Hey, about that acquisition we discussed last week—it seems that we aren’t going to get anywhere with this IS merge until we provide top management with a plan for strategic decision-making. I’m stuck in executive committee meetings all week so I need you to put together some information for the CEOs.

I need you to determine who from our company and Wing should be involved in IS decisions. I don’t need specific names right now but just give me the departments and personnel level that should be included and the rationale behind those choices. We will need to establish some kind of process for how IS decisions should and will be made. There is probably some technology in the picture as well.

In fact, the CEOs were asking if decisions will be made using information from the existing IS. They also want to know the pros and cons for using technology for decision-making. I think we’d better also tell them how often strategic plans should be reviewed as well as how we will determine which plan to implement.

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Do what you can to get these issues wrapped up this week. You can try catching me on my cell phone or by email if needed but I will be tied up in meetings all week so my response may be delayed. I’m counting on you—I have no doubt you can handle this without me. Thanks.

The CIO has given you quite a challenge, and he’s going to be too busy to help you with any advice. You have a lot to do and you have only a week!

To complete your task, you will have to answer the questions: How do businesses make decisions? What kinds of information do they need in order to make decisions? Let us first consider personal decisions and the information needed to make those. For example, suppose you are trying to make a decision about a purchase for your home. You would begin with reviewing your finances. You will need to know exactly how much you make and how much you spend. Your bank statement is a good source of this information. Each bank customer receives a spreadsheet with information on the breakdown of their expenses and deposits, which they can use to review their finances. Next, let us think about how the bank keeps track of information on each of its customers. Banks use a computer application to record and generate information. All customer transactions are recorded and stored in a database. The bank can retrieve selected data and organize it according to customer specifications using a report generator application.

Let us get back our example on the purchase decision you are making for your home. After using your bank statement to analyze information on your income and expenditure, you will have a good idea whether you can purchase what is on your wish list or your needed list. You will also be able to make adjustments to facilitate purchases. Businesses follow a similar process to make decisions about their purchasing needs or wishes

After you break down decision-making into steps, the process no longer seems daunting. The same idea applies in the world of IT, or any other organizational decision-making. First, you need to gather information on what you have, what you need, and how the work can be done quicker and better. In your analysis, you also need to remember that sometimes, you can do things quicker but not necessarily better and if it is not better, you are likely to lose customers.   (Page 1)

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