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This document provides an overview of planning and development information systems. It discusses the importance of properly planning systems to ensure business success. The key aspects covered include:
1. Planning guidelines help executives provision systems, carry out plans, compare plans to organizational goals, and allocate resources.
2. Systems development includes long-range MIS planning, defining goals and objectives aligned with business needs, and outlining the system architecture and schedule.
3. The system architecture indicates inputs, outputs, subsystems, and how data will flow and be processed. The development schedule is a timeline of activities from start to finish.
This document provides an overview of planning and development information systems. It discusses the importance of properly planning systems to ensure business success. The key aspects covered include:
1. Planning guidelines help executives provision systems, carry out plans, compare plans to organizational goals, and allocate resources.
2. Systems development includes long-range MIS planning, defining goals and objectives aligned with business needs, and outlining the system architecture and schedule.
3. The system architecture indicates inputs, outputs, subsystems, and how data will flow and be processed. The development schedule is a timeline of activities from start to finish.
This document provides an overview of planning and development information systems. It discusses the importance of properly planning systems to ensure business success. The key aspects covered include:
1. Planning guidelines help executives provision systems, carry out plans, compare plans to organizational goals, and allocate resources.
2. Systems development includes long-range MIS planning, defining goals and objectives aligned with business needs, and outlining the system architecture and schedule.
3. The system architecture indicates inputs, outputs, subsystems, and how data will flow and be processed. The development schedule is a timeline of activities from start to finish.
Unit 5 Planning and Development Information System Structure: 5.1 Introduction Objectives 5.2 Planning and Development Planning of information systems Development of information systems 5.3 Systems Analysis Introduction to systems analysis SDLC Roles of system analyst Feasibility of systems Types of feasibility study Data Flow Diagram Data dictionary 5.4 Systems Design Introduction to SD Input design Output design Development Testing Implementation and maintenance 5.5 Summary 5.6 Glossary 5.7 Terminal Questions 5.8 Answers 5.9 Case Study
5.1 Introduction In the earlier unit, you have learnt about Business Process Re-engineering (BPR), BPR tools and object oriented BPR. In this unit, you will learn about the system design and the development life cycle. Any enterprise requires one or more systems for handling routine transaction processing. A system is made up of interrelated processes and works towards achieving a goal. Thus, the system requires proper feed of information to function effectively. Management Information System Unit 5 Sikkim Manipal University Page No. 80 Hence, it is important to plan the system properly and develop a process realistic to the business. The success of any information system in management depends upon how well the system has been planned and developed. Objectives: After studying this unit, you should be able to: explain planning and development describe systems analysis analyse design of systems
5.2 Planning and Development 5.2.1 Planning of information systems MIS planning guidelines help MIS executives to: Make provisions in the systems. Carry out alternative plans as recognised in the objectives. Compare the systems plan with the organisations plan and ensure changes accordingly. Format the plans of the system, document them, and present to top management. Construct a tool or technique for reviewing or altering if required. Formulate a system for processing the collected data. Allot the responsibility and authority for planning. Allot finance for this purpose. Formulate a team of technical personnel to compare the effectiveness of the system.
Management Information System Unit 5 Sikkim Manipal University Page No. 81 Figure 5.1 depicts the organisational planning process.
