MIS UNIT 4

4.1 Process of MIS

Management information systems (MIS) are an organized method of
collecting information from various sources, compiling it, and
presenting it in a readable format. It helps business leaders and
managers make strategic management decisions.
1. Identification of Information Needs:
The first step in the MIS process is to identify the information needs
of the organization. This involves understanding the business
processes, objectives, and decision-making requirements of different
levels and functions within the organization.
2. Data Collection:
Once the information needs are identified, the next step is to collect
relevant data. Data can be sourced from various internal and external
sources, such as transactional systems, databases, surveys, and market
research.
3. Data Processing:
After collecting the data, it needs to be processed to extract
meaningful information. This involves organizing, cleaning,
aggregating, and transforming the raw data into a format that can be
used for analysis and decision making. Data processing may include
tasks like data validation, integration, and data quality assurance.
4. Data Analysis:
In this stage, the processed data is analyzed to derive insights and
support decision making. Various analytical techniques, such as
statistical analysis, data mining, and predictive modeling, can be
employed to discover patterns, trends, and relationships in the data.
The analysis helps in identifying key performance indicators,
evaluating performance, and making informed decisions.
5. Information Presentation:
The analyzed information is then presented in a meaningful and easily
understandable format. This can involve creating reports, dashboards,
visualizations, and other tools to communicate the information
effectively to the relevant stakeholders. The presentation should be
tailored to the specific needs of different users, such as executives,
managers, and operational staff.
6. Information Dissemination:
Once the information is presented, it needs to be disseminated to the
appropriate individuals or groups within the organization. This can be
done through various channels, such as email, collaboration tools,
intranets, or mobile applications. Timely and accurate information
dissemination ensures that the right people have access to the right
information at the right time.
7. Information Utilization:
The final stage of the MIS process is the utilization of information for
decision making and performance improvement. The information
provided by the MIS supports strategic planning, operational
management, problem-solving, and performance evaluation. It
enables managers and executives to make informed decisions based
on accurate and up-to-date information.
4.2 Development of MIS with in organization
The development of Management Information Systems (MIS) within
an organization involves the implementation and enhancement of
systems that collect, process, store, and analyze data to support
managerial decision-making and operational activities.

