DSS & OSS

Rahul Singh

Introduction
A Decision Support System (DSS) is an interactive computer-based system or subsystem intended to help decision makers use communications technologies, data, documents, knowledge and/or models to identify and solve problems, complete decision process tasks, and make decisions.

History
Academic Researchers from many disciplines has been studying DSS for approximately 40 years. According to Keen and Scott Morton (1978), the concept of decision support has evolved from two main areas of research: -The theoretical studies of organizational decision making done at the Carnegie Institute of Technology during the late 1950s and early 1960s, and -The technical work on interactive computer systems, mainly carried out at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the 1960s. It is considered that the concept of DSS became an area of research of its own in the middle of the 1970s, before gaining in intensity during the 1980s.

Management Problems
Objectives Variables Constraints

Problems can be : Structured Semi Structures Unstructured

Steps in decision making

Step 1 Concept of Project is Identified
Decision To Proceed Decision To Abandon

Step 2

Project assessment. Taking account of all issues involved

Decision To Proceed Decision To Abandon

Step 3

Project Goes to Detail Specification For Tender

Decision To Proceed Decision To Abandon

Step 4

Tender Accepted. Construction Starts

Decision To Proceed Decision To Abandon

Step 5

Operation Starts
Decision To Proceed Decision To Abandon

Benefits
Improves personal efficiency Expedites problem solving (speed up the progress of problems solving in an organization) Facilitates interpersonal communication Promotes learning or training Increases organizational control Generates new evidence in support of a decision Creates a competitive advantage over competition Encourages exploration and discovery on the part of the decision maker Reveals new approaches to thinking about the problem space Helps automate the managerial processes.

Classification Relationship with user

Passive DSS DSS

Active DSS
Cooperative DSS

Mode of assistance

DSS

Communication Driven DSS

Data Driven DSS

Document Driven DSS

Knowledge Driven DSS

Model Driven DSS

Scope

DSS Enterprise - wide DSS Desktop DSS

Components
1.

2.
3. 4. 5.

Data Management Subsystem Model Management Subsystem Knowledge Management Subsystem User Interface Subsystem The User

Data Management

Model Management

Knowledge Management

Other Systems

User Interface

User

Group Decision Support System

Group Decision Support Systems (GDSS) are a class of electronic meeting systems, a collaboration technology designed to support meetings and group work.

Disadvantages Slow communication Not all tasks are amendable to GDSS (one to many)

Operation Support Systems

Introduction
Operations support systems are computer systems used by telecommunication service providers. The term OSS most frequently describes "network systems" dealing with the telecom network itself, supporting processes such as maintaining network inventory, provisioning services, configuring network components, and

Application areas
An OSS covers at least the application areas: Network management systems Service delivery Service fulfillment, including the network inventory, activation and provisioning Service assurance Customer care

A lot of the work on OSS has been centered on defining its architecture. Put simply, there are four key elements of OSS: Processes Data Applications Technology During the 1990s, new OSS architecture definitions were done by the ITU-T in its TMN model. This established a 4-layer model of TMN applicable within an OSS:

Business Management Level (BML) Service Management Level (SML) Network Management Level (NML)