Development of Information Systems - Report Example

Businеss system аnаlysis & design рrоjесt Name Institution Date TITLE: Development of Information Systems Outline 1.0. Problem statement 2.0. Scope statement 3.0. Problem Analysis 4.0. Resolutions adopted by ABC Company 5.0. Synthesis and analysis 6.0. Summary 7.0. Conclusion 8.0. Data Flow Diagram External Agent Name Description 8.1. Process name 7.1. Description 8.2. Data store name 8.1. Description 8.3. DF Name 9.1. DF Description 9.2. DFI Source 9.3. DFI Description 8.4. Data flow diagram Introduction This report is based on five articles, with extensive research by certain renowned authors on the development information technology. For instance, Tate (2008) has presented a comprehensive coverage on the role of user participation in the development of information systems. Notably, he postulates that user participation in the development of information systems is an extremely critical factor for the realization of either victory or failure. Similarly, Marcos (2012) presents a flourishing research on the model- driven information systems development. He notes that, the MDE is incredibly critical for promoting the role of models and it levers the automation level during the development process. Additionally, the report relies on Vara’s (2009) research to reveal the influence of ICT on certain communities. Finally, this export has borrowed a lot from Yergler (2008) journal from his article entitled custom- build leadership. Significantly, the article concludes by revealing the three critical decisions that one can takes in developing an ICT system. 1.0. Problem statement The report explores the genesis of confrontation in ABC in a case situation, embracing the varied interests of executive stakeholders, and the task of existing control, as well as systems of information in ABC implementation strategy. It is worthwhile noting that the resistance may arise from myriad sources; some associated to charge and benefits of ABC, some linked with executive authority and politics, and some applicable to the culture of the organization. 2.0. Scope statement Information systems development and implementation practices at ABC Ceramic Company reflect techno- scientific and economic reasoning that form the foundation of western modernity with underlying positivity approach. This resulted failures in information systems development and implementation projects initiated by ABC Company. This report reveals that information systems should be developed taking into considerations the social contexts of organizations in Sri Lanka. This report draws from the experience of deployment of an information systems network (ISN) at ABC Ceramics Company in Sri Lanka. ABC Ceramics is a public liability company, which manufactures and markets ceramics tableware mainly to the international markets. Major shareholders of the company are World Porcelain Inc, and Porcelain Trading Company of the USA. American companies own 45% of shares; the Employees’ Trading Company Fund possesses 17%, with balance of 38% remaining in the hands of employees’ and the public. Collaboration with international business partners in America was considered as a turning point of the company history. The company was expected to incorporate American technology and marketing expertise blended with Sri Lanka artistry, design and tradition, to create some of the finest ceramic ware.ABC started as a public Corporation in 1984 and privatized in 1990. It later converted to a public liability company in July 1994 and listed in the Colombo stock exchange in February 1995. The nature of the manufacturing process of tableware is extremely complex, undergoing several stages before dispatching finished goods to the stores. The nature of the entire business requires carefully planned and well- managed quality control systems. The company conducts its production in batches and product manufacturing is according to the different design requirements of agents in international markets. Notably, agents change their design requirements from time to time based on the needs of customers in their markets. The tableware is extremely labor-intensive industry, where every order requires a careful skilled- worker attention from raw material through work- in progress to the final products. The company employs approximately 975 personnel; 10 senior managers, 40 executives (middle category managers including junior managers), 20 supervisors (shop flow level managers), and 935 in other categories such as clerks, sales girls, and workers. The mainstream of employees comes from the surrounding areas as the production process runs on a shift basis. The management practice at ABC represents old age corporation culture where most of the senior managers are hesitant to use the state of the art technology particularly, information technology in their work. Training basis on a bureaucratic culture that significantly, buttressing the status quo. Moreover, junior managers and other employees joined the company and were barely trained in the use of computers at work. The attitude of some senior managers and other employees towards the information systems technology was pessimistic. Information communication was predominant in everyday communication and practice. It is embedded in the life world context of employees at ABC that, they were not exposed to a computer environment. Consequently, managers have a fear of losing their importance within the organization after the atomization of the system and the on-line provision of information. Information sharing via technological systems such as an information network was largely unknown to the ABC management, and the rest of employees due to the prevalence of the bureaucratic systems. It is important to note that, passive attitude of some senior managers and employees at ABC to accommodating the technical innovation in the course of their work and their willingness to accept changes in their broader work conditions has annihilated their momentum for change. The first experience of using computers at work by ABC was 1993 where the company purchased a software package from a local vendor. It developed batch mode applications for the processing of payroll applications within the accounting department. However, these applications have been inefficient, and in many cases, they worsened rather than improving the payroll processing. It was not user friendly because often the pay sheets generated using the system was wrong. In late 1995, adhering to the technological commitment and the modernization efforts, the company purchased an information system network (ISN) namely “COMET” from a local software provider to renovate the manufacturing and distribution activities of ceramics at ABC Company. Notably, the acquisition of the ISN cost the company about Rs. 1.2 million. After a few trial runs, the