PMBA 8125 Course Map and purpose

Why bother studying the management of IS?   Annual worldwide expenditures on IS/IT is estimated to be

between $1.7 -6 TRILLION.

  Annual spending on the IS/IT function in Atlanta is > $20 Billion.   $2 Billion of this is by two firms alone—UPS and the Hope Depot.

  The extant IS resource in Atlanta firms is valued at hundreds of billions $ US.

  Like any corporate resource –land, plant, equipment, capital or people- the IS resource needs to be managed.

  The IS function provides both tactical AND strategic value to the firm.

  For many firms poor management of this function would mean the death of the firm.

Professor Truex PMBA 8125

Published purpose (paraphrased)

Professor Truex

PMBA8125 is designed to help managers understand the challenges, opportunities, and risks involved in information technology management. It examines the issues involved in acquiring information systems that support and maintain business operations in an efficient, effective, and ethical manner. In particular 8125 examines how information technology can be used to substantially improve business process performance….. Students learn how to: 1.  recognize business processes and assess their information-related needs. 2.  to develop organizational agility through business process innovations enabled

by information technology. 3.  recognize business processes and assess their information-related 4.  develop organizational agility through business process innovations enabled by

information technology. By the end of the course, students should be able to understand the strategic and support role of information technology and various approaches to acquiring and deploying information systems.

PMBA 8125

8125 is not…

Professor Truex

1.  A computer course. We will not learn microcomputer tools like excel. This would be like teaching engineers to use a slide rule. This is a much higher order class.

2.  A complete coverage of the IS function. We will not cover the breath of

the IS/IT function. It is simply too larger for a single course. We will delve into a handful of critical topics. Each of these topic are an entire course or even an degree program in CIS department.

PMBA 8125

The PMBA 8125 Challenge

Professor Truex PMBA 8125 Information Technology Management

Why = theory Basic Building Blocks

How = practice Integrate Theory and Practice

Contextual knowledge for understanding concepts. Needed to keep current; no matter how the technology changes

Needed to relate the pieces of theory and to build hands-on competence and confidence

Text readings, course notes, discussions and lectures; case briefs (thought pieces); compare contrast tables; discussion , copious feedback, shared learning opportunities

Case briefs & discussions; specialized articles; Work systems modeling; risk analysis, SAP tutorials & game; explication of the student’s own learning framework

Professor Truex

MBA 8125 Informatioon Technology management 6

Figure 1.1 The Information Systems Strategy Triangle

Manager in the

coordinating role

Business Strategy

Organizational Strategy

Information Strategy

IS strategy has consequences on the business and organizational strategies.

IS Strategy is affected by the other strategies a firm uses. Changes in IS strategy must be accompanied by changes in the other two.

Includes the whole concept of organizational design

Professor Truex MBA 8125 Informatioon Technology management 7

Figure 1.1 The Information Systems Strategy Triangle

Manager in the

coordinating role

Business Strategy

Organizational Strategy

Information Strategy

The corners are interlocking. Change one and all must adjust

IS strategy has consequences on the business and organizational strategies.

IS Strategy is affected by the other strategies a firm uses. Changes in IS strategy must be accompanied by changes in the other two.

Includes the whole concept of organizational design

8125 Content map " Context: Strategy as the driver

" Firm Strategy & Information Systems

" Business Strategy, Organization design, IT Design triangle; Porter and the internet

" Process Design, Enshrinement in silicon and deployment/use " Business Process perspectives

" Process Innovation " Process and Organizational Agility / change management " Work Systems Modeling

" Business System Analysis and Process Integration " IT Project Management " Small-scale - ISD " Enterprise-wide - ERP configuration " SAP hands-on tutorials

" Sourcing of IS and other business functions (because of the IT systems) " Where, by whom and how it is done

" Consequences: (Management Challenges and ‘the dark side’ of IT) " Security & Risk Management

The MBA 8125 Value Add   Highly integrative with MBA curriculum

  Strategy; Organization design; process discovery, modeling management, Project Management; Change Management …

  Provides five distinct, bankable skill-sets 1.  Risk Analysis snapshot 2.  Requirements identification 3.  Improved analytical and communication skills-

  for assimilating and extracting key points from multiple (often orthogonal or seemingly unrelated) sources

  to create an evolving framework in which to incorporate the new concepts & details

  to move details from short to long term memory

  for organizing and writing parsimoniously and effectively

  Personalized writing feedback

4.  Research & bibliographic tools (Endnote) 5.  SAP hands-on