Structured Interviews

Questions to determine the type of organisational structure

The Structure
• Structure type
• Direct Supervision
• Standardisation of work
• Job specialisation
• Planning and Control systems

Factors affecting the structure

• Age
• Size
• Gender
• Technical systems
• Environment
• Power distance

Marketing Position and Strategy

Questions to determine competitive Strategy

• What industry do they operate in
• Is it one market or many
• Do they have a plan (Marketing/strategic)
• Strength of Industry Forces identified
• Competitors
• Entry barriers
• Customers
• Supplier
• Substitutes
• Confirming Data
 • Market position statistics
• Market share
• Total market

Informations Systems
• IS Definition
• Departmental organization
• Harware installed, planned value
• Software installed planned value
• Performance measures used

• IS Strategy
• Explicit strategy
• People and processes
• Importance of strategy in Is
• Importance to company

Alignment of IS strategy and Business strategy

• Examples of strategic advantage
• Perceived contribution to organizations Success
• Is organization seen as successful
• How is this determined
• How does IS contribute
• Measured by IS manager
• Measured by CEO
• Has the company carried out a SWOT analysis
• For the IS department
• The total company
• Existing and new technology
• Government support of IT/IS uptake
 • Is there a comprehensive plan to implement IT throughout government?
• Does it have strong support throughout the central government?
• Does it have support at the province level?
• What incentives are there for companies to adopt IS
• Do any departments insist on data transfer electronically?
• Is there a date in the future for EDI with government departments
• What training and educational facilities are there for IS instruction
• In departments
• Government Companies
• Private Business
• Schools & Institutions

What would be the best method for the government to use to get rapid uptake of IS
• More educational resources
• Allow accelerated depreciation or Tax breaks
• Set dates for government departments to be electronically accessible
• Commence electronic payments to suppliers
• Make transactions with government by paper system attract penalty
• Use private sector to supply government IT & IS needs
• Provide training to government employees

What are the issues delaying IT implementation

• National security
• National IT&T infrastructure
• Public vs private
• Understanding the Global Environment
• Culture of the bureaurocracy
• Paper v electronic information
• Rules of the public sector constrain development
• Training and job security
• Knowing where to locate data and what data is required and understanding the
system value
• Keeping pace with technology and its cost
• Requirement for cooperation across systems and entities (trust)
• Legal mandates and regulations controlling IT&T
• Infighting of various departments.
• Government policy fragmented across a number of department and no champion