Presentation Objectives: Computerized management information - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

International Co-operative Alliance (ICA) Cooperative Data Management Methods and Techniques A Workshop Paper Presented at the Co-operative Registrars/Commissioners/Directors, Co-operative Leaders and Managers Workshop Held in Harare. 08 th – 12 th June 2015. By : Joseph Mutisya

Presentation Objectives: Computerized management information systems overview. Approaches to management of software projects. Software development cycle. Data management and systems acquisition at Society Level. Cooperative monitoring at country level: CODAS case study. Discuss strategies of strengthening data management methods and techniques.

Introduction •“ Whatever we do, we are guided by figures ” Yoweri Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda. • “information is at the root of everything we do” Prof. Francis Omaswa, former Director General, Ministry of Health, Uganda.

Introduction • “An essential component of any development planning is data. Without data, a country’s efforts to plan for future growth and welfare of its people cannot be grounded in reality and therefore may be severely flawed”. • Hon. Prof. Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o, former Minister for Planning and National Development, Kenya.

Definitions Data. Information. Database. Software. Information systems ( components ). Integration. Source codes

Application Software Software that solve specific problems or perform specific tasks. It is divided into; i. Off – the – shelf application software – programs developed by software engineers and made available in the market for sale. Normally sold in bundles called program suites e.g. the Microsoft Office programs suite. ii. In – house –developed packages –also referred to as tailor – made – application software. Designed or tailored to solve problems specific to an organisation.

Software Development Project

Facts about Software • Relative cost of software is growing. • Increase in demand for software. • Increase in size and complexity of software.

Successful Project Approach SMART Goals – S pecific • Clear to anyone with a basic knowledge of the project. – M easurable • An indicator that the goal is achievable. – A greed upon • Agreement between the users and the project team on the goals. – R ealistic • The goal can be accompanied with the resources, knowledge and time available. – T ime Framed • Determine the time needed to accomplish the goal.

Software Crisis • Faulty software. • Delay in completion time. • Over budgeting. • Difficult to maintain software. • Bad documentation.

Attributes of a successful project • Senior management should monitor the progress in project. • Regular progress reporting should be available for senior management and other interested parties on a regular basis. • Planning and organizing for the project delivery of benefits should start as early as possible in the project life cycle inorder to achieve benefits realization.

Measure of Project Success • The resulting information System is acceptable to the customer. • The system was delivered on time. • The system was delivered within budget. • The system development process had a minimal impact on ongoing business operations.

Causes of Project Failure • Failure to establish upper-management commitment to the project. • Lack of organization’s commitment to the system development methodology. • Taking shortcuts through or around the system development methodology. • Poor expectation from the management. • Premature commitment to a fixed budget and schedule. • Poor estimating techniques. • Over-optimism. • Inadequate management skills. • Failure to adapt to business change. • Insufficient resources.

Major processes in developing a Software System • Feasibility study. • Full Systems study. • Requirement determination. • Evaluation of alternative system. • Selection of hardware and software. • Designing of new system. • Construction new system. • Implementation new system.

Software cost Estimation Techniques • No well defined standard of software costing. • Most techniques assume firm knowledge of requirements which rarely is the case in practice. 1. Expert judgment. 2. Analogy. 3. Work breakdown structure.

Systems Evaluation Criteria Modular evaluation. System's security. Unreliable software. Accidents/natural disasters. Hackers/crackers/modifications/copying. Disgruntled, blackmailed, bribed, greedy employees or ex-employees. Consultants/ ex-consultants. Industrial spies. Competitors. Disgruntled customers. Malicious programmed threats. Amateur/career criminals. Terrorists.

Systems Evaluation Criteria Cont. System's security Continued…. Password levels. Definition of users and respective privileges. The privileges linkages to a particular time window. Transaction authorization by atleast two people. Audit trails. Disaster recovery and systems backup. Failure of hard drive. Power outage. Physical security of the equipment. Web based. Barcode, ATMs, mobile technology integration, online transactions, biometrics etc. Querying capability.

Systems Evaluation Criteria Cont. User interface. Reports. User documentation. Technical documentation. System design. Source codes. Support and maintenance. Number of system users. Compliance with standards. Validation checks. Communication infrastructure. Integration.

Systems Testing – To be carried out for the entire system to find out errors that may result by incorporating other modules •Unit testing. •Integration testing. •system testing. •User acceptance.

Qualities of a Good System • User Friendly. • Reliable. • Efficient. • Secure. • Adaptable. • Valid. • Interoperationable. • Economical. • Maintainable.

Data Management and Systems Acquisition at Society Level • Need to have an integrated system. • Avoid silos approach. Formation of MIS implementation Steering Committee.  The mandate of this committee is to ensure and oversee successful delivery of MIS to the society. • Develop a systems user requirements/specifications. • Formulate a tender document ( if need be, system to be implemented in modular form ).

Integrated MIS Acquisition Advertise the system development and implementation tender. Tenderers to undertake site visit to clarify any grey areas in the tender document. 2 proposals to be presented in 2 different envelopes: Technical. Financial. Open financial proposals for only the firms whose technical proposal have been approved. Visit sampled sites for the first 3 or 2 firms ( top scorers ). .

Integrated MIS Acquisition After the site visits, the qualified firms may be called in for negotiations. The appointed firm should undertake a detailed information systems requirements analysis and come up with system’s requirements/specifications document. After the production of the above document, a letter of award should then be offered by the cooperative. Thereafter, a detailed contract should be signed between the 2 parties preferably in presence of a lawyer. Need for constant monitoring of the project. NOTE : the new system must be able to efficiently receive data from the existing systems (via migration).

Co-operative Data Management Methods and Techniques: CODAS Case Study

Monitoring Systems Monitoring is a continuing function that uses  systematic collection of data on specified indicators to inform management and the main stakeholders of an on-going project of the extent of progress and achievement of results in the use of allocated funds. Evaluation is the systematic and objective  assessment of an on-going initiative or completed initiative, program or policy, its design, implementation and results .

Monitoring Systems An appropriate monitoring system is a pre- condition for proper evaluation. The evaluation exercise measures the success of a project in relation to its objectives, and the extent to which the intended beneficiaries have really benefited. Evaluation is an integral part of the implementation process; it compares current information and monitoring data relating to 1. the project. 2. the beneficiaries. 3. the conditions existing at the onset of the project, and 4. the conditions expected at various stages of the project. The evaluation process allows for timely changes to project strategy or implementation, i.e. when it becomes apparent that project objectives are not being met. Without an appropriate monitoring system, the above is not possible.

The importance of measuring results • « If you cannot measure results, you cannot differentiate success from failure • If you cannot highlight success, you cannot reward it • If you cannot reward success, you probably reward failure • If you cannot highlight success, you cannot learn from it • If you don't point out failure, you cannot rectify the situation • If you cannot show results, you cannot benefit from the help of the population». Osborne and Gaebler, 1992