Managing Information Technology: Veteran Administration and JetBlue Airways - Case Study Example

Systems Management Overview Assignment 2 Systems Management Overview Prepared and Submitted by Tutor: Due Date: Date Submitted: Executive summary The report gives an evaluation of information technology systems with regard to their operations within organizations. A case study of Veteran Administration as well as JetBlue Airways has been analyzed in order to grasp the situation as it occurs within typical organizations. Two different natures of information technology systems are identified and critically analyzed in form on case study questions and answers as well as suggestions. The report finds the organizations lacking in possession of disaster recovery arrangements and the same has been recommended. Steps through which to formulate disaster recovery strategies have also been discussed. Table of Contents Executive summary 2 Table of Contents 3 Management Information System 4 Introduction 4 Case study analysis 4 Case Study Questions 6 Question 1: 6 Question 2: 9 Question 3: 10 Question 4: 12 Conclusion 16 Recommendations 16 References 17 Management Information System Introduction Information technologyexpansionhas helped in advancement of operations in most firms particularly in database management. However, just like any other system, their failure has been found to cause considerable problems and some of the existing examples of these unfortunate incidents include the situations of JetBlue Airways as well as that of Veteran Administration in California, Case Study. These organizations experienced IT system failures and they manner in which the situations were handled depicted lack of proper, if any, disaster recovery arrangements. However, the firms managed to handle system disruption though the process took a rather longer period of time compared to a situation whereby they would have been armed with backup procedures (Otim, Dow, Grover & Wong 2012, 162). Case study analysis It was in 2007 the month of August when the operational IT systems in Healthcare Center based in Northern California experienced a system outage resulting to a major disruption of service delivery for approximately 8hours. The IT systems experiencing the outage were the “Veteran’s Health Administration’s venerable healthcare architecture” (VIstA) and “Computerized Patient Record System” (CPRS). This particular unfortunate occurrence was unexpected though in accordance to a physician in the Veteran administration’s testimony, the failure would be linked to particular changes made in the system with the intention of reinforcing IT operations as well as advancing system security. The IT system’s failure was characterized by a number of occurrences including failure of two of its backup systems as well as inappropriate communication procedures that worsened the situation. It was later realized that the main cause of system failure was an outage in the regional Data processing Unit. The parties involved believed that the situation would have been better if timely reporting was undertaken regarding the cause as well as the estimated downtime which unfortunately did not happen (O’Brien 2012, 43). A third trial of backup practice ‘saved the day’ and this involved providing print-outs of patients’ records that had been saved in personal computers. This procedure was successful though not in time to help physicians attend to patients programmed for morning session. Additional problems experienced that particular day included the situation where medical staff had to note down discharge information on paper and lacking electronic data of prescriptions for discharged patients. More so, followup arrangements were not provided upon discharge and this was to be carried out later whereby patients were to be contacted on phone. Patients were also forced to remain in their wards much longer due to delayed preparation for discharge medications. Consequently, data entry for patients attended to on that day proved to be a great challenge hence leading to considerable levels on inaccuracy having in mind that the format utilized was different from the one found in the specific electronic database (O’Brien 2012, 43). JetBlue Airways’ situation also contribute greatly in comprehending the level of impact failed IT systems have on the firms largely depending on them for day to day operations. JetBlue has been considered as a one of the Airlines with affordable prices, high standard leather seats as well as high quality customer service. JetBlue has therefore become considerably popular hence its increased preference by customers. It occurs that, although JetBlue had succeeded in attracting wide range of customers, it had not bothered to adjust its operational communication systems to cater for the increased number of customers as well as employees. It is of importance to understand that in order experience a smooth running of airline operations, efficient communication is required between the pilots, administration and flight attendants. In 2007, the same year that California’s Veteran Administration had IT system downtime, JetBlue had approximately one thousand flights postponed due to unexpected Ice storm and inefficient communication system during the outage(O’Brien 2012, 43). As a result, approximately eleven thousand pilots as well as flight attendants would not communicate from their different locations hence leaving them in areas there were not supposed to be for their specific assignments. It was evident that the operational structure for the airline was rather at a minimal range such that it was not in a position to develop systems that would address such occurrences resulting from bad weather. More so, the airline employees lacked the necessary training to deal with such issues. The much they would do is send emails regarding their location asking of how they would help but this was limited due to lack of skills. In