MIS Design and Development Phases

Phases of MIS development Process

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Investigation Analysis Design Implementation Maintenance

Investigation
This is the first step in preparation of MIS . This stage includes the preliminary study of proposed information system solution to the end user problem. We have to conduct Feasibility study to develop MIS This study is a preliminary study which investigates the information needs of the user and determine the resources requirement ,costs, benefits and feasibility of proposed system. The goal of feasibility study is to evaluate an alternative system and to propose the most feasible and desirable system for development.

 To conduct feasibility study ,the information can be gathered in many ways like :1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Interview with the customers , employee and managers Questionnaires for end user Personal observation Go through the historic record Etc.

The feasibility study is conducted in four different areas: 1. Organizational feasibility 2. Economic feasibility 3. Technical feasibility 4. Operational feasibility

 Organizational feasibility

Phases of MIS development Process

The focus of organizational feasibility is on how well a proposed system supports values and objectives of the organization.

Economic feasibility
In Economic feasibility ,the developer conducts cost/benefits analysis, i.e whether the cost of developing a system is more than benefits ,if the development cost increases than the proposed is not an efficient MIS.

Technical feasibility
This include the study of Hardware and software requirements ,availability of these media within the organization to they have to be arranged. It also includes whether we have to develop our own system or buy ready made solutions with some modification to meet our need etc. Operational feasibility In this the willingness and ability of management employees, customer supplier and others to operate use and support a proposed system is studied.

Analysis
This is the second stage or step of development process of MIS . It is applicable to both i.e. for making an entirely new system or improving or replacing the existing system. System analysis involves knowing the information needs of the end user and the organization employees , what are the resources activities and product presently available and the information system capability to meet these information needs. The process starts with analyzing the organization present system if any , and functional requirement analysis.

Organizational analysis
To achieve effectiveness in MIS one must know something about the organization like , about its culture, management their experience, qualification , Attitude towards computerized MIS , organizational values and norms etc in detail.

 Present system Analysis

If the company has some information system in existence then it is very important to analyze that system. In this ,one must analyze each component of system like ,Hardware, Software ,people resources , networking and data sources . Whether existing system serves the purpose of Management or it is lacking at some end to serve the solution of information needs, so that proper action should be taken at the time of designing the system so that loop holes are removed.

Function Requirement Analysis

Functional requirement are end user information requirements that consist of: User interface requirements:- In which one determines what type of input and output requirements of the users are there. Processing requirements :- What are decisions rules ,calculation are required to convert input into output. How much time it takes for processing the input to O/P. Storage requirements :- What is the size of database ,whether it a common database or distributed . Control requirements:- What are the types of measuring of accuracy, validity , saftey ,security and adaptability requirements for system I/P , Processing and O/P.

Design
The previous stage i.e. System analysis show ,what user demands from the system in order to full fill their information need ,and the system design stage gives answer to the question how the system will accomplish the objective. System design consists of design activities that produce system specifications, satisfying the functional requirements developed at the analysis stage. System design consist of two steps : Conceptual design and Detail design Conceptual (abstract) design : Conceptual design represents the structure of MIS. It takes input from statement of Management information requirement and management objectives for the MIS. The Output of this stage is the performance requirement of those who will develop the detail design.

Process of Conceptual design

Define the problems

Refine the management objective to set system objective

Establishing system constraints

Determine information needs and sources

Document the system concept

Prepare the conceptual design report design

 Define the Problem:As system design is to known the problems in detail . this is achieved by a continuous and iterative process of :1. Stating the information need 2. Asking questions about that need 3. Suggesting the interpretation of that need 4. Detailing the original statement 5. Reviewing the more detailed statement of need with management This process will be repeated until we really understand the information needs and the problems to be solved.

 System objective:Like other functional area ,the manager should set objectives in terms of design of Information system. As ,setting objectives is difficult task ,because most of the organizations set their Objective roughly like improve efficiency , meet the production schedule and so on. In order to achieve the objectives successfully they should be specific. Information system objectives must ultimately be stated in terms of the objective of the department ,group, or in terms of the functions the information system is to perform. After setting the objectives ,system designer should state them by using descriptive statements or flowchart ,or DFD and so on, to convert the objectives for the managers which they want to accomplish from the rising information system. To ,conclude , the information system objective should be aligned with the overall objectives of the organization.

