Information Technology Strategic Planning

On a strategic level, no technologies have changed more rapidly than information technology and communications. These changes are driving much of the change in the global business environment. Companies that are capable of getting their “arms around” their information systems and communications have a critical competitive advantage.

Companies content with older technology will find themselves on the wrong side of an ever expanding technology driven gap in customer service, production flexibility, cost efficiency, customer technical support capability, and product customization and differentiation.

In today’s world of PC’s, lap tops, satellite communication, universal Internet usage, and the expectation of instant access to multi-media information, a true, dynamic strategy is required. While such a strategy should rely on standard well-supported products, it could involve different products in different arenas working in concert on different platforms.

A new ERP system, coupled with streamlined work flow processes together will enable a company to substantially compress time for the supply chain processes and reduce throughput times. Our expectations are that a full state-of-the-art ERP system with modern applications such as transportation planning, e-intelligence, and wireless communications can be implemented much faster than in the past, and will go a long way to increase competitiveness.

Developing a sound IT strategy is a major effort. Establishing a dynamic I.T. strategy requires far more finesse than it did even a decade ago. It requires improving the management process, synthesized with a clear vision of foreseeable directions and trends of information technology.

This is very difficult for any particular function of an organization to execute without expert help. It requires management, burdened with day to day operations, to step outside of daily activities, evaluate its needs, and redesign itself in thorough detail. More specifically, it requires examination and redesign of its information stream, procedures, and policies.

The focus needs to be on the information stream. Every company needs to address the time it takes to process office and shop floor transactions and paperwork. Throughput time is critical to success in commercial markets. The ability to compete is being determined by the degree of responsiveness to customers and key markets: how fast you deliver, how good the quality is, what the price is, and what value the customer perceives he is getting.

What is needed is velocity, flexibility, quality, and service in the business chain of cycles. Every company has to focus on quickly satisfying this service chain, the chain of events from a customer's order inquiry through complete satisfaction of that customer. All physical events must be enacted quickly and accurately.The faster materials, information, and decisions flow through its organization, the faster it can respond to the demands of the market.

How a company arrives at a correct software, hardware, and communications strategy can determine how effective a company will be in meeting customer demands. Selecting a software package; in the same manner as buying a washing machine can prove to be dangerous to a company's future.

It makes sense to develop long-term information technology strategy prior to any further investment in software or equipment. Our approach is to base the systems strategy on the future needs of the business. Out of this will come the optimal solution that will produce the results that can be implemented in the shortest period, with lowest total implementation costs. This combination will drive the new office and manufacturing workflow processing and operations strategy for years to come.

Rockford Consulting Group can facilitate the effort from the development of strategy through full implementation. We will recommend changes to the work flow process and create solutions that will allow company's to meet your objectives. Recommendations may include changes to organization, policies, procedures, business information systems, databases, computer hardware, processes, and information flow.

Managing change needs to be a part of every systems implementation. We use a time-proven approach of high end-user involvement throughout the effort. High involvement fosters authorship, authorship breeds ownership, and ownership creates buy-in for the changes to be implemented in the workplace.

To make the overall effort manageable, we use a 4-phase process that will address business processes first, secondly, build a credible requirements definition document, third, search for compatible software, hardware, and communications that will achieve the company’s objectives; and fourth, implement the systems.

The main benefit from this effort will be a developed information technology strategic plan that will reflect state-of-the-art technology and best practices, and, when fully implemented, result in the reduced total throughput time and overhead cost of processing orders from quotation through shipment and invoicing. This will materialize by the development and implementation of an information technology strategy that focuses on streamlined work flow processes and improving productivity.

Other tangible benefits that will ultimately result from the strategic plan when fully implemented are:
1. Freeing of resources for better utilization
2. The ability to grow the business without substantial increases to staff through increased productivity
3. Reduced delays in work flow processes
4. Reduced delivery response time, and
5. Reduced inventory

Rockford Consulting Group can provide long-term assistance to many companies in a variety of industries. The firm has a cadre of the best information technology consultants in the world today, providing high quality professionalism through the use of experience and innovation.

We subscribe to the Institute of Management Consultants Code of Professional Conduct. All consultants engaged on projects adhere to its principles. Whenever possible we will use consultants certified in their particular specialty area. Certification assures that consultants have substantial prior experience in their specialty, and their competencies have been tested by the IMC, and verified by a number of clients. This assures our clients that we are assigning the highest qualified consultants in the profession.

We provide technical expertise, team facilitation, leadership, and direction in deciding how you will meet the challenge. We refer you to our Qualification Statement for further details on our background, areas of specialization, concepts and technologies applied, staffing, operating policy, approach, companies and industries served, case studies and references. Equally as important, we train our clients to sustain new methods of manufacturing and the consequential benefits over time. Your company will benefit directly from this training.

We have achieved an efficiency in our approach to assignments that allows us to provide high quality technical and managerial advice in a much shorter amount of time than could be accomplished years ago. We are able to do this because of the extensive consulting experience that each of our specialists has.

Please contact us for more information, to invite us for a visit to your location, or to request a proposal. To contact us, click the link below. The link will transfer you to our contact page.