Management information system

Unit: 04
Development and Implementation
4.1 Process of MIS
Management information systems consolidate raw data from multiple sources, turn it into
useful information through analysis, and distribute customized reports to stakeholders.
Well-designed MIS can improve efficiency, align business operations, and help drive overall
company performance. The process of Management Information System (MIS) involves
several stages to ensure effective planning, implementation, and utilization of information
systems within an organization, they are: -
1. Identification of Information Needs: The first step in the MIS process is to identify the
information needs of the organization. This involves understanding the business processes,
objectives, and decision-making requirements of different levels and functions within the
organization.
2. Data Collection: Once the information needs are identified, the next step is to collect
relevant data. Data can be sourced from various internal and external sources, such as
transactional systems, databases, surveys, and market research.
3. Data Processing: After collecting the data, it needs to be processed to extract meaningful
information. This involves organizing, cleaning, aggregating, and transforming the raw data
into a format that can be used for analysis and decision making. Data processing may
include tasks like data validation, integration, and data quality assurance.
4. Data Analysis: In this stage, the processed data is analyzed to derive insights and support
decision making. Various analytical techniques, such as statistical analysis, data mining, and
predictive modeling, can be employed to discover patterns, trends, and relationships in the
data. The analysis helps in identifying key performance indicators, evaluating performance,
and making informed decisions.
5. Information Presentation: The analyzed information is then presented in a meaningful
and easily understandable format. This can involve creating reports, dashboards,
visualizations, and other tools to communicate the information effectively to the relevant
stakeholders. The presentation should be tailored to the specific needs of different users,
such as executives, managers, and operational staff.
6. Information Dissemination: Once the information is presented, it needs to be
disseminated to the appropriate individuals or groups within the organization. This can be
done through various channels, such as email, collaboration tools, intranets, or mobile
applications. Timely and accurate information dissemination ensures that the right people
have access to the right information at the right time.
7. Information Utilization: The final stage of the MIS process is the utilization of information
for decision making and performance improvement. The information provided by the MIS
supports strategic planning, operational management, problem-solving, and performance
evaluation. It enables managers and executives to make informed decisions based on
accurate and up-to-date information.

4.2 Development of MIS with in Organization

The plan for development and its implementation is a basic necessity for MIS. In MIS the
information is recognized as a major resource like capital, time and capacity. If information
(resource) is to be managed well, it calls upon the management to plan for it and control it
for the appropriate use in the organization, With the advancement of IT, it is possible to
recognize information as a valuable resource like money and capacity and It is necessary to
link its acquisition, storage, use and disposal as per the business needs for meeting the
business objectives. So we need MIS flexible enough to deal with the changing information
needs of the organization.
Developing an MIS involves a systematic and iterative approach, known as the MIS
Development Cycle. Management Information Systems (MIS) play a vital role in
organizations, providing timely and relevant information to support decision-making
processes. The development of Management Information Systems (MIS) within an
organization involves the implementation and enhancement of systems that collect,
process, store, and analyse data to support managerial decision-making and operational
activities.
key steps involved in the development of MIS within an organization:
1. Needs Assessment: The first step is to assess the information needs of the organization
and its various departments or functional areas. This involves understanding the key
business processes, identifying the data required for decision-making, and determining the
specific information needs of different stakeholders.
2. Planning and Design: Based on the needs assessment, a plan is developed to design and
implement the MIS. This includes defining the scope, objectives, and deliverables of the
system. The design phase involves determining the data sources, data structures, data flow,
and information outputs required to meet the identified needs.
3. Data Collection and Integration: Data is collected from various sources within the
organization, such as operational systems, databases, spreadsheets, and external sources.
This data is then integrated and transformed into a consistent format suitable for analysis
and reporting.
4. Database Development: A database is developed to store and manage the collected
data. The database design should align with the organization’s data model, ensuring data
integrity, security, and accessibility. The database may be implemented using various
technologies such as relational databases, data warehouses, or big data platforms.
5. System Development: The MIS software or applications are developed to process and
analyze the data. This may involve developing custom software solutions, configuring off-
the-shelf software, or leveraging cloud-based platforms. The system should incorporate
features for data processing, analysis, visualization, and reporting as per the identified
information needs.
6. Testing and Quality Assurance: The developed MIS undergoes rigorous testing to ensure
its functionality, reliability, and performance. Various testing methodologies such as unit
testing, integration testing, and user acceptance testing are employed to identify and rectify
any issues or bugs.
7. Implementation and Deployment: Once the MIS has been thoroughly tested, it is
deployed within the organization. This involves installing the necessary hardware and
software components, configuring the system, and integrating it with existing IT
infrastructure. User training and change management strategies are employed to facilitate
the adoption and utilization of the MIS.
8. Monitoring and Maintenance: After implementation, the MIS requires ongoing
monitoring and maintenance. This includes monitoring data quality, system performance,
and user feedback. Regular updates, bug fixes, and security patches are applied to ensure
the system’s optimal functioning.
9. Continuous Improvement: The MIS should be continuously evaluated and improved
based on user feedback, evolving business needs, and technological advancements. This
may involve adding new features, expanding data sources, or enhancing analytical
capabilities to provide more comprehensive and valuable information to the users.
The development of MIS within an organization is an iterative process that requires
collaboration between IT professionals, business stakeholders, and end-users.