 Establish system constraints :Constraints means problems, boundaries or restriction that enable the designer to specify the condition under which objective may be attained and to consider the limitation that restricts the design. Constraints are a limitation on the freedom of action taken by the designer himself or imposed by the system user the system owner. Determine information need :A clear statement of information need is fundamental and necessary for a good system design . If the manager does not convey his or her information needs .a good design will not be prepared. The type of information needs depends on two factor one is personal managerial attributes of the individual manager and the organization environment in which the decision are made .

 Document the system concept:In this stage manager contribution to the design process shows what I/P ,O/P ,master files and rules for processing are required. System flow also reflects the design efforts before and after this stage. At this stage the formats of I/P are designed . The input received from outside sources is then converted into machine usable forms. The O/P data definition includes the specification of the destination like where rthey go and in what form etc. After preparing the O/P and after I/P has been documented ,the last step is prepare a report for the manager.

 Detail design
In order to make a detailed design ,first of all the system designer have to gain the support of all the staff members from Top to Bottom level. To seek their acceptance it is better to involve them in the designing process. the designer uses four sources for the design of the MIS. The are task force meeting:for a larger system an interview with the Top , intermediate level manager and a selected group of operating staff study the internal and external source documents , and last personal observation of operation and communication.

Implementation:Implementation means to introduce the designed system into practice or in use. The implementation process covers following :1. Purchase of H/W and S/W resources required by the proposed system. 2. Develop the computer program or perform any modification in the existing programs or the S/W packaged. 3. Train the end user. 4. Test the system and remove errors if any. 5. Conversion process, i.e. introduce a new system.

 Maintenance :System maintenance is the last or concluding stage of MIS development process. But its importance is not less being the last stage , because an effective system can fail if they are not implemented properly. Maintenance involves control , evaluation and modification to make a better system. Maintenance is required , because sometime operators develop their own private procedure or make some shortcuts , or some unauthorized person introduces some changes in the present system without taking permission . Maintenance activity is initiated by error reports , a user change request a member of maintenance team or by the management. Proper planning is done for maintenance:1. Collect all request for change 2. Give priority to each request after analyzing their long run benefit and cost effects. 3. Prepare short plans 4. Document the maintained as it occurs. Management activity is related to make some modification i.e. To change the policy statement To change forms To change operating system

 Difference between Conceptual and detailed design

Conceptual design

Detailed design

It gives a structural and overall performance It gives operational and construction specifications specifications. The I/P of the conceptual design is statement of management information requirement s and objectives of MIS Conceptual design provides the structure of MIS The I/P of the detailed design are conceptual design reports. Detailed design makes that structure operational.

MIS and computer, MIS and Academic , MIS and Users

MIS and Academics The foundation of MIS is the management theory. It uses the principles and practices of management while designing the system. While designing the report format and forming communication channels, MIS takes into account the behavior of the manager as an individual and in a group. Another area of academics is operational research. The operational research is used for developing the models of management problem and they are then incorporated in MIS as decision support systems. In the area of accounting application, it uses the accounting principles to ensure that the data is correct and valid. It uses the accounting methodology for generating a trial balance, balance sheet and other books of accounts. The MIS is based on database and uses the database for generating information. The MIS becomes more useful when it becomes more and more a decisionmaking or decision support system. The MIS uses knowledge from management, business management, mathematics, accounting, communication theory, operations research and probability theory for building processes, methods, and decision-support systems in designing business applications.

