This document discusses the management information system (MIS) and its development and implementation. It describes MIS as recognizing information as a key organizational resource that must be managed through planning and control. It discusses two approaches to developing an MIS - the prototype approach, which involves progressively testing systems on a smaller scale, and the life cycle approach for more static systems. The implementation of an MIS is described as bringing organizational change that must address human factors through guidelines like respecting user needs and gaining management acceptance.

1. MANAGEMENT
INFORMATION SYSTEM

2. INTRODUCTION
Like any other business activity, the long range plan for development as well as
implementation is a basic necessity of MIS. In MIS, information is recognized as a major
resource like capital, time and capacity. If the resource is to be managed well, it calls upon
the management to plan for it and control it for the appropriate use in the organization.
Computer technology has now become user-friendly in the manipulation of Information
function of Storage, Communications, Intelligence and Language. Computers can now be
used as a tool for information processing and communication. It can now be used for
storing large database or knowledge base. It can be used for knowing the current status of
any aspect of the business due to its on-line real time processing capability. Such a broad-based
activity can be executed only when it is conceived as a system.

3. This system should deal with management information and not with
data processing alone. It should provide support for management planning,
decision making and action. It should support the needs of the lower
management as well as that of the top management. It should provide support
to the changing needs of business management. The plan of the MIS is
concurrent to the Business Plan of the organization. To ensure that the
information needs is concurrent with the implementation of the business plan,
it is necessary that the business plan states the information needs. The
information needs are then traced to the source data and the systems in
organization which generate such a data. The details of information are
provided to the operations management to assess the status of an activity and
to find ways to make up, f necessary. Once the management needs are
translated into information needs, it is left for the designer to evolve a plan of
development and implementatio

4. DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MIS
The two Information System Development Models are:
• Prototype Approach
• Life Cycle Approach
Prototype Approach
When the system is complex, the development strategy is Prototyping of the system.
Prototyping is the process of progressively ascertaining the information needs, developing methodology, trying it out
on a smaller scale with respect to the data and the complexity, ensuring that it satisfies the needs of the users, and
assess the problems of development and implementation.

5. This process, therefore, identifies the problem areas, inadequacies in the
prototype vis-a-vis fulfillment of the information needs.
The designer then takes steps to remove the inadequacies. This may call
upon changing the prototype of the system, questioning the information
needs, streamlining the operational systems and procedures and more
user interaction.

6. Information System Development Model:Prototype Approach
MISSION,
GOALS
IDENTIFY
INFORMATION
NEEDS
DEFINE SYSTEM
BOUNDARIES
AND SCOPE
DEFINE
SYSTEM
OBJECTIVE
EXAMINE
FEASIBILITY
REFINE
THE NEEDS
DEVELOP AND
TEST
INITIAL
PROTOTYPE
DEVELOP
INITIAL
PROTOTYPE
SPECIFICATIONS
MODIFY
PROTOTYPE
SPECIFICATIONS
DEVELOP
REVISED
PROTOTYPE
IS
THE USER
SATISFIED?
DEVELOP
APPLICATION
WITH FINAL
SPECIFICATIONS
REVIEW
IMPLEMENT
IN PARALLEL
TRAINING
DOCUMEN-TATION
YES
NO

7. In the prototyping approach, the designer’s task becomes difficult, when
there are multiple users of the same system and the inputs they use are used by
some other users as well.
For example, a lot of input data comes from the purchase department, which is used in
accounts and inventory management.
The information has to be considered as a corporate resource wherein the functional, the
departmental, the personal boundaries do not exist.
Bringing the multiple users on the same platform and changing their attitudes towards
information, as a corporate resource, is the managerial task of the system designer.

8. LIFE CYCLE APPROACH
There are many systems or subsystems in the MIS which have a life cycle, that is, they have birth and death.
They have hundred percent clarity of inputs and their sources, a definite set of outputs in terms of the
contents and formats.
These details more or less remain static from the day the system emerges and remains in that static mode for
a long time. Minor modifications or changes do occur but they are not significant in terms of handling either
by the designer or the user of the system.
Such systems therefore have a life and they can be developed in a systematic manner, and can be reviewed
after a year or two, for significant modification, if any.
Examples of such systems are pay roll, share accounting, basic financial accounting, finished goods accounting
and dispatching, order processing and so on. These systems have a fairly long duration of survival and they
contribute in a big way as sources of data to the Corporate MIS.

9. Life Cycle Approach to the Development of MIS
SYSTEM
APPLICATION
ASSESS
FEASIBILITY
INFORMATION
REQ. ANALYSIS
CONCEPTUAL
DESIGN
PHYSICAL
DESIGN
SYSTEM
SPECIFICATIONS
PROGRAM
SPECIFICATIONS
DEVELOP
THE SYSTEM
INSTALL
THE SYSTEM
CONDUCT
AWARENESS
AND TRAINING
OPERATE THE
SYSTEM
REVIEW AND
AUDIT
The choice of system design in the Prototype and Life Cycle approach, is decided on the basis of the nature of
the system or application.
For example you have a choice of the database approach versus the conventional system approach, the online real time versus
the batch processing approach, choice of hardware and software. All these technical decisions are more situation dependent.

