Session 1 – Organisational-Oriented Methodologies
Preview
In this topic you will look at a number of themes that characterise approaches that address information systems by looking at the organisation as a whole. You will then investigate, in detail, Soft Systems 代写留学生作业Methodology (SSM), an approach that adopts predominantly the theme of “systems theory”.
Objectives
After completing this topic you should be able to:
• discuss a number of themes that characterise approaches that might be termed organisational;
In the forthcoming topics (Topics 2 to 4), a number of specific modelling techniques used to support an SSM study are presented, together with an SSM case study to consolidate your understanding of SSM.
Learning Materials
Recommended Reading:
Avison D & Fitzgerald G, 2003, ‘Information Systems Development: Methodologies, Techniques and Tools’
Journals:
Journal of the ACM, ACM Transactions on Information Systems, ACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology, European Journal of Information Systems, IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering, Information and Management, The Information Society, Information Technology and Management and Journal of Systems and Software
Readings:
Critique of existing business process re-engineering methodologies
M Vakola, Y Rezgui - Business Process Management Journal, 2000 http://assets.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/ViewContentServlet;jsessionid=515562BFDD67E8F5F03FF6C3401995BB?contentType=Article&Filename=Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Articles/1570060304.html
Organisational Themes
In this topic we group together themes that address information systems from the perspective of the organisation as a whole. In particular we look first at a number of strands of thought that emphasise the interconnection of information systems, their strategic use, re-engineering them, and the role of information system planning in driving the modern organisation.
We look first at systems theory, which presents a holistic view of organisations, in response to concerns about the piecemeal character of the traditional Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC).
We turn then to strategic information systems thinking, which focuses on the needs of top management, in reaction to concerns that many traditional approaches seem to focus only on the operational level of the firm.
Business process re-engineering involves a re-examination of present systems, leading to redesign of business processes and the information systems that support those processes.
Planning approaches emphasise the way future information systems development can be organised and integrated so that strategic as well as tactical and operational needs can be included.
Finally, the legacy systems theme is concerned with maintaining or replacing major organisational systems that have been in operation for some time.
Systems Theory
Taking a systems approach involves thinking about an organisation as a system – a set of interrelated elements. A system will have a set of inputs going into it, a set of outputs going out from it, and a set of processes that convert the inputs to outputs. Other systems concepts that have proven useful in understanding organisations as a whole include:
• Boundary – where the system starts and ends, i.e. what things are part of the system and what things are external to the system
• Environment – the things external to the system that will influence how the system behaves
• Emergence (the whole is greater than the sum of the parts); and
• Open and Closed Systems. An open system needs to interact with its environment to achieve its purposes, a closed system is self-contained and doesn’t need to interact with its environment to achieve its purposes
Information Systems Strategy
Over the years computing and technology investment has moved from being just about cost saving and efficiencies, to addressing more strategic systems – systems that can yield competitive advantage. The work of Porter (1980) has offered a framework for thinking about competitive strategies, identifying the competitive forces that any company needs to consider. Porter suggests that significant strategic advantage can be achieved by considering these forces. Specifically organisations should seek to:
• Diminish supplier power;
• Diminish customer power;
• Hold off new entrants into an industry;
• Lower the possibility of product substitution; and
• Gain a competitive edge within the existing industry.
This framework can be helpful in focussing the role of information systems to improve competitive positioning.
Business Process Re-engineering (BPR)
Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) challenges managers to fundamentally rethink and radically redesign their business processes with a view to achieving dramatic improvements in critical, contemporary measures of performance such as cost, quality, service and speed. The outcomes of such a fundamental rethink include flattened organisational structures, a greater focus on customers, and improved teamwork leading to a more widespread understanding of the roles of others.
As originally conceived, BPR often requires the recruitment of re-engineering teams consisting of strategists in information systems, business analysts with computer skills, and organisational development specialists. The notion is that information technology (IT) usage is to be determined on the basis of how well it supports redesigned business processes. On the other hand, BPR is often enabled by information technology and information systems.
BPR has been widely questioned as an approach. Critics have highlighted a high rate of failure, in particular the difficulty of separating reengineering from downsizing. This has led to a “toning down” of the more radical redesign expectations of classic BPR.
Reading
Read the article by M Vakola, Y Rezgui on “Critique of existing business process re-engineering methodologies” for a commentary on some of the perceived problems with BPR, at: http://assets.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/ViewContentServlet;jsessionid=515562BFDD67E8F5F03FF6C3401995BB?contentType=Article&Filename=Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Articles/1570060304.html
Information Systems Planning
Information systems planning is an essential aspect of developing successful systems. In particular, thinking over the last decade has stressed the need for strategic planning to embrace the alignment of information systems with the overall strategic direction of the organisation. Rather than concentrate on individual applications and subsystems in detail, strategic planning needs to involve top management in the analysis and determination of organisational objectives, and possible ways these objectives might be achieved using the information resource.
There are many general information systems planning approaches, often utilising techniques such as Critical Success Factors and SWOT.
Legacy Systems
代写留学生作业In addition to developing new applications, established organisations will also be concerned with running systems that have been in operation for some time, but which are not implemented using contemporary technology (“legacy systems”).
Crucial to this theme is the need for a methodology to support taking the “maintain or replace” decision.
An alternative to continued maintenance or replacement is to reverse engineer and then forward engineer the application. The implementation of an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system can also address effectively the problem of legacy systems.
Finally, another way to deal with legacy systems is simply to manage them better.
Next Topic
/ will turn now to an investigation of one very influential organisational-oriented methodology – Soft Systems Methodology (SSM). SSM embraces several of the above themes, although predominantly the “Systems Theory” theme.
References
Porter M E, 1980, Competitive Strategy Free Press, New York.