Information System Planning: A case review

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S~~t~rnHa

ng:

A Case

Review

The inadequacy of information systems at TelUniversity had reached a point at which top m3n~~ment ordered 3 stop to all current development activities untii a review was undertaken of all the information system requirements of the university. The lack of timely and accurate data for the strategic ptanning level, as well as poor service to all the functional units, intensified the determination of top management to seek new tools and methods for the development of Management Information Systems (MIS) for the university. The general concensus was that the advantages derived from efficient sysjustify the expences incurred in their development. At the global level, benefits would be delivered from improved utilization of university resources. Similarly, at the operational level, improved services for education and research would impact the image and the role of the university in the 1~31 and federal community. At this stage International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) proposed the conduct of an lnformation System Planning (JSP) [2] study under the guidance of IBM representatives, but under the leadership of the Managing Director of the University. An ISP team headed by the Managing Director was organized. Two IBM representatives were included as e%afficia members of the team; their task was to insure the integrity of the application of the ISP methodology, A control room was allocated and 3 time schedule set for the study. It was planned that the study should span a period of two and a half months, with rke team conducting meetings four days a week, Team members undertook the ISP task in addition to their normal duties, and consequently were under great pressures for the duration of the study. The team members were largely recruited from the administration of the university. Representation of AViV

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the academic community on the team was spars :. Tiiis paper presents a review of the ISP metiodo?03y, a description of the experience at Tel-Aviv Univ:rsity, and an evaluation of the approach, its pr)wer and deficiency, for use by public non-profit orgardzati’ons.

0 Defining organization processes: Processes are defined as groups of logically related decisions and activities required to manage the resmrces of thr! organization. Processes are identified and studied regardless of the organieation unit responsible for

them. Defining data classes: A data class is a category of logically related information. The definition of dat
l

2. A Review of the ISP Methodology The Information System Planning (ISP) approach which has been developed by IBM differs from many other structured methods which have been proposed for the planning and development of Management Information Systems (MIS) [5]. The method incorporates, among other things, the understanding of the organization from the viewpoint of top management, the identification of the resoumes of the organization, and the derivation of the processes that encompass strategic planning, management Control, and operational control, associated with each resource. The generation of the overall MIS plan is an evolutionary process consisting of several major activities: l Documenting the organization objectives: A statement of the objectives of the organization as seen by top management is solicited. Consequently, the benefits which can be derived from the introduction of management information systems may be measured with respect to the goals of the organization. An essential part of any MIS plan is to provide top management with the tools to evaluate it; even though the data which is presented may be biased, it represents a commitment to a.chieve the desired results. l Defining organization resources: An MIS plan should address the needs of all the levels of management within tlhe organization. The information requirements of the three distinct but concurrent planning and control levels (strategic planning, management control, and operational control) [ 1] may be determined throl# the resources they manage. Each resource is managed through planning and control decisions of the th.ree levels. Resource management cuts across organizational boundaries and provides an exccllent framewnrk for process analysis. Tha identification and definition of the resources of an organization is an important cornerstone of the ISP methodology. It should be noted, however, that specific resources to be managed may vary from one organization to the next.

the letters C and U are entered to itldieate for each

process which data classes are created and which data classes are used, respectively. * Defining the information architecture: The understanding of the organization processes and the data required to support them, provides a framework for the analysis of the architecture of the data to be managed to support the processes. Data classes can be logically grouped into data bases. Information systems are the vehicles by which data are inserted into and extracted from the data bases IO support the organization processes. Fundamentally, all the data bases and the information systems comprise the MIS. However, Srr,&m~aflonsub~Werns may be ldentifled. These are a group of processes which are logically related in the use and crcatlon of data da The ISP method 1~an iterative process by which the classification of processes, data classes. arpnlzation structure, and informatlun architecttire are refined at each stage in order to attain a ennraistcnt view of the organization from the lnformatlan and decision making point of view. The study Is con ductcd by a team of executive Ievel employees uf t!le organization, working under the leadership of a top level executive sponsor. The team operates in a highly structured environment, with a fixed time table, and

S. Gill /Information

ample resources (a control room, wall cha,:s. etc.). The study is conducted according to a prearranged wnfk plan (which is caref&y documented in a con. ttol book) and includes a schedule of interviews, a lion of the o ization, pr ) and data

