Ass.4 in MIS2

If I were given a chance to prepare an IS plan in a university for the improvement of our school in Information System (IS). Before I discuss about planning I would probably suggest first that the school must find an Information Technology (IT) expert to share us new kinds of Information Technology (IT) that our school should adopt. For example, new facility use in studying. Our school should also consult different Information Technology (IT) Companies of what is the best technology who teach the student. In my personal views about outsourcing, our school is a state university means we can ask the government to give us support in improving our quality education in Information Technology (IT) by asking them to provide manpower which is expert in Information Technology (IT) and also give us latest facilities such as new computers. In outsourcing the school should discover a students who has a special talent and skills in Information Technology (IT) such as a student who is expert in making a programs, developing new gadgets and etc. by giving them a special attention. The school should give the student an assistance to improve more his or her talent and skills.

We know nowadays, technology is improving faster, when we talk in communication, years ago there is only a telephone but now we used mobile phones and sometimes we can have an internet service there that's why the school should give an attention to give the students a knowledge in Information Technology (IT) so that we can go with a new technology. We like it or not we should know to use computers this days because if we apply for a job the employer should ask if we are computer illiterate.

By that suggestions there would be a plan for the implementation. For me, planning is important because it organize and guide us to have a good result in our projects. As what I've learn in our MIS 2 subject there are lots of steps and information which can help about planning a project and have a good implementation to a establishment.

What is Planning?

Planning in organizations and public policy is both the organizational process of creating and maintaining a plan; and the psychological process of thinking about the activities required to create a desired goal on some scale. As such, it is a fundamental property of intelligent behavior. This thought process is essential to the creation and refinement of a plan, or integration of it with other plans, that is, it combines forecasting of developments with the preparation of scenarios of how to react to them.
The term is also used to describe the formal procedures used in such an endeavor, such as the creation of documents diagrams, or meetings to discuss the important issues to be addressed, the objectives to be met, and the strategy to be followed. Beyond this, planning has a different meaning depending on the political or economic context in which it is used.
Two attitudes to planning need to be held in tension: on the one hand we need to be prepared for what may lie ahead, which may mean contingencies and flexible processes. On the other hand, our future is shaped by consequences of our own planning and actions.
Planning is a process for accomplishing purpose. It is blue print of business growth and a road map of development. It helps in deciding objectives both in quantitative and qualitative terms. It is setting of goals on the basis of objectives and keeping in view the resources.

This step involves interpreting your aims and intended outcomes to create a curriculum plan that has a clear focus on what is to be learned, how learning will take place and how it will be assessed.
What do you want to achieve?
It is essential to be very clear about the aims and intended learning outcomes of experiences outside the classroom experiences. Here are some common features of learning outside the classroom that you may want to build into your plans:

• knowledge, skills and understanding – related to subjects or learning outside the classroom activity
• Every Child Matters – achieving the five outcomes underpins the planning and delivery of extended services in and around schools
• social, citizenship or sustainability education, for example values, attitudes, aesthetic awareness
• personal skills, for example problem solving, self-reliance, independence, teamwork
• personal enjoyment and motivation
• adding value through building in, for example, ICT, literacy and numeracy.

How do you provide continuity and progression?
These issues are key to the success of curriculum design. Perhaps the most obvious place to begin is from the perspective of the individual learner.

Do all learners have sufficient opportunities for learning outside the classroom?
Are opportunities varied to suit learning needs? (age, key stage, SEN)
Does your planning build on prior learning outside the classroom to provide challenge– within and across phases and key stages? Find out whether your school is using the TDA School Improvement Planning Framework.

How do you plan time?
Issues arising from inflexibility in curriculum design are often cited as barriers to learning outside the classroom taking place. A range of strategies have been used in many schools to provide solutions, instead of the 45-minute to one-hour lesson as the basic building block of the timetable. Simple changes in the way in which time is chunked can strongly affect learners’ experiences of schooling and facilitate learning outside the classroom. Different approaches are being designed that give the learner a varied experience of the school day, week, term and year.





