Information Systems which are Used in Health Management - Assignment Example

MANAGING INFORMATION SYSTEMS and Details Submitted Managing Information Systems New Information Systems are built as solutions to problems or means for improvement .In the dynamic world, information has taken a centre stage in growth of cities, social, economy and environmental factors. From the invention of the telephone to the invention of computer, information flow has been a vital aspect. It was an incentive of major development especially in the ICT sector. This has brought about the introduction of new information systems in every sector of the economy (HEIJDEN 2009, 29). Companies have invested a lot in acquiring new systems to ensure smooth flow of information in all the departments. Governments have also been leading in the establishments of ICT centers in the country to ease the running of the country (LUCY 2009, 84). The importance of information flow has lead to the competition of investing in new information systems to give solutions to the wide problems facing the running of the companies. Improvement of the running of this company has also been improved. This is what we shall be seeking to explain in detail in our work. We shall mainly use Laudon & Laudons Four-Step Problem-Solving model in our study. These steps include; problem identification, solution design, solution evaluation and choice and implementation. System development follows a certain phase that ensures it is well developed. The phases includes; system investigation, system analysis, system design, system environments, system testing, system training and transition, operations and maintenance, and evaluation of the system. These provide specific systems for which system designers and developers to follow. These phases follow a life cycle of system implementation. The life cycle includes system planning, system analysis, and system design and system implementation. Preliminary analysis – this is the step where a system developer finds the nature of scope of the problem under study in the organization. This should be in line with the company’s objectives. The case under study should be thoroughly investigated. The problem may not be necessarily a big one, it may affect only a small part of the company and in this, and it is usually good to solve the problem in terms of the company’s objectives (ZWASS 2012, 39). From the analysis, there are alternative proposed solutions that are put in place to ensure that the problem is solved. These solutions may not be necessarily from one person or the system developer but can come from the employee, suppliers, clients, managers or anyone that maybe affected by the problem. This can generate three types of solutions to the problems and the three solutions may involve developing a new system different with the previous solution, improving the system to make it better and more efficient than it was to solve the existing problems or letting the system remain as it was. In the preliminary analysis the cost to be incurred is also described as it can also form part of the decision making as it is which that will fund the system development. Cost is important and should be described in detail. Time also to be taken for the proposed solutions to be effected is also very important because it may incur more losses than profits if the time taken is too much. This also prepares the company to look for alternative solutions in the time when the solution is being met. The company is also able to inform the suppliers and customers in advance of the upcoming system appraisal so that it can give them enough time to seek alternatives in the period when system appraisal will be carried out. The benefits of the system development should be stated to help the company make effective decisions to know if the system development will produce a positive impact on the company or not. This is because the system can be developed but the outcome will be no different from it was before. System analysis, requirements definition – these defines the goals of the project. That is system development. It also defines the function of the developed system and the advantages to the one that will benefit from it (ZWASS 2012, 39). The goals of the project should be stated in specific terms. This helps to adhere to the project and in the realization of the specific purpose to which the system was to be upgraded to. The goals also help to keep track of the development of the process. The goals also stand as a motivation of the system development. System design – system design describes the features that are desired as the output of the system appraisal. These should be stated in detail, as it will be used in the development of the system. The design includes the screen layout, which in simple terms is the outward layout of the screen. This is what is to be presented in the outward (BODDY 2012, 95). Two is the business rules. This describes the laid down rules and regulations of the business that the system development ids to be developed. These rules should be specific rules that cover the entire company. Three is process diagrams. These diagrams are pictorial representations of the whole process and how it is to be conducted (TAN 2001, 73). The advantages of the diagrams are that they give a stepwise outlook design of the project and the expected outcome of every step in the system development. Four is pseudo code and other documentations that are important in the system design. Development – this where the real code is written. Where the whole process is put into movement and the work is started. All the requirements should be provided and the system designers and developers are in course to produce the required outcome of the project. The development is also the integral part of the whole project as a whole and the management, staff, suppliers and customers should provide maximum support. Integration and testing – after the development phase is complete, the system needs to be tested so that it can be seen if the development work was a success or a failure. The system also should be tested to know if the system is useful in the field of work. The errors are checked specifically in every process and are able to be corrected in time before they can form a failure in the system again. In addition, the applicability of the system to the environment is tested so that it can either be implemented or rejected. Integration also to the other systems is also put in this process so that it can be determined if it is effective or not. There are various steps of testing. These include; unit testing, path testing, data set testing, black box testing, integration testing, system testing, user acceptance testing, automation testing, regression testing. White box testing and software performance testing (SHAJAHAN & PRIYADHARSHINI 2004, 28) Acceptance, installation