Here are the key steps involved in the development of MIS within an
organization:
1. Needs Assessment:
The first step is to assess the information needs of the organization
and its various departments or functional areas. This involves
understanding the key business processes, identifying the data
required for decision-making, and determining the specific
information needs of different stakeholders.
2. Planning and Design:
Based on the needs assessment, a plan is developed to design and
implement the MIS. This includes defining the scope, objectives, and
deliverables of the system. The design phase involves determining the
data sources, data structures, data flow, and information outputs
required to meet the identified needs.
3. Data Collection and Integration:
Data is collected from various sources within the organization, such
as operational systems, databases, spreadsheets, and external sources.
This data is then integrated and transformed into a consistent format
suitable for analysis and reporting.
4. Database Development:
A database is developed to store and manage the collected data. The
database design should align with the organization’s data model,
ensuring data integrity, security, and accessibility. The database may
be implemented using various technologies such as relational
databases, data warehouses, or big data platforms.
5. System Development:
The MIS software or applications are developed to process and
analyze the data. This may involve developing custom software
solutions, configuring off-the-shelf software, or leveraging cloud-
based platforms. The system should incorporate features for data
processing, analysis, visualization, and reporting as per the identified
information needs.
6. Testing and Quality Assurance:
The developed MIS undergoes rigorous testing to ensure its
functionality, reliability, and performance. Various testing
methodologies such as unit testing, integration testing, and user
acceptance testing are employed to identify and rectify any issues or
bugs.
7. Implementation and Deployment:
Once the MIS has been thoroughly tested, it is deployed within the
organization. This involves installing the necessary hardware and
software components, configuring the system, and integrating it with
existing IT infrastructure. User training and change management
strategies are employed to facilitate the adoption and utilization of the
MIS.
8. Monitoring and Maintenance:
After implementation, the MIS requires ongoing monitoring and
maintenance. This includes monitoring data quality, system
performance, and user feedback. Regular updates, bug fixes, and
security patches are applied to ensure the system’s optimal
functioning.
9. Continuous Improvement:
The MIS should be continuously evaluated and improved based on
user feedback, evolving business needs, and technological
advancements. This may involve adding new features, expanding data
sources, or enhancing analytical capabilities to provide more
comprehensive and valuable information to the users.
The development of MIS within an organization is an iterative
process that requires collaboration between IT professionals, business
stakeholders, and end-users.
It is essential to align the MIS development with the organization’s
strategic goals and ensure that it provides accurate, timely, and
relevant information to support effective decision-making at all levels.
4.3 Implementation of mis
1. Planning for Implementation:
Planning involves identifying various activities such as deciding the
sequence for the activities and estimating the time needed for each
activity that is required to implement MIS. All these activities vary
according to the design specification of MIS, such as input, output,
equipment and processing. To specify and describe the planning,
various tools can be used such as Gantt Charts and Network Diagrams
2. Acquisition of Facilities and Space Planning:
To implement MIS at the user's workstation, various facilities such
as office, computer room and computer library are required.
Therefore, the MIS manager also needs to do space planning. The
space planning is an activity that includes estimating the space
occupied by computers and its various peripherals such as terminals,
printers, workers, etc. The MIS manager also needs to decide the
location of the computer room and its safety and security factors.
3. MIS Organization and Procedure Development:
Now, the MIS manager starts recruiting other required human
resources for the MIS. The MIS manager also starts developing
procedures for various other activities such as evaluating and
selecting hardware and buying or developing required software.
4. User Training:
For successfully implementing MIS, the MIS manager must arrange
trainings for the users according to the user’s requirement. For
example, the training for the clerical users must be about the
processing and functioning of MIS and a manager must be informed
about how to make on-line inquiries.
5. Acquisition of Hardware and Software:
Immediately after deciding the MIS design specifications, the process
of purchasing or developing the required hardware and software
starts. Selecting hardware and software is discussed later in this unit.
The MIS manager should ensure that the prerequisite such as
computer room, electric connections and communication lines,
required to install the hardware are fulfilled. The MIS manager should
also ensure that other consumables such as papers and floppies are
available as required.
6. Creation of Forms and Database:
Database is used to store data, and forms are used for transmitting
data. Forms are used to input data to MIS and receive the output data
from the MIS. Therefore, the implementation of MIS also requires
forms and databases. Therefore, database and forms must be
generated for the MIS and these database and forms are generated in
context of the entire MIS.
7. Testing:
Testing is a process that is performed to find out whether or not each
and every element of MIS such as equipments, programs and forms,
are working according to their design specifications. The testing also
calculates accuracy, range of inputs, frequency of inputs, operating
conditions and reliability factors of the MIS. Nowadays, the
Computer Aided Software Engineering (CASE) tool is used to
perform testing of MIS.
8. Change Over:
After performing the testing, the last step is to put the MIS at the
user's workstation. The process of placing the newly developed MIS
at the workstation differs depending on the following two situations:
• Placing only the new MIS system
• Replacing an existing MIS system by the new one
4.4 Stages and evolution of system
Evolution of MIS
It's useful to divide the history of management information systems
into four or five periods to make sense of its evolution.
Mid-1960s to mid-1970s:
Information systems were centralized during the early years of
computerized MIS and were only focused on management and
governance requirements. Accounting departments were in charge of
most information systems and their reports.
Mid-1970s to mid-1980s:
Even though MIS was still primarily focused on management and
oversight, additional departments were starting to take advantage of
the technology. The form and scope of additional Information
Systems steering groups and user-led initiatives often established
projects.
Mid-1980s to late 1990s:
This period saw the growth of centralized information systems and
the decentralization of information. Every division has its computer
network. Information management was frequently referred to as
"herding cats." A new job to handle the acquisition and operation of
various information systems evolved in many businesses during this
time.
The late 1990s to today:
Information systems are still closely related to governance and
management in the modern period, but they are extensively dispersed
and accessible to almost every employee across several platforms. So
that a client firm can easily access supplier information and their
consumers, in turn, may access that information, many information
systems are integrated amongst various companies.
Today forward:
The rapid growth in internet bandwidth has resulted in a significant
reliance on cloud computing. Some claim that this heralds a new era
in the rise of the worker and that this is the era of management
information systems. Nowadays, almost any employee can make
educated judgments because of the tools that are easily accessible
across several platforms. The distinction between those who create
and those who use MIS information is becoming increasingly hazy.
4.5 Maintenance of system
Techniques of Systems Maintenance:
1. Emergency Maintenance:
This is due to the malfunction or “bug” in the system where
maintenance is urgent and usually calls for immediate attention.
The malfunction is because it has not been tested completely, even
though the system must have run perfectly for months or even years.
The information system user usually identifies the malfunction. Then
a team of analysts and programmers should rectify it if the
malfunction is in computer program and caused by a system input.
2. Routine Maintenance:
Routine Maintenance is required to keep systems performance in
order as it reflects the organization environment. The activities may
be rewriting manual procedures, conducting training sessions, altering
report formats and contents and forming new processing logic for
computer programs. For e.g. A new tax law may require a change in
the calculation of net pay or a new accounting depreciation method
may be developed.
3. Special Reporting Requests:
These are periodic requests for tactical and strategic management
information, which does not come under routine production. These
special requests can be satisfied directly by a user with a database
management system and the analyst assists in preparing the necessary
procedures for the request, e.g.
A special report on selected products during a sales promotion or a
special analysis of a particular vendor’s delivery performance.
4. Systems improvements:
When a new system is implemented, users may suggest additional
improvements to the system. To make the changes, the analyst
determines if it can be met with the existing data base and develops
the necessary manual and computer procedures to satisfy the
requirements.
Problems of Systems Maintenance:
The system always undergoes continued modification due to various
reasons. The application systems need changes and sometimes it takes
away half or more of an organization’s allocated resources and time.
Thus, many organizations have adopted the principle of setting a
budget for maintenance and perform only the highest priority
maintenance work.
The personnel working in the information system do not wish to
spend most of their time maintaining or trying to patch up systems
designed and implemented years ago. In some organizations, the
programmers are rotated once in a year.
By this the programmers will have new assignments, the experience
base of the personnel is broadened, better ideas are being proposed
and evaluation of the personnel and the performance of two or more
persons and the several project leaders can be compared.