Strategic information systems planning in a non-profit organization in Australia: An action research study using soft systems methodology

Abstract

Strategic IS planning (SISP) has been found to be a key issue of concern for management across organizations in various industries across Australia and the rest of the world. However, most SISP studies have been conducted in the context of large, for-profit organizations. The non-profit sector plays an important role in Australian society and economy. Therefore, their planning activities need to be given more attention in the research literature. An organizational approach to SISP has been found to be the most effective in the past. SSM is a flexible methodology based on systems thinking that is capable of taking into account the internal and external social and political contexts of an organization and addressing conflicting issues. The application of SSM in a problem situation also promotes learning about the situation and provides valuable insights about the methodology itself. This makes it the most suitable methodology for this exploratory study of SISP in a non-profit organization in Australia.