What should a plan be?

A plan should be a realistic view of the expectations. Depending upon the activities, a plan can be long range, intermediate range or short range. It is the framework within which it must operate. For management seeking external support, the plan is the most important document and key to growth. Preparation of a comprehensive plan will not guarantee success, but lack of a sound plan will almost certainly ensure failure.
Purpose of Plan
Just as no two organizations are alike, so also their plans. It is therefore important to prepare a plan keeping in view the necessities of the enterprise. A plan is an important aspect of business. It serves the following three critical functions:
Helps management to clarify, focus, and research their business's or project's development and prospects.
Provides a considered and logical framework within which a business can develop and pursue business strategies over the next three to five years.
Offers a benchmark against which actual performance can be measured and reviewed.
Importance of the planning Process
A plan can play a vital role in helping to avoid mistakes or recognize hidden opportunities. Preparing a satisfactory plan of the organization is essential. The planning process enables management to understand more clearly what they want to achieve, and how and when they can do it.
A well-prepared business plan demonstrates that the managers know the business and that they have thought through its development in terms of products, management, finances, and most importantly, markets and competition.
Planning helps in forecasting the future, makes the future visible to some extent. It bridges between where we are and where we want to go. Planning is looking ahead.
Essentials of planning
Planning is not done off hand. It is prepared after careful and extensive research. For a comprehensive business plan, management has to
1.Clearly define the target / goal in writing.
1.It should be set by a person having authority.
2.The goal should be realistic.
3.It should be specific.
4.Acceptability
5.Easily measurable
2.Identify all the main issues which need to be addressed.
3.Review past performance.
4.Decide budgetary requirement.
5.Focus on matters of strategic importance.
6.What are requirements and how will they be met?
7.What will be the likely length of the plan and its structure?
8.Identify shortcomings in the concept and gaps.
9.Strategies for implementation.
10.Review periodically.


As practiced by local or national government, the direction of development. Proposed changes are scrutinized, and planning permission is only given if the development does not conflict with agreed aims.

Planning presupposes an ability to foresee events and a capability for analysing situations and solving problems—See environmental impact assessment—and policy varies with political outlook. Until 1977 the building of new housing was based on the principle of ‘predict and provide’. Environmental activism, and public resistance, have eroded this policy; predictions are now guidelines for Regional Planning Authorities who must also give weight to the spatial implications of any new development.

Any developer refused planning permission may make an appeal to the Secretary of State for the Environment, who will consider both sides of the proposal and may suggest an altered plan. Planning blight is the adverse effect of a proposed development, such as a motorway, which could cause a drop in house prices. If the landowner cannot dispose of the property, or cannot make as much use of it as was previously possible, he or she may serve a purchasing notice on the planning department of the local authority. See externality.

The ‘new’ planning issues include: regional and local economic decline, as in the inner cities (See regional inequality); understanding regeneration processes; lessening social exclusion by improving accessibility to quality services; consumerism versus ‘greenfield’ in housing; planning for environmentally sustainable development; and the exploration of issues of public versus popular control: is it always ‘nimbyist’ to protect localities?