It is essential to align the MIS development with the organization’s strategic goals and
ensure that it provides accurate, timely, and relevant information to support effective
decision-making at all levels.

➢ Development Approaches of MIS with in Organization

1. prototype approach
2. life cycle approach
1. prototype approach:
When the system is complex, the development strategy is Prototyping of the System.
Prototyping is a process of progressively ascertaining the information needs, developing a
methodology, trying it out on a smaller scale with respect to the data and the complexity,
ensuring that it satisfies the needs of the users, and assess the problems of development
and implementation.
When the system is complex, the development strategy is Prototyping of the system.
Prototyping is a process of progressively ascertaining the information needs, developing
methodology, trying it out on a smaller scale with respect to the data and the complexity,
ensuring that it satisfies the needs of the users, and assess the problems of development
and implementation. This process therefore identifies the problem areas, inadequacies in
the prototype, fulfillment of the information needs. The designer then takes steps to
remove the inadequacies.
This process, therefore, identifies the problem areas, inadequacies in the prototype visa is
the fulfillment of the information needs. The designer then takes steps to remove the
inadequacies. This may call upon changing the prototype of the system, questioning the
information needs, streamlining the operational systems and procedures and move user
interaction.
In the prototyping approach, the designer's task becomes difficult, when there are multiple
users of the same system and the inputs they use are used by some other users as well. For
example, a lot of input data comes from the purchasing department, which is used in
accounts and inventory management.
The attitudes of various users and their role as the originators of the data need to be
developed with a high degree of positivism. It requires, of all personnel, to appreciate that
the information is a corporate resource, and all have to contribute as per the designated
role by the designer to fulfill the corporate information needs. When it comes to
information the functional, the departmental, the personal boundaries do not exist. This call
upon each individual to comply with the design needs and provide without fail the
necessary data inputs whenever required as per the specification discussed and finalized by
the designer.
Bringing the multiple users on the same platform and changing their attitudes toward
information, as a corporate resource, is the managerial task of the system designer. The
qualification, experience, knowledge, of the state of art, and an understanding of the
corporate business, helps considerably, in overcoming the problem of changing the
attitudes of the multiple users and the originators of the data.