MIS and Users

Every person in the Organization is a user of the MIS. The people in the organization operate at all levels in the hierarchy. A typical user is a clerk, an assistant, an officer, an executive or a manager. Each of them has a specific task and a role play in the management of business. The MIS supply to the needs of all persons. The main task of a clerk is to search the data, make a statement and submit it to the higher level. A clerk can use the MIS for a quick search and reporting the same to higher level. An officer has a role of integrating the data from different systems and disciplines to analyze it and make a critical comment if anything adverse is found. MIS offers the methods and facilities to integrate the data and report the same in a proper format. An executive plays the role of a decision maker. He is in a position of responsibility and accountability. He is responsible for achieving the targets and goals of the organization. The MIS provides action-oriented information.

MIS and Users

The recent major technological advances in communication such as Multimedia, Imaging, Graphical User Interface (GUI) etc and the ability to access the data stored at different locations on the variety hardware of platforms would make MIS more attractive and efficient proposition. A good MIS also make an organization faultless by removing all the communication barriers.

Role of the Management information system

The role of the MIS in an organization can be compared to the role of heart in the body. The information is the blood and MIS is the heart. In the body the heart plays the role of supplying pure blood to all the elements of the body including the brain. The heart works faster and supplies more blood when needed. The MIS plays exactly the same role in the organization. The system make sure that an appropriate data is collected from the various sources, processed, and sent further to all the needy destinations. The system is expected to fulfill information needs of an individual, a group of individuals, the management functionaries; the managers and the top management. The MIS plays the role of information generation, communication problems and helps in the process of decision making. The MIS, therefore, plays a vital role in the management, administration and operations of an organization.

Role of the Management information system

The MIS helps the clerical personnel in the transaction processing The MIS helps the junior management personnel by providing the operational data for planning, scheduling and control, and helps them further in decision making at the operations level to correct an out of control situation. The MIS helps the middle management in short term planning, target setting and controlling the business functions. It is supported by the use of the management tools of planning and control. The MIS helps the top management in goal setting, strategic planning and evolving the business plans and their implementation.

The impact of the Management Information System

The impact of MIS is on the functions of its management. With a good MIS support, the management of marketing, finance, production and personnel becomes more efficient, the tracking and monitoring the functional targets becomes easy. The managers are informed about the progress, achievements and shortfall in the activity and the targets. The manager is kept alert by providing certain information indicating the probable trends in the various aspects of business. This helps in forecasting and long-term perspective planning. The information is available in such a form that it can be used straight away saving the manager's valuable time. MIS improves the administration of the business by bringing a discipline in its operations , everybody is required to follow and use systems. A well designed system with a focus on the manager , makes an impact on the managerial efficiency. The use of computers enables him to use the tools and techniques which are impossible to use manually. The impact is on the managerial ability to perform. It improves the decision making ability.

Management Information System and Computer

Translating the real concept of the MIS into reality is technically, unless computers are used. The variety of the hardware having distinct capabilities make it possible to design the MIS for a specific situation. For example, if the organization needs a large database and very little processing, a computer system is available for such a requirement. Suppose the organization has multiple business locations at long distances and if the need is to bring the data at one place, process, and then send the information to various locations, it is possible to have a computer system with a distributed data processing capability. The ability of the hardware to store data and process it at a very fast rate helps to deal with the data volumes, its storage and access effectively. Since the computer is capable of digital, graphic word, image, voice and text processing, it is broken to generate information and present it in the form which is easy to understand for the information user. Hence, designing the MIS for a specific need and simultaneously designing a flexible and open system becomes possible, thereby saving a lot of work of development and maintenance of the system.

Chp-2 Process of MIS

System concepts, System Analysis and design System Concepts:
Management Information System is a system in all organization. This is used to provide balanced and value information to solve the ambiguity in decision making. Therefore MIS plays an important role in reaching the organizational goals. So special care must be taken while dealing the MIS for a particular organization.

System
System is any collection of components that interact to serve a common goal.

Information system as a system,

The term Information System (IS) refers to a system of people, data records and activities that process the data and information in an organization, and it includes the organization's manual and automated processes.

In a narrow sense, the term information system (or computer-based information system) refers to the specific application software that is used to store data records in a computer system and automates some of the information-processing activities of the organization.

Computer Based Information System

MIS refers broadly to a computer-based system that provides managers with the tools for organizing, evaluating and efficiently running their departments.

