INFORMATION SYSTEM MANAGEMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION - Essay Example

?INFORMATION SYSTEM MANAGEMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION Information System Management and Implementation Organizations are composed of units or functional areas which have a relationship with each other. The functional areas of organizations have specific objectives which they are mandated to cover. However, each unit works towards a single mission or vision of the organization in general. In this regard, the system approach to organization structure and management is superior to the general system theory. This is explained by the fact that synergy of the production of the different subsystems of the larger system enable an organization to effectively and efficiently achieve its objectives. Caro, Guevara and Aguayo (2003, p. 298) point out that the application of information system within an organization is congruent with the system approach of organization management and design. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) allows organizations to integrate the subsystems or units of an organization so that they work towards a common goal regardless of the uniqueness of their individual functionalities. Human resource is the most significant entity of a system or organization. As a result, the development of an information system by the IT professionals must involve human capital. This essay is a critical analysis, evaluation and discussion of the need for collaboration of HR with IT professionals in the adoption and implementation of an information system. The essay covers issues related to organizational preparedness in the implementation of an information system, the significance of all the stakeholders of the system, system approach and management approaches of the systems. It is through Enterprise Resource (ERP) planning that the achievement of an information system which integrates all units of an organization as a system is made possible. Bocij, et al., (2003) say that Porter’s Model which describes the implications of external forces on a system clearly demonstrates the significance of suppliers, buyers, new entrants, competition and substitution in an information system. Therefore it is argued that during the process of ERP, the design of an information system must give due consideration of the impact that the external factors and stakeholders have on the success of an information system implementation. According to Elliot (2004), design of an information system must take into consideration of its suitability in meeting the objectives of the organization and the needs of the human resource, and the stakeholders of the organization such as suppliers and distributors. Moreover, the design of an information system must also be considerate of the competition so that its implementation gives the organization a competitive edge against the competition. Caro, Guevara and Aguayo (2003, p. 298) point out that the components of an information system illustrate the importance of integration of the designers or the system and the users. Information systems are composed of hardware, software, people, policies, procedures and data. Hardware and software represent the computing systems within the information system including business application software. The people within the information system are the individuals who use the information system or users, the IT personnel and the administrators or managers of the system. Barros (2005) adds that the users of an information system include the human resource, suppliers, distributors and even agents of an organization. Procedures and policies are the guidelines and standards of the system which provide the appropriate approaches of implementing the information system. The data within any information system is composed of the statistics or quantitative data within the databases of the system which is usually synthesized into usable information. Dalcher and Brodie (2007) argue that for the implementation of an information system to be successful, all of its components must work in unison. This means that the components of an information system must be integrated. Elliot (2004) illustrates that the development of an information system by IT professionals is a very significant process or step in the whole process of its implementation within an organization. Therefore it is arguable that the process of development must consider all factors which affect or impact on the success of its adoption and implementation. According to Jennex and Adelakun (2003, p. 12), IT professional must first consider the users of the system before they decide on its design, structure or organization. A scenario where the human capital is not involved in the development of an information system, its implementation is most likely doomed to fail. This is because the attitudes, skills, culture and readiness of the HR and the other stakeholders of the information system determine the success of its implementation within the organization. The human resource as one of the users of an information system plays the most important role in the application of the information system. Laudon and Laudon (2010) explain that it is through the human resource that the other stakeholders of the information system such as buyers and suppliers interact with the organization. This explains the reason why the development of an information system must significantly involve the HR. The managers of an organization are therefore obliged to direct the HR cooperation with the IT professional during the development process of an information system. The contribution of the HR to the design of an information system is important because it will enhance their attitudes toward the systems and enable their preparedness to the implementation and use of the system for effective achievement of the objectives of the organization. Elliot (2004) affirms that the System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) model is the most appropriate approach in the development and implementation of information systems. Maguire (2002, p. 126) adds that all stakeholders must be involved during the development process especially the human resource function of the organization because it is the employees who play a central role in the use or implementation of the system. This assertion illustrates the reason why the human resource must work with IT professional in order to facilitate and make the process of information system development as effective and efficient as possible. Lack of human resource involvement in the development of the system implies that they would not be able to coordinate buyers, suppliers, distributors and customers of the organization with the use of the system. As a result, the organization objectives may not be realized. The ethics approach to information system adoption and implementation is suitable for an organization which needs to adopt the use of technology. Through the ethics approach, IT professionals are enabled to analyze the current situation and work flow so that the IT needs of the organization are determined. The ethics approach also allows IT mangers to consider what the organization needs to change so that objectives can be set to enable successful implementation of the new system. In this sense, the need for redesigning the structure of the organization can be achieved