Fig. 5.1: Organisational Planning Process The aspect of architecture, the hardware specification, the details of software to be developed, the language, the nature of users and the numbers of users spread over different location, the network topology are vital inputs that go into the planning the development of an MIS. a) Development of long range plans of the MIS In the early days of computing, people viewed computers as costly instruments, which occupied large space. Computers were essentially used for the purpose of computing and accounting the business transactions. The computers processed data and generated reports for filing statutory returns. This trend gradually changed and organisations invested on computers to address the huge volume of transactions in their business. Later, there was a change in the mind-set of the business community. We now view computers as a knowledge base After the 1980s, computers have become versatile as it stores, communicates, and embeds intelligence to aid in decision-making. The barriers of storage, location, language, have been conquered to suit business requirements and address the facet of online processing. Forecast developments In all aspects Analyse the situation and the need for planning Evaluate and re- evaluation task accomplishments and resources available Team building and models, tools and techniques Environment Vision Mission Policies Objectives Environ- ment Organisation planning of MIS Formation and develop- ment of MIS
Management Information System Unit 5 Sikkim Manipal University Page No. 82 With the advancement of IT, information is valuable resource along with people, money, and capacity. Thus, it is necessary to link its acquisition, storage, use and disposal as per the business needs to meet the business objectives. Such a broad-based activity can be executed only when it is conceived as a system. This system should deal with managing information and processing data. It should provide support for management planning, decision making and action. It should support and satisfy the needs of different people in the organisation at different levels with varying managerial capabilities. It should provide support to the changing needs of business management. MIS today is an open system, flexible in character and has the ability to cope with the changing needs of the organisation. MIS interacts with the business environment and provides ready-made information as per requirements of the management. This is made possible by integrating the MIS needs with the business objectives of the organisation. The plan of development of the MIS is linked with the implementation steps of a business development plan. The system of information generation is so planned that strategic information is provided for strategic planning, control information is provided for short term planning and execution. For example, the information is provided to the operations manager to assess the status of an activity and to find ways to make up, if necessary. Once the management needs are translated into information needs, it is left to the designer to evolve a plan for MIS development and implementation. b) Contents of the MIS plan Any plan is a blue print for the construction of a system. It will clearly specify the steps to build the desired MIS system. It provides the basic input and the direction for the designer to develop the system with the support of the top management. c) MIS goals and objectives The MIS goals and objectives should be in relation to management philosophy, policy constraints, business risks, internal and external environment of the organisation and the business.
Management Information System Unit 5 Sikkim Manipal University Page No. 83 The objectives of MIS should be defined in a manner in such a way that it can be measured in quantifiable terms. The typical statements of the goals are: It should provide online information of the stock, markets and accounts balances. The query processing should take more than three seconds. The focus of the system should be on the end user computing and access facilities. Comparison between MIS and Business Plan It is necessary to develop the objectives for the MIS to support the business goals. The MIS goals and objectives consider management philosophy, policy constraints, business risks, internal and external environment of the organization. Business plan is general in nature and is available across the departments to facilitate communication and attain of organisations goals. Table 5.1 depicts Business Plan vs. MIS Plan. Table 5.1: Business Plan vs. MIS Plan Source: Jawadekar. Management Information Systems: Texts and Cases. Such statements of goals and objectives help the designer implement strategies for the MIS Plan. The architecture of the MIS The architecture of the system indicates the types of inputs that go into the system and the type of output that is expected to come out of the system Business plan MIS plan 1. Business goals, business plan and strategy. 1. Management information system Objectives are consistent with the business goals and objectives. 2. Strategy planning and decisions. 2. Information strategy for the business plan implementation plays a supportive role. 3. Management plan for execution and control. Operation plan for the execution. 3. a) Architecture of the Management Information System to support decisions. b) System development schedule, matching the plan execution. c) Hardware and software plan for the procurement and the implementation. Management Information System Unit 5 Sikkim Manipal University Page No. 84 after processing. It should also indicate as to how many sub-systems and their details exist. The relationship between the subsystem, the nature of cohesion and coupling that exists between the modules and sub-systems. It determines the extent of information flows and how data is processed. The system development schedule System development schedule is a timetable indicating the list of activities against a period. It should indicate as to what should be attempted first and what should follow next. It is a list of events and activities from A to Z that go into the making of a system. It also defines as to what portion of the system is to be developed by which team and when. Further, unless the systems are fully developed, their integration is not possible. Therefore, it indicates which team works on which sub-system and whether they work parallel or in serial. If the activities are serial in nature, then, one team waits until the other team finishes begin their part of the development. This development schedule is weighed against the period for achieving certain information requirement linked to a business plan. If these are not fully met, it is necessary to revise the time schedule and also the development schedule, whenever necessary. Hardware and software plan The plan of procurement is undertaken after determining the type of hardware and software required. It details the configuration of the hardware needed for the proposed MIS system and the type of software that needs to be installed for development of the MIS. The system development schedule is linked with the information requirements which in turn, are linked with the goals and objectives of the business. It is important to note the following points: 1. The strategic plan of the organisation is to be mapped to the MIS strategic plan. 2. Match the information development schedule with the implementation schedule of the business plan. 3. The choice of information technology is both a strategic business decision and a financial decision.
