DSS SUCCESS: MEASUREMENT AND FACILITATION

Decision Support Systems (DSS) represent an ever increasing portion of the investment in computer-based systems in organizations. Unlike earlier systems which aimed to replace existing clerical processes with faster, more efficient clerical processes, DSS attempt to extend and expand the capabilities of organizational decision makers. This fundamental difference in purpose between DSS and clerical systems causes our existing notions about system success to be inadequate. This paper explores the issue of DSS success, asking what it is, how it can be measured, and what can be done to facilitate it.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

DSS DESIGN--A SYSTEMIC VIEW OF DECISION SUPPORT

Current DSS research is rather fragmentary, and typically myopic--it centers either on the decision situation which DSS support, or on DSS tools or generators. In this paper we adopt a comprehensive view of DSS emphasizing their systemic nature. This entails identifying the links among the five aspects that classically characterize a system: 1, the environment, i.e., decision situations and access patterns; 2. the function (within this environment), i.e., types and levels of decision support; 3. the functional components that make it up, i.e., dialog, data, and model management; 4. the arrangement, i.e., the linkages among the components and the assignment of functions to modules; and 5. the resources consumed, i.e., hardware, software, human skills, and data. The systemic view provides a concrete framework for the effective design of DSS, and serves as a basis for accumulating DSS research results.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND COST CONTROL

Information Systems Working Papers Serie

METHODOLOGIES FOR DSS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN: A CONTINGENCY APPROACH TO THEIR APPLICATION

The analysts and design of systems for decision support typically has taken a single methodology approach, ignoring the fact that DSSs vary in their scope, complexity and purpose. This paper examines three primary approaches to DSS analysis and design in order to begin formalizing a consistent framework for the selection of a DSS development methodology. The contingency framework emphasizes the conditions under which the various methodologies are appropriate and likely to be effective, and provides guidelines for matching decision situations with development approaches

BARRIERS TO THE ADOPTION OF APPLICATION SOFTWARE PACKAGES

A two-stage study was conducted of potential software application package users. The first stage defined 38 issues which were viewed as potential obstacles t o the purchase and implementation of applications packages. In the second stage, the relative importance of these 38 issues was quantified. The results suggest that the key obstacle to wider usage of applications packages is uncertainty. Various steps which package developers and package users can take to reduce uncertainty are suggested.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS: ISSUES AND PERSPECTIVES

Information Systems Working Papers Serie

IMPACT OF THE TECHNOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT ON PROGRAMMER AND ANALYST JOB OUTCOMES

Information Systems Working Papers Serie

MIS AND THE BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES: Research Patterns and Prescriptions

Many of the questions of concern to information system (IS) researchers and practitioners are, in essence, behavioral questions. Behavioral considerations in the design and implementation of information systems and in the management of IS professionals are crucial to the successful development and delivery of quality services to users. Implementation of IS may provide a benefi-cial means to facilitate changes in task design, organizational structure, and social relations. Guidance for interpreting past MIS behavioral research and suggestions for future studies are provided by a proposed research framework. The importance of adopting behavioral science research standards, e.g. , theory-based- research questions and appropriate methodology, is stressed