so that the technical solution can successfully be implemented. (REF) points out that the ethics approach is effective because it focuses on the participation of end users of the system in the adoption and implementation process. In return, the ethics methodology causes job satisfaction on the side of the employees. The soft system methodology is another approach to system development which focuses on end user participation in the system development process. The strengths of this methodology lie in its characteristics. Rich pictures are used to give a pictorial presentation of the communication processes of the organization with a view of identifying possible conflicts within the system and hence enable IT experts to provide viable solution. A root definition of the system is also provided by the soft system methodology in which the activities which will be achieved by the system are defined for the understanding of the end users. Conceptual modeling and human activity systems also characterize the soft system methodology. A conceptual model is used to demonstrate an illustration of the system while the human activity systems represent the functions of the organization which will be enhanced by the application of the information system. Dalcher and Brodie (2007) appropriately point out that the feasibility study of an information system as the first step in the SDLC development process or model can only be possible is the HR works hand in hand with the IT professional who are responsible for determining whether the IS implementation is feasible. This is important for the organization because it enables the IT personnel to determine whether the implementation of the information system is practical. Bocij, et al., (2003) emphasize that the employees of an organization are mandated to collaborate with the IT staff during the feasibility study of an information system. This collaboration is necessary because the implementation of the information system would mean that some employees will lose their jobs. Therefore the contribution of employees towards the feasibility study and their contribution are justified. The system investigation process of the SDLC approach to system development involves the determination of whether the system is in line with the organizational culture, attitudes and whether it is compliant with the objectives of the organization. Elliot (2004) explains that the human resource must work with the IT professionals during the system investigation process so that the effect of organization culture on the implementation of the system can be investigated. In this sense, it can be determined whether the employees of the organization need to be synthesized on the need for the change of their working culture in order to benefit from the values of implementing the system. IT professionals may develop an information system which would be received negatively by the employees due to the prior attitudes that the HR develops on the system. In accordance to Caro, Guevara and Aguayo (2003, p. 220) system analysis plays a central role in the SDLC model or approach in information system development. The analysis on an information system is important because it helps the IT professional to evaluate it and determine if it is in line with the organizational supply chain. It is necessary that an information system is redesigned if it if found to be disintegrated from the organization’s supply chain. This is explained in line with the importance of the supply function to the business functions of an organization especially production firms. In the manufacturing firms, the use of an information system means that it must be designed in a manner which makes it as a facilitator of the supply of raw materials to the manufacturing function of the organization. Jennex and Adelakun (2003, p. 15) explain that it is through the analysis of an information system that its congruence to the suppliers is determined. On the other hand Kanellis, Papadopoulou and Martakos (2003) argues that the analysis phase of information system development must be consider the customers, buyers or end users of the system because they are the most significant entities of an organization. Therefore it is correct to say that the analysis of an information system should determine whether it is user friendly to the customers, suppliers and buyers. This will help the management make decisions related to user training in the implementation process of the information system. Elliot (2004) argues that the implementation of an information system cannot be achieved if the skills of the employees are not adequate for its use in performing business activities and tasks. It is therefore through the collaboration of the HR with the IT professionals that the training needs of the employees can be identified. As a result of this collaboration, the IT staff will be allowed to recommend the training needs of the employees to the executive management of the organization. The top management then will play an important role of making decisions on the training of staff and budgetary allocation for the training program. Through adequate training, the implementation of the information system will become a reality. Murray and Lynn (1997, p. 9) explains that it is through proper training that the HR resource will be able to acquire knowledge and skills of the application of information system in business processes. Rapid Application Development improves the SDLC approach through ensuring that users participate in the process of implementing the information system throughout the whole project. RAD applies an iterative approach in which a prototype of the system is created and used to determine whether the actual project is feasible. It is the role of the IT experts to ensure that the SDLC leads to successful implementation of an information system. As a result, the prototyping which characterizes Rapid Application Development should be adopted to ensure that the system implementation involves users so that they are able to understand the applicability of the system. In conclusion, the effective Human Resource Planning enables organization to develop an information system which integrates the HR with all systems of the organization including the supply chain and customers. The process of developing an information system is effectively achieved through the System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) model or approach. However, it is of utmost importance that the HR works closely with the IT professional during the information system development stages so that failure in the implementation of the system is avoided. Through a collaboration of the HR with the IT personnel during system development, the training needs of the staff are determined. Moreover, the preparedness of employees for system implementation is enhanced. The analysis process of information system is very important because it helps in the evaluation of the system to ensure that it is congruent to the objectives of the organization. Moreover the analysis ensures that the information system is user friendly to the customers, suppliers and buyers of the organization’s products. It is important to note that the implementation of an information system must be followed by the system maintenance stage to ensure that the system is protected from failure. 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