Management Information System Unit 5 Sikkim Manipal University Page No. 85 A model of the MIS Plan is depicted in the table 5.2. Table 5.2: Model of the MIS Plan Contents Particulars Focus Corporate information Business environment and current operations. Information on KRA. Where are we? Corporate mission/ goals/objectives Current and new mission/ goals/objectives Where do we want to reach? Business risk and rewards Clear quantitative statements on these factors showing a trade off between the risk and rewards. What is the risk? Support information to resolve risk. Business policy and strategy information needs Details of the strategic and policy decisions affecting the business Strategic/planning, managerial operational. How do we achieve the goals and objectives? What is the key information? Architecture of the plan Information Technology details What are the tools for achievement? Schedule of development Details of the systems and subsystems and their linkages charted against the time scale. When and how will it be achieved? Organisation and execution of the plan Manpower and delegation details. Internal and external resources. Who will achieve it? Budget and ROI Details on the investment schedule and benefits. How much will it cost? Budget and ROI. Source: Jawadekar. Management Information Systems: Texts And Cases. 5.2.2 Development of information systems It begins with planning. When planning and analysis are over, it is designed. The design provides a visual form of the system and the sub-systems. It also depicts the process at various stages within the system and sub- systems. The development plan defines where to begin and how work is to be executed. The choice of the system or the subsystem depends on factors like the type of the system, size of the system, knowledge of the user, the complexity of the domain and the type of interface with other systems. The system is first developed on fast track mode and then slowly integrated, reviewed and reworked until it is ready for development. To determine the position of the new system in the MIS the developer has the task of determining the nature, structure, methods and procedures and duration of system development as a whole. Management Information System Unit 5 Sikkim Manipal University Page No. 86 The extent of communication and understanding among the users and developers will determine the structure and formalisation of rules. Greater the complexity, greater will be the formalisation and rules that are documented to facilitate decisions. The development becomes a method wherein details of input process and outputs are specified. Prototype approach In general a prototype is a model ( on a smaller or a larger scale) of the real system built with an intent to understand the system behaviour or processes or the study the effect of different parameters or see how it appears in a finished form. Thus, prototypes are built for cars, planes and other objects for investigation in the laboratory. In the information technology area prototypes are developed, to explain to the customer the function to show how the screens will appear (layout of the screen ) to give the users the look and feel in terms of colours , font, location of buttons and the navigation between the screens In short, to get an a feel of the software application being developed. Life Cycle Approach There are many systems or subsystems in the MIS which have a life cycle, that is, they have birth and death. Their emergence may be sudden or may be a part of the business need, and they are structured and rule-based. They have 100% clarity of inputs , sources and a definite set of outputs in terms of the contents and formats. These details more or less remain static from the day the system emerges and continue in the same mode for a long time. Minor modifications or changes do occur but they are not significant in terms of handling of the system by the designer or the user. Such systems, therefore, have a life and they can be developed in a systematic manner and reviewed after a year or two, for significant modification, if any.
Management Information System Unit 5 Sikkim Manipal University Page No. 87 Figure 5.2 depicts the life cycle approach to the development of MIS.
Fig. 5.2: Life Cycle Approach to the Development of MIS Examples of such systems are payroll, share accounting, basic financial accounting, finished goods accounting and dispatching, order processing. These systems have a fairly long duration of survival and they contribute in a big way as sources of data to the Corporate MIS. Therefore, their role is important and needs to be designed as an interface to corporate MIS. Table 5.3 depicts the differences between the two approaches. Table 5.3: Comparison of Approaches Prototyping approach Life cycle approach 1. Open system with a high degree of uncertainty about the information needs. 2. Necessary to try out the ideas, application and efficiency of the information as a decision support. 3. Necessary to control the cost of the design and development before the scope of the system and its application is fully determined. Experimentation is necessary. 1. Closed systems with little or no uncertainty about the information needs. The system remains valid for a long time with no significant change. The design would remain stable. 2. No need to try out the application of the information as it is already proven. 3. Scope of the design and the application is fully determined with clarity and experimentation is not necessary.