order to manage the situation, a database system was put in place that would enable feeding information of crew members’ locations. The provided information was expected to update and match with the already existing information in the available systems. This database was designed to assist in offering communication while managing such unexpected situations. This particular database was created in a period of 24hours, was put to use immediately and since then its implementation has been made fulltime. More so, the airline has endeavored to improve on the manner in which it communicates to customers by way of sending flights alerts to their mobile devices as well as contact an emails; which is rather automated (O’Brien 2012, 44). Case Study Questions Question 1: Eric Brinker of JetBlue noted that the database developed during the crisis had not been needed before because the company had never experienced a meltdown. What are the risks and benefits associated with this approach to IT planning? Provide some examples of each. Is has been noted that JetBlue had not realized the need for the developed database prior to the crisis since such a situation had never been experienced before. The database went a long way in managing the situation and more so added to the airlines range of IT systems. However, the database is characterized by a number of risks as well as benefits. Risks: Opting to develop a new database during a crisis may sometimes take longer than expected having in mind that the situation needs to be managedwithin the shorted time possible. For instance, in this particular case, the airline took a considerably long period of five days figuring out the manner in which to come up with a system good enough to handle the situation at hand. By this time customers had already been disappointed on realization that JetBlue was not properly equipped for such emergencies. Customers compared JetBlue Airways to other airlines in the Eastern part of United States that had been affected by the same calamity but had managed to have things back to normal within two days. It can be understood that an emergency is something that no one can predict when it is to happen.Therefore, it may take more time to gather the necessary materials required to develop a remedy system. However, it is important for airlines to have backup systems that can come in handy in case of unexpected occurrences like the one experienced by JetBlue airline(Zhou & Liu 2012, 571). In the case of Veteran Administration, the period taken to come up with an alternative procedure was lesser compared to that of the JetBlue airline. However, it is important to note that the operation was not fast enough to enable attending to patients programmed for morning session. Another risk linked to database development in case of a crisis like that encountered by JetBlue airlines is occurrence of errors that may consequently lead to loss of additional flight information belonging to the esteemed customers. This may occur when trying to manipulate the available system in order to come up with one that would be in a position to operate in an almost similar manner. Customer flight details would be required for matching and update purposes and there is a probability of tampering with the existing data hence leading to a bigger problem. Regarding the crisis encountered in Veteran Administration, clinicians managed to have patient information recorded on paper but it became a challenge feeding the same data into the system later on. These clinicians encountered difficulties in trying to reconstruct data on paper in order to obtain a summary that would probably reduce chances of omitting some information. New system inefficiency is also another risk associated to new system development the in event of downtime. Limited time tends to reduce chances of conducting broad research of the probable alternatives as well as conducting tests in order to gauge their viability (Otim, Dow, Grover & Wong 2012, 184).For instance, the database system developed by Veteran Administration was inefficient in such a way that records on paper did not follow the already designed structure hence physicians were not in a position to collect all required data and in sequence. On the other hand, JetBlue airline’s new database had risks of confusion in matching all collected information with specific crew members’ details on the system considering the relevant team was working under pressure. Benefits: Apart from the risks, there are also a number of benefits associated with alternative database creation. One of these benefits is the realization that a number of employees tend to show higher level of competency when under pressure particularly in system development. For instance, the systems developed in both companies were not initially available but the relevant groups were to develop them within the shortest time possible. This is evident particularly in the JetBlue instance, whereby the developed database usage continued even after the crisis (Ifinedo&Nahar2009, 118). Question 2: With hindsight, we now know that the decision made by Eric Raffin of the VA not to fail over to the Denver site was the correct one. However, it involved failing to follow established backup procedures. With the information he had at the time, what other alternatives could he have considered? Develop at least two of them. It is realized that the decision made regarding not turning to Denver site would not only be considered as correct but was also characteristic of a lack of following developed backup procedures. It is understood that California’s Veteran Administration Unit did not have a proper backup for available database which resulted to failure in communication and operations’ disruption. In case California’s VA unit had opted to fail to available Denver site, which was more or less like a backup procedure, it would have risked interference with at least eleven other units