2. life cycle approach : There are many systems or subsystems in the MIS which have a life
cycle, that is, they have birth and death. Their emergence may be sudden or may be a part
of the business need, and they are very much structured and rule-based. They have 100%
clarity of inputs and their sources, a definite set of outputs in terms of the contents and
formats. These details more or less remain static from the day the system emerges and
remains in that static mode for a long time. Minor modifications or changes do occur but
they are not significant in terms of handling either by the designer or the user of the
system. Such systems, therefore, have a life and they can be developed in a systematic
manner and can be reviewed after a year or two, for significant modification, if any.
Examples of such systems are payroll, share accounting, basic financial accounting, finished
goods accounting and dispatching, order processing, and so on. These systems have a fairly
long duration of survival and they contribute in a big way as sources of data to the
Corporate MIS. Therefore, their role is important and needs to be designed from the
viewpoint as an interface to the Corporate MIS.
➢ It is useful when there are periodic review of system take place
➢ It is useful in modification of system required after particular time period
➢ It provide system a stability with regular evaluation
➢ This approach is based on rules and regulation on which system follows and it can not
allow significant change in system.
➢ It is used in closed system where outcome of system is already decided before
implementation of system
➢ There are many systems or subsystems in the MIS which have a life cycle that is they
have birth and death.
➢ Their emergence may be a sudden or may be a part of the business need, and they are
very much structured and rule-based.
➢ They have 100% clarity of inputs and their sources, a definite set of outputs in terms of
the contents and formats.
➢ These systems have a fairly long duration of survival.
➢ Factors Responsible for the development of MIS: Factors Responsible for the
development of MIS are numerous and have been a prime concern for many
Researchers and Practitioners. Both Inter and external factors must be taken into
account when trying to understand and organization’s criteria for deciding about
technology. The following are the factors which are responsible for development of MIS:

External Factors : External Factors are conditions that exist in organization’s external
environment. The factors can be found at the industry level or in national policies.
(a) Industry level : At the industry level, we are looking at characteristics as degree of
diffusion of certain technologies, the availability of external know-how, for example,
technology suppliers, the degree of innovativeness of the industry, the requirements
imposed by major customers and external markets and overall levels of competition and
technology sophistication in the industry.
(b) National Policies : For the external factors the national policies also affect the
organization that indirectly affects the subsystems of the organization.

Internal Factors : Internal factors internal of the firm that may affect the development of
MIS can be grouped into three categories:
i) Past Experience with Technology : The organizations past experience about the
technology in terms of exposure and organizational learning ultimately affects its future in
developing technology.
ii) Organizational Characteristics : An organization’s characteristic like size, influence the
adoption of MIS application in organization. The adoption of certain technologies may
appear more appropriate for the larger firms because of the large capital investments and
the skilled human resources involve in the implementation and operation of such
technologies. Smaller firms are less affected by organizational inertia and they show a
greater degree of involvement of organizational member’s especially top management
during implementation. Ready to use software and less expensive equipments of MIS
application are more attractive to smaller firms.
iii) Organizational Pursued strategy: Internal factors deal with the organizations pursued
strategy on both orientation and technology policy. An organization’s strategy reflects its
action with market and technology, which ultimately modify its experience and
consequently its overall characteristics and capabilities. The need for a strong technology
has been advocated by a number of authors and investments in MIS should therefore be
closely aligned with overall corporate strategy.
iv) Customer Satisfaction : Development of MIS is affected by customer satisfaction.
Customer of the services should be satisfied by the presented system.
v) Effectiveness: Development should be effective in terms of organizational benefit & user
satisfaction.

4.3 Implementation of MIS

Implementation is a phase of system development where we implement all the planned

