Development of New Information Systems - Assignment Example

Information Technology Management Assignment Contents Executive Summary 1 Introduction 3 Development of new Information Systems 3 Information Systems 4 Systems development 4 A simple information system example for investment purposes. 5 Involvement of users in information systems 6 Systems 6 Information Presentation Systems 6 Transaction Processing Systems 7 Management Information Systems 7 Executive Summary A complete overview of an organization must be observed in order to effectively plan out an information management system strategy. There are many factors to consider in this process, as well as factors which influence the entire system, such as communication and interconnectedness of users of information systems. There needs to be a complete and proper functioning of hardware as well as software to create the synergies of information technology. Finally, we have looked at the various systems available such as information presentation systems, transaction processing systems and management information systems, and it is through the effective use and involvement of the users of such systems, which would allow for future adaptation and effective use of such systems to correspond with the then prevailing environment. Introduction As your new IT executive, I would like to get down to business and address my views regarding the current IT systems within this company. I have prepared this report setting out what is needed within the current framework emphasizing on the need for the development of new information systems in order to maximize the involvement and commitment of users. I would also like to address how our information systems could be enhanced and made more efficient through a better understanding of Information Presentation Systems, Transaction Processing Systems and Management Information Systems. Indeed, through a proper view and perspective of information systems, we can address which areas within our framework need a revamp. Development of new Information Systems There has been a high degree of agreement between researchers of information systems development, that the development stage does not only mean the implementation of the technical aspects, but acknowledgement of the organizational factors which can have a big impact on the delivery system as well as the design process (Vasilecas 2005, p.2). The modeling is specifically dedicated towards an analyst client communication agenda, where main emphasis is placed towards communication. We will need to take a look at the organization as a whole in order to determine the hierarchy levels, or we could also change the structure to suit a better flow of information. Information Systems These systems are designed to cater for job positions, rather than individuals. This would mean that, regardless of the user, the system is specifically catered for the job responsibilities of the user and the type of information which is meant to be disseminated to that user. Thus, this can be put into contrast where each level of management is supplied with differing levels of valuable information. The higher up the company hierarchy, the more confidential the information. This information covers everything necessary from marketing, finance, production, personnel, logistics, etc (Singh 2007, p.7) . Systems development Now in order to attain a smooth interaction of involvement and commitment by users, the information systems must be designed so that it would be simple to use. For this, we need to start with a model. This model needs to be realistic, and this can be obtained through the collaborative efforts between management and information specialists (Lucey 2004, p.163). The key points that must be considered her are: The model must have a definitive purpose and objective oriented, The process of building the model is a very creative process, which requires in depth thinking and time in order to consider all factors and variables that need to be incorporated within the model. It may however not be possible to consider all possible variables are these are ever evolving and manifesting. In order to obtain the most effective model, there number of variables must be limited. To obtain such an ideal model would require a thorough understanding of the entire process through which we need the model to operate, and then decide upon the variables which must be included. A simple information system example for investment purposes. We can use a simple example of a system which incorporates whether an investment is worth venturing into using simple variables. It must be understood that real world scenarios are much more complicated. Example: Sales = input provided by user Cost of Sales = input provided by user Gross Margin = Sales – Cost of Sales Operating Expenses = input provided by user Profit before tax = Gross Margin – Operating Expenses Tax = Rate of tax x Profit before tax Net Profit = Profit before tax – Tax Information obtained from here can then be further processed into other system models such as sensitivity analysis, which can further aid into further proper decision making. Involvement of users in information systems Of course, the fact remains that computers lack common sense, and performs its task based upon the instructions given out by the user. They are, on the other hand, able to compute date at far greater speeds than human capacity, but unable to make independent decisions. Therefore, when combining the two together, we are able to create synergy (Oz 2008, p.14). Better involvement can thus be obtained from users, through constant retention of skills, ease of access into the system, and upgrading performance via hardware and software constantly, to stay competitive. There also needs to exist a highly active IT team, which is able to sort out any mishaps that would affect daily routine work. I shall now explain a few systems which would enhance the efficiency and effective of an organization. Systems Information Presentation Systems An information Presentation System is a system used for graphically representing information (Gibbons et al. p.978). This enables a high level of interactivity between the user and the system, as interactive graphics are able to keep people in touch with a large knowledge base. Moreover, utilizing graphics is a very efficient method to describe something. Therefore using an Information Presentation System would benefit an organization as it enables decision makers to immediately visualize content according to content oriented specifications and providing a systematic basis for interpretation of user graphic input. Transaction Processing Systems Gray and Reuter (1993, p.5) stated a transaction processing system which “provides tools to ease or automate application programming, execution, and administration.” It involves maintaining a database which would constantly need to be ever evolving according to the changing real world environment. A TPS is a complete system, which allows for the recording of transactions. A single input would go through various applications leading out to various reports ready to be investigated. A sound TPS would allow our company to record each and every transaction, regardless of the geographic dispersion, into a database, and would allow for easy sorting and systematic processing. Management Information Systems An MIS is definied by Sadagopan (2004, p.1) as “a computer based system that provides flexible and speedy access to accurate data.” This system would facilitate our company by providing the relevant data for sound decision making. It does this by summarizing vast amounts of data into brief wording order to save manger time from data overload. Moreover, it encourages decentralization in monitoring processes at the lower levels and brings about coordination amongst the different levels of decision makers within the organization. This report is meant as a discussion into understanding the importance of Information Systems within our organization. I have gone through our current system and have noticed a few improvements which would be necessary in order to facilitate further competitiveness against our rivals. I will also issue further reports regarding in depth changes that would need to be implemented within the course of the next few months. Therefore, I am willing to answer any questions you may have regarding this report. References Olegas Vasilecas. Information systems development: Advances in theory, practice and education. Springer, 22.July.2005. Print. Singh. Information System Management. APH Publishing, 1.Jan.2007. Print. Terence Lucey. Management Information Systems. Cengage Learning EMEA, 1.Nov.2004. Print. Effey Oz. Management Information Systems. Cengage Learning, 15.Jan.2008. Print. Frank Zdybel, Norton R. Greenfeld, Martin D. Yonke, Jeff Gibbons. An Information Presentation System. Cambridge. 26.June.2012. Web. S. Sadagopan. Management Information Systems. PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd., 1.Aug.2004. Print. Read More