Minimizing the Information System Complexity and Improve Their Flexibility - Literature review Example

Flexibility in an IS context Name Date Table of Contents Flexibility in an IS context 1 Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 Flexibility 3 Why we need Flexibility in IS? 4 Flexibility in IS Design 6 Types of Flexibility in IS 7 Built-In Flexibility to Use an IS 7 Flexibility of an IS to Change 8 Conclusion 8 Bibliography 9 Introduction The implementation of the information system has offered a tremendous advantage and ROI (return on investment) to the business and corporate structures. In addition, at the present, the information systems have turned out to be strongly linked with business operations and management tasks. These systems are offering a solid return on the corporate data stored in these information systems. The emergence of the off-the-shelf information systems offered a greater capability regarding the business data and information handling. In this scenario the factor of the information system is main factor of the concentration. This paper aims to assess and minimize the information system complexity and improve their flexibility to get better working performance and functionality. This paper will present a detailed analysis of 'Flexibility' in an IS (information system) context, and critically assess how it can contribute to the profitability of a growing company. The main intention of this paper is to assess and analyze the main factors of the business information systems those can be enhanced and improved by enhancing the systems 'Flexibility'. Flexibility Flexibility in context of the information system is a significant factor while buying or designing information systems. This is a novel type of opinion according to which organizations need to develop a more user oriented and flexible system to enhance the performance of the working. But there is something special about this flexibility requirement. And that is to do with the fact that flexibility is not functional. However, to design systems that are flexible organizations need to invest in the same way that you need to invest in order to design a functional solution. Bool (2006) has stated that trade-off between system performance and cost on acquiring new business information system always communicated by the business sponsors who make a decision regarding information technology investments for the potential development of the corporation and gaining a better competitive edge in the business market. In business sector information technology is still a main area that is really complex and it necessitates in depth knowledge to recognize of the dissimilarity among one decision and the other (Bool, 2006). According to Gebauer & Schober (2005-1), the new information technology age pushes corporate and organizations to offer more and more concentration to the information systems. The new searchable online databases are a preferred tool intended for attracting more and more visitors to a website. In this scenario, company’s website (information system) offers the ways for both gathering and distributing information. In addition, almost every corporation is in a rush to set up an informative website that attract clients, customer, and viewers as well as bring them back. Therefore, the significance of online information system for the corporations is growing all the time. In this scenario the need for the improving the business information systems flexibility is really significant (Gebauer1 & Schober1, 2005; Stair & Reynolds, 2003). Why we need Flexibility in IS? According to MacKinnon, Grant, & Cray (2008), to facilitate the effective management of corporate data, information sharing, and business functions, an information system requires being flexible as well as should be able to hold a huge amount of dissimilarity regarding the needs of the supported business procedure. For instance, for a company’s electronic procurement system, to facilitate the processing of real purchasing requirements it needs to include a sound amount of product types and approval measures. In addition, inadequate flexibility can bound the accomplishment of a company information system by stopping it’s utilization in certain circumstances and by making exception handling (MacKinnon, Grant, & Cray, 2008). As Gebauer& Schober (2005-2) outlined that inadequate flexibility can diminish the general duration of an information system in cases where it stops system changes to facilitate and hold transformations of the supported business procedure. However, extreme flexibility can as well bound the success of an information system by growing system investment requirements, complexity, subsequent operating along with maintenance expenditures, by reducing usability, and implementation duration (Gebauer1 & Schober1, 2005). As Gebauer & Schober (2005-2) have outlined that the form of flexibility and the degree of flexibility that is built into an information system influence system performance. This degree of influence especially concerns with the extent to which the system is capable to be transformed after its early implementation. In addition, alternatives or different types of transformations, to architectures (for example changes based on web services) are needed that offer plenty of room for changes. A flexible IS could be more regimented design, take less development effort and comprises enhanced complexity management (Gebauer2 & Schober2, 2005; Whitten, Bentley, & Dittman, 2000). Flexibility in IS Design As MacKinnon, Grant, & Cray (2008) outlined that presently managers of corporate and business information system design and development have small control over the suitable, let-alone, and forms of information system flexibility. Actually, information system flexibility is hardly considered openly as an aspect of information system development and design decisions. In addition, relatively, this type of system design flexibility based decisions tends to be less concentrated through short-term political concerns. Furthermore, sometimes at the cost of long term penalties, for instance risk repugnance in period of economic uncertainty and partial budgets can result in imperfect investments in information system flexibility. The condition is inadequate economically with respect to business information system usability as well as from a competitive viewpoint. Also, explorations in the area of information system requirements engineering has previously outlined that non-systematic as well as unstructured analyses