work to create a new system or get enhanced existing ones. MIS implementation is a
management process where all the objectives are implements in the form of an MIS system.
This system is further used by management executives to do organizational activities.
Successfully implemented MIS along with testing, may be used by top-level executives of
the company in decision making.
Implantation is one of the most crucial phases of the MIS system. After successful MIS
design, the implementation process starts. MIS implementation is a management process.
The implementation procedure is straightforward. Implementation preparation starts with
defining and establishing relationships between different tasks, assigning tasks for executing
all tasks, making cost estimation, and developing a monitoring and control system. After
successful implementation of the MIS; organizational changes occur.
Implementation of a system is as important as the creation of it. Implementation can easily
destroy the good work done in the earlier phases and bring the system to a standstill.
Implementation requires technical and managerial skills as the implementers work as
change agents. Implementation is also a process that has a series of sequential steps which
culminates in making operational the new system.
Implementation as an activity has to be carefully managed. It requires client interaction at
every stage. The implementers need the full support and cooperation of the client and the
department functionaries to successfully execute the implementation of information
systems. In order to help them perform this task of implementation smoothly, a series of
predefined steps are followed.
The implementation of a Management Information System (MIS) involves several key steps
and considerations. Here’s an overview of the implementation process:
1. Needs Assessment: Conduct a thorough assessment of the organization’s information
needs, business processes, and existing systems. Identify the goals and objectives of
implementing an MIS and determine the specific requirements and functionalities it should
fulfil.
2. System Selection: Based on the needs assessment, research and evaluate different MIS
options available in the market. Consider factors such as scalability, compatibility with
existing systems, cost, support, and security. Select an MIS solution that best aligns with the
organization’s requirements.
3. Planning and Design: Develop a detailed implementation plan, including timelines,
resource allocation, and responsibilities. Define the scope of the MIS implementation and
design the system architecture, database structure, user interfaces, and integration points
with other systems.
4. Data Migration and Integration: Prepare and migrate data from existing systems to the
MIS platform. Ensure data accuracy, integrity, and consistency during the migration process.
Establish data integration mechanisms to enable seamless information flow between the
MIS and other systems.
5. Customization and Configuration: Configure the MIS system to meet the specific needs
of the organization. Customize workflows, data fields, user roles, and permissions based on
business processes and requirements. Ensure that the MIS is aligned with the organization’s
structure and operational workflows.
6. Development and Testing: Develop any necessary software components or modules to
enhance the functionality of the MIS system. Conduct thorough testing to ensure the
system’s reliability, performance, and data accuracy. Address any bugs or issues identified
during the testing phase.
7. Training and Change Management: Provide comprehensive training to users on how to
effectively use the MIS system. Communicate the benefits and objectives of the MIS
implementation to gain user acceptance. Implement change management strategies to
manage resistance to change and facilitate a smooth transition to the new system.
8. Deployment and Monitoring: Deploy the MIS system in the production environment.
Monitor the system’s performance, data integrity, and user feedback. Address any post-
deployment issues promptly and continue to enhance the system based on user feedback
and evolving business needs.
9. Continuous Improvement: Regularly assess the performance and effectiveness of the
MIS system. Gather user feedback and conduct periodic reviews to identify areas for
improvement. Make necessary updates, enhancements, and optimizations to ensure that
the MIS system continues to meet the evolving needs of the organization.

➢ Implementation of MIS can be achieved by using any of the methods such as direct,
parallel, modular or phase in.

a. Direct Approach: Direct approach is the installation of the new system and the
immediate discontinuation of the old system. This approach produces a time gap when no
system is working. This approach is used in organisations where seasonal operations like
sugarcane processing or plant shut down are to be done. It is quite inexpensive, but it
provides a big risk of failure.
b. Parallel Approach: Parallel approach is the approach where a new system is installed and
operated in parallel with the current system until the new system has been tested
thoroughly. Here outputs frame both systems are compared and differences are reconciled.
It is very expensive as both systems have to be managed in parallel. Its main benefit is that
the accuracy of the system is properly checked.

c. Modular Approach: Modular approach refers to the implementation of a system in the

organisation on a module basis. For example- information systems can only be implemented
with any selected product or with all the products in any particular subsystem or location.
his is generally recognized as “Pilot approach", means the implementation of a system in
the Organization on a piece-meal basis.
This type of approach will have the following advantage:
1.The risk of the system failure will be localised,
2. Problems can be rectified before further implementation.
3. Other remaining staff can be trained in a “live” environment.

d. Phase-in Approach: Phase-in implementation is also referred to as “cut over by

segments”. This system is almost similar to modular approach but the only difference is that
the system itself is segmented and not the organisation. This system allows the old system
to operate with the new input data. This method is most suited for systems which require
only the upgrading of the old system. It has advantages that the rate of changes in a given
Organization can be totally minimized and the data processing resource can be acquired
gradually over a period of time. System exhibits certain disadvantages such as limited
applicability, more costs incurred to develop interface with old system and a feeling in the
Organization that system is never completed.

