Title: Information Strategy in Practice
Author: Elizabeth Orna
Publisher: Gower Publishing
ISBN: 0 566 085798
Price £35.00
Reviewer: Stephen Jones
www.softbrands.com
Information Strategy in Practice by Elizabeth Orna is unsurprisingly a handbook on how to create an “information strategy.” There is also a subtext on changing information roles and responsibilities in organisations and that information management is everyone’s responsibility. An “information strategy”, as defined by the author, is an action plan to manage and to apply an organisation’s information resources and to support its essential knowledge base (the people who contribute and use information to achieve the organisation’s objectives.
This book provides a concise, practical non patronising explanation of the key processes to develop organisational information policy and strategy, with suggestions drawn from actual practice on how to implement these. The book’s emphasis is on a specific problem, function, or department to make an information system more efficient, less error-prone, and more accessible.
Elizabeth Orna is an experienced consultant and it shows – every bit as much in this book as in her earlier book Practical Information Policies, a standard work for courses of information and library management. Information Strategy in Practice starts impressively with very useful detailed definitions of knowledge, information, information policy and strategy, information management, knowledge management, organisations and processes and refreshingly she sticks to these.
She builds on her earlier works with emphasis on the information audit process and its contribution to policy formation and strategy. The book is described as ‘designed especially for student’s. I would not argue with that claim – it would be a great student text. However, a lot of senior executives who spout mission statement platitudes would benefit from reading this book to better understand how to translate these into effective polices and strategies.
She describes a simple process to determine the information needs of the organisation:
- From the organisation’s mission statement identify key objectives
- Identify the type of knowledge needed to support that objective
- Identify the information needed. The book also provides clear comprehensive guidelines on:
- how to conduct an information audit
- how to interpret and present the findings
The information audit identifies what an organisation does with information and knowledge and compares this with what it should be doing to meet its mission statement. All the categories that an organisation should include in an information policy follow, with detailed guidance on who should set the policy, and how to get it accepted. Policy is the basis for information strategy, which may be required at various levels: for an organisation, a department or a project. “Information strategy is the detailed expression of information policy in terms of objectives, targets and actions to achieve them, for a defined period ahead”
There is a relatively light section on developing and using an information strategy, but to be fair, the book is only meant as an introduction to the subject.
The major part of this book is a comprehensive “how to do it” guide. It is written in a relaxed clear style, broken up by section headings, checklists and many tables and illustrations on important topics such as: organisational structure; and what are the resources and the methodology for an information audit. Even the seasoned professional will find useful reminders here.
The book provides copious references but is not a dry academic text. The first six chapters include a Practical Insights section with widely drawn material. A reflective concluding chapter ‘Thinking allowed! Ideas and arguments’ illustrates that a thoughtful and critical stance provides worthwhile practical improvements.
I have mixed feelings about the production, the font is legible, but a little small for my failing eyesight, and although most of the illustrations are clear some of the tables, go over several pages. The style is logical, clear, helpful and purposeful and neatly ties theory with practice. Even with this quality of material I tend to feel that £35 is on the high side for a soft back book though it does look reasonably durable. Overall, I give it a thumbs up – definitely worth a read.
