watching my classmates shifting to another course or transferring to another schools. I knew I can’t help them. Maybe they were just weak. But, this scheme and the reality struck me. Many of my co-students who were enrolled IT surrendered by now. Most of them were my friends. I thought of quitting so many times. Perhaps, I need to do what they did. I felt that I do not belong in this institution. It is giving me no air to the point that it makes me hard to breathe. It makes me feel to give up. And like them, it also makes me pathetic.

I never thought that I could go this far. I was already fed up. I have this feeling that I was on a dead end and there is no turning back. What else can I do? It was then I realize that I made a pledge that I won’t let anyone stop me from moving forward. Proceeding is the least option and the last thing on my mind. But here I am, alive and still surviving.

Kidding aside, I still have this dream of working in a place where I can make use of my bachelors’ degree and I know I can do it. Maybe I just need more time to carry it out. How much time do I need to have? I must be kidding my self. They say that a dream without a deadline is a goal. I should be making plans now. But where would I start? I have to accomplish it ten years from now. I have to plan now. I remember last time when I have my report in one of our subjects. I am task to put into details every article that is related to strategic planning. From there I learned that it is a process into which a person tries to answer questions about the future.
So, I asked God for a pause before I proceed. I need to rest my mind and my heart form worrying. I am living a life full of ups and down. Why is it that I need to stand up when I am down and I need to stand up straight again after I am losing my sense and good judgment from falling. I need to take a rest and continue deciding tomorrow.

………… ……………… zzzzzzzz ………… ………… ………… zzzzzzz …… …. zzzzz…… zzzz ….. zzzzz …….. zzzzzzzz ……… zzzzzzzzzzz

At this time, I just get up from my bed. I am done thinking. I have now lots of ideas coming from my mind. It is just a one way process. Perhaps, I should start deciding whether I should take the straight way or go walk on a highway full of detours. If I will walk on a straight way, it is like going to the world with my dreams still remain as a dream. Living forever in a paradise earth is not just a dream. It is our loving creator purpose and what we need to do is just realize it. If I will do some detours it is like I am in the world with the reality, a world where I am making new plans in order for me to make the reality come true. I want to be name as an IT professional. Everybody does. Most failures start from plan failures. This point cannot too often be repeated. Some of would only realize if they had done a biggest mistake is when failure come. Planning for good future seems more likely to survive and prosper if people enter them with relatively full knowledge. Yes, getting to know our inner selves is essential. We need to know our strength and weaknesses and what should be the possible threats we need to face. Yes, drawing up the intentions of the heart of our own self takes effort and discernment. So we must plan a better approach or a line of attack to help us see our inner self.

Day to day of my life, I maybe confronted with terrible experiences, like; act of unkindness, criticism deceit, disloyalty, nastiness and spitefulness…cost against these realities, how would I stand and shape my future. With the many years I spend in this university is more than enough for me to sort it out what to have, so I will become victorious. As I go into the real world, I must always remember the lessons and knowledge and the value that were installed by my professors, the kind of knowledge that would help me in shaping my future in line of business.

And when the moment in time comes that God will not forbid me from being called as an IT professional, I must have a purpose in life. If I have no goal to live, I will find that life is empty. Being an IT professional is like changing to another paradigm, a broader horizon of challenges to test the strength of my desire to pursue higher objective in life. I have to aim high and be confident and have self-reliance in doing it, and couple it with interest and strong determination. In the world of an IT professional, I will be entering into another world of problems, but it is also a world of many challenges and opportunities that makes life worth living.

One of the best ways to win any game is to write the rules. And it should be done one step at a time. Before going to the place where I can put into practice the degree I have, I should know the basics. Basics not in terms of knowledge I did learn from school but in terms of professionalism. I should learn how to be responsible for anything I am planning to do. Peoples have different ways of making decisions. Some delays making a decision in the hope that the situation will resolve itself. But as to become a professional, I should also learn to consider and allow the views and opinions of others before making a decision. On the other hand, since I am still in the process of blooming and boosting my professionalism in the pursue of my career I should look at a decision that must be made, considering the options, choosing a plan of action, and taking responsibility for whatever the outcome. Making decision gives me a greater degree of control over the problem situation being addressed.
I need to know as early as now that in a real scenario making plans and decisions are not just like as if you are flipping a coin, playing a deck of cards that there will just two possible outcomes, either failure or success. If that what life is, it is a no sweat process and there can be no complexities.

Imagining my self in a place where I can practice my skills in information technology, I would rather not breathe for I know that I can’t easily turn back. I should learn how to be professional for in that kind of profession there are always no rooms for mistakes. I am expected to act in the course of the work according to certain rules of conduct and standard of behavior. I will be required to have power over a large body of knowledge from my extensive academic study during my school days specifically my college years. That is why as early as now I am in the process of improving my personality. I know that it will be a hard part for me for I need to have a power to be a cultured human. I usually let my heart rule my mind and that makes me more fragile. But I must change my insights in life. I must not let my heart rule my mind. In narrower sense, I need to be strong.

I have to train my self with the aim of bettering my performance as an individual not just in the field of my expertise but also in the course of life. I also need to enhance my self-consciousness practicality and freedom of expression that will serve as an aid in my independent learning. I am ought not to limit my self in learning.
Removing distractions and improving concentrations can also be one of the most important things I need to enhance. Having the aura of being a cheerful person, I am the one who ought to bring the crowd a joyful atmosphere. Even I am sometimes (defensive???) fanatical or foolish I can never lose control when it comes to learning. Learning is a process you do, not a process that is done to you. Education is an increasingly influential factor in employment. It is a lifelong process. It needs full time attention.

So before going to the place where I can be called as an IT professional, I would rather risk everything I have in order for me to attain what is needed to reach. Go power. Hehehe… Very directly, the need for a purposive transformation is a must for it will be the start to the development of one self.

This is the time of my life that I start to assume adult responsibilities. This is just the beginning to a serious employment and hard work with dedication in order to reach the goal of success. There are countless factors that make one successful, but I feel certain that I have been trained and prepared with the knowledge and skills necessary for involvement in the quest for better life.

where would I be??

They say I am born being too ambitious. I always have a strong desire to be successful in life. I have feelings that someday I will become what I wanted to be. The secret I learned form my father was that in the end I will be measured not by how much I accept but by what I accomplish.

Year by year I become better equipped to accomplish the things I strive for. But what I am actually striving for? Five years from now? Where would I be? Soon after, I will be dealing with these questions. What shall I do with the rest of my life? Is there a future waiting for me after this course I take? Is there future waiting for me after spending almost five years in this institute?

Students are united by one common interest, to finish school and to be a part in the so-called business world. Like others, I also dream of improving my monetary lot in life. All my life, I constantly visualize my self of having someone to call mine, something that I could be proud of. This helps me to be confident and had the urge to be accepted by the people around me. Every so often, I’m visualizing mentally where I want to go and what I want to be when the time comes that going to college will come to an end.

When I was little, the only thing I only want is to make my parents proud at me in a way that I can repay all the efforts they exerted for sending me to school. But as time passes by, I realized that it’s not really what I wanted. College makes me realize that training and experience will give me a real edge in finding employment. Being an IT student, it helps me open my mind into some clearer vision. I can see the whole picture of my dream life many years from now. I am now craving to work in a world where I can practice my degree. Being one of the largest companies in the world, I have wanted to work in Microsoft Corporation where I can develop computer software. With the assistance of the staffs, I want to create new programming languages for software developers and a set of applications for personal computers.
And now, I am on my way into making this visualization become a reality.