The implementation of the system is a management process. It brings about organizational

change; It affects people and changes their work style. The process evokes a behavior
response which could be either favorable or unfavorable depending upon the strategy of
system implementation. In the process of implementation, the system designer acts as a
change agent or a catalyst. For a successful implementation, he has to handle the human
factors carefully. The user of the system has a certain fear complex when a certain cultural
work change is occurring. The first and the foremost fear are about the security to the
person if the changeover from the old to new is not a smooth one. Care has to be taken to
assure the user that such fears are baseless and the responsibility, therefore, rests with the
designer. The second fear is about the role played by the person in the organization and
how the change affects him. On many occasions, the new role may reduce his importance in
the organization, the work design may make the new job impersonal, and a fear complex
may get reinforced that the career prospects may be affected.
There are certain guidelines for the systems designer for the successful implementation of
the system. The system designer should not question beyond a limit the information need
of the user.
1. Not to forget that his role is to offer a service and not to demand terms.
2. Remember that the system design is for the use of the user and it is not the designer's
prerogative to dictate the design features. In short, the designer should respect the
demands of the user.
3. Not to mix up technical needs with the information needs. He should try to develop a
suitable design with appropriate technology to meet the information needs. The designer
should not recommend modifications of the needs, unless technically infeasible.
4. Impress upon the user the global nature of the system design which is required to meet
the current and prospective information need.
5. Not to challenge the application of the information in decision-making. It is the sole right
of the user to use the information the way he thinks proper.
6. Impress upon the user that the quality of information depends on the quality of input.
7. Impress upon the user that you are one of the users in the organization and that the
information is a corporate resource and he is expected to contribute to the development of
the MIS.
8. Ensure that the user makes a commitment to all the requirements of the system design
specifications. Ensure that he appreciates that his commitments contribute largely to the
quality of the information and successful implementation of the system.
9. Ensure that the overall system effort has the management's acceptance.
10. Enlist the user's participation from time to time, so that he is emotionally involved in the
process of development.
11. Realize that through serving the user, he is his best guide on the complex path of
development.
12. Not to expect perfect understanding and knowledge from the user as he may be the
user of a non-computerized system. Hence, the designer should be prepared to change
the system specifications or even the design during the course of development.
13. Impress upon the user that the change, which is easily possible in a manual system, is
not as easy in the computer system as it calls for changes in the programs at cost.
14. Impress upon the user that perfect information is nonexistent; His role therefore still has
an importance in the organization.
15. Ensure that the other organization problems are resolved first before the MIS is taken
for development.
16. Conduct periodical user meetings on systems where you get the opportunity to know
the ongoing difficulties of the users.
17. Train the user in computer appreciation and systems analysis as his perception of the
computerized information system will fall short of the designer's expectation.
Implementation of the MIS in an organization is a process where organizational
transformation takes place. This change can occur in a number of ways. Lewin's model
suggests three steps in this process.
The first step is unfreezing the organization to make the people more receptive and
interested in the
change.
The second step is choosing a course of action where the process begins and reaches the
desired level of stability.
The third step is Refreezing, where the change is consolidated and equilibrium is reinforced.
Many times, this process is implemented through an external change agent, such as a
consultant playing the role of a catalyst.
The significant problem in this task is the resistance to change. The resistance can occur due
to three reasons, viz., the factors internal to the users of information, the factors inherent in
the design of the system and the factors arising out of the interaction between the system
and its users. The problem of resistance can be handled through education, persuasion, and
participation. This can be achieved by improving the human actors, and providing incentives
to the users, and eliminating the organizational problems before implementing the system.

