Objectives and competences
• Students will:
1. Understand the role of IT as a strategic resource and its alignment with business goals and organizational competitiveness.
2. Gain knowledge of strategic IT planning methods, including tools for aligning IT and business strategies.
3. Develop the ability to organize, lead, and control the IT function, including aspects of security, quality, and resource management.
4. Acquire practical skills for managing IT projects using both traditional and agile approaches and appropriate tools (e.g., MS Project, Jira).
5. Recognize the importance of ethics, ESG, and cyber resilience in designing and executing IT strategies in a modern digital environment.
Content (Syllabus outline)
The course addresses IT as a strategic factor in organizations, with emphasis on aligning IT and business strategy. Students explore approaches to IT planning, management of IT functions, projects, services, and quality. Focus is placed on the use of modern frameworks (ITIL, COBIT, ISO), methodologies (agile, traditional), and tools (MS Project, Jira). Topics also include information security, digital infrastructure, data and resource management, and digital ethics. In the practical part, students develop a strategic IT initiative focusing on leadership, security, and ESG aspects.
Detailed Course Content
1. The Role of IT in Strategic Management
• IT as a source of competitive advantage
• IT governance vs. IT management
2. Strategic IT Planning
• IT-business alignment, SWOT analysis, Balanced Scorecard
• Make/buy/outsourcing decision-making
3. Organization and Leadership of the IT Function
• Roles and responsibilities of CIO, CISO, CTO
• Centralized vs. decentralized IT structures
4. IT Service and Quality Management
• ITIL, COBIT, ISO 20000 frameworks
• Service Level Agreements (SLA), Key Performance Indicators (KPI), user expectations
• Data quality management and its impact on decision-making
5. IT Projects: Traditional and Agile Approaches
• Advanced use of MS Project, Jira, Scrum methodology
• Project management, portfolios, change management
6. Security, Ethics, and Cyber Resilience
• ISO 27001, NIST, incident management
• Cybersecurity governance, RTO/RPO, disaster recovery (DRP)
• Ethics, ESG, responsible IT practices
7. Digital Infrastructure and Architecture
• Data centers, hybrid environments, Microsoft Azure
• Interoperability, API integration (REST, JSON), system connectivity
8. Information Resource Management
• Outsourcing, insourcing, rightsourcing strategies
• Contracting, SLA management, vendor control
9. Project: IT Strategy Development
• Strategic project planning with MS Project, TCO/ROI evaluation
Security, quality, risk, and ESG considerations
Learning and teaching methods
- lectures
- guided classes in computer room
- case analysis
- problem-based project-based learning
- collaborative learning
Intended learning outcomes - knowledge and understanding
Students in this course:
1. Understand the fundamental concepts and paradigms of IT management. (PILO 2a, PILO 3b)
2. Acquire methods for strategic IT planning and aligning IT with business strategy. (PILO 2a, PILO 3a)
3. Apply recognized IT governance and security frameworks (e.g., ITIL, COBIT, ISO 27001, NIST). (PILO 2a, PILO 3a)
4. Analyze and structure the IT function and its integration with business processes. (PILO 2a, PILO 3a)
5. Use modern tools and approaches for IT project management (e.g., MS Project, Jira, Scrum). (PILO 3b, PILO 3c)
6. Master approaches to data, service, resource, and vendor management. (PILO 2a, PILO 3b)
7. Recognize the importance of cyber resilience, ethics, and ESG in shaping IT strategies. (PILO 4a, PILO 4c)
8. Gain experience in preparing an IT strategic initiative and executing a project using appropriate tools. (PILO 3b, PILO 3c)
The PILO label (i.e., Programme Intended Learning Outcomes) defines the contribution of each listed intended learning outcome of a course towards achieving the general and/or subject-specific competencies or learning outcomes acquired through the programme
Intended learning outcomes - transferable/key skills and other attributes
Students in this course:
1. Understand the fundamental concepts and paradigms of IT management. (PILO 2a, PILO 3b)
2. Acquire methods for strategic IT planning and aligning IT with business strategy. (PILO 2a, PILO 3a)
3. Apply recognized IT governance and security frameworks (e.g., ITIL, COBIT, ISO 27001, NIST). (PILO 2a, PILO 3a)
4. Analyze and structure the IT function and its integration with business processes. (PILO 2a, PILO 3a)
5. Use modern tools and approaches for IT project management (e.g., MS Project, Jira, Scrum). (PILO 3b, PILO 3c)
6. Master approaches to data, service, resource, and vendor management. (PILO 2a, PILO 3b)
7. Recognize the importance of cyber resilience, ethics, and ESG in shaping IT strategies. (PILO 4a, PILO 4c)
8. Gain experience in preparing an IT strategic initiative and executing a project using appropriate tools. (PILO 3b, PILO 3c)
The PILO label (i.e., Programme Intended Learning Outcomes) defines the contribution of each listed intended learning outcome of a course towards achieving the general and/or subject-specific competencies or learning outcomes acquired through the programme
Readings
Galliers, R. D., & Leidner, D. E. (2020). Strategic information management: Theory and practice (5th ed.). Routledge.
Bobek, S., Sternad Zabukovšek, S., Deželak, Z. (2021). Management informatike – učno gradivo. Maribor: Ekonomsko-poslovna fakulteta.
Sternad Zabukovšek, S., Bobek, S. (2023). Sprejemanje poslovnih informacijskih rešitev in digitalna transformacija v podjetjih. Maribor: Univerzitetna založba Univerze v Mariboru.
Additional information on implementation and assessment Final exam - written exam with at least one question from each section within the course.
Exam in the computer lab - practical exam with at least one task from each set of computer tools/solutions included in the course.
Coursework - ongoing assignment with at least one assignment from each section of the course or project.