10. Comparison of Approaches
Prototyping Approach Life Cycle Approach
Open system with a high degree of uncertainty about the
information needs.
Closed system with little or no uncertainty about the
information needs. The system remains valid for a long
time with no significant change. The design would remain
stable.
Necessary to try out the ideas, application and efficiency of
the information as a decision support
No need to try out the application of the information as it
is already proven.
Necessary to control the cost of the design and
development before the scope of the system and its
application is fully determined. Experimentation is
necessary.
Scope of the design and the application is fully determined
wit clarity and experimentation is not necessary.
User of the system wants to tryout the system before he
commits the specification and the information
requirements.
The user is confident and confirms the specifications and
the information needs.
The system and application is highly custom oriented. The system and application is universal and governed by
the principles and practices.

11. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MIS
The implementation of the MIS brings about organizational
and behavioral change. It affects people and changes their work
style .In the process of implementation, the system designer acts as
a change agent or a catalyst. For a successful implementation he
has to handle the human factors carefully. The user of the system
has a certain fear complex when a certain cultural work change is
occurring. The first and foremost fear is about the security to the
person if the change-over from the old to new is not a smooth one.
Care has to be taken to assure the user that such fears are baseless
and the responsibility, therefore, rests with the designer.

12. There are certain guidelines for the systems designer for
successful implementation of the system. The system designer
should:
1. Not question beyond a limit the information need of the user.
2. Not forget that his role is to offer a service and not to demand terms.
3. Remember that the system design is for the use of the user and it is not
the designer’s prerogative to dictate the design features. In short, the
designer should respect the demands of the user.

13. 4. Not mix up technical needs with the information needs.
5. Impress upon the user the global nature of the system design which is
required to meet the current and prospective information need.
6. Not challenge the application of the information in decision making. It is the
sole right of the user to use the information the way he thinks.
7. Impress upon the user that the quality of the information depends on the
quality of input which he provides.
8. Impress upon the user that he is one of the users in the organization and that
the information is a corporate resource and he is expected to contribute to
the development of the MIS.

14. 9. Ensure that the user makes commitment to all the requirements of the system
design specifications.
10. Ensure that the overall system efforts has the management’s acceptance.
11. Enlist the user’s participation from time to time,s o that he is emotionally
involved in the process of development.
12. Realize that through serving the user, he is his best guide on the complex path
of development.
13. Not expect perfect understanding from the user as he may be the user of non-computerized
system. Hence, the designer should be prepared to change
the system specifications or even the design during the course of
development.

15. Implementation of the MIS in an organization is a process where organizational
transformation takes place. This change can occur in a number of ways.
Lewin’s model suggests three steps in this process.
1. The first step is unfreezing the organization to make the people more receptive
and interested in the change.
2. The second step is choosing a course of action where the process begins and
reaches the desired level.
3. The third step is Refreezing, where the change is consolidated and equilibrium is
reinforced.

16. Many a times, this process is implemented through an external change agent,
such as a consultant, playing the role of a catalyst.
The significant problem in this task is the resistance to change.
The resistance can occur due to three reasons, viz., the factors internal to the users
of information, the factors inherent in the design of the system and the factors
arising out of the interaction between the system and its users.
The problem of resistance can be handled through education, persuasion, and
participation. This itself can be achieved by improving the human factors, and
providing the incentives to the users, and eliminating the organizational problems
before implementing the system.

17. ORGANIZATION FOR DEVELOPMENT OF THE MIS
The organization structure of the MIS would differ from one organization to the other.
The type, the size and the structure of corporate organization becomes the basis for the MIS
organization for handling the MIS function and management alternatives. The major
issues involved are:
1. Whether the function should be handled as a centralized or decentralized activity.
2. The allocation of the hardware and software resources.
3. The maintenance of the service level at an appropriate level.
4. Fitting the organization of the MIS in the corporate organization, its culture and the
management philosophy.

18. The question of centralization versus decentralization is resolved by assessing
the status of information resource in the organization, I.e., whether the status is the
information systems management or the information resource management.
When it is a case of information systems management then the organization of the
MIS would be centralized, but if it is a case of information resource management, it
will be decentralized organization.
In a centralized system, the user of the information is free from the responsibility of
designing the systems and also from deciding the hardware and the software.

19. However, if the information needs are varying and is more
strategic in nature, the rliance on the centralized set-up becomes
a difficult workable proposition. When such a situation arises, a
decentralized organization is more effective.
In a real life situation, the variations of these two approaches are
found, mainly on account of the variety of hardware, software
solutions. One can develop two models of the MIS organization.

20. Centralized Organization of MIS
MANAGING
DIRECTOR
HEAD OF
MIS
HARDWARE AND
SOFTWARE
CENTRALIZED SYSTEM
DEVELOPMENT
OPERATIONS,
MAINTENANCE
SELECTION, UPGRADE,
EXPANSION DECISIONS
TECHNOLOGY
UPGRADE DECISIONS
INFORMATION SYSTEM
PLANNING
TRAINING
MANAGEMENT AND
DEVELOPMENT
RUNNING DAY TO DAY
OPERATIONS, BACK UP
SYSTEM MAINTENANCE,
SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE

21. MANAGING
DIRECTOR
Decentralized Organization of MIS
HEAD OF
MIS
MANAGEMENT OF
HARDWARE
ADVISE ON HARDWARE
AND SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY
TRAINING AND
SUPPORT
DISTRIBUTED OR
DECENTRALIZED DECISION
MAINTENANCE OF
HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE
SELECTION OF
HARDWARE SOLUTION
SELECTION OF
LANGUAGE, OS.
ASSISST USERS IN SYSTEM
DEVELOPMENT
TRAINING AND
PROBLEM SOLVING
CORPORATE
DBMS

22. Thank Yooooo……..