of system requirements can direct to suboptimal results (MacKinnon, Grant, & Cray, 2008). In this scenario we offer a better system flexibility and enhanced performance we need to greatly concentrate on the better customer requirements extraction. In this way, an effective system design will be developed. The effective system design is the main foundation of high quality information system. In this case, the development of more flexible and usable system for the business needs to be incorporated a better system design and user needs assessment (Hutchinson & Sawyer, 2000). Types of Flexibility in IS Gebauer & Lee (2003) stated that there are two basic kinds of flexibility regarding information system. The initial type is about the flexibility in the pattern of use regarding information system. The second factor of flexibility regarding information system is for additional changes. These changes are offered through a modular architecture as well as structured on open standards (Gebauer3 & Lee, 2003). Gebauer & Schober (2005-1) stated that there is difference between adaptability and flexibility, where, flexibility is the capability to develop high-quality utilization of newly disclosed opportunities. In addition, the robustness in company information system is the capability of an organization to carry on differences and perturbations of its situation, and modifiability (Gebauer1 & Schober1, 2005). On the other hand, IS flexibility regarding change is defined as the capability of an organization to make adjustments to its business information systems in order to manage the occurrence of less probable events. The second kind of flexibility is the flexibility to utilize an information system. Below there types are explained in detail: (Gebauer1 & Schober1, 2005). Built-In Flexibility to Use an IS According to Gebauer & Schober (2005-1) common understanding of building flexibility as being assessed through the variety of potentials those are offered by a given system until a “key change in system” is needed. To describe the built-in flexibility to utilize an information system as the variety of potential that is offered through an IS until a main change is essential. For instance, the flexibility to utilize an online electronic procurement information system comprises the variety of different procurement processes and products that are constructed into the system. The build in flexibility is about the effective user handling, data management and enhanced operations management (Gebauer1 & Schober1, 2005). Flexibility of an IS to Change As Gebauer & Schober (2005-1) outlined that the decision about the general built-in flexibility is to utilize an IS effectively. Here we have another type of flexibility that involves IS project managers and system designers regarding analysis and making decision about the effort needed to transform an available information system after its first implementation. Alternatives range from systems that could not be prolonged or transformed in some way. However, the broad idea of the flexibility regarding change of an information system to transform it is quite directly linked to the idea of information system design and operating infrastructure (Gebauer1 & Schober1, 2005). Conclusion To facilitate an effective information system in a company and making it flexible is an idea to accommodate a certain amount of differences concerning the IS requirements and supported business procedures. However presently the main focus of IS development is building a focus on the IS flexibility about the cost efficiency of a business procedure (bnet, 2009). This paper has presented a detailed analysis of IS flexibility. This paper has outlined IS flexibility and the main functional features that are offered at the time of system implementation. This paper has also outlined the flexibility regarding the change in IS features that comprise an alternative for later system upgrade. I hope this paper will offer an insight into flexibility regarding Information systems. Bibliography Bnet., 2009. Information System Flexibility And The Cost Efficiency Of Business Processes. Available at: http://jobfunctions.bnet.com/abstract.aspx?docid=283098 [Accessed 11 January 2010]. Bool, H., 2006. Flexibility As a Criteria for Information Systems. Available at: http://ezinearticles.com/?Flexibility-As-a-Criteria-for-Information-Systems&id=305608 [Accessed 11 January 2010]. Findarticles., 2009. Flexibility Is Key to Information Systems - Brief Article. Available at: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1272/is_2649_127/ai_54821976/ [Accessed 11 January 2010]. Gebauer1, J., & Schober1, F., 2005. Information System Flexibility and the Performance of Business Processes. Available at: http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:Uj3LhfEStMYJ:www.business.uiuc.edu/working_papers/papers/05-0112.pdf+Flexibility+information+system&hl=en&gl=pk&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESh1kdDiqjtld4vqft2QuP56zu_9LZ7sjODMw6FwdS10frCFcODSBopBxOMZq0T8O7yUpPhjqktv5y4NtxDw [Accessed 11 January 2010]. Gebauer2, J., & Schober2, F., 2005. INFORMATION SYSTEM FLEXIBILITY AND THE COST EFFICIENCY OF BUSINESS PROCESSES. Available at: http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:F2QywT3qLZcJ:https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/gebauer/www/JAIS_revision5.pdf+Flexibility+information+system&hl=en&gl=pk&sig=AHIEtbQunEQvI4bVmzf13Gy6lQQaKucG7A [Accessed 11 January 2010]. Gebauer3, J., & Lee, F., 2003. TOWARDS AN “OPTIMAL” LEVEL OF INFORMATION SYSTEM FLEXIBILITY – A CONCEPTUAL MODEL. Available at: http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:7OogkbGMso8J:is2.lse.ac.uk/asp/aspecis/20050031.pdf+flexibility+in+information+system&hl=en&gl=pk&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESivKD9uvsBk8yUJ5D1yCWt6rqhl7JHy8o4tXNCj59q8FKBzyf08FmLVZKXvXoAaF3tCOeP-U44X7OwLSE68wqlqn260mIYZYz [Accessed 11 January 2010]. Hutchinson, S. E., & Sawyer, S. C., 2000. Computers, Coomunications, Information A user's Introduction, 7th Edition. New York: Irwin/McGraw-Hill. MacKinnon, W., Grant, G., & Cray, D., 2008. Enterprise Information Systems and Strategic Flexibility. IEEE: Proceedings of the 41st Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences , pp. 1-9. Stair, R. M., & Reynolds, G. W., 2003. Principles of Information Systems, Sixth Edition. Toronto : Thomson Learning, Inc. Whitten, J. L., Bentley, L. D., & Dittman, K. C., 2000. Systems Analysis and Design Methods 5th Edition. New York: Irwin/McGraw-Hill. Read More