In order to provide past, present and forecast

information, an MIS can

include software that helps in decision making, data resources such as databases, the hardware resources of a system, decision support systems, people management and project management applications, and any computerized processes that enable the department to run efficiently.

Roles and function of Computer Based Information System (CBIS) Functions CBIS : 1. Input : Consists of raw data either from organization or outside the organization to be processed 2. Process : Transfer raw data into useful information 3. Output : Information that has been processed 4. Storage : A place to store the useful information 5. Control : Control the evolving of information system

System Analysis and design

Analysis The goal of systems analysis is to determine where the problem is in an attempt to fix the system. This step involves breaking down the system in different pieces and drawing diagrams to analyze the situation.(flow chart,DFD etc) Analyze project goals, break down functions that need to be created, and attempt to engage users so that definite requirements can be defined. Requirement Gathering sometimes require individual/team from client to get a detailed and accurate requirements.

 Design : In systems design functions and operations are described in detail, including screen layouts, business rules, process diagrams and other documentation. The output of this stage will describe the new system as a collection of modules or subsystems. The design stage takes as its initial input the requirements identified in the approved requirements document. For each requirement, a set of one or more design elements will be produced Design elements describe the desired software features in detail, and generally include functional hierarchy diagrams, screen layout diagrams, tables of business rules, business process diagrams, pseudocode, and a complete entityrelationship diagram with a full data dictionary. These design elements are intended to describe the software in sufficient detail that skilled programmers may develop the software with minimal additional input.

The Need For System Analysis

Need for System Analysis: In any type of organization, analysis of the existing system before computerizing is very important. This analysis helps the designer to define and design the new system efficiently. The following are the important needs of system analysis. 1. It helps in defining system objectives: Generally most of the year old organization don't have any concrete objectives. This is because they are historical in operation. Therefore the employees are not in a position to define the objectives. Therefore system analysis is very important to define the objectives of the system. 2. It helps to identify the system boundaries: Each and every organization has number of sub systems. Normally the people employed in each sub system do not know their actual responsibilities, input for their system and the output produced. But system analysis helps the people to understand their responsibilities, limitations, inputs and the output.

The Need For System Analysis

It helps to understand the system importance: System analysis helps the designer to understand the importance of each and every system. So the designer can place the system in their correct position to achieve the objectives of the system. It helps to decide the nature of the system: Design of a new system depends mainly on the nature of the existing system. System analysis helps the designer to understand whether the existing system is of open, closed, deterministic or probabilistic type.

It helps to maintain the interface of the existing system with the other systems: Sometimes the system to which we are going to re-design may act as an interface to other systems. So proper system analysis must be done in such a way that any changes made to this system will not affect the objectives of there systems. (Participation of Users )It helps to motivate the users to the new environment: Naturally the people involved in the system will not accept sudden working environment changes. But, system analysis makes the people in the system to involve in the system design. Therefore the people in the system feels free to work in the new environment.

The Need For System Analysis

(Understanding of Resource Needs): It helps to understand the resource needs: System analysis helps to define the needed resources such as hardware and software.

(Assessment of Feasibility ):It helps to understand the feasibility of the new system: System analysis of the system helps to study the feasibility of the new system. There are three types of feasibility. They are, Technical Economic Operational In many cases, the systems are feasible in technical and economic but they are infeasible in operational point of view.

Steps in system Analysis and Design

Steps Need for information
Define the Systems Feasibility

Detailing the requirements Conceptual system Detailing the system Structuring the system design Conceptual model of computer system Break the system in programme modules Develop the test data for checking the system ability

Explanation Identify the users and application of the information for achieving the objectives. Helps to determine the system ownership, its benefits and complexity. Hardware and software availability and capability, for implementation. Study the investment and benefits. Assess the improvement in value of the information. Determine the return on investment. Examine whether the system will perform as desired in terms of time and results. Are the users ready to use the system? Study the sources of generating the Information. Establish I/O linkages. Modify the existing system to satisfy the needs. Conceptualization is necessary to understand the system process. Helps in bringing a clarity in the data-flow. The responsibility centres and the process centres are identified. Helps in understanding the data-flow from one level to the other and the processes carried out at each level. Helps to put down the data processing flow in the computerized system. Draw the computer system charts. Modules will be data entry, data validation, data processing, reporting and storing.
Confirms whether the system design is satisfactory. Suggests the modifications.