Management Information System Unit 5 Sikkim Manipal University Page No. 88 4. Users of the system try out the system before they commit to the specification and the information requirements. 5. The system and application is highly custom oriented. 4. Users are confident and confirm the specifications and the information needs. 5. The system and application are universal and governed by the set principles and practices.
d) Implementation of the MIS The onus of system implementation lies with the management. Their actions account for organisational change as it impacts people and their work style. The system designer plays a crucial part in the overall implementation activity. The system designers are change agents who speed up the process of implementation. As the project deals with people it has to be dealt with care. The user of the system has a certain fear complex when a the work culture changes. The foremost fear is the consequences of changeover from the old to the new system. Care has to be taken to assure the user that these fears are baseless. The second fear is about the role played by the person in the organisation and how the change affects him/her. On many occasions, the new role may reduce his importance in the organisation or the work design may make the new job impersonal. This may reinforce the fear complex and the career prospects of the user may be affected. Systems designer leads the implementation of the project by a set of guidelines to ensure success. The systems designer should: 1. Offer a service for the user and should not allow scope creep by bowing down to their demands. . 2. Remember that the system design is the basic document of reference that connects the user and the designer in the development of a system. In designing a system, the technical needs and the information needs are listed separately and clearly. The designer should develop a design relevant to the chosen technology to meet the information needs. 3. Impress upon the user of the system that the design meets the present and future needs. 4. Remember that it is up to the user to use the information in way he thinks is proper for decision-making. Management Information System Unit 5 Sikkim Manipal University Page No. 89 5. Indicate to the user that the quality of inputs decides the quality of information. 6. Remind the user you are one of the persons in the company and the information is a common resource hence you are expected to contribute to the development of the MIS. 7. The user commits to the requirements of the system design speci- fications. The designer should contribute substantially to the quality of the information and successful implementation. 8. Management has to accept the proposed system 9. Not expect perfect understanding and knowledge from the user as he may not have technical knowledge regarding system development. The user is often a person with knowledge of business and not on the technical aspects of the systems development activities. Explain to the user that the change, which is easily possible in manual system, is not as easy in the computer system as it calls for changes in the programmes. 10. Apprise the user that perfect information is non-existent and therefore his role is important in the organisation to provide accurate reliable information. 11. On a priority, solve the organisational issues before the MIS is developed. 12. Periodically conduct the formal review meetings to know the issues and problems faced by them. It is through interaction that solutions are found for problems. 13. Train the user in computer application and systems analysis as his understanding of the computerised information system may differ. Implementation of the MIS in an organisation is a process where change can occur in a number of ways. The Lewin's model suggests three steps in this process. 1. The first step is to communicate openly within the organisation. This makes everyone in the organisation look forward to the new system or the changes with a sense of pride 2. The second step is to outline a list of activities specifying when they begin and reach the desired level of stability. Management Information System Unit 5 Sikkim Manipal University Page No. 90 3. The third step is refreezing and reinforcing. This process is often implemented through an external change agent, such as a consultant playing the role of a catalyst.
The significant problem in this model is the resistance to change. The resistance can occur due to three reasons, which are the internal factors, design factors and users attitude. Users resist change as they are habituated to the system. If they are asked to use another system which they are not familiar with, then opposition emerges. It is here, that education, training and motivation will help.
Self Assessment Questions 1. The MIS goals and objectives should be in relation to management philosophy, policy constraints, business risks, internal and external environment of the organisation and the business. (True/False) 2. The organisation's strategic plan need not be the basis for the MIS strategic plan. (True/False)
5.3 Systems Analysis In the previous section, you learnt planning, developing and implementation of information systems. Let us now learn the systems analysis. 5.3.1 Introduction to systems analysis System analysis is the survey and planning of the project, the study and analysis of the existing business and information system, and the definition of business requirements. System analysis involves two phases: survey phase and definition phase. Definition phase In this phase, a feasibility study (details covered in 5.3.2) is carried out to assess the criticality of the problem. The study answers whether the problem requires a detailed analysis of the system and the benefits and opportunities of solving the problem.
Management Information System Unit 5 Sikkim Manipal University Page No. 91
Fig. 5.3: Diagrammatic Representation of System Analysis
Survey phase The purpose of the survey phase is to determine the worthiness of the project and to create a plan to complete those projects deemed worthy. To accomplish the survey phase objectives, the system analyst works with the system owner, system users, IS manager and IS staff to: Survey problems, opportunities and solutions Negotiate project scope Plan the project Present the project 5.3.2 System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) System development stages are sometimes referred to as system study. System concepts are important in developing business information systems, expedite problem solving, and improve the quality of decision-making. The system analyst has the challenging task of creating new systems and planning major changes in the organisation. In addition, the system analyst gives meaning and direction to a system development project. The typical breakdown of an information systems life cycle includes a feasibility study, requirements, collection and analysis, design, prototyping, implementation, validation, testing and operation. It is represented in the form of a block diagram as depicted in figure 5.4. Management Information System Unit 5 Sikkim Manipal University Page No. 92 Where the end-user is not sure of his /her requirement, they may request the developer to provide a prototype. Prototyping is a simplified implementation that verifies in practice that the previous phases of the design were well conducted. The product will be a working prototype. The end-user will suggest modification/change and accordingly, the software is developed as per figure 5.4.
