Hi all,
Having recently qualified as a business analyst, I've been tasked with carrying out a business system gap analysis.
The company I work at is at that critical stage of having undergone significant growth over the last 10 years picking up a lot of legacy systems with no defined processes and completely lacking in any IT strategy.
My main concern at the moment - prior to establishing the "to be" business system with senior managers - is that there is no defined 'mission statement', vision or overall business strategy. Brief 'cup of coffee' chats have given me a worrying insight that the senior managers really don't know what the overall mission, objectives, strategy and tactics are, or indeed what the differences between them are.
So I guess I'm asking for advice as to how to go about eliciting this information - it almost feels like I need to actually define what the company strategy is which is a rather daunting task!
Or is it actually necessary? If, through the interviews, I establish consensual KPIs, CSFs and the "to be" business activity model, is that enough to compare against the "as is" business system?
I know this is an amazing opportunity so I really want to nail it!
Thanks,
Nick
hi i am sam and this is my first post.
Hi Sandy,
Thanks very much for your comprehensive response.
That all makes a lot of sense, thank you. I think I need to digest and plan the best way forward from your advice - the environment here is extremely political (I'm sure that's the case in most companies!) so I'd need to tread carefully about engaging the senior managers prior to any discussion with the 2 executive directors.
The two executive directors will be interviewed as well (when I say the senior management team I should have mentioned I also inlcude the two exec directors in that) so I may do as you suggest and actually carry out a workshop with them with the idea of building a MOST. It is extremely difficult to explain how important it is understanding the business strategy in carrying out a review of the 'system'. They very much see "IT" as separate, although I think I am slowly getting there in explaining that strategy should drive the system and not the other way round.
So many thanks again - I'll let you know how it goes!
Regards,
Hi Nick,
In lieu of not having a formalized mission statement or vision created, you could rely on any documented goals or even objectives that may be nestled within such documentation as "strategic initiatives" or "balanced scorecards", for instance. Alternatively, you can pursue performing a SWOT analysis that will garner opportunities for improvement, or current problem areas (inclusive of root causes).
Best, Tom
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