1

IS5600 – Seminar 8

Global Information Systems for Work: Designing Systems

© Steven Alter, 2015, Work Systems Method, used with permission

2

What is wrong with systems?

IT has had a huge impact on society

Current business would be impossible without IT

But IT is often under- or poorly utilised

There are many unanticipated consequences

Resistance to IT-based change is common

People question if IT actually adds value or not

3

What is wrong with people?

Users don’t know what they want Analysts don’t understand business

requirements Business people don’t understand

what IT can do for them Programmers cannot get what they

need from specifications

4

Examples of system problems

Customers are billed incorrectly Systems fail to generate reports,

invoices, … System failure can cause corporate

bankruptcy New work processes ignore effective

work practices

Did you ever hear someone say “Oh, sorry, it is the system’s fault”.

5

Why? … Lots of Temptations

T1: Assume that technology is a magic bullet Technology cannot solve informational,

human and organizational/cultural problems.

In fact, it may make them worse

6

Temptations

T2: Technology is the system It’s not! Just part of it, the supporting

part We still need people, processes, work

practices, information, management,… Techno-centric views are dangerous Technology is rarely solely responsible

for system failures

7

Temptations

T3: Believe that technology is responsible for itself! But business professionals & managers

have a role to play! They can’t leave it all to the IT people! IT people seldom understand the

business anyway

8

Temptations

T4: Avoid measuring anything If you don’t measure, can you

manage? What are the key performance indicators? How are they measured? How are they connected together?

Measuring 1-2 indicators won’t be enough either. It has to be comprehensive.

Measuring productivity alone is insufficient. How about consistency? Error rates? Down time?

9

Temptations

T5: Analysis tends to be Superficial (at best) But, what exactly is the purpose of this

system? What will it do? Who for? Why? How? What changes do we need to implement

in our people, procedures, structures, incentives, culture?

What political issues are going to arise? How do reporting channels change? Who is in charge? Where does the buck

stop?

10

Temptations

T6: Systems operate in a vacuum They don’t! They have users. Users

have values. Organisations have values, a history, a

culture. People don’t do what they are told. Circumstances change – but few

systems are that flexible.

11

Temptations

T7: Systems implement themselves! But what about planning? Hiring new staff? Changing the organisation? Re-engineering processes? Persuading people?

12

Overcoming Temptations

Focus on the real, business issues Focus on how work is done Don’t let the schedule run the

project Don’t let politicians run the project Think of systems as work systems,

supported by IT, not as IT systems.

13

So, What is a Work System?

“A work system is a system in which human participants and/or machines perform work using information, technology, and other resources to produce products and/or services for internal or external customers”.

Such systems procure materials from suppliers, produce & deliver products, find customers, create reports, coordinate work, …

14

A Typical Work Problem

A PR manager communicates with clients Using a variety of communication

and presentation technologies And needs high bandwidth

But the corporate Internet connection is slow and worse, top management block some vital IT applications

Result: Work is ineffective and inefficient

15

Commonalities 1

In any work system, people are doing work are using information & technology

In any work system, there are multiple success indicators, including: time, effort, quality of results…

So, the context is important. It is not just about IT.

16

Commonalities 2

In any work system There is a problem or opportunity The precise scope of the work system is not

obvious Further analysis is required to see what is really

involved There are a variety of work practices

But human communication/persuasion skills are always important

There are participants and customers They have different roles Participating in a work system is not the same as

using technology

17

Commonalities 3

Information All work systems involve information of

some kind This information is critical to system

success Technology

All work systems use a lot of technology…

… which is used by participants and customers

Environment All work systems operate in an

environment, a social context

18

Commonalities 4

Products/Services All work systems produce things for customers

Who have to buy them!

Infrastructure All work systems rely on shared human,

technical and informational infrastructures (visible or invisible)

Strategies All work systems have an operational strategy,

as does the organisation itself

19

Work Systems not IT Systems

The Work Systems concept helps us understand how systems work in the organisational context

IT success is really work system success IT success is about how IT is used in work

systems IT success is not only the IT professionals’

responsibility. Line managers have a role to play too.

IT needs to be part of a work system – if it is to be useful

We need to understand what IT can(not) do

20

The Work System Framework

T N E M N O R I V

N E

CUSTOMERS S T R A T E G I

E S

I N F R A S T R U C T U R E

PRODUCTS & SERVICES

PARTICIPANTS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES

WORK PRACTICES

21

What’s new about all this?

The concepts used are not at all new or special, but the way they are put together is new for many people.

How is IT perceived in your organisation?

What role does it have? Who designs and looks after it? What do people say about it?

Frustrations? Details? How about processes?

22

A Work System SnapshotDescription: Work System Snapshot for a Marketing & Communication Work in a Hotel

Customers Products & Services

·   Corporate Clients·   Private Clients·   Hotel MC Manager•Hotel Accounts Dept•Hotel Banqueting & Reservations Depts 

·   Special Offers for Use of Hotel Facilities·   Graphical highlights of facilities·   Application forms (web based)• Payment arrangements

Work Practices (Major Activities or Processes)

• Identify which materials to send to which corporate and private clients• Identify correct details for clients, e.g. email addresses, WeChat/Twitter – or which Social Media sites/pages to use or Microsite• Identify which technologies should be used for which clients•Combine technologies and content in integrated forms for communication•Send materials to individuals and groups•Monitor undeliverable communications and update addresses where needed •Receive replies / bookings from clients and forward to appropriate internal departments (e.g. Accts, FB, Resvns) for follow up.•Evaluate the efficacy of each promotional activity

Participants Information Technologies

·   MCM Manager·   MCM Assistant   

·   Promotional Material – Text & Graphics·   List of recipients  

·   Email·   Social media·   Internet• Intranet including Microsite·   Telephones• Internal Hotel Reservation Systems

23

How does the Work System Method Work?