An in&q@ t#ltt of the rppro~h dsrethe executive interviews, The.x intc~~~ provide the team with ry inform&ion for systemsandysis rend planning. The interviews contribute to the validation of the ;malysiaand a review of the defimitionsof ptos which ate compiled by the team members,abs well 05 Lreatinga rapport between team membersoad the executivesof the organization. Il\e interviews help ensure completenessof the proces~s associatedwith each resourceand of the data ctasscs.spot redundancies.and clarify responsibilities within the organization. During the interviews, probiems are soiicited.Subsequently,problemsare divided into two cateprics, those that have to do with info,rmatton system support and those that do not. The assessmentof the ramificationsof information ptoblenn is a major factor in determining the order in which the MIS plan is implemented. The final phaseof the ISP project is to review the information systems function within the organization. the current information systems,and the atiait-

able technology. Successful implementation of the plan is dependent on an accurate evaluation of the usability of the current systems. slight imptovcments in the application of current systems may altow the organization te> defer the creation of new systems until more critb al subsystems have been de-

veloped. The adoption oe 8 uniform set of standards and tools, both for provkilng information for top msrnagament and for drta manipul&m, is Inherent to the rrpproachqPinay, an action plan is praposed whkh outlines n~~ftlmnded fC8ilow4Mtprojcctr, f~sm.tfu~%, schedulea,end Interactlensof the projects. A written report and 8 pre ntatisn of ISP arc prccommitment of top manpacedin order to obtain agemant to lmplamsntl the study.

the recon~nlen~at~on~ of

3. Inrpkmntatlon01 BP The ESP method was implemented at University in order to develop an overall

Tel-Aviv plan for

Systems Planning

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information systems for the university. The first task to obtain a precise and concise definition of the gods of the university: the acquisition and distribution of knowledge. Measuresof performance were defined for the dual roles of a university: education and tesearch. Ambiguity irkthe definition of the measures complicated the task of determining the benefits which could be derived from improved information systems. Given the university goals, the ISP team could identify the resources and the services of the university. Six main resources were identified : t . Students; 2. Human Resources; 3. Finance; 4. Facilities: S. Documented Knowledge; and 6. Public Relasions. Similarly, the two main services of the university were delineated: Education and Research. The process of identifying resources was iterative; as an example, it was only at an advanced stage of the study that the team acknowledged documented knowledge as a resource. For each resource and service, the processes associated with decision making at the strategic, tactical, and operational level were identified and defined. The strategic and planning processes for all the tesources were grouped together under three separate headings: Policy, Long-term Planning, and Annual Planning. Formally, the division of the planning activity into two separate categories represented a departure from the methodology. A fourth heading was generated for the delineation of the measurement and control processes associated with each of the policy and planning activities. A convention was adopted for each of the operational level processes, by which measurement and control were imbeddcd in the process. The operational level processes were retained under the headings of the different resources and services. Over eighty processes were identified, Concurrently, the organization members involved with the processes were identified. A threL member scale of involvement was adopted: partial involvement, heavy involvement, and responsible/decisionmaker. The classification of involvement in each Process by the various functionaries was verified during the interviews. WlS

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The matrix depicting the relationships between the organization and the processes set the stage for the interviews. Over fifty organization members w:re interviewed ranging from the president of the univ?rsity through deans, faculty administrators, department chairmen, and administrative personnel. The interviews were duly recorded and summarized for subsequent analysis. Upon completion of the interviews, the process of identifying data classes and their definition was initiated. During the duuation of this activity, the identification of processes, their definitions, and the relevant organization structure were continuously updated and refined. Less than a hundred data classes were identified. They were grouped into three categories: planning, measurement and control, and operational. Under planning, various plans and standards were identified as playing a central role in the strategic plamling process of the university. In addition to the formal plans, the ISP team acknowledged the existence of informal plans as depicted by various resolutions and regulations appearing in the minutes of various committee meetings. Three data classes were identified under the heading of measurement and control: performance vs. planning, statistics, and measures. Of all the different groups of data classes, those associated with the measurement and control activity are the least refined. The operational data classes were grouped under the resource umbrella, in a repetition of the procedure followed in the case of the grouping of processes. A relationship matrix between data classes and processes ~3s derived. For each process, a determination was made as to which data cla:aes were being used (U) and which were created (0 The relationship matrix provided rhe framework for the information system architecture. Given that the whole system is viewed as one MIS, ii B as deemed necessary to identify sub-systems for tAe development and the implementation of the pl;m. A srtb~yfern is a group of processes with a logical connection Ljetween them, i.e. partners i!: the u~i: and creation of data classes. The network, that was thf:s defined, formed the basis for the analysis of the p,oblems which had been summarized during the interviews, The problems not associated with information systems were noted and referred to top management for their action. All the

other problems were categorized according to their sources and their ramifications. The analysis of the problems, coupled with the analysis of the current information systems, formed the basis for determining the prioritiesin the develop mcnt of information subsystems. An action plan was developed as required by the methodology, its con-

tent reflecting the opinions expre interviews. The total effort was documented in a predetermined “ormatand comprised the information system mastsr plan which was presentedto the Bxecutive Committee of %he University. The plan was adopted with some minor modiJJcations.In particular, the order in which the development effort was presented was modified to accommodate political forces within the university.

