The Aim of the Information Technology (IT) Strategic Plan

The aim of the information technology (IT) strategic plan is to document details that can guide how management practices will use technology to direct business operations. The strategic plan will serve as a guide to IT-related decision-making and prioritize IT tasks that should be implemented and incorporated into the general IT infrastructure. It guarantees that the business will produce maximum output from the IT resources that should actively support the policy, core mission, and objectives of the company. GG Freightways (GGFRT) should implement the following IT strategic plan that will align with its business goals.

IT Strategies 

The IT strategies identified include business-enabling strategies and internal IT strategies that should help GGFRT improve its operations. The four IT strategies have been outlined in the following table.

IT Strategy	Business Strategic Objective and Alignment of the IT Strategy	Internal/Business-Enabling
Example: do not use but leave it in the table when completing this section.  Meet compliance requirements by updating current technology or developing/acquiring new technology to meet those mandates	Business Strategic Objective: Meet FMSCA reporting requirements for driving hours by the company’s drivers  Explanation of the Alignment of the IT Strategy to the Business Strategic Objective: By acquiring or developing technology that will capture and store driver hours electronically, the company will be in compliance with FMSCA regulations and be able to provide this information upon request.	Internal
Implement mobile and cloud technology to transform business operations	Business Strategic Objective: Cloud computing management and operations  Explanation of Alignment of the IT Strategy to the Business Strategic Objective: A cloud computing technology will improve the exchange of information, especially for drivers that are in constant transit. They will have access to information about other drivers, and the company will manage its fleet more effectively. GGFRT will benefit by having real-time data to track the distribution of products and find the exact time it takes for a product to reach a specific customer.	Business-enabling
Implement Global Positioning System (GPS) technology with each freight	Business Strategic Objective: To accurately track the locations of freight and trucks.  Explanation of Alignment of the IT Strategy to the Business Strategic Objective: Developing and implementing a GPS technology will allow for every freight to be tracked. The information can be shared with customers that should follow the movement of both the truck and their product.	Business-enabling
Implement vehicle monitoring technology for vehicle maintenance and miles covered	Business Strategic Objective: Logging vehicle mileage and schedule for maintenance.  Explanation of Alignment of the IT Strategy to the Business Strategic Objective: Implementing the technology will enable the company to meet the objective of maintaining their vehicles after 10,000 hours on the road. Scheduled maintenance will improve the ability of the company to track the mileage covered by all of its tracks.	Internal
Improve warehousing management through a software management system	Business Strategic Objective: Provide warehousing services for customers  Explanation of Alignment of the IT Strategy to the Business Strategic Objective: The company should implement a software management system for the warehouse to allow for instant pickup and deliveries. The technology should reduce the time taken for customers to receive their goods.	Business-enabling

IT Portfolio Roadmap 

The IT portfolio roadmap shows the specific timeframes, projects, and software resources to be used for implementing the strategic initiatives. The areas identified in the portfolio include sales/marketing, operational, finance, and technical support. The sales/marketing functional area will have a mobile marketing application and warehousing services to improve the sales and market the products. The operational area will involve a GPS tracking system and a maintenance system for the trucks. The finance area will have two systems, i.e., a precise financial reporting system and a management reporting system. Technical support will have an IT system upgrade of the overall IT infrastructure and the cloud computing technology. The project will take five quarters to complete and should take approximately fifteen months.

Projects by Functional Area	Qtr. 1	Qtr. 2	Qtr. 3	Qtr. 4	Qtr. 5	Qtr. 6
Sales/Marketing  Mobile marketing application  Warehousing services
Operational  Smart Tracking Technology  GPS tracking system
Finance  Precise financial reporting system  Management reporting system
Technical Support  IT system upgrade  Cloud computing technology

Proposed Project 

The proposed system will involve implementing a “Smart Tracking Technology.” The technology will be referred to as the “GG Truck & Freight Tracker.” The technology will come in the form of a GPS tracking device that should be installed on the products and the actual tracks. A software application will then be developed to integrate the different tracking devices. The tracking system will help the organization track the specific mileage covered by each of the vehicles. It should also provide a schedule for the next maintenance when the 10,000 mileage has been reached. The software will also have a customer section where customers should view and track the progress of specific goods and the truck. The project will improve the management and maintenance of vehicles. It will also improve customer service by enabling them to know the location of their products with better accuracy. GGFRT will better manage its vehicles, drivers, and the goods to be delivered.