Fig. 5.4: System Development Life Cycle Feasibility study It is concerned with determining the cost effectiveness of various alternatives in the design of the information system and the priorities among the various system components. Requirements, collection and analysis It is concerned with understanding the mission of the information systems, that is, the application areas of the system within the enterprise and the problems that the system should solve. Management Information System Unit 5 Sikkim Manipal University Page No. 93 Design It is concerned with the specification of the information systems structure. There are two types of design: database design and application design. The database design is the design of the database and the application design is the design of the application programmes. Coding/Development The act of converting the design in a form understandable by the system. Implementation It is concerned with the programming of the final operational version of the information system. Implementation alternatives are carefully verified and compared. Validation and testing It is the process of assuring that each phase of the development process is of acceptable quality and is an accurate transformation from the previous phase. 5.3.3 Roles of system analyst System analysts are the facilitators of the study and needs of a business to determine how the business systems and IT can best solve the problem to accomplish improvements for the business. The system analyst is responsible for examining the total flow of data throughout the organisation. The analyst studies the various aspects of an organisation like personnel interactions and procedures for handling problems of the computer. A system analysts main role is to act as consultant, provide a supporting role, and be a maintenance expert. He/she should work with a cross section of people and should have the experience of working with computers. He/she is a problem solver, takes problem as a challenge, and enjoys meeting challenges. He/she knows how to use the right tools, techniques and experience at the right time. 5.3.4 Feasibility of systems Feasibility is a measure of how beneficial the development of an information system would be to an organisation. Feasibility study investigates the information needs of prospective users and determines the resource requirements, costs, benefits and feasibility of a proposed project. The findings of the data collected in the study are formalised in a written report that includes preliminary specifications and a development plan for the proposed system. If the management approves these recommendations of the report, the development process can continue. Management Information System Unit 5 Sikkim Manipal University Page No. 94 5.3.5 Types of feasibility study The goal of the feasibility study is to evaluate alternative systems and to propose the most feasible and desirable system for development. The feasibility of a proposed system can be evaluated in four major categories: Technical feasibility: It is a measure of a technologys suitability to the application being designed or the technologys ability to work with other technologies. It measures the practicality of a specified technical solution. Economic feasibility: It is the measure of the cost effectiveness of a project. It is also known as cost-benefit analysis. Operational feasibility: It is a measure of how comfortable the management and users are with the technology. Schedule feasibility: It is a measure of how reasonable the project schedule is. 5.3.6 Data Flow Diagrams (DFD) Data flow diagrams represent the logical flow of data within the system DFD use few symbols, such as circles and rectangles connected by arrows, to represent data flows. DFD can easily illustrate relationships among data, flows, external entities and stores. DFD can also be drawn in increasing levels of detail, starting with a summary high level view and proceeding to more detailed lower level views. Rounded rectangle represents processes that transform flow of data or work to be done. Rectangle represents external agentsthe boundary of the system. It is the source or the destination of data. The open-ended boxes represent data stores, sometimes called files or databases. These data stores correspond to all instances of a single entity in a data model. Arrow represents data flows, inputs and outputs to end from the processes.
A number of guidelines should be used in constructing DFD: Choose meaningful names for the symbols on the diagram. Management Information System Unit 5 Sikkim Manipal University Page No. 95 Number the processes consistently. The numbers do not imply the sequence. Avoid very complex DFD. Make sure that the diagrams are balanced. 5.3.7 Data dictionary The data dictionary is used to create and store definitions of data, location, format for storage and other characteristics. The data dictionary can be used to retrieve the definition of data that has already been used in an application. The data dictionary also stores some of the description of data structures, such as entities, attributes, and relationships. It can also have software to update itself, to produce reports on its contents, and to answer some of the queries.
