Many organizations use MIS successfully, others do not. Though the hardware and the software is the latest and has appropriate technology, its use is more for the collection and storage of data and its elementary processing. There are some factors which make the MIS a success and some others, which make it a failure. These factors can be summarized as follows:
Factors Contributing to Success
If a MIS is to be success then it should have all the features listed as follows:
- The MIS is integrated into the managerial functions. It sets clear objectives to ensure that the MIS focuses on the major issues of the business.
- An appropriate information processing technology required to meet the data processing and analysis needs of the users of the MIS is selected.
- The MIS is oriented, defined and designed in terms of the user’s requirements and its operational viability is ensured.
- The MIS is kept under continuous surveillance, so that its open system design is modified according to the changing information needs.
- MIS focuses on the results and goals, and highlights the factors and reasons for non achievement.
- MIS is not allowed to end up into an information generation mill avoiding the noise in the information and the communication system.
- The MIS recognizes that a manager is a human being and therefore, the systems must consider all the human behavioral factors in the process of the management.
- The MIS recognizes that the different information needs for different objectives must be met with. The globalization of information in isolation from the different objectives leads to too much information and information and its non-use.
- The MIS is easy to operate and, therefore, the design of the MIS has such features which make up a user-friendly design.
- MIS recognizes that the information needs become obsolete and new needs emerge. The MIS design, therefore, has a basic potential capability to quickly meet new needs of information.
- The MIS concentrates on developing the information support to manager critical success factors. It concentrates on the mission critical applications serving the needs of the top management.
Factors Contributing to Failures
Many a times MIS is a failures. The common factors which are responsible for this are listed as follows:
- The MIS is conceived as a data processing and not as an information processing system.
- The MIS does not provide that information which is needed by the managers but it tends to provide the information generally the function calls for. The MIS then becomes an impersonal system.
- Underestimating the complexity in the business systems and not recognizing it in the MIS design leads to problems in the successful implementation.
- Adequate attention is not given to the quality control aspects of the inputs, the process and the outputs leading to insufficient checks and controls in the MIS.
- The MIS is developed without streamlining the transaction processing systems in the organization.
- Lack of training and appreciation that the users of the information and the generators of the data are different, and they have to play an important responsible role in the MIS.
- The MIS does not meet certain critical and key factors of its users such as a response to the query on the database, an inability to get the processing done in a particular manner, lack of user-friendly system and the dependence on the system personnel.
- A belief that the computerized MIS can solve all the management problems of planning and control of the business.
- Lack of administrative discipline in following the standardized systems and procedures, wrong coding and deviating from the system specifications result in incomplete and incorrect information.
- The MIS does not give perfect information to all the users in the organization.
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