4.4 Stages and Evolution of the System

Evaluation of MIS
Evaluation of MIS is a process in which the performance of an organizational MIS is
determined. According to the performance results, the organization evaluates and
implements the necessary modifications in MIS. Various terms related to the evaluation of
MIS are,
1. Evaluation approaches
2. Evaluation classes
3. Product-based MIS evaluation
4. Cost/benefit-based evaluation
1) Evaluation Approaches
Various approaches are used to evaluate the organizational MIS performance. The most
common approaches are,
• Quality Assurance Review: The quality assurance review is also known as a technical
review. It determines the technical quality performance of MIS. The quality assurance
review determines the data transmission rate, main or secondary storage, and CPU
capacity.
• Reliability and Accuracy: Reliability and accuracy is a key indicator of measuring the
performance of an MIS. The usefulness of the resulting information is usually
determined by the precision of the data, it uses some parameters to find reliability
and accuracy.
• Timeliness of Information: The results of MIS must be recent. And when evaluating
patterns, management must make assumptions about the organization's future,
based on MIS data. A more recent on MIS, decision making always reflects on current
reality and correctly predict their impact on the business. If the data collection and
processing delay its availability, the MIS must take into account its potential age-
related inaccuracies and present the resulting information accordingly, with probable
error ranges.
The MIS development personnel or a quality assurance group performs the quality
assurance review.
2) Evaluation Classes
To evaluate the performance of MIS, the following two classes are used,
 • Effectiveness: The effectiveness class determines the quality of the MIS output. MIS is
effective if the quality of its output is good and the process of producing output is
right.
• Efficiency: The efficiency class specifies the total amount of resources required by
MIS to obtain the output.
• Completeness of Information: For a specific decision, a successful MIS provides all
the most important and valuable information completely. If any information is not
available due to missing data, the gaps are highlighted and potential possibilities are
either shown or possible implications arising from missing data are addressed.
The relationship between effectiveness and efficiency can be defined as effectiveness is a
measure of the quality of an MIS output, while efficiency is a measure of the resources
required to achieve the output.
3) Product-based MIS evaluation
The product-based MIS evaluation is also known as effectiveness evaluation. Determines
the effectiveness of an MIS output. For assessing the effectiveness of MIS output, a model
structure may be used.
• Model Structure: A model structure is a structure that contains various information
attributes such as timeliness and relevance. To determine the MIS effectiveness in an
organization, we need to determine the information attributes for the MIS output.
Some of commonly used attributes are,
o Timeliness: Real-time information may be called information that is evaluated
in a very short period.
o Relevance: Questions such as timeliness, authority or novelty of the outcome
may include significance.
o Accuracy: The accuracy of information or measurements is their consistency,
even in small details, of being accurate or correct.
o Completeness: Completeness' refers to how comprehensive the data is.
o Adequacy: The ability to obtain the information required for decision making in
a timely and reliable manner.
o Explicitness: The degree to which the MIS is consistent with the particular
organization.
o Exception-based: MIS should be built based on the exception-based reporting
concept, which implies an irregular condition where the maximum, minimum,
or predicted values differ outside the limits. Exception reporting should be
given to the decision-maker at the appropriate level in such cases.
4) Cost/benefit-based evaluation
Cost-based evaluation of the MIS system determines the benefits expected from the
developed system. Different approaches are used to measure the cost and evaluate the
various benefits to organizations. The approaches of cost-benefit analysis are used to find
out the feasible solution. The benefits to be expected from the system and expected
benefits are carried out in the cost/benefit calculation of the different expected costs. The
measurement of cost/benefit decides the system's cost-effectiveness.

4.5 Maintenance of system

Selling software and services is a completely different scenario from selling hardware.
Moreover, selling solutions require integration of software, hardware and compatible
networking that enables the system to deliver what it aims to. Communication and business
activities constantly need a smooth, interoperable, customizable and scalable platform to
increase capacity and adapt to changing business needs. This is undoubtedly not a onetime
activity but an ongoing one. The reason for designing a computerized management
information system for the maintenance activity is to give the best assistance to
management for routine decisions in order to achieve maximum uptime and service
restoration. Maintenance means restoring something to its original conditions.
Enhancement means adding, modifying the code to support the changes in the user
specification. System maintenance conforms the system to its original requirements and
enhancement adds to system capability by incorporating new requirements.
Thus, maintenance changes the existing system, enhancement adds features to the existing
system, and development replaces the existing system. It is an important part of system
development that includes the activities which corrects errors in system design and
implementation, updates the documents, and tests the data.