company installed the ISN in 1997; a German Company had originally developed the software package. The idea of introducing information network emanated from the former CEO’s efforts to motorize of the company. The decision to acquire “COMET” emanated from the previous chief internal auditor, who never consulted the users and managers in other divisions; hence, they felt slighted. Initially, they expected the system would integrate all the departments into an online system, despite the fact that they never conducted a system study to identify the real user requirements. Additionally, neither was there training for employees about the use of ISN nor were they involved in the development and implementation. Moreover, the chief accountant, who was not consulted for her views before purchasing the system, was very much frustrated. The MIS division was created in 1997 under the supervision of the CEO within the overall management structure of the ABC. It was located within the accounting department. A junior programmer and a management trainee are working, in addition to the MIS manager, whose time is devoted more to cost and management accounting activities than to MIS. The company has not gained experience in in-house development of systems nor has it adequately employed sufficient personnel to cater for the needs of the end users. The MIS was largely unknown to the ABC management, and there was neither a separate department nor a manager for MIS until 1997. The focus of MIS is up to date on data processing rather than information. It is worthwhile noting that, almost all the users were unhappy about the COMET information network 3.0. Problem Analysis As pointed out by the internal auditor and CEO of the ABC Company, the COMET system was expected to link many operations including manufacturing, production scheduling, maintenance, financial accounting, inventory control, sales invoicing, purchasing and finished goods into the online system to provide information for relevant managers for a quick decision making. It sought to organize new ways of sharing knowledge between various departments and functions. It emulated to design new processes of interaction between ABC and its employees. Therefore, one can argue that ABC introduced information technology and information systems to change the organizational socio-culture. Senior management legitimized the introduction of ISN in line with improving the efficiency and the effectiveness at ABC. However, the new development and implementation of information system contradicted with the already established socio-culture at ABC. In this new approach, senior management considered information as currency utilized in decision-making in order to gain objective power in the ceramic industry. Consequently, the senior management expected to gain objective information on employees’ performance and the overall performance of ABC using information systems and information technology. The underlying approach was to employ scientific and technical improvement of management control within positivist ideology. A Germany Company had originally developed the COMET information system network. The COMET was a remarkably technology-driven design of operations for each task domains of ABC and had implemented at ABC in early 1997. The new information systems network or ISN and the processes it would support would profoundly improve the company’s efficiency and effectiveness. If the ISN was successful, then ABC’s management believed that it would achieve the CEO’s modernization efforts, however, ISN did not succeed. It was constrained by various socio-cultural, economic and political forces. Indeed, the whole range of rejuvenation initiatives of the CEO waned and the new information sharing system lost its major champion, the CEO. Accordingly, ABC followed an ad-hoc approach in developing ISN. For instance, the Chief Internal Auditor gave information requirements for the ISN development. The responsibility of development of ISN was left with an outside developer while the implementation was entrusted with a cost accountant in the accounting and finance department. The ISN reflected the interests of senior management to modernize ABC. It reflected techno-scientific and economic rationality of senior management of ABC. However, the users and other employees were ignored. Developers followed the technical and instrumental approaches considering users and other employees as passive entities able to be manipulated by systems developers and senior management. Informal communication and work arrangements were ignored. Developers and senior management objectified the life world of users, and other affected parties by not allowing communicating their value choices and requirements as design ideals in ISN development. This approach was antithetical to the historically established socio-cultural value systems of employee’s at ABC. The new ISN introduced new language, rules, procedures, schedules, work and shift arrangements, recording and reporting transactions for work. User managers and employees drawing meaning from their life world contexts opposed the introduction of the ISN. They opposed the ISN by not working with ISN and continuing their work with manual systems. Instead, they wanted more training and more computers as well as more contribution in the decision-making process related to the development of ISN. User managers and other employees wanted to know more about the information system and integrated their knowledge in the development of information network through their participation. Management instead of stopping and reflecting responded to this view by pushing ahead with ISN without employee participation. The senior management believed that the implementation off the ISN is essential to translate staff behavior in line with the demands for improved efficiency and effectiveness. In other words, ABC management considered only the techno-scientific and economic rationality in the development and implementation of ISN. It can be argued that ABC management through the development of ISN attempted to convey a particular set of values, technical and economic rationality, dominated over others. However, for employees, efficiency of the existing manual systems depends on a whole series of human decisions and judgments located in the lived experience and historical contexts of employees’ life world. They accommodated their tacit understanding and knowledge in everyday communication and interaction with the people in the organization. In such an environment, human interaction are socially interpreted because social reality is historically constructed in such an environment, employees are reluctant to translate their human intentions and actions to improve efficiency in a way interpreted and used by senior management using computerized information systems such as COMET information systems network. Alternative ways of perceiving the value of technical innovation, which could have been manifested in the development and implementation of information technologies in the social context of Sri Lanka, were largely ignored. The actual practice of ABC did not reflect in the current practice of information systems development. The process of ISN development separated the process of generating knowledge from the practical application of that knowledge. Thus, there was no real knowledge integration in information systems development and implementation. ABC focused on operating efficiency than reinventing new form of organizations through the development of information systems using communicative action. 