Information Systems Overview

Information Systems

• Definitions

  • Organization: a group of people working together to achieve a set of goals (e.g., a company, army, church). Key aspects include managing resources, implementing business processes, and working towards profit.
  • Business process: a set of activities that result in a specific output.

• High-level models

  • (No summary of high-level models is provided.)

• Low-level models

  • Process: A way to represent business processes visually and with specific steps, using text, tables, or models like the CRASO, Anthony's, and T-models.
  • Data: A more structured way to document the business processes, identifying the data that a process uses or produces and the relationship between objects and classes, using a Unified Modelling Language (UML) diagram such as a class diagram. Attributes and values of different classes are defined for each object.
  • Organization: Visual representation like charts that show the relations between different organizational units (OUs) and their roles, showing who is involved in processes (using the Linear Responsibility Chart or LRC for example) and who has control over which units.

• Organizations

  • Organizations have different characteristics that are linked to organizational variables (which are defined by the organizational design).
  • Factors in change management are critical; organizations need to adapt to changes and innovations to remain successful.

• Strategy

  • Defines organizational goals and an action plan to achieve those goals at different levels.
  • Factors to consider are profits, interaction with the environment (social and environmental impact), and interaction with the customers.
  • Includes a discussion of the NACE (National Classification of Economic Activities) taxonomy, which lists different types of businesses.
  • Porter's model describes industry competitive strategies.

• IT Economics

  • Transaction theory: Describes the exchange of products or services between two parties. Internal transactions occur within an organization, while market transactions occur between independent parties. Transaction costs, including time, effort, and information costs, must be considered.
  • Agency theory: A theory that examines the relationships between organizational owners (principals) and their staff or employees (agents). It looks at the costs and risks of outsourcing tasks and the costs of monitoring and managing agents' work.
  • Decision theory: Explains how decisions are made within an organization (in relation to managing or completing tasks). Three main categories of decisions are described: structured, semi-structured, and unstructured.

• IT Governance

  • Governance is all about decisions relating to IT in an organization, focusing on strategic IT plans and implementation, information architecture, procedures and, in part, investments.
  • Includes evaluation of factors like the cost of building or buying software and which factors influence the decision.

• Outsourcing

  • Describes a process where tasks or functions are delegated from internal to external parties. The selection of outsourcers needs to consider the cost, quality of service, and strategic implications.
  • Deals with the management and operational issues surrounding the decision on whether to hire specialized external help or to have the tasks done in-house. Includes types of outsourcing and activities involved.

• Product functions

  • Describe the functionalities provided by a product or service in a structured manner.
  • This aspect is about evaluating the product functionality to make certain products are effective in performing their intended tasks or goals.

• Change Management

  • Change management is the process of moving from situation A to situation B. This includes evaluating organizational structure, people, technology, and processes. Resistance to change, the David Gleicher formula (DVF>R), and the different types of change (first-order, second-order, third-order) are considered in the context of change management.
  • Included are various models and tools that are used in change management.