Evaluate the Strategic IS Plan

For this assignment, you will construct a 4-page intermediate strategic IS plan for Reynolds Tool & Die. You will create an outline detailing a comprehensive IT strategy (not just purchases) to support the upcoming merger and acquisition planned by the company. Your plan must address timelines, systems integration, and change management.

In this assignment, you will be leading the IT transition team and once the merger and acquisition are completed, you will serve as the senior IT manager for the new organization that has absorbed the aircraft part manufacturer. You will also be the person working with your counterpart in the joint venture with the company from Mexico, but you will not have any managerial or supervisory role there. Assume the merger/transition announcement is made in the first quarter. Systems integration needs to start in the second quarter and then must finish by November 30 to be prepared for the year-end accounting procedures.

Headings for your intermediate strategic information systems plan should include:

I. Current Assessment of the Merger/Acquired Organization

You’ll need to assess and analyze the IT operations and infrastructure of the organization you are about to merge with and/or acquire. This assessment should include hardware, software, and IT personnel.

II. IT Intermediate Strategic Plan

Based on your assessment, you are to propose an intermediate strategic plan for systems and IT organization integrations. Address these questions:

• Which organization’s IT assets      will become the primary enterprise IT solution, and why?  Will you      integrate the merger/acquisition target into your systems, or will the      merger/acquisition IT platform become the primary solution? Your      assessment should guide you in this decision.
• What will you need to perform      the successful integration by the end of the third business quarter? Will      you need outside integrators to assist? Will you need a supplemental      budget for new hardware and software, as this merger probably wasn’t      included in the annual budget? How involved will the merger/acquisition IT      organization be in