Management Support Systems A Hierarchy and a Guide

What Is SUPPORTED? Managers are employed to create conclusions, to make things happen Thus, any support they receive can be only of two types:  To make it easier to make things happen or  To make others think things have happened (i.e., to increase the perception of things happening) Tools for bringing things to conclusion Tools for helping others see that things have happened

What Is a Conclusion? A Decision Agreement or consensus Realization of a model or plan Addition to knowledge Increase in confidence Any (presumed positive) change in resources (such as cash, staff, customers, etc.)

Relationship to Simon It’s all related to problem solving Simon says See, Think, Say (then Do) See: gather data Think: reflect current situation onto what is known about how the world works Say: select the best course of action Do: implement the decision

What is the Support in Management Support Systems ? SEETHINKSAYDOLEARN Gather Access, Analyze Display, Communicate Remember better Knowledge Array, Compare Debate Archive Data Compute WHAT A MANAGEMENT SUPPORT SYSTEM CAN DO FOR MANAGERS TO INCREASE CONFIDENCE AND EFFECTIVENESS OF PROBLEM-SOLVING Manage this Process

What Kinds of Tools Are There Display and Data Formatting (Presentation) Data Search and Processing (MIS) Suggested Action (Consulting) Evaluation of Action (DSS) Logical Conclusion (Expert System) Action (Operational System)

How These Tools Differ Each one incorporates more “knowledge” than those above. The value of the knowledge is higher and the knowledge is more specific. Each removes some of the burden from the problem solver in generating and evaluating solutions

Display Displays and communicates Example: Presentation software Example: Word Processor Incorporates only “display” theories, ideas about how problems or situations might be expressed in words or pictures Practical example = this slide

Data Search and Processing Locates Data and Makes it Available Example: Database Manager Example: Report Generator Incorporates “Data” theories, ideas about what descriptors of the current situation may be of interest Practical example: Any MIS report (“Here is what is happening or has happened in the past”)

Suggested Action Suggests best course of action Examples: very few Incorporates similarity theories, what makes situations similar, what matters in making choices Physical example: Any consultant (“Usually when you see this kind of situation, you do X”) Based on research of associations

Evaluation of Action Puts a “figure of merit” or “tells a story” about each possible course of action. Example: What iffing on a spreadsheet Example: Computer program to calculate costs, risks, benefits, etc. Real example: a cost-benefit ratio Incorporates knowledge about the outcomes for specific actions in specific cases: very high level of theory (“So much of X gives you so much of Y”)

Logical Conclusion Like previous, but logical instead of numerical Example is an expert system or use of Artificial Intelligence Incorporates knowledge of logical implications or knowledge of society, business or culture (“If you do this, you can expect this to happen.”

Action Tool actually carries out the operation Example: factory, robot, automation Based on the idea that everything that needs to be known is already known and encapsulated in a physical theory which predicts outputs more or less exactly based on available inputs. Practical example is a stamping machine that can be primed with input dials and produces a result.

Who Uses These Systems Amount of user discretion and input required and degree of inclarity and confusion Amount of tool discretion and input required and degree of certainty and accumulated knowledge Display MIS Consulting DSS Operational Executive Upper Mgmt Middle Mgr Supervisors Workers

Manager in Need of Support Structure of a Management Support System MODEL CAPTURE MODEL BASE DIALOG MANAGER ADVICE Knowledgeable Advisor This takes place continually, refining the Quality and relevance of the stored data LEARNING

System Management Model Usage Model Management Manager in Need of Support Structure of a Management Support System MODEL CAPTURE MODEL BASE DIALOG MANAGER ADVICE Knowledgeable Advisor LEARNING

Example: Management Information System DATA CAPTURE DATA BASE QUERY/ REPORT MANAGER REPORTS This takes place continually, refining the Knowledge stored in the knowledge base LEARNING Trans- actions Manager in Need of Support Query/ Report Request

Example: Evaluation of Action SPREAD- SHEET CAPTURE SPREAD SHEET BASE SPREAD- SHEET EXECUTION PREDIC- TION This takes place continually, refining and Increasing the stored spreadsheets LEARNING Analyses And Ideas Manager in Need of Support What-IF

Example: Operational System MACHINE CONSTRUC- TION MACHINE CAPA- BILITY COMMAND RESULTS This takes place continually, refining and Improving the machinery IMPROVE- MENT Design Specs Manager in Need of Support Goal

User Roles in MSS Knowledge Capture BODY OF ADVICE Appropriate Usage Appli- cation of Outcome s Feedback On Value User Know- ledge Manager in Need of Support Descrip- tion

General Model of a Management Support System Knowledge Engineering Know- ledge Base Advisors LEARNING Feedback Advice Advising System Interface Managers Problem Description