Self Assessment Questions 3. Feasibility is a measure of how beneficial the development of an information system would be to an organisation. (True/False) 4. The goal of feasibility study is to evaluate alternative systems and to propose the most feasible and desirable system for development. (True/False) 5. DFD uses few symbols like circles and rectangles connected by arrows to represent information flows. (True/False)
5.4 Systems Design In the previous section, you learnt the systems analysis. Let us now learn the systems design. 5.4.1 Introduction to Systems Design (SD) The business application system begins with the designing of systems in line with the requirement of the user. The steps involved in the design are as follows: 5.4.2 Input design Input design is the input specification as per a format by which the user interacts with the system given the basic data for processing. It will list out the type of data input, the nature, and size and source documents. It will Management Information System Unit 5 Sikkim Manipal University Page No. 96 indicate the screen through which the user inputs the data with details of field name and description. If it is obtained from a file, or networked computer, that too is indicated. 5.4.3 Output design Any system is designed to generate the desired output on the lines of the needs and requirement of the user. The formats of output, the different types of reports are kept in mind as and when systems are developed. 5.4.4 Development Coding is the conversion of design into a form understandable by the system. The coding and development occurs on the basis of a business model that has been agreed and analysed. Development standards are adhered to in full to ensure success in development of the system. 5.4.5 Testing Testing is the process of executing software with the intent of finding errors. The system is run many times to check for its functionality to confirm that the system developed are as per user requirements. Prior to testing, V & V (verification and validation) is done on the basis of the requirements specification document. Testing is done for each of the functionality by designing suitable test cases and the outputs are recorded before certifying that the system is developed as per specification of the document. Information System testing occurs at three levels viz. unit testing, system testing and acceptance testing. Unit testing or programme testing consists of testing each programme that makes up the system. Unit testing should be viewed as a means of locating errors in programmes, if any errors are identified; it is rectified and tested again. After the unit testing is done, system testing is done. Here, the functionality of the whole system is checked. The user requirement specification document becomes the primary document for testing the system. Aspects like the time taken for the system to respond and furnish output, file handling, storage capability, stress, peak load, recovery, robustness of the system are other aspects that will be tested. Management Information System Unit 5 Sikkim Manipal University Page No. 97 Acceptance testing provides the final certification that the system is ready to be installed and can be used by the user. 5.4.6 Implementation and maintenance Conversion is the method of moving from an old system to the new system. There are four main conversion strategies. They are the parallel strategy, the direct cutover strategy, the pilot strategy and the phased strategy. In a parallel strategy both the old system and the new system are run together simultaneously for a time until everyone is assured that the new system functions correctly. In direct cutover strategy the new system replaces the old system on a pre-specified day. If serious problems with the new system are found, there are no backups or alternatives. There can be delay in fixing the problems leading to disruption of work and causing inconvenience to many. Under the pilot strategy, the system is tested first by installing it in a particular department and after satisfactory working; it is installed across the entire unit. The phased approach strategy introduces the new system in stages, either by functions or by organisational units. Moving from an old system to a new system requires that end users be trained to use the new system. Both the users manual and the technical aspects of the system are documented. A demonstration is done indicating as to how the system is to be used and the nature of outputs reports that can be generated. Training becomes an important criterion when a new system is introduced in an organisation. The phased approach strategy introduces the new system in stages, either by functions or by organisational units. For example, if the system is introduced by organisational units, corporate headquarters might be converted first, followed by outlying operating units some months later. Production and maintenance The new system is installed and put to use in a live environment. At this stage, the system is closely scrutinised by the users and the technical experts. Formal technical reviews are carried out to ascertain how well the system addresses the requirement of the user. If there is any scope for improving the efficiency, the same is attempted on war footing and the system is maintained for a short period by the development team. Management Information System Unit 5 Sikkim Manipal University Page No. 98 Maintenance during the operation of a system ensures that there are no problems or failures in a live setting. If there are any failures or hiccups, the maintenance team attends to it by trouble shooting. Self Assessment Questions 6. ________ is defined as the input requirement specification as per a format required by which the user interacts with the system given the basic data for processing. 7. _______ is the process of changing from the old system to the new system. 8. _________ during the operation of a system ensures that there are no problems or failures in a live setting.
