Information System Briefing

Information System Selection

The health care industry has undergone a great revolution as concerns acquisition of ICTs and our organisation is no exemption. This is in line with our duty to provide faster and efficient health services to our customers. Given the technological advancement and the need to adjust to the ever changing environment our Information systems would require constant review so as to maximise the efficiency. As we are thinking of acquiring an information system for the organisation various factors need to be taken into consideration.

As organisations are strategically getting the competitive edge through the use of information technology, an information system if well planned will lead to increased levels of efficiency and do away with would be avoidable losses. However the poor design and selection of information systems has resulted in failures hence the need for careful handling of this process. Being a medical oriented firm dictates that the information system to be adopted should be one that works well for the staff and the clients who happen to be the sick.

Identification, Planning and Justification of Information Systems

Being an essential step in the process of setting up the organisations information system, the main objective of providing fast and efficient health services must be put into consideration. The management of this institution has a front role to play in defining the various processes that are part and parcel of the organisation. The objectives of the company should be aligned with the general processes of the organisation for the organisation to enjoy the enablement of the new system. The system should be designed in a manner to reduce the dependence on the manual dealings.

Often has been the difficulty in the description of system requirements. These requirements are actually the ones that make up or point to the systems objectives. This requirements help in bringing out the system input, the materials to be processed and the expected output. Specifications on the requirements are very necessary to avoid deficits during the implementation. There are various ways in which the system requirements can be obtained. For our organisation interviews can be done or even questionnaires can be made to help gather this information.

The auditing of the firms records should be done fully to ascertain the capability of financing the running of the alternatives made available. This will greatly help in the sense that it will avoid teething problems that usually arise from underestimations. This has been the cause of many system failures in organisations.

Information System Architecture Restructuring

Since our institution is still in the process of acquiring Information Systems, its Information System architecture should be remodelled. The information system should always ensure that it respects the structures of our organisation by observing hierarchy, protocols and functionality. This calls for strategic planning so that the system developed is able to work well for the organisation (Agrawal & Carpenter, 2006).

When strategies planning are done over information systems definitely the result would be an Information System that goes line in line with the general operations and routine of our organisation.

Identification of a Development Alternative

There are various options available for the procurement of the software solutions. For our organisation the development of an in house system could be the better option as compared to other options like leasing software from ASP. This is due to the nature of our organisation and its operation plans. The in servicing of the current employees would be an expensive affair for the leased software option.

Feasibility Analysis

This entails trying to look at the aspects that deal with the running of the system in relation to expectation. Feasibility study will involve looking at areas that are: economics, technical, operational, legal and political

In the feasibility analysis on economy, a system will only be accepted to be good to work with if at the end of the day it will save the organisation funds. Technical feasibility entails assessment of the capacity of the company in handling the necessary system. Operational feasibility entails the caused to be incurred in running the system.

The proposed information system must be able to meet the set legal requirements to avoid the unnecessary tussles with the authorities. While trying to come up with a new information system in organisation, the political system must also be put in to account. One must ask themselves what they stand to experience when a new political system comes into power.

After the feasibility study, the risks must also be analysed to ascertain the dangers and the threats that the organisation faces both from within and from the external environment. Such analysis is important as it enables the policymakers who happen to be the managers to be able to know how to approach various challenges as they come. The company may also be formed to get into the performance of ergonomic requirements in bid to ensure we as employees have a good working environment (Morgan, 2006).

The Selection Procedure

The selection procedure entails the mode used in identifying the best available match of software providers. This can be done trough bidding, tendering or calling for Expression of interest. Over expectations which are usually the cause of inflating the expected figure can easily result to the failure of the system hence objectivity is to be applied in this process both at the formulation and at the implementation stage.

Proposal Evaluation Process

Once the various proposals have been handed in, they are evaluated. The evaluation is supposed to be objectively done using a list that has objective a list of the required conditions which are matched against the proposals.

The selection of an information system is a complex process that can make or break an organisation. All necessary steps must be followed to the later to avoid system failure especially during implementation. Due to the nature of the medical field a good information system is necessary to facilitate proper handling of emergencies. Humans are a species that are to be handled with all care and respect if it will add up to saving a life. A good information system will always ensure protection of the institution from fraudulent activities and the easy storage and retrieval of information. The information system must at the end of the day facilitate reduction in the operational costs.