INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PLANNING IN MANUFACTURING-INDUSTRY - AN EMPIRICAL-STUDY

As information technology (IT) evolves from a limited perspective to the backbone of all computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) activities, it is becoming more strategic to the long term success of manufacturing organisations. This evolution makes the planning for the effective and efficient acquisition, assimilation, and utilisation of information technology especially important for manufacturing organisations, Despite the perceived importance and need for IT planning, the state of knowledge of current IT planning practices in manufacturing organisations is relatively minimal. This paper reports on a survey of IT planning practices in seventy-six manufacturing organisations. The results of the study show actual planning practices focus on short-term financial/budget and hardware acquisition planning, while the perceived need is more toward identifying the organisation's overall needs and linking the IT plan to the organisation's strategic plan. The paper also explores some of the benefits and inhibitors of IT planning within the manufacturing environment.