Risk Management 

Lance should be prepared for several risks as he plans to execute the project. Identifying the risks is important as it helps to identify the possible threats, the possible impacts to the completion of the project, and risk mitigation strategies to be implemented. The specific risks and strategies to mitigate them are identified as follows.

Risk 1: IT security 

(1). The implementation of the new system can have cybersecurity, and IT risks that could compromise the entire system.

(2). The risk could impact the functioning of the entire organization and the completion of the entire project.

(3). The risk can be mitigated by ensuring that the security procedures are accurately followed throughout the implementation of the system. Security procedures like having strop passwords, firewalls, and access control systems should be followed strictly (Goel et al., 2021). The IT team should ensure that the data, hardware, applications, and software resources are always kept with the best security practices.

Risk 2: Budget constraint/financial risk 

(1). Lance should be prepared for a financial risk where the project could consume more financial resources than the initial budget.

(2). The impact of the financial risk is that it could lead to a failure of the entire project as financial resources will be required to implement the different technologies.

(3). The risk can be mitigated by ensuring that there is an overestimation of the budget (Aliabadi et al., 2019). When the prices go up and become higher than expected, the overestimated budget will compensate for the price increase.

Risk 3: Scheduling/timeline risk 

(1). The risk can occur when the project takes longer than expected. For instance, the project completion date could take more months than the initial estimate.

(2). The impact of the scheduling risk is that it can reduce the employees’ motivation when working on the project.

(3). The scheduling risk can be mitigated through a thorough breakdown of the specific tasks required for the project. Breaking down the project by the specific tasks ensures that the estimated time to complete the project will be accurate.

Risk 4: Employee participation 

(1). The completion of the project will require the participation of the employees and their motivation. The project faces risks of completion when some employees become demotivated, and others choose to leave.

(2). The risk of experiencing challenges with the employees’ participation is that it could derail the completion and progress of the project.

(3). Lance should ensure that there is high job satisfaction among those involved in working on the project. Job satisfaction ensures that the needs of the employees will be met, improving their motivation and productivity when working on the project (Pirozzi et al., 2018).

Business Continuity Planning 

A business continuity plan should help to prepare for disruptions in the project in case of uncontrollable external or internal events. The aim of the plan is to develop a strategy to allow for a proper response to all operational disruptions and enable employees to communicate effectively and to continue being productive (Niemimaa et al., 2019). The general steps involved in developing a business continuity plan involve conducting a risk assessment, an impact analysis, risk management, and continuous risk monitoring and testing. The different steps ensure that all possible risks should be identified, continually monitored, and strategies to ensure business continuity identified for every possible risk. The personnel involved in the development of the BCP include individuals in the senior management team like the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), Chief Information Officer (CIO), Chief Financial Officer (CFO), and the Director of Operations. The most important systems to ensure business continuity include financial systems, freight tracking systems, and IT systems. The continued operations of the three systems are critical in ensuring customers will be continually served even after the disruption. Lance should ensure that the three systems are in constant operation through having a backup solution, having an alternate worksite location, and having an online cloud backup of the entire system.

References 

Aliabadi, F. J., Mashayekhi, B., & Gal, G. (2019). Budget preparers’ perceptions and performance-based budgeting implementation.  Journal of Public Budgeting, Accounting & Financial Management , 31(1), 137-156.

Goel, R., Sahai, S., Singh, G., & Lall, S. (2021). Measures for Improving IoT Security.  Integration of Cloud Computing with Internet of Things: Foundations, Analytics, and Applications , 25-39.

Niemimaa, M., Järveläinen, J., Heikkilä, M., & Heikkilä, J. (2019). Business continuity of business models: Evaluating the resilience of business models for contingencies.  International Journal of Information Management ,  49 , 208-216.

Pirozzi, M. (2018). The stakeholder management perspective to increase the success rate of complex projects.  PM World Journal ,  7 , 1-12.