which meant a worse situation. With the already existing information, two other alternatives were available; The first alternative is the one already utilized by the physicians involving them to manually document patients’ information on hard copies and later on have them fed to the relevant systems. This was a considerably inefficient and tedious process which required physicians to be in a position to remember the actual arrangement of database on their systems in order to document all the required information. Additionally, utilizing this alternative meant that the physicians relied greatly on the information provided by patient regarding their health history as they had no records for reference. In this case, the physicians risked prescribing similar medications to the ones given earlier and may not have been effective. The process also involved collecting patients’ contacts in order to inform them on their follow up appointments. This was additional work and may not have worked well for all patients without reliable contacts (O’Brien 2012, 43). The second alternative would take more time in managing the situation as it involves a reformation of Veteran Administration IT unit from regional operations and adopting a local processing unit. This would have been possible since Veteran Administration possessed an IT sector of its own as well as competent staff. More so, this firm had a budget authority and was therefore in a good position to make quick consultations and arrangement on how to plan for this unexpected expenditure. By the time the system failure occurred, decision concerning IT matters had to involve the affected medical unit’s director and local IT authority. This hierarchical decision making process made the exercise challenging as it was characterized by a lot of bureaucracy that would only worsen instead of help manage a disaster. In this case, upon establishment of a more realistic decision making policy, then standardization of data-processing unit to a local one would have been a lot easier. However, this kind of standardization process would contribute in diminishing the IT operations standards. This is because regional data operations were a lot better with regard to communication and analysis across the larger Veteran Administration Unit compared to the local operations Question 3: A small, undocumented change resulted in the collapse of the VA system, largely because of the high interrelationship between its applications. What is the positive side of this high degree of interconnection, and how does this benefit patients ? Provide examples from the case to justify your answer. The breakdown of Veteran Administration system was linked to a rather small adjustment carried out on the system. It is believed that the high level of interrelationship in entire system’s applications contributed a great deal to system failure. However, although system breakdown caused a lot of inconveniences to the hospital operations leaving a number of patients disappointed for not being attended to, the system interrelationship aspect can be viewed from a positive perspective. At the time when California’s VA sites experienced a downtime, Denver Sites had no problem and were functioning as usual. One of the benefits associated with this interrelationship is the fact that applications from both the corrupted and the operational sites would be linked and fixed accordingly. This is basically because the primary site consisted of all the required information to fix the corrupted one, which in one way or another served as copy of system information. This way, patients had their data secured as it remained safe even though the system had failed. In the event that the system had no such kind of interconnection of applications, patients’ details would risk being lost and having in mind that patient history is very important in subsequent treatments, the problem would have being greater with missing patients’ history (Nutt 2010, 17). It is also important to note that the sites had a capability of being adapted separatelyand independently. This shows that the sites were of a high quality since they were capable of functioning independently in case they were designed in that manner. In such a situation, system breakdown of one site would not affect the rest that it was linked to.This implied that risk factor was reduced since IT experts had only one site to deal with instead of the entire interconnected system which would have been equivalent to developing the sites afresh. The system linkage also depicted that physicians would have an opportunity of gathering all their data from individual sites hence benefiting patients as they would attend to them accordingly. To the patients, they benefited since their information was drawn and printed out enabling them to be attended to on that particular day. The interconnection aspect also helps in elevating accuracy for patient information by comparing that which the patient says and the already existing health records drawn from the system which in turn leads to more precise diagnosis. The fact that order checking can be carried out real-time due to the high level of interconnection enables patients to have an opportunity of visiting any medical center at their proximity without necessarily sticking to a specific one. The physicians in the various centers are also in a position to receive alerts into their specific sites which would enable uniformity and concurrency in their operations particularly in attending to patients. Question 4: The JetBlue and Veterans Administration situations IT processes were either not documented or were ignored. Why is it important for organizations to have and follow an IT disaster recovery plan? The two situations of IT systems breakdown witnessed by the two case study organizations may serve as a wakeup call for them as well as others to be more prepared for such disasters. Disasters are more or less unexpected