UCB's Strategic IT Plans and the Baldridge Criteria
The IT strategic plans of UCB are just significant like the Baldrige criteria for assessing the strategic planning. This is because the strategic planning is like having a framework and foundation of a new project. The absence of the IT strategic plan can lead to crumble or incomplete UCB’s IT plans. Therefore, the strategic IT plans can help the UCB to complete the short term objects or goals. In addition, the strategic plans can help UCB to invest time wisely to finish the long term goals and also progress in the long run. The strategic plan gives the design for the layout of the needed elements that help UCB to expand and accomplish their goals. These are on the different sectors and bring them together to form an infrastructure. The strategic plan also evaluates the benefits of UCB’s success and the direction the institution should follow. The Baldridge criteria for strategic planning are the reliable formula that UCB can base their strategic IT plans. This gives a planning and structure for heading into the correct direction. The paper compares the two UCB’s strategic plans against the Baldridge criteria for assessing strategic planning.
The Baldridge has listed all the criteria and standards that assist an organization to lead to a successful future. This makes Baldridge to be known for excellence. The Baldridge Performance Excellence Program main goal and objective is to guide enterprises into improving their performances and getting sustainable results. This is why the UCB’s strategic are put and compared to the standards of Baldridge. The comparison makes the UCB’s strategic plans have a higher chance of having successful outcomes (Family Investment Trust, 1995). The outcomes are based on the Baldridge strategies. This will help to provide the UCB’s with effective, innovative, and sustainability strategic IT plans and achieve their short and long term goals.
The UCB’s IT strategic plans are compared to the Baldridge standards and criteria for assessment of planning. The comparison of the strategic IT plans of the UCB’s plans indicates similarities and differences in various aspects. The criteria for performance excellence, when compared to the UCB plans, indicate a difference. The difference is in the depth of commitment to consumers who are the final users of the systems in the institutions. These are the systems that are needed for use in daily and future activities. In addition, the role of the XML and Web Services in streamlining the availability of data in performing various tasks also indicates disparity. The various applications that the students depend on show some evident of similarity with the Baldridge criteria (McCarthy, Leiderman, Stephens & Wolf, 1994). In addition, the assumptions on the web based services, education technology, and the role of the systems on students activities show use of the criteria. Furthermore, the role of the students on IT governance and use of systems are prevalent in UCB’s plans. The middle layer of ensuring enterprise application integration (EAI) in the system is also used by the UCB plans. Moreover, the UCB’s IT strategic plans indicate a focus on how to help and assist users who need assistance. There are help desks and search ports that process information to serve users that have difficulty with the system.
The criteria for performance excellence of Baldbridge give a quality program that calls for institutions performances in various sections. The program talks on the customer focused outcomes, product and service outcomes, workforce focused outcomes, market and financial outcomes, leadership focused outcomes, and process effectiveness outcomes. These criteria need some levels of analytical assessment (Diane, 1997). In addition, the system integration are required that make it possible to track the fundamental indicators for beginners of the system. The reporting system should include a track in which the performances are recorded for users of the systems. This is what made the UCB IT strategic plan win the Baldrige Award. The UCB’s had quality improvement strategies that were analytical of their systems. Furthermore, the plans had definitions of a series of key services offered by the systems. The IT Four Tier Support Model is included in which the systems analytics are explained. They give the use of metrics in the performance of measuring the general efficiency and effectiveness of the system. This is given in terms of the service that the systems give to the user.
The UCB’s have support models for the systems. This give measures of measuring the performances presently. In addition, the IT strategic plan has an integrity aspect of the system. This section reports the required levels of attainment of the quality of the system. The IT strategic plan of the UCB’s essence is to be agile and goal aligned. The Baldrige Award requirements require organizations to attain a given level of set objectives and goals (Peter, 2011). This should align to the resources and IT strategies that are objective in delivering the set goals. This should consider the amounts of resources and change in IT that is brought to the institutions. The attributes indicates a clear connection of strategies for the metrics and services that are delivered towards improving performance of the users. The organizations become agile in their adaptation and non-descriptive nature in the strategic plans.
Furthermore, the Baldrige criterion has some questions that are not often asked on how institutions can perform and function more effectively and efficiently. The Baldrige and TMQ philosophies have gained momentum is their strategic planning guidelines. Institutions describe their set strategic objectives and goals into actionable plans. The organization’s action plans, the way the institutions are able to project their future performances on the fundamental performance measures or indicators are formulated. The UCB’s IT strategic plan relates to the Baldrige criterion in addressing the needs of the users of the systems (Friedman, 1996). The strategic planning process has set goals, and a timeframe for achieving them. The UCB’s plans are adaptive to the changes and potential growth of technology. The measures that the UCB’s have in tracking the effectiveness, efficiency, and achievement of the action plans are well documented.
The UCB’s have defined IT strategic plans and goals that are geared towards their future success. The definition of the objectives, goals, and needs indicate the use of the Baldrige criteria. The UCB needs are defined as follows; robust technology tools to support collaboration; integrate, continuous, immediate, and seamless self service, access to services and information; access to information, data, and tools that allow members of the community to develop their integrated solutions; the fundamental IT resources are supported and refreshed adequately so as to do teaching, administrative, learning, and research activities. The strategic plan helps in identifying the existing and emerging IT related trends and needs. This is in the significant areas of the UCB’s teaching, learning, research, administration, and student experience sectors. The plan gives the updated context of developing IT systems and services. In addition, the IT strategic plan gives a context for the members of UCB. This is during the period in which they prioritize and evaluate their IT related activities. In addition, the identification of the IT priority services is included in the strategic plan.
References
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McCarthy, P. T., Leiderman, S. A., Stephens, S. A., & Wolf, W. C. (1994). Building capacity for
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Peter J. & Robert W. (2011). Simplified Strategic Planning: New York: Macmillan.