The Need For System Analysis

Steps Install the system

Implementation Review and maintenance

Explanation Install, test and run the system before the user is exposed in alive mode.
Help to identify the problems and provide solutions. Helps to maintain the system quality and the quality of information through modification, if necessary.

System Analysis Of A New Requirement

It is not always necessary that the analysts are required to conduct the analysis of the existing system. Today's business world of a company is beyond the four walls of the organization. The vendors and the customers are being treated as trusted business partners of the organization. This change in the management policy calls for a change in the information management function in the organization.

System Analysis Of A New Requirement

The system analyst, has to think globally ,taking into consideration the technology the user and the business it serves. Hence, the System Analysis and Design, in such situations, in an exercise at a macro level with a top-down approach in understanding the requirement.

System Development Cycle: The system development cycle for a new system consists of the following five stages. They are Definition of the system and its objective Development of the system Installation of the system Operation of the system Review and evaluation

System Analysis Of A New Requirement

Definition of the system and its objectives: In this stage the boundaries, scope and the objectives of the system are designed. This helps the user and the development to understand the system well. Development of the system: The main job of this stage is to analyze the existing system. This helps to understand the real situation, problems and weakness of the system. According to this, changes can be made in the system. This is achieved by the following steps. Analyze the similar systems for better understanding. Decision making needs are identified and corresponding information needs are defined. The technical, economic and operational feasibility is confirmed. The post feasibility study of the system design is made. The basic information needs of the system are identified. Develop the structured break-up of the sub systems. This helps to understand the function, the input and output of the each sub system. Design the output, input and procedure for a computer system.

System Analysis Of A New Requirement

Installation of the system: In this, the system is tested and installed for test operation. This helps the user to understand the system operations. If any modifications are needed in the system operation they are carried out. Operations of the system: In this stage, the existing system is completely stopped and the new system is made to operate. Review and evaluation: A study is conducted to find whether the objectives of the organization are met by the new system. If any problem arises, steps are taken to resolve them.

Any kind of business activity calls for long range plans for success, the same being true for MIS. The plan for development and its implementation is a basic necessity for MIS. In MIS the information is recognized as a major resource like capital, time and capacity. And if this resource is to be managed well, it calls upon the management to plan for it and control it for the appropriate use in the organization. Its main objective is to behave like an open system that interacts continuously with the business environment and provides the needed information for achieving the organizations objectives. The plan of MIS is simultaneous to the business plan of the organization. Therefore a good planning is needed for development and implementation of a good MIS. Evolving a good plan for development and implementation of a good MIS depends mainly on the management goals and needs. So management goals and needs must be clearly identified. After identifying, these needs are translated into information needs. Then the designer of the MIS evolves a long range plan to develop and implement a good MIS. The system of information generation is so planned that strategic information is provided for the strategic planning, control information is provided for a short term planning and execution.

Development of long range plans for MIS:

 A long range MIS plan provides direction for the development of the systems, and provides a basis for achieving the specific targets or tasks against a time frame. The following are the plans needed to development a good MIS. MIS goals and objectives. The architecture of the MIS. The system development schedule. Hardware and software plan.

Contents of the MIS Plan

Development of long range plans for MIS: MIS goals and objectives: The needed goals and objectives for MIS are defined to achieve the business objectives. The goals and objectives must consider the following. Management philosophy. Business policy. Business Risk. Internal and External environment of the Business.

The architecture of the MIS: The designer of the MIS must design overall structure of the MIS. This provides the following It provides the input, output and its relationship It provides relation between the different subsystem of the system. The system development schedule: There are two types of schedule. They are System development schedule Time schedule System development schedule gives the order of development of the system. For example, it is necessary to develop the accounting system first and then the analysis system. Time schedule gives the time frame for developing a system. If all the information needed by the system are not met with in the given time frame, the time schedule is revised.

