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

THE BOUNDING EFFECT OF IS DESIGN TOOLS: A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF CASE TECHNOLOGY

Methodologies for information systems development bound the vocabulary of design (what are the "things that matter?), as well as control the design discourse (how should we go about discussing them?). Computer Aided System Engineering tools - collectively referred to as "CASE technology" --further bound the analysis and design process both semantically (e.g., the range of available methodologies) and syntactically (e.g., implementation details). In this paper we explore the effects of bounding in CASE technology. We first delineate the concept of bounding in general terms, and then develop a more operational notion of it through the qualitative examination of an actual use of a CASE tool. This examination results in a preliminary list of concrete dimensions of the bounding phenomenon, which is in turn used to guide a critical survey of related features in current CASE technology, Implications for practice, education and research are discussed.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

NEURAL NETWORKS FOR DECISION SUPPORT: PROBLEMS AND OPPORTUNITIES

Neural networks offer an approach to computing which - unlike conventional programming - does not necessitate a complete algorithmic specification. Furthermore, neural networks provide inductive means for gathering, storing, and using, experiential knowledge. Incidentally, these have also been some of the fundamental motivations for the development of decision support systems in general. Thus, the interest in neural networks for decision support is immediate and obvious. In this paper, we analyze the potential contribution of neural networks for decision support, on one hand, and point out at some inherent constraints that might inhibit their use, on the other. For the sake of completeness and organization, the analysis is carried out in the context of a general-purpose DSS framework that examines all the key factors that come into play in the design of any decision support system.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

A System Architecture for Temporally Oriented Data Management

Attention to the temporal aspects of data management has intensified in recent years,focusing on data models and related systems that are sensitive to the ubiquitous temporal aspects of data. Both the growing need for easier access to historical data, as well as the imminent availability of mass storage devices, are makingthis apromisingbranchof database research, both practically and theoretically. In this paper we summarize the main results of recent research on temporally sensitive data models, discuss the lessons learned in their development, and assess the prospects and dimculties involved in incorporating a temporal dimension into database management systems (TODBs). Inparticular, three system levels are identified: the external userview of the database; an intermediate view closer to the structure of an existing data model; and an internal or implementation view defined interms of low level data structures. This general architecture coherently incorporates a variety of related research results and development experiences, and serves as the framework for theoretical and implementation research into such system

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

DESIGNING CONCEPTUAL MODELS OF DIALOGS: A CASE FOR DIALOG CHARTS

The conceptual design of user interfaces focuses on the specification of the structure of the dialog, independent of any particular implementation approach. While there is common agreement with respect to the importance of this activity, adequate methods and tools to support it are generally unavailable. The Dialog Charts (DCs) presented in this paper address this problem -- they support the conceptual design of dialog control structures. The DCs combine visual modeling (i.e., diagraming) with widely accepted design principles and an explicit model of dialog structures. As no clear evaluation criteria exist in this evolving area of dialog design, the preliminary assessment of the DCs takes the form of contrasting them with representative alternative design tools based on Augmented Transition Networks or Backus-Naur Form grammars. The DCs overcome some of the problems that seem to limit the usefulness of comparable approaches. An empirical investigation of the usable power of the DCs is currently underway at New York University, and a summary of this research activity concludes the paper.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

DESIGNING INTERACTIVE USER INTERFACES: DIALOG CHARTS AND AN ASSESSMENT OF THEIR USE IN SPECIFYING CONCEPTUAL MODELS OF DIALOGS

The conceptual design of user interfaces focuses on arriving at a specification of the structure of the dialog, independent of any particular implementation approach. There is common agreement as to the importance of this activity to both IS professionals and end-users, but few -- if any -- modeling methods were developed to specifically support the process of conceptual design, and the usefulness of such methods has not been adequately addressed. This paper introduces the Dialog Charts (DCs), and documents a preliminary examination of their perceived usefulness by designers of user/system interaction who actually used them. The DCs yield high level dialog schemas that are abstract enough to support the conceptual design of dialog control structures. In a uniform diagramming framework they combine the concept of dialog independence, distinguish between the dialog parties, provide for hierarchical decomposition and enforce a structured control flow. The usefulness of the DCs has been studied empirically in a qualitative inquiry. Recalled experiences of designers were captured and analyzed to ascertain the concept of usability, as well as assess the usability of the DCs. Usability has emerged from this study as a set of 38 concerns that operationalizes the broader aspects of purpose of use, design stage, impact on product structure, impact on design process, and attitudinal patterns. In general, the Dialog Charts were found by these dialog designers to be a useful, exhibiting the essential attributes of tools for conceptual modeling.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

AN EXAMINATION OF THE USE OF DIALOG CHARTS IN SPECIFYING CONCEPTUAL MODELS OF DIALOGS

The conceptual design of user interfaces focuses on the specification of the structure of the dialog, independent of any particular implementation approach. While there is common agreement with respect to the importance of this activity, adequate methods and tools to support it are generally unavailable. The Dialog Charts (DCs) yield high level dialog schemas that are abstract enough to support the conceptual design of dialog control structures. They combine dialog concepts with widely accepted design principles, in a uniform diagramming framework. Specifically, the DCs distinguish between the dialog parties, provide for hierarchical decomposition and enforce a structured control flow. A clear set of guiding principles for the conceptual design of dialogs has yet to emerge. In this paper we have elected to focus on the notions of descriptive power and usable power, as they apply to conceptual dialog modeling tools. The conceptual descriptive power of the DCs is informally examined by applying them in a varied set of examples and relating them to their lower level counterparts, namely implementation dialog models like augmented transition networks or context-free grammars. The usable power of the DCs has been examined empirically through a qualitative study of their actual use by system designers. The Dialog Chart models were found by dialog designers to be a useful conceptual design tool, which exhibit the essential attributes identified for conceptual models.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

Panel 11 The Web and IS Academics: An Opportunity or a Trap?

The area of Information Systems research has been blessed — or cursed — with fast evolving subjects of study that have created a lot of hype, captured the attention and imagination of wide audiences, and generated a significant demand for corresponding literacy and skills. At the moment, it seems that none of these — the use of computers for the management of large scale operations, the augmentation of human intelligence, and personal computing — has become such a broadly referred phenomenon as the Internet and its related uses, most prominently the World Wide Web

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