INFORMATION-SYSTEMS PLANNING IN A VOLATILE ENVIRONMENT

The Information Systems (IS) literature provides a wide range of normative and descriptive models for undertaking Information Systems Planning (ISP) but lacks research into organizational aspects of ISP. Appropriate organizational constructs and interesting perspectives of ISP are required to increase our knowledge of the complexities of ISP in the 1990s. In response to this need, the article identifies and discusses the choices that exist to meet a specific objective of ISP within each of three organizational constructs. First, the article examines the locus of ISP within organizations and how this may support the identification of strategic IS applications. Second, it deals with the integration of IS and business plans to guide the development of the information architecture. Third, it provides insight into the selection of ISP methodologies. Cases studies are included to show how theory is reflected in practice and to provide learning models for other enterprises.