Health Information Management: Integrating Information Technology ...

140 DEVELOPING THE INFORMATION STRATEGY
Figure 8.1 IT ambition offers a vision on the positioning of individual IT activities.
1 Drawing up the information strategy is a top-down process. In making the
core choices and laying out the overall framework, the Board of Directors
have to take the lead to make choices in the frequent conflicts of interest
between organization sections, strengthened by the zero sum game of the
budgeting process.
2 Drawing up the information strategy starts with listing the organization’s
ambitions and priorities. A clear and concise list of ambitions allows
grounding the choices that will have to be made later. This rule is also vital
to avoid starting with a summary of all the shortcomings of the current
information management and IT situation. The danger is that a plan is drawn
up to address today’s problems, without considering the necessary longerterm
developments.
3 The discussion on whether funds are or are not available has to be postponed
to the last phase of the information strategy development. This is necessary
to allow the required future visions to clearly emerge. Only when the
outlines of the information strategy have become clear should discussion
focus on the resources needed.
Once drawn up, the information strategy needs to be kept updated in tandem with
the planning and control cycle. This will often mean that the information strategy