Information Systems Design Under a Different Light

This paper presents a new information systems design method conceived to accommodate emerging design trends and face the increasing complexity of information systems. It takes into account the growing business pressures that are put upon IS designers, the rising appeal of ready-made software (such as ERP and CRM systems), the growing weight of intranets and extranets, the need to account for legacy, and the call for effective management of the evolving portfolio of heterogeneous solutions that the information systems of the present day have become. It follows an approach that is quite different from those found in traditional information systems planning, in that it does without detailed information systems architectures and uses instead an identification of organizational entities whose responsibilities towards their environment may be supported by a variety of systems alternatives. The results thus produced enable a clear view of the present and future direction of the information system, while retaining a close relationship to the original business needs and the actual deployment options. A quick reference is made to a tool developed to support the method