➢ Techniques of Systems Maintenance:

1. Emergency Maintenance / Corrective Maintenance –:
This is due to the malfunction or “bug” in the system where maintenance is urgent and
usually calls for immediate attention.
The malfunction is because it has not been tested completely, even though the system must
have run perfectly for months or even years.
The information system user usually identifies the malfunction. Then a team of analysts and
programmers should rectify it if the malfunction is in computer program and caused by a
system input. It focuses on fixing bugs and logic errors that are not detected during the
implementation testing period. These errors may have crept in the system due to faulty
design or wrong assumptions. Thus, in corrective maintenance, processing or performance
failures are repaired
2. Routine Maintenance/Adaptive Maintenance :
Routine Maintenance is required to keep systems performance in order as it reflects the
organization environment. The activities may be rewriting manual procedures, conducting
training sessions, altering report formats and contents and forming new processing logic for
computer programs. – It refers to activities associated with modifying existing functions or
adding new functionality to accommodate changes in the business or operating
environment. This type of maintenance may become necessary because of organizational
changes which may include change in the organizational procedures, change in
organizational objectives, goals, policies, and change in forms, information needs of
managers and system controls and security needs. For e.g. A new tax law may require a
change in the calculation of net pay or a new accounting depreciation method may be
developed.
3. Special Reporting Requests/ Preventive Maintenance :
These are periodic requests for tactical and strategic management information, which does
not come under routine production. it involves activities intended to reduce chances of
system failure or extend the capacity of a current system. Preventive maintenance is a high
value adding function and vital to an organization realizing the full value of its investment in
the system. These special requests can be satisfied directly by a user with a database
management system and the analyst assists in preparing the necessary procedures for the
request, e.g. A special report on selected products during a sales promotion or a special
analysis of a particular vendor’s delivery performance.
4. Systems improvements/ Perfective Maintenance –:
When a new system is implemented, users may suggest additional improvements to the
system. To make the changes, the analyst determines if it can be met with the existing data
base and develops the necessary manual and computer procedures to satisfy the
requirements. It implies the introduction of new programs or modifying the existing
programs to enhance the performance of the information system. This type of maintenance
undertaken to respond to user’s additional needs which may be due to the changes within
or outside of the organization. Outside changes imply environmental changes, which may in
the absence of system maintenance; render the information system ineffective and
inefficient. These environmental changes include changes in governmental policies, laws,
economic and competitive conditions, and new technology.

➢ Problems of Systems Maintenance:

The system always undergoes continued modification due to various reasons. The
application systems need changes and sometimes it takes away half or more of an
organization’s allocated resources and time. Thus, many organizations have adopted the
principle of setting a budget for maintenance and perform only the highest priority
maintenance work.
The personnel working in the information system do not wish to spend most of their time
maintaining or trying to patch up systems designed and implemented years ago. In some
organizations, the programmers are rotated once in a year.
By this the programmers will have new assignments, the experience base of the personnel
is broadened, better ideas are being proposed and evaluation of the personnel and the
performance of two or more persons and the several project leaders can be compared.
Maintenance programming causes more failure than the developing programming. If the
maintenance programmer is not familiar with the program, the management should assign
complex maintenance problems to the most knowledgeable people to avoid failure.
If the documentation is poor and changes will result in serious failure and to overcome this,
the management is responsible to ensure that all programs are properly documented.
Extra training cost will go up maintaining for older applications that use outdated
programming languages that run under primitive operating systems. The situations like
facing inadequate documentation, a variety of incompatible hardware/software
configurations, outdated equipment and procedures will give rise to manageable conditions
with severe problems of maintenance that continue indefinitely.