Personal Planning Steps

Assess Your Risk of Needing Long-Term Care Services
While you can never know for certain if you will need long-term care, assessing your risk factors can help you understand if you are at a higher or lower risk. Begin by talking with your doctor about whether you might be at increased risk based on your medical and family history or lifestyle choices. You will gain a better understanding of your risks, and your doctor may be able to help you decrease your risk. You should also review other risk factors, such as gender, listed in the Understanding LTC section of this website.
Investigate Opportunities to Help Maintain Your Health and Independence
Many people fail to make the connection between healthy behaviors today and their impact on later life, but the science of aging indicates that chronic disease and disability are not always inevitable. Studies by the National Institute of Aging indicate that healthy eating, physical activity, mental stimulation, not smoking, active social engagement, moderate use of alcohol, maintaining a safe environment, social support, and regular health care are important in maintaining health and independence.
Even if you haven’t been active in the past, it’s not too late to start. You can begin by reviewing the information on healthy lifestyles and programs in the Resources section of this website.
• Talk with Your Family about Caregiving
It is estimated that individuals turning 65 today could need up to 3 years of long-term care services, with almost 2 years of that care provided at home. Currently most care provided in the home is by an unpaid family member or other caregiver. You should talk to your family (spouse, adult children, siblings) or friends who would want to, or be able to, care for you if you became ill or disabled for a long time. Or, you might already be a caregiver for someone else. In either case, it is important for you and your family to understand how caregiving activities can affect you and your family, and what resources and supports are available.
The Resources section of this site provides a range of information and supports including the Administration on Aging’s Caregiver Resource Room, and other sites where you can share your story and read other caregiver’s stories, and learn more about programs and resources for caregivers. In addition, in the Understanding LTC section you can review the home and community-based services that can supplement unpaid caregiving, or provide respite for a caregiver.
Think about Where You Want to Receive Care
If you were to need care for an extended period of time, and were not able to stay at home, where would you want to receive care? If you need more information on long-term care services, review the list of services and providers in Understanding LTC. One way to find out what services are in your community is by contacting the Administration on Aging's Eldercare Locator

Financial Planning Steps
Review Your Current Insurance Coverage
Do you know if your current health care insurance would pay if you needed to be in a nursing home or needed care at home for an extended illness? Unless you have purchased a specific long-term care insurance policy, your existing medical coverage, Medicare, Medicare supplement, or HMO will provide little if any coverage for long-term care. Review the policies you have with your insurance advisor or benefits counselor to learn what is covered and what is not.
Decide if You Can or Want to Pay for Long-Term Care Privately
If you don't have coverage for long-term care or prefer to pay out of your own resources, do you know if you would be able to cover all the costs from your retirement income and savings? Think about the financial resources you have and how you feel about using them to pay for long-term care. This could include various sources of income (for example, Social Security, pension, interest income, dividends from investments, payments from an IRA or 401 (k)), as well as cash, savings, stocks and bonds, and your home.

The Long-Term Care Savings Calculator can give you a rough idea of how much you might need and whether you would be able or want to use your private resources to cover long-term care services.
Investigate Future Insurance or Benefits You Expect or May Qualify for in Retirement
It is important to know and understand what your future benefits will cover, if you are not yet retired. If you only have Medicare, even with a Medicare supplemental plan, most of your long-term care services may not be covered. If you have limited resources, now or in the future, Medicaid may pay for your services. More information on Medicare, Medicaid and other public programs can be found in the Paying for Long-Term Care section of this website. You can also go to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services [offsite] web site for more information on Medicare and Medicaid.
Find Out What Other Resources Can Help Cover Long-Term Care Expenses
Most people currently don't have coverage or do not have enough private funds to pay for all their long-term care needs, particularly if service needs are extensive or last a long time. There are an increasing number of private payment options available for this purpose. Two of the more common options are long-term care insurance and reverse mortgages. Review private financing options carefully to ensure that you understand all the details, eligibility requirements, and costs. Read about the range of private long-term care financing options in the Paying for Long-Term Care section of this web site.


10 STEPS TO THE SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF A PROJECT
PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT SOLUTION

Drawing on the experience of companies that have successfully implemented a new project portfolio management system, there are a number of important steps that have been identified which can maximise the chances of a smooth transition and implementation.

