Information management - Term Paper Example

BUSINESS TERM PAPER Introduction Information management (IM) involves the process of gathering and managing information from different sources and sharing of that information to one or more audiences. Information is precious and if presented within a framework that gives significance, can lead to an increased understanding and decrease uncertainties. Causes of IM/IT failures Failure in the information management/ information technology means that the project has been challenged, impaired or devalued. A project that as failed is one which has not produced needed results as per the initial expectation. Successful projects delivers the needed business benefits in terms of cost, risk constrains, quality and time. For projects to be successful, it must address the right business needs and must be focused on solving the right problem. If a project delivers a solution which does not address what the business needs, then it will be considered a failure even if everything well went as per the initial plans. The following are the primary cause of IM/IT project failures. a) Business principle of the project is not well-defined Just like other projects, IT projects are also business project and should have well-defined structure. The projects must have realistic plans, the entire organization must be interested in the end results, the project team must communicate to the organization management and the projects must have realistic expectations. The projects must be projected to solve the specific problem of its implementation, failure of which it will lose its meaning and structure. Failure to solve the business problem and poor strategic vision for the project will lead to failure of the project (enterprisecioforum.com). b) Lack of detail in the project plan Failing to plan well is planning to fail. Details such as resources, technical solution and management models are required for proper planning. Proper planning of the IT/IM project prevents poor performance by ensuring that the project delivers the desired results. The end results of the project must reflect its initial purpose and give solution to the specific problems of the project (enterprisecioforum.com). c) Poor execution Humans are known to make mistakes and fail at a certain point because they are not perfect. Humans are not perfect and so make mistakes, use shortcuts, and have limited permission to all the information they require at every step in the process to make an ideal decision. Limited information, wrong information, unclear structure and wrong decision making can lead to poor projects execution which can intern lead to failure of the project (enterprisecioforum.com). d) Lack of executive support Every organization has competing interests and priorities among various stakeholders. The success of an Information technology (IT) project can be profoundly affected by politics and powers in an organization. This can put a lot of constrains on the projects; create delays in the project execution which can immensely affect the process of project execution. Without the executive support, the projects have high chances of failing (harmony.co.ke). IM/IT Failure prevention Measures a) Executive Management Support Executive management in an organization will always determine the success of any projects. This explains why its support is particularly significant to the achievement of the IM/IT projects in the organization. The projects must convince the executive management of its productivity or the benefits it relays to the organization. The projects must have clear timelines and should go in line with the company’s mission and vision statement (enterprisecioforum.com). b) Clear Vision and Objectives Even with enough resources in place, the success of the IM/IT project is pinned on a clear vision and objectives. The projects must outline practical, manageable and achievable objectives and visions. The vision must be in line with the company’s vision statement. The project must be able to give solution to the problem in question and must be seen during its early implementation stages. The projects must have a clear structure, have details, must be fully budgeted for and the entire team must be interested in the end result. IT projects with a clear vision and objectives must always succeed and meets its desired business results (harmony.co.ke). c) Proper planning Planning is extremely essential for the success of the IM/IT projects. The IM/IT project must have clear requirements, adequate resources, involve customers/user, have a realistic expectation, have communicating projects team and projects must stay on its original goal. With the above mentioned in place, the IT projects will be ready for successful implementation and produce beneficial business end results. Without proper planning in place, the project cannot be a success (enterprisecioforum.com). Information Management/ Information Technology Governance IT governance involves the rules and regulations in which information technology department functions and measures are put in place to ensure adherence to those rules and regulations. Portfolio management refers to a uniform set of management apparatus and methodologies against a basket of projects, in order to establish the projects that are performing as expected, projects that will deliver the expected benefits to the organization, and to also identify which projects have been affected by the external environment and has fallen out of the scope (harmony.co.ke). Effective governance begins with the leadership total commitment and the full management support. Effective portfolio management of IT projects will direct to the establishment of a team which includes, executive team, portfolio management team, portfolio managers, portfolio administrator, program manger and project managers. The overall objective of the IM/IT portfolio management is to try as much as possible to maximize the return on investment, reduce the overall rate of possession through the entire project life span and put information technology (IT) systems close to IT strategy. This will create an effective governing of the projects by optimizing IM/IT operations, enhancing external and internal customer information, assist in mitigating risk associated with IM/IT and align technology with main business goals (studymode.com). Government Interventions in healthcare business Government interventions in healthcare business can never be ignored in any country. This is because it plays an essential role in the successful running of the healthcare business. Government get involved in healthcare business due to challenges the institutions face such as cost, access to care and quality services. Government interventions contribute significantly to the achievement of quality services to the citizens through the following ways. First and foremost, government provides millions of dollars every year for new discoveries, which includes discoveries of prevention measures for deadly diseases (antiessays.com). These discoveries have immense financial implication that cannot be left for the healthcare facilities alone to handle. Some of the discoveries are also extremely vital to national security and must be kept confidential. Secondly, the government provides employment for millions of people working in the hospitals which include doctors, nurses, clinical officers and support stuff. This helps in reducing the burden for the management of health facilities. These people are on the government payroll so as to ease on the expenses of the health facilities (studymode.com). Thirdly, the government provides medicines and equipments to the health facilities. This also assists in reducing the heavy purchase budget for the health facilities to reduce the cost of medical services in the country. This also relieves patients from spending other money on medicines and medical tests. It should be openly displayed that some of these equipments are exceedingly costly, and cost millions of dollars to acquire and install. Last but not least, the government provides free medical services to the needy people, children, people who needs specific attention, pregnant women and old people. Through the above mentioned interventions, the government ensures that citizens get quality healthcare to promote health and energetic nation. Cheap medical care for the Citizens means translates to relief to the people in terms medical attention (antiessays.com). References IT project failure: symptoms and reasons | Enterprise CIO Forum. (n.d.). Enterprise CIO Forum: Business Transformation Best Practices, Research, Opinions, Tools and Resources, IT Transformation | Enterprise CIO Forum. Retrieved February 20, 2013, from http://www.enterprisecioforum.com/en/blogs/pearl/it-project-failure-symptoms-and- reasons. IT Governance Services. (n.d.). Harmony Solutions Limited ::. Your Kenyan IT Partner in Project Management, Business Analysis, Software Quality Management & Testing, and IT Service Management consultancy and Training. Retrieved February 20, 2013, from http://www.harmony.co.ke/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=145&Item id=135 Dhaivat11. (n.d.). Comprehensive Project Portfolio Management - Essays - Dhaivat11. Free Term Papers, Research Papers, Essays, Book Notes | StudyMode.com. Retrieved February 20, 2013, from http://www.studymode.com/essays/Comprehensive- Project-Portfolio-Management- 1201383.html Free Information Governance Essay - Alishabarr20. (n.d.). Free Essays, Research Papers, Term Papers | Anti Essays. Retrieved February 20, 2013, from http://www.antiessays.com/free-essays/299694.html Developing Project Portfolio Management - PPM Governance and Project Value Measurement. (n.d.). Prioritizing Projects and Optimally Allocating Resources . 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