and in most cases, they occur at the time they are least expected. Therefore, there is need for a continuous preparedness for recovery plan which enables minimal disruptions in case of a disaster. Recovery plan need to be developed for available database, sites as well as applications within a given organization or business. These include; operational networks, connectivity and serves. In order to attain a successful recovery procedure, it is important to have priorities for system recovery in line with that of given organizations’ operations established during impact analysis. The necessary IT resources needed in maintenance of time-sensitive operations should be identified and provisioned accordingly (Nutt 2010, 17). More so, it is important to have recovery period of the identified IT resources matching the organizations’ recovery objective with regard to its operations. Although no specific organization would celebrate in the occurrence of disaster, there are a number of organizations that would not tolerate system failures considering the nature of their functionality. In such situations, those organizations establish dual centers for data, which are in a position to manage the entire firms’ database processing requirements. This particular dual data unit is expected to operate in line with synchronized data within the various centers. This procedure is regarded as considerably efficient particularly during disasters but it is also expensive and mostly utilized by established organizations. Having mentioned the significance attached to disaster recovery strategy for organizations, it is important to note that, had Veteran Administration as well as JetBlue Airline companies developed proper strategies, the situation and loses incurred would have been minimal. In order to get a good comprehension of the manner in which the two companies would have benefited from disaster recovery strategies, it is important to understand how the plan is prepared and its features (IT disaster recovery plan2012). The very first and important step is to have contacts list gathered and documented separately to allow communication in the event of a disaster. This contact list may includethat of staff, partners as well as insurance companies and any other contact that a company may not want to lose. For instance, mobile phone contacts for staff members together with that of their contact persons including spouses can be gathered as backup accordingly. Email addresses as contact means also come in handy in communication process within an organization and would also help during a disaster(IT disaster recovery plan2012). Once the contacts are gathered, a group can be created that would necessitate sending a single email to already provided contacts in the event of a disaster. JetBlue Airways would have greatly benefited from this strategyin enabling to reach the vast number of its crew members on time; first ensuring their safety then informing them of their next move in order to keep flight operations running. The same strategy would have helped communicate with all the customers scheduled for flights during the time of disaster, apologizing and informing them on the progress. Proper communication helps in easing tension for customers and they are assured that the situation, however inconveniencing it may see, is in control. The second step in development of disaster recovery strategy is ensuring that created backups are safely kept within as well as off-site. Backups form a very significant part of recovery in case of a disaster. Therefore, it is necessary to have several backups since a single one might not be of much assistance if it happens to within the location where the disaster occurs. For instance, backup kept onsite may be of help in case of a system downtime but may not be useful in case of a fire breakout (IT disaster recovery plan2012). Backups for necessary data need to be created and updated regularly and for this to be real-time as well as accurate, it is important to establish software that should have the process automated. An ideal backup program is expected have automatic data synchronization at specified periods and should also be in a position to undertake data verification. In case it identifies a problem, the program should be in a position to send alerts to the relevant contacts automatically. Having in mind that disaster can occur anywhere even the place where backup is stored, it is necessary to have a copy of the same backup elsewhere probably on a different off-site location in order to increase chances of managing loss of information (Sakthivel, Mary &Deivarajamani2011, 416). Backup strategy would have been of great importance in the situation encountered by Veteran Administration whereby backup data just needed to be run through in order to have operations back to normal. This would have meant that all the necessary information would be availed in the shortest time possible and since applications are also backed up, the situation would have been managed faster and easier. In this case, the summaries collected from local computers did not provide the required data formats hence the lack of records for all the required patients’ data (Chumbler, Haggstrom&Saleem2011, 14). On the other hand, JetBlue would have also made use of backup data instead of establishing a new system altogether which took a lot of time resulting to a negative impact on the business. The third step in developing strategy for disaster recovery is conducting a clear determination as well as assessment of vulnerabilities linked to a certain business. This step involves an informed determination of several occurrences that would cause significant challenges in running organizations’ operations. This can be approached by way of identifying the various weak points available and then establish a strategy to minimize possible risks in those vulnerabilities. It occurs that the plans established