1. PROBLEM RECOGNITION
Senior management must recognise that resistance to change is a potential problem. There needs to be an acceptance that some time, budget and internal resources should to be allocated to deal with this.
2. CLEAR OBJECTIVES
Senior management must have a clearly defined statement of objectives for the system, detailing the expected benefits. Without this it will be impossible to determine whether the implementation is a success from a business perspective.
3. IMPLEMENTATION MANAGER
An internal manager should be appointed to co-ordinate the implementation. This person should be given the necessary skills and authority to guide users through the new procedures and promote their adoption of the project portfolio management system.
4. REVIEW PROCEDURES
Existing procedures must be understood by all system users and clearly documented. Any proposed changes to these procedures should be highlighted and the benefits detailed and communicated to all system users.
5. INVOLVE ‘EXPERTS’
Highly respected and influential individuals must be involved in the planning process and should be consulted early on in the process so that any valid points they may have can be factored into the final solution.
6. COMMUNICATION
All staff and contractors whose work is affected by the new system should be briefed about the objectives of the system, the expected outcomes and the timeline for implementation. It should be made clear at this stage that old systems WILL be removed at a specific time in the future, thereby encouraging everyone to be involved.
7. TRAINING
All staff and contractors involved in using the new project portfolio management system should be provided with appropriate training within the context of their roles. This training should also include any new procedures that are to be adopted. Training should not be a one-off event. Staff turnover and new project contractors often results in new users attempting to figure out how a system works and learn on the job. Inevitably some expertise is lost with a change of staff and over time this can degrade the performance of the team. In the long run it is simpler and more cost-effective to have new starters and contractors properly trained, possibly combining this with a refresher course for existing staff.
8. IMPLEMENTATION REVIEW TEAM
An internal Implementation Review Team should be established comprising key personnel who will be involved with the new system e.g. project managers and resource/line managers. Weekly meetings, chaired by the Implementation Manager, should be held during the implementation process to highlight any perceived problems and discuss resolutions.
9. OLD SYSTEM SHUT-DOWN
At a pre-designed date, that has been communicated to all staff and contractors, the old system should be shut down and removed from company hardware, after giving reminders in the run up to the date.
10. VENDOR CLINICS
Building on the work done by the Implementation Review Team, a good system vendor will offer clinics to review and resolve teething issues and provide additional training if necessary.

Eight common management mistakes that should be avoided;

There are a number of common management mistakes that can lead to users
resisting adoption of a new system:
1. ABDICATION
Senior management appoint a manager to oversee the implementation of an new project portfolio management system and then turn its attention to other matters assuming that all will be well, without any further involvement from them.
2. POOR COMMUNICATION
Senior management believe that everyone will conform to a new set of procedures for planning and managing projects without having communicated the reasons behind the implementation to the users of the system.
3. FAILURE TO TACKLE NON-CONFORMISTS
Often senior management is aware of one or two dissenters in the organisation but they rely upon the introduction of the new system to improve these individual’s productivity and performance, within the new project management processes, rather than tackling them head-on through direct communication.
4. WEAK MANAGEMENT
Senior management often have a mistaken belief that the new project portfolio management system alone will introduce and enforce new processes.
5. NOT COMMUNICATING OBJECTIVES
Senior management have recognised the potential return on investment that can be achieved from the new project portfolio management system, but have not explained this to the implementation manager to engage their support and promote adoption of the system throughout the organisation.
6. POORLY SPECIFIED SOLUTION
Senior management believe that it is the responsibility of the software supplier to design and implement a complete solution in isolation and fail to appreciate that the organisation and its key personnel are a vital part of that solution.
7. FAILURE TO ANTICIPATE RESISTANCE
Senior management do not recognise there will be a natural resistance to accepting and adopting the new system by many users and fail to devise a plan to overcome this.
8. FEAR OF THE ‘EXPERT’
A special mention must be given to one of the greatest threats to a successful implementation of a new system, fear of the ‘expert’. In a typical scenario, senior management is dependent upon a highly
respected and influential project manager. Failure to engage with these knowledgeable individuals to harness their experience and help them to embrace the changes can result in them being allowed to continue to plan their projects in their own way, using the old system. This is the worst of all outcomes for the business that now has two systems running in parallel with some people embracing the new technology and those, loyal to the powerful ‘expert’, using the old system. The chances of completing a successful implementation can be seriously hampered by any one of these mistakes. Making multiple mistakes without taking corrective action is almost consigning the implementation to failure.