5.5 Summary Let us recapitulate the important concepts discussed in this unit: The plan of MIS is consistent to the business plan of the organisation. The information needs for the implementation of the business plan should find place in the MIS. MIS today is an open system, flexible in character and has the ability to cope with the changing needs of the organisation. MIS interacts with the business environment and ability to provide ready-made information as per requirements and need of the management. The typical breakdown of an information systems life cycle includes a feasibility study, requirements, collection and analysis, design, prototyping, implementation, validation, testing and operation. There are two types of design: database design and application design. The database design is the design of the database and the application design is the design of the application programmes. The installation of the new system is done and it will be put to use in a live environment. The system at this stage is under close scrutiny by the users and the technical experts. A team ascertains as to how well the system addresses the requirement of the user and carries out formal technical reviews.
Management Information System Unit 5 Sikkim Manipal University Page No. 99 5.6 Glossary Data dictionary: It is a list of all fields with structure and description. Data Flow Diagrams (DFD): It represents the logical flow of data within a system. Prototype: An original or model after which anything is copied.
5.7 Terminal Questions 1. Write a note on the planning aspects of Information Systems. 2. Write a note on the development aspects of Information Systems. 3. Explain the system development life cycle. 4. What is meant by feasibility of a system? What are its various types? 5. Explain DFD and Data Dictionary.
Activity 1: List out the percentage of time taken by software professionals in various phases of analysis, design, coding, testing etc. And state your comments and views on the same. Management Information System Unit 5 Sikkim Manipal University Page No. 100 Terminal Questions 1. MIS planning guidelines helps MIS executives make provisions in systems. For more details refer 5.2.1. 2. The development plan defines when to begin and how work is to be executed. For more details refer 5.2.2. 3. System development cycle stages are sometimes known as system study. For more details refer 5.3.2. 4. Feasibility is a measure of how beneficial the development of an information system would be to an organisation. For more details refer 5.3.4 and 5.3.5. 5. Data flow diagrams represent the logical flow of data within the system. For more details refer 5.3.6.
5.9 Case Study In a project work done by a student of MBA, the following aspects were stated while submitting. He added: 1. An organisation has to come forward to take part in the management activities from to, middle and bottom level personnel. The pyramidal hierarchy should consist of all levels of staff participating in the management activities. 2. In an organisation, whether small, medium or big, the personnel from different functional areas may not divulge sensitive information due to industrial or personal conflict. As a result the overall goal of the organisation cannot be achieved due to failure in providing information to the organisation. The difference of opinion sometimes leads to declining stage. 3. The mobility of the organisation depends on the employee skills, motivational factors and efficiency in their proficiency in executing the works, etc. The organisation fails to consider these values. 4. All the organisations are not a closed system. Some are open systems. The organisational structure, accountability, responsibility have to be determined well to avoid conflicts. Their structure and operating processes are determined by their organisational affairs and environmentalism.
Management Information System Unit 5 Sikkim Manipal University Page No. 101 Discussion Questions: 1. Read the points stated above and suggest whether the student is correct? Hint: Consider hierarchy and management structure while expressing views 2. In your point of view, how is the MIS developed? Hint: Determine the flow of information from the lower level to the management level across various departments and heads 3. How can the planning be organised in a systematic and scientific way? Hint: organisational structure, open system, closed system etc 4. How is the information system planned for a smooth flow of working of the organisation? Hint: Consider business, functioning style, hierarchy, departments, top management etc. 5. Narrate the advantages of sharing information from all levels of the organisation? Hint: The free flow of information makes one well-informed, improves productivity, responsibility and accountability can be assigned if only transparent 6. How to motivate the personnel to move towards the organisational goal effectively? Hint: Integrate individual goals with organisational goals by listing them in a time frame
References: Josheph S, J, and Mohapatra. Management Information System in Knowledge Economy, Prentice Hall. Ken L, Jane L and Rajanish, D. Management Information System, Managing the Digital Firm, Pearson Education. Obrien A, J, and George M, M. Management Information System, McGraw Hill Irwin. Obrien A. J. Management Information System, Galkotia Publications. New Delhi. Management Information System Unit 5 Sikkim Manipal University Page No. 102 Sadagopan S. Management Information Systems, Prentice Hall. Robert S, and Mary S. Management Information Systems, The Managers View. Tata McGraw Hill.
E-References: http://softwaretestinginterviewfaqs.wordpress.com/category/sdlc- models/. Retrieved on 6 April 2012 http://www.training-classes.com/learn/_k/p/l/a/planning/. Accessed on 6 th April 2012. http://techphernalia.com/blog/mis-planning-and-development- information-system/. Accessed on 6 th April 2012 http://viu.eng.rpi.edu/publications/strpaper.pdf. Accessed on 6th April 2012