4. Evaluationof the MISPlan The MIS plan and its accompanying action plan has become a frame work and a term of referenceby which the development efforts of the university are evaluated. Obviously, the strength of the plan lies in its approach: viewing the university as a whole and applying the systems approachto the study of it e Unfortunately, herein also lies the weaknessuf the plan: for a structuredtop-down approachto the analysis of a system to be effective, it must be accomplished in a limited time span. Time constraints pro hibited

in-depth

consideration

and evaluation

of

issues and problems. The analysis and phmning of information systems with the JSP approach aJlows two levels of MIS definition. Consequently, the product of the study, the MIS plan, may appearto be shallow, and does not reflect the amount of effort put into the formation of the final product. Moreowx, the quest for \!nity in the prewntatisn oblitantar the details and the refinementsachievedti the tmalyala. Overall, in the dcvelopme~,tof the MIS plan, the contention between two contending forces remained unresolved: on the one hnnd, the desire far wholcnoss (presenting the system as a whale and waping ths folly of too much detail), and on the other hand, omission of important details In the conddcratian of the whole. Therein lies the dilemma: One cannot understand the ,vhole without some knowledge of th@ parts. So from where should a good study embark?

S Gill/ fnformutionSystems Phning

From the whole, or from the parts, of perhap from both (intermittently)? This issue was not resokd in the study conducted at Tel-Aviv University and the

resuli. the MIS plan. reflectsthis ambiguity.

A structured approach to systemsanalysis may result in a distorted psint of view of the world, i.e., Most of the “teal world” organis little Yttucztun, and ate in a sense Ucked” (they 39e not amenable to formal methods nizrtions tend to have of analysis). However, 3nd informal, at the bate more St9Ulr;t\l9~, b&t tom of the hierarchy. Consrquently, a structuredap preach may tend tu concentrate on the structured (ion. Owtdi, the tendency to end of the or s at the operationallevel and the ms thus derived will distort the role of the approachas it was presentedto top management, namely, as a tool which would allow the definition of infomration system requirementsfrom the viewpoint of top management(as well as at the operational level). Inherently. the system failed to provide the net% ty onaly%isfor the requirementsof top management. Clichessuch as:

Most of the information requirements of top m:lnagemcnt can be met if. at the operational level, the data exists for their own needs. or - What top managementnerds is a DecisionSupport System (DSS) that is nurttred from data extracted and deformed from the operationalIcvel. Generrrl truths cannot a st in the correct choice of tools for BSS that would best suit the needsof the orpnization, With little additional effort, it may have been ible to munta the str university. $tructurcd moOto& for the analyrla of the Information requirements of an or~an~~ation~although very popular, tend to ove~~n~plifythe problems in order to generatew consistentplan. Structured inter. views, in particular, constrain the discussionto the format of the report, thus contributing to theid&ortion of the imageof the requiredsystem,A free form

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analysis, on the otiler hand, depends on the maturity of both the organization and the people conducting the study. The rr.ethods for the analysis and the planning of information systems should be chosen tJ match the abilities of the organization, thus enhancing the probability of success. Finally, a constant danger accompanies each and every team analysis effort: over time, the team has a tendency to generate an informal language in use among its members, and they thus create a barrier between themselves and the rest of the organization. The lack of objective criticism during the process may cause dissonance between the conclusions reached by the team in its deliberations, and the expectations of the otganization. In particular, policy recommendations of the team should be carefully reviewed by top management prior to their presentation to the organization at large to avoid embarrassment all around. Such review will not detract from the quality of the product and will enhance the likelihood of implementation. 6. Summaryand Conclusions

The ISP approach, while far from being a panacea, has resulted in a precise and concise definition, of the information system requirements of the university. While the scope of its applicability may be limited to the operational control of the organization, its contribution to the understanding of the decision making processes and the information requirements of the functional units justifies the amount of effort expanded in the development of the MIS plan. Unfortunately, the ‘*hero syndrom” [3] still prevails: to& which are best suited for specific tasks, are being “sold” as a ‘&curefor all maladies”. Specifically, the MIS plan did not generate 3 detailed definition of the information requirements of the strategic planning level of the organization. In this instance, the plan set forth general truths that are impossible to verify and are not particular to the university. Consequently, top management will not find in the MIS plan an information system that will satisfy its needs (so had been originally promised). Overselling the virtues of their products remains a 6ct smong computer professionals. Notwithstanding this caveat, the management of Tel-Aviv University is very pleased with the product of the ISP process.

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Fteferences [I ] R.N. Anthony, Planning and Control Systems: A frallrework for Analysis (Harvard Business School, 1965). [2] Business Systems. Planning, 1st ed. (November 1978) (Internaiiond Business Machines Corporation). [3] J. Campbell, Hero with a Thousand Faces (Meridian Books, 1956).

[41 C. West Ilhurchman, The Desiin of inquiring Systems: Basic C bnccpts of Systems and Organization (Basic Books lr -:., 197 1). IS] Gordon B. Davis, Management Information Systems, Conceptual Foundations, Structure, and Development (McGrawl~ill, 1974).