Different challenges faced in implementation of MIS

Different challenges faced in implementation of MIS

The purpose of a management information system is to help executives of an organization make decisions that advance the organization's goals. An effective MIS assembles data available from company operations, external inputs and past activities into information that shows what the company has achieved in key areas of interest, and what is required for further progress. The most important characteristics of an MIS are those that give decision-makers confidence that their actions will have the desired consequences.

MIS proficiency is attained through:-

An understanding of people and their behavior

An intuitive feel for what management will accept

A current knowledge of technology based applications such as computer and communication.

An understanding of planning and control matters.

A solid grounding of accounting system.

Relevance

The information a manager receives from an MIS has to relate to the decisions the manager has to make. An effective MIS takes data that originates in the areas of activity that concern the manager at any given time, and organizes it into forms that are meaningful for making decisions. If a manager has to make pricing decisions, for example, an MIS may take sales data from the past five years, and display sales volume and profit projections for various pricing scenarios.

Accuracy

A key measure of the effectiveness of an MIS is the accuracy and reliability of its information. The accuracy of the data it uses and the calculations it applies determine the effectiveness of the resulting information. The sources of the data determine whether the information is reliable. Historical performance is often part of the input for an MIS, and also serves as a good measure of the accuracy and reliability of its output.

Usefulness

The information a manager receives from an MIS may be relevant and accurate, but it is only useful if it helps him with the particular decisions he has to make. For example, if a manager has to make decisions on which employees to cut due to staff reductions, information on resulting cost savings is relevant, but information on the performance of the employees in question is more useful. The MIS has to make useful information easily accessible.

Timeliness

MIS output must be current. Management has to make decisions about the future of the organization based on data from the present, even when evaluating trends. The more recent the data, the more these decisions will reflect present reality and correctly anticipate their effects on the company. When the collection and processing of data delays its availability, the MIS must take into consideration its potential inaccuracies due to age and present the resulting information accordingly, with possible ranges of error.

Completeness

An effective MIS presents all the most relevant and useful information for a particular decision. If some information is not available due to missing data, it highlights the gaps and either displays possible scenarios or presents possible consequences resulting from the missing data. Management can either add the missing data or make the appropriate decisions aware of the missing information. An incomplete or partial presentation of information can lead to decisions that don't have the anticipated effects.

Database Management

The chief feature of an information management system is its ability to store data and make that data easy to retrieve by the system users. The type of database used determines how the information management system responds to requests or queries for information. Systems that use a relational database store the data in separate tables instead of one large table. Once the data gets stored, database administrators connect relevant tables of data to each other through the use of keys. These keys identify the relationship between data in one table and data in another table. Relational databases provide a quicker response to queries and store more information than hierarchical databases. Hierarchical databases always access data starting at the top of the database and moves down. It does not look at the relationship between different pieces of information.

Reporting

The next most important feature of an information management system comes in the form of reports. An information management system is only as good as the reports it generates. The ability to produce information that helps in the decision-making process is a key attribute for this kind of system. Most IMS provide multiple report templates while others offer the ability to create specific reports and save these reports as a template for others to use.

Open Access

An information management system that allows open access to its system architecture lets a company comply more easily with external regulations and internal requirements. Open access means the company can more easily integrate the IMS with existing systems. This ability reduces the need for outside service people to perform internal service changes. Open access also reduces maintenance expenses because internal resources can manage the maintenance of the system.

Integration

Information management systems typically integrate with a company’s existing systems. How well these varied systems integrate often creates many challenges for internal and external resources. A good IMS provides ease of integration with legacy systems, thus allowing a company to maintain the equipment investments it has already made.

Scalability

Because not all companies require the full offering of some information management systems, scalability becomes a key purchase consideration. Smaller businesses might require a scaled-down version of an IMS now, but within a few years require additional features and larger database management capabilities. Purchasing a scalable system gives a company room to grow without losing its initial investment.

What are different psychological factors, explain how these factors affect information system environment?

Most jobs in an information system environment do not, at first, seem physically demanding. After all , not many heavy objects to be lifted and no one is forced into hazardous assignments in which death is very real possibility. But MIS jobs can be physically demanding in other ways. Clerks who spend continuous hours entering data into a display terminally may at the end of day, suffer from eyestrain, headaches, neck and back problems and general exhaustion.

ERGONOMICS

The field that studies computer workspaces and their effects on users in known as ergonomics. This field attempts to overcome the problems associated with poor designed computer workspaces that cause unnecessary physical and mental stress or strain. Ergonomics research has prompted manufacturers of display devices to incorporate improvements such title table, flicker-free screens, eye-soothing display colors, and contoured, detachable keyboards for the convenience of the users of computer.

WORKER SKILL AND ABILITIES

Organization behavior researchers who study the factors that influence the work behavior of individuals and groups have organized that many on the job behaviors are effected by the skills and abilities that workers possess. These skills and abilities are usually described as being relatively stable physical and intellectual characteristics that determine and employee’s capability to perform job tasks easily and his her abilities may be revealed but not suppressed.

INTELLIGENCE AND SOPHISTICATION

Information Systems must be tailored to both the level of intelligence and the level of sophistication of the people using them. Intelligence refers basically to a persons ability to reason, whereas sophistication refers largely to factors such as age and experience. We should note that that a relationship doesn’t necessarily exist between a worker’s professional sophistication and his or her computer sophistication.

USER INTERFACES

Many of the user interfaces for workers who enter transaction processing data are intended for individuals who are relatively unsophisticated when it comes to computer. For example the point of sale terminal (POST) system designed to collect sales data at fast food restaurants are typically designed for the lowest capability workers that are expected to user them

What is motivation, how motivation places its whole in people/employees performance?

We have discussed a number of factors that contribute to the way people behave at work place and how they react to information technology. All of these factors are important, but often they merely provide background facts about people. Such factors may need a mechanism to transform them into some type of action. In many cases that mechanism is motivation. Motivation is a major reason why a person does certain things and many behavioral psychologists feel that a lot of behavior can be explained in terms of motivational factors. Motivation is often defined as the force that energizes and sustains goal directed behavior. This force may originate from outside the individual such as the opportunity to earn a bonus or other significant reward from internal processes or from a combination of these.  Following activities may be remembered for the motivation of the staff.

1.      Self-actualization needs.

2.      Self-realization.

3.      Self esteem.

4.      Pride.

5.      Confidence

6.      Respect.

7.      Love and belonging needs.

8.      Security from attack.

9.      Hunger

10.  Thirst

There are also some other psychological factors which are important for information system design and development. These include flexibility, information over load and optimism, pessimism. These points are also remembered.

1.      Flexibility

2.      Information overload

3.      Optimism

4.      Mental relaxation.

5.      Care for the basic necessities.