and deployment – this is the final phase of the initial development program where the software is put into place and the actual business is put in place. Acceptance occurs where after the system is tested those involved in the day-to-day use of the system begins to use it. It is then installed into uses and runs the other systems normally and it is in this stage that the systems and be used in the company again without any hitches occurring. This is the stage where the initial goals of the development of the systems are realized and the company can be able to fully ascertain the advantages of the development of the system. Maintenance – though the system maybe the best it may be after the installation, it needs constant maintenance. In this case, maintenance involves the whole process of ensuring that the process runs smoothly and in any case, if any hitches occur they can be corrected easily without affecting the whole system (TAN 2001, 73). This prevents the system from becoming obsolete. In addition, the system may need constant appraisal and maintenance takes care of these. In the changing world, information systems are also dynamic; this brings the need for constant update of the information system. These updates are also taken care of in the maintenance process (LUCEY 2004, 198). Continuous evaluation of the system is also required and the maintenance process goes in hand with it. Evaluation – this may not be necessarily being viewed important by many companies though it is very essential in the cycle of system development and maintenance. The evaluation process serves as a part of the maintenance stage and I other cycles it is referred to as the post implementation review. Evaluation takes into concern how the system was started, implemented and the outcome of the project. That is from analysis to the maintenance of the system. Evaluation puts into concern the objectives and the requirements of the development plan. The reliability of the system and the ability of the system to protect itself from other outside threats is one of the requirements. The ability of the system to work according to the use of the system to the company is the other need for the system (SCHNIEDERJANS 2009, 83). In addition, in the evaluation the effectiveness and useful of the development process is ascertained. In this stage, the management is able to state out the process or parts that it is not satisfied with, and from this they are able to recommend these parts and they can be improved. Though this is a difficult stage, this is the only level the company can reflect the whole process. Disposal – in the making the transition to a new system, there are things that are not required by the company longer. These are things like the hardware and software. This needs to be properly disposed by many ways such as archiving, destroying the old information, discarding them, or moving them to other places where they may be needed (SHAJAHAN & PRIYADHARSHINI 2004, 28). This ensures that the system moves properly from the older system to a new system. In the disposal phase, care should be made to make sure that disclosure of previous information should not be disclosed but rather protected in the best way possible therefore proper preservation sand archiving should be put in place in accordance to the security organization laid down in the company’s security system. Sourced from (BHANG 2001, 29) The tenth phase occurs when the system is disposed of and the task performed is either eliminated or transferred to other systems. In the development of an alternative for the solution to the ranging problem some steps are taken. Such steps include, Developing a system that can only be used in the company and cannot flow outside the company; this makes it easier to establish and prevents from loss of data as is protected from threats from outside. It is easier to be established and easier to be protected (TAN 2001, 73). Another is purchasing a solution that is commercially available. This ensures that the spare parts of the system are locally available and can be purchased wherever a problem occurs without using an extra cost. Commercially available solutions are means that labor for the installation of these solutions can be readily available and therefore will go a long way in the reduction of the company’s expenses. Another solution is the purchase of a custom-made type of system for a vendor. This means that the company will invest in the type of software that will directly solve the issues of the company and will ensure the employees work directly with the system without diverting to other software associated to it. Another solution is the leasing of the application from a service provider. This will go a long way to save many of the costs that may be required to establish their own software. They can also do this by setting up contracted development that will enable it use their services (OZ 2007, 74). The last solution is that they may opt to use a combination of the options and realize a combined profit. The management should make a detailed decision of the solution most appropriate to the company. They should do this by critically analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of the outcome of these decisions. The options they make for these company should be for the benefit of the organization and should also be able to help lessen the work of the labor employed to realize a well round advantage. In conclusion, new system of information should bring new improvements in the company. This is by proper designing, installation, implementation and maintenance of the systems. And the new systems will be in the good and improvement of the company. List of References BHANG, J. K. H. (2001). Health management information systems: methods and practical applications. Gaithersburg, Md, Aspen Publishers. BODDY, D., BOONSTRA, A., & KENNEDY, G. (2008). Managing information systems: strategy and organisation. Harlow, England, Prentice Hall/Financial Times. HEIJDEN, J. G. M. V. D. (2009). Designing management information systems. Oxford, Oxford University Press. LUCEY, T. (2004). Management information systems. London, Thomson Learning. LUCY, T. (2004). Management information systems. London, Thomson Learning. OZ, E. (2009). Management information systems. Boston, Mass, Thomson/Course Technology. SCHNIEDERJANS, M. J., SCHNIEDERJANS, A. M., & SCHNIEDERJANS, D. G. (2007). Outsourcing management information systems. Hershey, PA, Idea Group Pub. http://www.books24x7.com/marc.asp?bookid=14726. SHAJAHAN, S., & PRIYADHARSHINI, R. (2004). Management information systems. New Delhi, New Age International. TAN, J. K. H. (2001). Health management information systems: methods and practical applications. Gaithersburg, Md, Aspen Publishers. ZWASS, V. (2012). Management information systems. Dubuque, IA, Wm. C. Brown. Read More