for disaster recovery may fail in one way or another hence the need for proper planning for such occurrences and means through which to deal with them. Therefore, when establishing disaster recovery strategy, it is important to visualize instances that would lead to failure. This would go a long way in helping in identifying and understanding possible threats and their consequences incase disaster recovery strategy fails hence making the situation easier to manage (Escobar-Rodriguez, Monge-Lozano&Romero-Alonso 2011, 17). The recovery plan also requires frequent updating and testing, failure to which it can be rendered ineffective. Testing would include training staff members on how to carry out the backup procedures as well as running applications regularly to test their efficiency. In the situation encountered by Veteran Administration, they tried two other systems that were thought to serve as backup but they failed. However, if the relevant parties had tested the systems earlier in order to confirm if they would assist in case of system breakdown, they would have realized the inefficiency and then develop one that would serve as proper backupsystem (Escobar-Rodriguez, Monge-Lozano&Romero-Alonso 2011, 17). In the situation encountered by JetBlue Airways, this determination of vulnerabilities would have helped identify the possibility of ice storms hence formulation of the manner in which to deal with the situation a lot easier. The team dealing with disaster recovery plan need to have also determined possibilities of communication disruption and established other possible ways of communication. More so, database development that took place during the time of disaster would have been done earlier and tested severally before the incidence. The forth step in this significant process of disaster recovery strategy development is the need to integrate relevant partners in advance in order to determine their reaction to the possible calamities as well as their position in provision of necessary equipment during recovery. It is also important to agree with partners on the possibility of accessing credit in case of disaster emergencies and their rates. This helps in shortening the period used in the overall recovery operation as one is equipped with the necessary information of where to get assistance in case of disaster. Developing a proper plan from disaster recovery may not help much if it not appropriately followed when needed. It is therefore necessary to formulate a realistic recovery plan which would in turn make the implementation much easier (Sun 2012, 465). Conclusion The main aim of this paper was to identify the various capabilities of information systems and the manner in which their failure impact on operations as well as the ways these disruptions can be managed. Having analyzed a case study on two different organizations; Veteran Administration as well as JetBlue Airways, it is occurs that information technology contributes greatly in the smooth running of operations. Disruptions in the same information technology systems have proved to cause major losses in companies like it was the situation with the two mentioned organizations. In order to minimize the unfavorable eventualities, backup procedures are necessary for both small and large businesses. It has been realized that establishment disaster recovery arrangements is critical for organizations and they need not wait for a disaster in order to develop one. Determination of probable vulnerabilities associated to specific business operations can greatly help in formulation of disaster recovery strategies (Sun 2012, 472). Recommendations Broader research and suggestions are needed regarding information technology systems operations particularly the manner in which to manage their disruptions. The field of information technology is advancing by the day and therefore more alternatives are expected. There is need to have diverse case studies critically analyzed and this way, more information technology challenges can be identified. Consequently, more suggestions on how to handle the challenges are expected hence contributing to advancement in the particular organizations overall efficiency. References “IT Disaster Recovery Plan”,2012, Accessed 15 of December 2012, Chumbler, N, Haggstrom, D, &Saleem, J 2011, 'Implementation of Health Information Technology in Veterans Health Administration to Support Transformational Change: Telehealth and Personal Health Records', Medical Care, 12, 1, p.14 Ifinedo, P, &Nahar, N 2009, 'Interactions between contingency,.organizational IT factors, and ERP success', Industrial Management & Data Systems, 109, 1, p. 118. Nutt, PC 2010, 'Learning from failed decisions', Performance Improvement Quarterly, 23, 3, pp. 15-38. O’Brien, J.A., 2012. Management Information Systems: Managing Information Technology in the E-Business Enterprise. London: McGraw-Hill, pp.43-44. Otim, S, Dow, K, Grover, V, & Wong, J 2012, 'The Impact of Information Technology Investments on Downside Risk of the Firm: Alternative Measurement of the Business Value of IT', Journal Of Management Information Systems, 29, 1, pp. 159-194. Sakthivel, S, Mary, D, &Deivarajamani, M 2011, 'Reactive Power Planning for Voltage Stability Limit Improvement with FACTS Devices in Most Critical Contingency Condition', European Journal Of Scientific Research, 66, 3, pp. 408-420. Zhou, Y, & Liu, M 2012, 'Risk Assessment of Major Hazards and its Application in Urban Planning: A Case Study', Risk Analysis: An International Journal, 32, 3, pp. 566-577, Escobar-Rodriguez, T, Monge-Lozano, P, &Romero-Alonso, M 2011,'Deploying information technology and continuous control monitoring systems in hospitals to prevent medication errors', Health Information Management Journal, 41, 1, p. 17. Sun, H 2012, 'Understanding user revisions when using information system features: Adaptive system use and triggers', MIS Quarterly, 36, 2, pp. 453-478. Read More