Consider the differences between IT strategic planning in the public and private sectors.

Corporate Strategy and IT Governance

Q1. Consider the differences between IT strategic planning in the public and private sectors. (100 words)

Q2. Many organisations are now using a project management office (PMO) to oversight their project, program and portfolio management.  These PMOs can also be linked to APM efforts discussed in week 4.

Digital business and the need to be responsive and agile are creating a significant force for change with PMOs and altering what they need to do to be successful.  Responses to this topic could outline how PMOs can adjust to this need for faster response cycles. (100 words)

Q3. Many organisation outsource the provision of desktop services, including the hardware/software environment and associated support services.

CIOs may have concerns around how the provider will keep the desktop environment up to date and there is a risk that older and cheaper hardware may used as part of the contract if this area is not properly regulated.  There is evidence that this has actually happened with some of these outsourcing contracts.

How can service level agreements be structured to ensure an appropriate level of new technologies are adopted and delivered?  What in house operations should remain to oversight this service provision and what should be their key focus? (100 words)

Q4. Your organisation is about to initiate a major IT project and the CIO has been asked to provide a briefing to members of the organisation’s board of directors about IT governance and specifically, the role they should adopt with approving and oversighting this project.

These are some questions to think about with this topic – your responses could address one or more of these issues:

How should such a proposal be structured and what sort of issues should the board consider?

Identify questions that would be useful for board members to ask about such proposals and at various stages during the implementation process?

What sort of regular reporting should be provided to the board about the project how should any ongoing review be structured?

(100 words)

Q5. It used to be common practice for staff with strong IT technical skills to be promoted to IT management positions, including the CIO, or its equivalent.  In more recent times, there has been increasing pressure to make CIO appointments who have more business oriented skills.

Both of these approaches create tensions with relationships the CIO may have with either the IT department or business/executive managers.  Comment on these tensions and how they may be alleviated. (100 words)

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