1 MANAGEMENT SUPPORT SYSTEMS II 2 Enterprise Decision

1 MANAGEMENT SUPPORT SYSTEMS II 2. Enterprise Decision Support Systems

2 Enterprise Systems: Concepts and Definitions • Executive information systems (EIS) • Executive support systems (ESS) • Enterprise information systems (EIS)

3 Evolution of Executive and Enterprise Information Systems • DSS and ODSS • 1980 s: Top execs get Executive Information Systems • 1995+’s: Move to everybody’s information systems and enterprise information systems • Definitions follow

4 Executive Information System (EIS) • A computer-based system that serves the information needs • • • of top executives Provides rapid access to timely information and direct access to management reports Very user-friendly, supported by graphics Provides exceptions reporting and "drill-down" capabilities Easily connected to the Internet Drill down

5 Executive Support System (ESS) Comprehensive support system that goes beyond EIS to include • Communications • Office automation • Analysis support • Intelligence

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7 Enterprise Information System • Corporate-wide system • Provides holistic information • From a corporate view • Part of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems • For business intelligence • Leading up to enterprise information portals and knowledge management systems

8 Executives’ Role and Their Information Needs • Decisional Executive Role (2 Phases) 1. Identification of problems and/or opportunities 2. The decision of what to do about them • Flow chart and information flow (Figure 8. 1) • Use phases to determine executives’ information needs

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10 Methods for Finding Information Needs • Wetherbe's Approach 1. Structured Interviews • IBM's Business System Planning (BSP) • Critical Success Factors (CSF) • Ends/Means (E/M) Analysis 2. Prototyping • Watson and Frolick's Approach • Asking (interview approach) • Deriving the needs from an existing information system • Synthesis from characteristics of the systems • Discovering (Prototyping) • Ten methods • Other Methods

11 Characteristics of EIS • Drill down • Critical success Factors (CSF) • Status access • Analysis • Exception reporting • Colors and audio • Navigation of information • Communication

12 Critical Success Factors (CSF) Monitored by five types of information: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Key problem narratives Highlight charts Top-level financials Key factors (key performance indicators (KPI)) Detailed KPI responsibility reports

13 Critical Success Factors

14 Characteristics and Benefits of EIS (Table 8. 1) • Quality of information • User interface • Technical capability provided • Benefits

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16 Comparing and Integrating EIS and DSS • Tables 8. 2 and 8. 3 compare the two systems • Table 8. 2 - DSS definitions related to EIS • Table 8. 3 - Comparison of EIS and DSS • EIS is part of decision support

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19 Integrating EIS and Group Support Systems • EIS vendors - easy interfaces with GSS • Some EIS built in Lotus Domino / Notes • Comshare Inc. and Pilot Software, Inc. - Lotus Domino/Notes-based enhancements and Web/Internet/Intranet links

20 Traditional EIS Software • Major Commercial EIS Software Vendors • Comshare Inc. (www. comshare. com) • Pilot Software Inc. (www. pilotsw. com) • Application Development Tools • In-house components • Comshare Commander tools • Pilot Software’s Command Center Plus and Pilot Decision Support Suite

21 Multidimensional Analysis • Easy to develop an EIS in an OLAP system • Most are Web-ready • Can tap into data in a data warehouse via the Web • Use advanced visualization tools

22 Representative OLAP / Multidimensional Analysis Packages • Brio. Query (Brio Technology Inc. ) • Business Objects (Business Objects Inc. ) • Decision Web (Comshare Inc. ) • Data. Fountain (Dimensional Insight Inc. ) • DSS Web (Micro. Strategy Inc. ) • Focus Fusion (Information Builders Inc. ) • Info. Beacon Web (Platinum Technology Inc. ) • Oracle xpress Server (Oracle Corporation) • Pilot Internet Publisher (Pilot Software Inc. )

23 Including Soft Information in EIS Soft information is • fuzzy, • unofficial, • intuitive, • subjective, • nebulous, • implied, and • vague

24 Soft Information Used in Most EIS • Predictions, speculations, forecasts, estimates (78. 1%) • Explanations, justifications, assessments, interpretations (65. 6%) • News reports, industry trends, external survey data (62. 5%) • Schedules, formal plans (50. 0%) • Opinions, feelings, ideas (15. 6%) • Rumors, gossip, hearsay (9. 4%) Soft Information Enhances EIS Value

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27 An EIS Architecture Environment Other group members Individual problem solvers Report writing software GDSS software Mathematical Models RDB Decision support system Environment Legend: Data Communication Information

28 Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) • Objective: integrate all departments and functions across an organization into a single computer system that can serve the entire enterprise’s needs

29 ERP Software Vendors • SAP • Baan • People. Soft • Oracle • J. D. Edwards • Computer Associates

30 ERP • Very (VERY!) expensive • 2 nd generation: doing better • Early 2000: moving to Web • Will fail if an organization’s business processes do not fit the ERP system’s model

31 Application Service Providers and ERP Outsourcing • ASP: software vendor who leases ERP-based applications • Outsourcing • Now via the Web

32 Corporate (Enterprise) Portals and EIS • Integrates internal applications with external applications • Generally via the Web • Can include • groupware technologies • presentation and customization • publishing and distribution • search • categorization • integration

33 Future of Executive and Enterprise Support Systems • Toolbox for customized systems • Multimedia support • Better access (via PDFs and cell phones) • Virtual Reality and 3 -D Image Displays • Merging of analytical systems (OLAP / multidimensional analysis)) with • • • desktop publishing Client/server architecture Web-enabled EIS Automated support and intelligent assistance Integration of EIS and Group Support Systems Global EIS Integration and deployment with ERP products