White Paper Review Topic: Executive Information System (EIS)

Executive Information Systems: A framework for their development and use

Background
Executive Information Systems is usually for managers in Decision making after analyzing the reports of the company. In the beginning Decision Support System (DSS) used by the managers in assisting them which was not that successful; since they need to have high quality information which is relevant, accurate, timely and up to date. Then later to over the problems faced by mangers and Executive mangers EIS was introduced. 'Executive Information Systems' was introduced in 1982 by Rockart and Treacy, to describe the kind of systems a few senior corporate officers were using on a regular basis to access information they needed. EISs were tailored to provide improved informations, thus saving time and of course time is money. The development of EISs takes a series of steps which is done in consideration of the end users, The Executive Managers. For this reason the development process needs to be examined separately from the rest of the developments. The Development of EISs can be seen in four frameworks.

It is specifically designed to be easy to use so that top executives with little spare time can obtain essential information without extensive training.

EIS Strategic Level

MIS Tactical Level

TPS Operational Level

Four Frameworks for EIS development 1. ESPRIT- is a sequential framework which has 6 phase i. E Evaluation of Consultants; where a survey is done to assess EIS requirements. ii. S Survey of Business needs; where a feasibility study is done to identify prototype project. iii. P Prototype a current requirement; system establish the credibility by users. iv. R Review the benefits; where system is reviewed and changes are made. v. I Implementation of full EIS project; data suitability is reviewed. vi. T Transfer the skills in-house; training courses for users of the system. 2. A Structural EISs Framework. Contains 3 components i. Structural perspective; shows key elements important in development process which are classified as Personnel and Data. ii. Issues relevant in development of ESIs; eg Time frame, methodology, Hardware and Sofwares. iii. User-system Dialogue; divided into three categories. a. Knowledge users need to operate the system. b. Issues pertinent to the operation of the system, such as response time and the User-system Interface. c. How the information is presented(Colour, Format, Etc). 3. A Path Framework for EIS. The development here takes place through evolution through stages of technical and organizational capabilities; starting from Management Information System (MIS). Firstly, there has to be a shift from a batch to an interactive environment, and then, an increase in information focus and integration. There are a number of paths an information system can follow that can lead from MIS to an on-line EIS.

4. A Structurational framework. This framework attempts to identify an appropriate way to address social issues through an investigation of interaction between Actor and System. The social issues looked are: i. Realm of Social Structure ii. Modalities iii. Realm of Human Action Framework Comparison There are several ways to compare frameworks. 1. Nature formal or semi-formal frameworks 2. Perspective to understand the motivational behind the framework. 3. Purpose why this project was built. 4. Level of abstraction - This refers to how specific the framework is to a particular empirical situation. 5. Emphasis - Where emphasis is placed is another aspect of the frameworks. 6. Scope - The scope of each framework in relation to the EISs development process also needs to be considered. 7. Detail - The level of detail each framework goes into, to address issues relating to EISs is the last criterion we need to consider.

Summary of Four Frameworks and the Strengths and Weakness

5. The PAS framework This framework is an attempt to integrate the advantages identified for each of the frameworks above. The People Activities and Systems (PAS); these elements form the main components of the framework. 1. P = Set of People in an organisation.(Not only those who use the system) 2. A = Set of Activities taking place in the organisation. 3. S = Set of Systems present in the organisation. 4. E = The Environment and Time. A time dimension for each activity is also an important consideration. Features of the framework 1. EISs Development Efforts- a set of activities are undertaken by people making use of resources to reach the goal. 2. EIS Usage - EISs usage could be influenced by people. 3. Post Implementation Efforts - development efforts directed towards the expansion and enhancement of the EISs applications already built. 4. Automated activities - could be triggered by time or any other events. E.g. transaction processing system The PAS framework addresses the following issues identified: a. EIS development and EIS use. b. Stakeholders. c. Activities. d. Other Systems.

Reference 1. "A Performance Analysis of a Hard Real-time System", A. Bums, A. J. Wellings, C. H. Forsyth and C. M. Bailey, February 1994. 2. "Executive Infonnation Systems: A framework for their development and use", T. Kaniclides and C. Kimble, December 1994. 3. "Functional Languages and Graphical User Interfaces - a review and a case study", R. Noble and C. Runciman, February 1994. 4. T. Kaniclides and C. Kimble, YCS 247 (1994),UNIVERSITY OF YORK - DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE, Heslington, York, Y01 500, England