Implementation is the realization of an application, or execution of a plan, idea, model, design, specification, standard, algorithm, or policy.
In computer science, an implementation is a realization of a technical specification or algorithm as a program, software component, or other computer system. Many implementations may exist for a given specification or standard. For example, web browsers contain implementations of World Wide Web Consortium-recommended specifications, and software development tools contain implementations of programming languages.
In the IT Industry, implementation refers to post-sales process of guiding a client from purchase to use of the software or hardware that was purchased. This includes Requirements Analysis, Scope Analysis, Customizations, Systems Integrations, User Policies, User Training and Delivery. These steps are often overseen by a Project Manager using Project Management Methodologies set forth in the Project Management Body of Knowledge. Software Implementations involve several professionals that are relatively new to the knowledge based economy such as Business Analysts, Technical Analysts, Solutions Architect, and Project Managers.
In political science, implementation refers to the carrying out of public policy. Legislatures pass laws that are then carried out by public servants working in bureaucratic agencies. This process consists of rule-making, rule-administration and rule-adjudication. Factors impacting implementation include the legislative intent, the administrative capacity of the implementing bureaucracy, interest group activity and opposition, and presidential or executive support.


Implementation process. The implementation process includes the following four steps:

1.Mapping. The mapping stage covers a detailed analysis of customer's requirements and consequently the adaptation of ATLANTIS ERP software to the operations through the configuration process. Based on a detailed checklist following elaborate planning, design, scheduling and implementation, the end result of this stage is the formulation and configuration of company's operational model.
2.Piloting. The piloting stage essentially tests the predefined model and includes strategic issues such as:
Advanced key users training;
Generation of internal documentation;
Data conversion plan finalization;
System application management finalization;
Customisations / adaptations completion;
External interface specifications & testing completion;
Agreement on final business solution;
Integration and testing.
3.Data Migration. This stage covers the data migration to ATLANTIS. Furthermore, the following essential events are conducted:
Installation at customer's site;
Data conversion and data migration;
Final configuration of the Information System;
Parallel running of the old and the new system;
End users training.
4.Optimisation. This stage includes optimisation of the system based on the targets set by the company according to the functionality, control, development and completion of the information system.


Implementation problems

Internal problems e.g change of management
External problems e.g. changing competition
Poor planning e.g. Hoover’s flight tickets
Poor intelligence e.g. 1985 Coca-Cola
Poor execution
Implementing a programme - an action checklist
Agree the implementation strategy
Agree a timeframe
Draw up detailed implementation plans
Set up a team of stakeholders
Establish good project management
Personalise the case for change
Ensure participation
Create a sense of purpose and urgency to tackle real problems which have prevented progress in the past
motivate
be prepared for conflict
Be willing to negotiate
Anticipate stress
Build skills
Build in the capacity for learning
Monitor and evaluate

References:

www.marketingteacher.com/powerpoint/k.Implementation 11.ppt
http://www.unisoft.bg/implementation_en.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Implementation
http://www.teamplan.co.uk/products/pdf/10%20steps%20to%20successful%20implementation.pdf
http://www.longtermcare.gov/LTC/Main_Site/Planning_LTC/Considerations/index.aspx
http://www.answers.com/topic/planning
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planning
http://www.lotc.org.uk/pdf/1.3.2%20Step%202%20Planning.pdf[url=http://www.marketingteacher.com/powerpoint/k.Implementation 11.ppt http://www.unisoft.bg/implementation_en.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Implementation http://www.teamplan.co.uk/products/pdf/10%20steps%20to%20successful%20implementation.pdf http://www.longtermcare.gov/LTC/Main_Site/Planning_LTC/Considerations/index.aspx http://www.answers.com/topic/planning http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planning http://www.lotc.org.uk/pdf/1.3.2%20Step%202%20Planning.pdf]www.marketingteacher.com/powerpoint/k.Implementation 11.ppt http://www.unisoft.bg/implementation_en.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Implementation http://www.teamplan.co.uk/products/pdf/10%20steps%20to%20successful%20implementation.pdf http://www.longtermcare.gov/LTC/Main_Site/Planning_LTC/Considerations/index.aspx http://www.answers.com/topic/planning http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planning http://www.lotc.org.uk/pdf/1.3.2%20Step%202%20Planning.pdf[/url]