Information Systems Briefing - Essay Example

?INFORMATION SYSTEMS BRIEFING Information Systems Briefing Affiliation Information Systems Briefing It is believed that the process of choosing, and acquiring and implementing an information system (IS) for the healthcare sector or firm takes plenty of time, as well as required a great deal of planning effort. In this scenario, the term "acquire" refers to the process of buying a complete package. In fact, it can encompass a number of other aspects as well such as internal information systems personnel implementing it, appoint an external advisor, or build it in-house. Though, the nature and practices involved in this process can differ from industry to industry, however this process remains extremely critical to the success of the firm. The research suggests that healthcare firms and their staff members (as they are the most important stakeholders who can influence the success of this process) must be knowledgeable and informed on the information before initiating the process of selecting and acquiring an information system for them firm. In addition, all the associated stakeholders must have knowledge of this process, how the goals of their organization comply with the selection and acquiring process as well as the roles and responsibilities each organization’s stakeholder’s perform all the way through this process. In this scenario, one of the initial and most important decisions on which the entire process depends is whether an organization needs to select between outsourcing the IS and/or to bring in information technology experts in order to work within the task (Hicks, 2013; Beatty, 2013). In the first step, the considering firm should find out what their information requirements are. This can be done by determining their capabilities and tasks they carry out throughout the business environment. It will require them to examine the decisions they make and the information they need to make these decisions. In this scenario, there is need for building an initial system design according to planned system inputs, outputs, processes, and required data bases. In fact, the analysis of these aspects will allow the firms to effectively recognize what information they need, what processes are carried out in order to translate the data into information, what data need to be collected in order to develop the information, and what data need to be stored and maintained for future analysis (Beatty, 2013; Hicks, 2013). After finalizing all the initial requirements, the considering firm should determine their budget. In this scenario, the firm needs to analyze what expenditure are they willing to use on the complete process. They should determine their budget by keeping in mind all the contexts of the selection and acquiring process. For instance, the requirements and conditions for the new process and what are the benefits that can be achieved through different choices (as discussed above such as in-house development or outsourcing). Without a doubt, answers of these questions will help the acquiring firm to get the accurate direction regarding the implementation of a new information system (Hicks, 2013; Beatty, 2013; Braley, 2013). The firm that is going to acquire and select an information system must determine and set its business goals that it wants to achieve through the implementation of a new information system. In this scenario, a firm must set goals in a way that they demonstrate what is wanted and needed out of the implementation of a new information system. Additionally, the firm should list down its goals comprising the goals of staff members independently as well as all together. In the same way, it must include the goals of the front office, all the stakeholders that can be affected through the implementation of a new information system, the goals of the back office, physicians and the goals required to attain patient fulfillment. In addition, the acquiring firm must determine these goals for the reason that these goals will help them establish the tone for how the organization will drive their information system selection and acquiring process (Hicks, 2013; Beatty, 2013). Additionally, the establishment of these goals within the firm will drive the acquiring and selection process for the implementation of a new information system in a number of ways. It is an admitted fact that all the organizations work in a different way. In this scenario, some organizations will need less information system support and some will require additional support. In the same way, some organizations will be implementing an information system for dealing with a greater or smaller number of patients, requiring multiple formats of systems and/or work off of one or a number of servers. Hence, considering these critical factors all the way through the selection and acquiring process of implementing an information system will all play a significant role in the decision making process of implementing a new information system (Hicks, 2013; Braley, 2013). In addition, the firm that is going to implement a new information system must determine its major stakeholders and people who will be making use of each system and what requirements and tasks they will need to accomplish the responsibilities as a member of staff as well as deal with their patients simultaneously. The research has shown that the implementation of an information system into a healthcare facility requires healthcare organizations to think about a number of aspects to think about. Some of the important aspects in this regard can include the staff members, the patients or any other stakeholder who is associated with the firm. In this scenario, it is essential for the acquiring firm that it ensures that goals have been established and are obviously understood by all the stakeholders involved in this implementation process before making any decisions regarding the selection and implementation of a new information system. In fact, this understanding will reduce any misinterpretations happening in the future (Hicks, 2013; Beatty, 2013). Moreover, another most important aspect that needs to be kept in mind while making this decision is the training of staff members, the ability of the staff members to become skilled at how to make use of the recently implemented information system and the cost to educate these employees. After that the firm should develop a plan to lead this implementation and assign sufficient funds for the implementation of the new system. It also involves the selection of appropriate hardware that will be used to run new information system (Hicks, 2013; Beatty, 2013; Braley, 2013). References Beatty, W. (2013). Acquiring an Information System. Retrieved June 03, 2013, from http://www.uwf.edu/wbeatty/ism3011/chap10/acquire1.html Braley, G. (2013). Information System Selection: There Is a Better Way. Retrieved June 05, 2013, from http://www.braley.com/braley/pub/selection.htm Hicks, J. (2013). Implementing a New Information System. Retrieved June 02, 2013, from About.com: http://medicaloffice.about.com/od/operations/a/Implementing-A-New-Information-System.htm Read More