 Hardware and software plan: The designer of the MIS must plan for getting the needed hardware and software to implement the system. This plan must satisfy the financial position of the organization.

Determining the information requirements

The only purpose of the MIS is to produce such information which will reduce doubt in a given situation . There are four method of determining the information requirements they are : 1. Asking or interviewing 2. Determining from existing system 3. Analyzing the critical success factors 4. Experiments and modeling

Asking or interviewing : In this method a designer of the MIS puts questions to user , to determine the information requirements . The question should be properly asked. The designer can design the question in two different forms : closed question and open question .

Determining the information requirements

Determining from the existing system: irrespective of the type of organization and business , 90% of the information Requirements is common and 10% may be distinctive to the organization or the Business ,which needs to be determined separately. Analyzing the Critical (serious) Factors Every business organization performs successfully on the basis of certain critical factors. Other factors are important and play a support role in the functioning of the organization. Many times a function is rarely critical to the successful functioning of a business organization. Example :1. In a service organization, the management of service becomes a critical factor. 2. In a consumer industry, marketing and service become critical functions. The information requirements of such organizations largely relate to these critical factors. The analysis of these functions of factors will determine the information requirements.

Determining the information requirements

Experimentation and Modeling The experimentation would decide the methodology for handling the complex situation. If the method is finalized, the information needs are determined as they have been evolved through the experimentation. Test marketing of a product is an approach to the experimentation to decide the Correct marketing strategy.

Management of Quality in the MIS Information is very important and therefore Its quality, is required to be very high. Low quality information would badly affect the organizational performance as it affects decision making. The quality of information is the result of the quality of the input data, processing design, system design, system procedure which generate such a data, and the management of the data processing function. However, it is possible to measure the quality of information on certain parameters The parameters of quality are : Complete data of all the transactions valid transactions and input data Accuracy Relevance to the user Timely information Meaningful and complete information

 MIS - The factors of Success and Failure There are some factors which make the MIS success and some others, which make it a failure. These factors can be summarized as follows: Factors Contributing to Success If a MIS is to be success then it should have all the features listed as follows: The MIS is integrated into the managerial functions. It sets clear objectives to ensure that the MIS focuses on the major issues of the business. An appropriate information processing technology required to meet the data processing and analysis needs of the users of the MIS is selected.

The MIS is kept under continuous observation, so that its open system design is modified according to the changing information needs.

MIS focuses on the results and goals, and highlights the factors and reasons for non achievement. The MIS recognizes that the different information needs for different objectives must be met with. The MIS is easy to operate and, therefore, the design of the MIS has such features which make up a user-friendly design. MIS recognizes that the information needs become obsolete and new needs emerge. The MIS design, therefore, has a basic potential capability to quickly meet new needs of information. The MIS concentrates on developing the information support to manager critical success factors. It concentrates on the mission critical applications serving the needs of the top management.

 Factors Contributing to Failures Many a times MIS is a failures. The common factors which are responsible for this are listed as follows: The MIS is imagined as a data processing and not as an information processing system.

The MIS does not provide that information which is needed by the managers but it tends to provide the information generally the function calls for. The MIS then becomes an impersonal system. Underestimating the complexity in the business systems and not recognizing it in the MIS design leads to problems in the successful implementation. sufficient attention is not given to the quality control aspects of the inputs, the process and the outputs leading to insufficient checks and controls in the MIS.

 The MIS is developed without reformation the transaction processing systems in the organization. Lack of training and appreciation that the users of the information and the generators of the data are different, and they have to play an important responsible role in the MIS. The MIS does not meet certain critical and key factors of its users such as a response to the query on the database, an inability to get the processing done in a particular manner, lack of user-friendly system and the dependence on the system personnel. A faith that the computerized MIS can solve all the management problems of planning and control of the business. Lack of administrative discipline in following the standardized systems and procedures, wrong coding and different from the system specifications result in incomplete and incorrect information.

The MIS does not give perfect information to all the users in the organization.