4.0. Resolutions adopted by ABC Company ABC Company purchased A10’s IDSentrie appliance to help solve two of their most pressing identity resource management issues – account provisioning and password management. With IDSentrie’s drop-in appliance, installation, training, and rollout was completed in under a week for ABC’s three locations. After using the system for 3 months, ABC Company noticed a significant reduction in the number of help desk calls and the amount of time system administrators spent provisioning and managing user accounts on the various disparate data stores. With IDSentrie’s Unified Identity Manager (UIM) component, the number of provisioning tasks performed by system administrators was dramatically reduced. Central provisioning allowed system administrators to reset passwords and create, change, and delete accounts from the IDSentrie console instead of provisioning account information to each data store and business application separately. From ABC’s experience, this had the virtual effect of reducing the average number of accounts per user from five to one - as administrators only had to log into one system to provision account information using IDSentrie. With UIM’s Password Synchronization service, administrators and users no longer had to change passwords manually for each data store. Synchronized passwords lowered the number of password incidents significantly as users no longer had to remember different passwords for each data store. The number of times ABC users forgot their password was reduced from an average of six to just 2 times per year. 5.0. Synthesis and analysis With Self-Help Service’s Password Expiry Notification, users are automatically sent a password change reminder from IDSentrie 5 days before their passwords expire. Using the hyperlink to access the Self-Help portal, users can now change and reset passwords without calling the IT help desk. The service has also significantly reduced the number of locked-out accounts initially experienced with the manual system. Enforcing four mandated and unsynchronized password changes per year caused many users to forget which password was associated with each account and application – causing help desk volumes to rise sharply after each mandated password change cycle. However, one should note that the above problem has significantly reduced. With IDSentrie’s User Self-Help service, the number of account resets, password changes, and password recoveries that were once handled by the help desk and system administrators has been significantly reduced. A research by King (2008) reveals that, after 3 months, ABC found that 60% of their user population used IDSentrie’s Self-Help service to make their own changes. This reduced the percentage of password related issues that had to be resolved by the help desk to an average of 16%. With 60% of the user population using the Self-Help portal, the remaining percentage of account provisioning requests that had to be resolved by the help desk was reduced to an average of 13%. Some of the harder benefits to monetarily measure included the security benefits offered by central provisioning and password management. For ABC Company, these included the following: By reducing the number of passwords users must now remember that, ABC has also learned that users are now less likely to write down their passwords or store them in insecure gadgets such as mobile phones, PDAs, as well as notebook computers – mitigating security risks that were caused by the old manual system. With UIM’s Central Password Policy, ABC can now enforce tough password selection across all of their data stores to ensure the adherence of the corporate security policies. This helped to reduce the level of risk caused by weak password selection. User productivity and satisfaction significantly improved, as the frustration and complexity of managing their passwords were solved with IDS entries’ services. 6.0. Summary It is worthwhile noting that, this report has addressed the long process that ABC Limited has experienced in its path towards the development of information system. Significantly, it has revealed myriad reasons that made ABC stakeholders hesitate in adopting the new system. For instance, it has highlighted that, the workers feared suffering from job retrenchment. The report has also revealed several challenges faced in the implementation of the new program. For instance, it has emphasized on the problem of lack of adequate situational analysis. However, the report has categorically stipulated the myriad long-term benefits on adopting the advanced information systems. Concisely, the report has relied on a case study to describe the development of information systems 7.0. Conclusion This report cautions administrators and executive authorities to conduct proper situational analysis before they implement any system in their organization. Significantly, they should also involve the workers and the support staff in their decision-making. However, this report emphasizes that the adoption of on- line information systems is extremely critical for the success of international companies. 8.0. Data Flow Diagram 6.1. External Agent Name: Providers and Receivers of system information 6.2. Description Retrieved 19 may. 2013 from http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CD0QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.scm.tees.ac.uk%2Fm.nawaz%2FHND_SAD%2Fsad_07%2520drawing%2520DFD%2520supp.ppt&ei=mdSYUa61B4W5hAfc2IHQAQ&usg=AFQjCNGaEOflvy8RWqYGedAhjbapco77rg&sig2=8eeKNW5D9V7H0_lEHktdUw&bvm=bv.46751780,d.ZG4 8.1. Process name: Order processing 7.1. Description 8.2. Data store name: Cash Register Description Retrieved 19 may. 2013 from http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CD0QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.scm.tees.ac.uk%2Fm.nawaz%2FHND_SAD%2Fsad_07%2520drawing%2520DFD%2520supp.ppt&ei=mdSYUa61B4W5hAfc2IHQAQ&usg=AFQjCNGaEOflvy8RWqYGedAhjbapco77rg&sig2=8eeKNW5D9V7H0_lEHktdUw&bvm=bv.46751780,d.ZG4 8.3. DF Name: Delivery Slip 9.1. DF Description 9.2. DFI Description 8.4. Data flow diagram Retrieved 19 may. 2013 from Read More