A Decision support system in strategic information systems planning : a case study in a newly established computer business

Abstract

The objective of this research is to design a decision support system to guide the executives of small enterprise in developing a strategic plan for using information systems in a computer business. The development of the system begins with a conceptual model for planning strategic information systems. This conceptual modelwas then transformed into an easy to use software running on web browser incorporating analysis tools and frameworks such as PEST, SWOT, Competitive Five Forces, TOWS matrix, Critical Success Factors, and Application portfolio. The completed decision support system software was tested to ensure that the design output meets the users’ requirements and Its objectives. A case study of one company in the personal computer industry was used to illustrate the application of this decision support system. The sales manager and marketing manager of the case company were asked to use it in a trial run. The defined business need in this case is to be the most customer-focused, competitive, efficient, and innovative computer business in Bangkok by the year 2008. The outcome of the trial run is the specification of possible IS applications to support the defined business need. These applications are then classified into 4 sets: strategic, high potential, key operational, and support in the application portfolio to be managed according to their business contribution now and in the future. The identified possible IS applications include Internet ordering, financial decision systems, marketing forecasting systems, Network ordering and purchasing systems, production planning and control systems, product quality control systems, and database management systems. From the case study, it may be concluded that the users are able to link business needs to IS application required to create competitive advantage for the company. The IS applications are derived correspondingly with a business mission and business strategy, thus ensuring that these applications are developed properly to respond to both opportunities and threats based on the company resources, reasonably. Most of the IS applications can also be traced back to the business goals and business strategies. However, the decision support system itself also has some noticeable drawbacks that cause some difficulties to the users and need to be corrected. Help systems and information support are somewhat inadequate in this version of the decision support system, especially for users with no experience in strategy formulation or SIS planning. Therefore, with further improvement, this decision support system should better serve the intended users in strategic planning of information systems.