The WSM is designed to help business professionals understand their organisation’s systems.

It is of particular value early on in projects

It is flexible There are guidelines/concepts, but users are

free to adapt these as needed, to iterate, to select the level of detail,…

The WSM is designed to be rigorous and to focus on real business problems

24

WSM essentials

As with many systems analysis methods, WSM is organised around : Defining the problem Gathering/analysing relevant data Identifying alternatives Selecting the preferred alternative

25

WSM – 3 Phases

SO: Identify the Systems and Opportunities Why are we doing this? What is the

problem? AP: Analyse the system and identify

Possibilities Understand current issues. How can the work system be

improved? RJ: Recommend and Justify changes

What are we suggesting? Are these sensible suggestions?

26

WSM – 3 Levels & 3 Phases

Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3

Level 1 (Headings)

SO: Identification of the work system that has the opportunities

AP: Analysis of cur-rent issues and iden-tification of possibi-lities for improvement

RJ: Recommendation and its justification

Level 2 (Questions)

SO1-SO4: 4 que-stions about the system and opportunities

AP1-AP10: 10 que-stions related to analysis and possibilities

RJ1-RJ10: 10 que-stions related to the recommendation and its justification

Level 3 (Topics)

Topics and guidelines for thinking about each SO question at L2.

Topics and guidelines for thinking about each AP question at L2

Topics and guidelines for thinking about each RJ question at L2

27

Level 1

General requirement to think about the system

Clarification of assumptions Quick personal summary of what is

happening Minimal first-cut representation of

reality

28

Level 2

Important questions are asked about the 3 phases of the analysis Four for SO, Ten each for AP and RJ

If any of these 24 questions are not addressed, the analysis is probably deficient, which will cause problems later on.

29

Level 2, SO questions SO1: What are the problems or

opportunities? SO2: Which is the work system that has

these problems or opportunities? SO3: What are the factors that contribute

to problems or opportunities? These may be political, organisational,

cultural,… SO4: What constraints limit the feasible

range of recommendations? E.g. $/resource limitations, politics, people, …

30

Level 2 AP questions (1)

AP1: Who are the customers and what are their concerns?

AP2: How good are the products/services produced by the work system?

AP3: How good are the work practices inside the work system?

31

Level 2 AP questions (2)

AP4: How serious are any mismatches between the work system and the roles, knowledge and interests of the participants?

AP5: How might better information or knowledge help?

AP6: How might better technology help?

AP7: How good is the work system’s fit with its environment?

32

Level 2 AP questions (3)

AP8: How well does the work system use the available infrastructure?

AP9: How appropriate is the work system’s strategy?

AP10: How well does the work system operate as a whole?

33

Level 2 RJ questions (1)

RJ1: What are the recommended changes to the work system?

RJ2: How does the preferred alternative compare to other alternatives?

RJ3: How does the recommended system compare to an ideal system in this area?

RJ4: How well do the recommended changes address the original problems and opportunities?

34

Level 2 RJ questions (2)

RJ5: What new problems or costs might be caused by the recommended changes?

RJ6: How well does the proposed work system conform to work system principles?

RJ7: How can the recommendations be implemented?

35

Level 2 RJ questions (3)

RJ8: How might perspectives or interests of different stakeholders influence the project’s success?

RJ9: Are the recommended changes justified in terms of costs, benefits and risks?

RJ10: Which important assumptions within the analysis and justification are most questionable?

36

Level 3

The 24 questions in Level 2 provide an organised approach for pursuing each of the three major WSM phases.

At level 3, there are a number of specific topics to consider for each of the 24 questions.

We won’t look at all of these today – there are too many and it is not a good use of time.

But we will consider one to exemplify the point…

37

AP3 at Level 3

How good are the work practices inside the system? Roles and division of labour Relevant functions that the system

does not do Problems built into the current

business process Effect of characteristics of work

practices Evaluation criteria for work practices Problems involving decision making Problems involving communication

38

AP3 at Level 3

All of the topics listed provide a perspective for examining work practices

It is not an exhaustive list – this has to be compiled by those working with the precise system in its context.

But it does help us assess if there are issues that have not been considered carefully.

39

Level 3: Enough or Too Much?!

The WSM focuses on single systems But not interactions between systems Nor the level of detail that programmers

will need The WSM enables managers and

business professionals to examine work systems at a level of detail with which they feel comfortable.

In some cases, Level 1 may be enough. In many, Level 2 is advisable. If you require a good business

understanding of a work system, then Level 2 is likely to be necessary.

Level 3 is necessary for those who need an intimate understanding of business processes.

40

And now…

Use the work system method to Identify a system, ideally a global

system in a global organisation, that you are familiar with and its opportunities

Analyse the work system and identify possibilities

Recommend and justify changes Use the blank sheet provided as a

basis for your work – for submission at the end.

Work in small groups.