Critical success factors and sources of assistance and expertise in strategic information systems planning: A Singapore perspective

Strategic information systems (IS) planning is not an easy task and knowing which critical areas to manage certainly enhances IS planning success. Studies of critical success factors (CSFs) usually dealt with specific systems or management technique implementation, such as manufacturing resource planning (MRP) and total quality management (TQM). There exists little empirical research on CSFs per se in strategic IS planning. This paper is an effort to enhance existing knowledge on how strategic IS planning should be effectively managed. Using data from a survey on IS planning conducted in 1996 by the National University of Singapore, we identified and rank-ordered the CSFs in strategic IS planning in the Singapore context. We also examined the sources of assistance and expertise that companies undertaking IS planning in Singapore can tap.