© Steven Alter, 2010, all rights reserved Validating Work System Principles for Use in Systems Analysis and Design Steven Alter Ryan Wright Presentation at ICIS 2010 Dec. 14, 2010

© Steven Alter, 2010, all rights reserved Outline Overview of work system method Need for work system principles Proposed principles Validation of principles Discussion –Method for validating principles? –WS principles vs. IS principles ? –Usefulness of principles? –Next steps?

© Steven Alter, 2010, all rights reserved Examples of Work Systems (from papers by MBA students at Georgia State Univ. ) Calculating rates for insurance renewals Managing software development projects Acquiring clients at a professional service firm Receiving materials at a large warehouse Approving real estate loan applications Planning and dispatching trucking services Performing pre- employment background checks Performing financial planning for wealthy individuals Scheduling and tracking health service appointments Operating an engineering call center Purchasing advertising services Determining salary increases Collecting and reporting sales data for a wholesaler Planning for outages in key real time information systems Invoicing for construction work

© Steven Alter, 2010, all rights reserved Definition of Work The application of resources such as people, equipment, time, effort, and money to generate products and services for internal or external customers

© Steven Alter, 2010, all rights reserved Definition of Work System A system in which human participants and/or machines perform work using information, technology, and other resources to produce products and/or services for internal or external customers

© Steven Alter, 2010, all rights reserved Work System Framework

© Steven Alter, 2010, all rights reserved Work system Service system Information system Project Supply chain Use of e-commerce web site One Lens Fits Almost All

© Steven Alter, 2010, all rights reserved Work System Life Cycle Model Initiation Implementation Development Operation & Maintenance

© Steven Alter, 2010, all rights reserved System and Problem –Define work system based on problem –Summarize “as is” using work system snapshot Analysis and Possibilities –Drill down using work system elements and alignment within the work system Recommendation and Justification –Summarize “to be” using work system snapshot –Drill down to understand impact of changes –Various questions related to recommendation and justification Basics of Work System Method

© Steven Alter, 2010, all rights reserved Need for Work System Principles Identifying problems and issues with current work systems Visualizing directions for improvements Evaluating proposed improvements

© Steven Alter, 2010, all rights reserved Quiz After three decades of IS research, what basic principles should govern the operation of systems in organizations? –(Systems in operation, not system development) Is it possible for valid principles to be mutually contradictory? Explain why work system principles belong in systems analysis textbooks.

© Steven Alter, 2010, all rights reserved Sources of Work System Principles (2002) Initial set of principles, one for each work system element (2004) Add revised versions of Cherns (1976) sociotechnical principles (2004) Add several more based on feedback from MBA and Executive MBA classes

© Steven Alter, 2010, all rights reserved Work System Principles (1-12) #1: Please the customers. #2: Balance priorities of different customers. #3: Match process flexibility with product variability. #4: Perform the work efficiently. #5: Encourage appropriate use of judgment. #6: Control variances (problems) at their source. #7: Monitor the quality and timing of both inputs and outputs. #8: Boundaries between process steps should facilitate control. #9: Match the work practices with the participants. #10: Serve the participants. #11: Align participant incentives with system goals. #12: Maintain clear roles and responsibilities

© Steven Alter, 2010, all rights reserved Work System Principles (13-24) #13: Provide information where it will affect action. #14: Protect information from inappropriate use. #15: Use appropriate technology. #16: Minimize effort consumed by technology. #17: Take full advantage of infrastructure. #18: Maintain compatibility and coordination with other work systems #19: Minimize unnecessary conflicts with the external environment. #20: Support the firm’s strategy #21: Incorporate goals, measurement, evaluation, and feedback. #22: Minimize unnecessary risks. #23: Maintain balance between work system elements. #24: Maintain the ability to adapt, change, and grow.

© Steven Alter, 2010, all rights reserved Validate Work System Principles Six small cohorts of Executive MBA students between –101 usable responses Correctness score (1-7) –“Most work systems in my organization should conform” Conformance score (1-7) –“Most work systems in my organization actually do conform.”

© Steven Alter, 2010, all rights reserved Results: Average Correctness = 5.94

© Steven Alter, 2010, all rights reserved Results: Average Conformance = 4.25

© Steven Alter, 2010, all rights reserved Statistical Results Work system principle CorrectConformDiff.T #1: Please the customers * #2: Balance priorities of different customers * #3: Match process flexibility with product variability * #4: Perform the work efficiently * #5: Encourage appropriate use of judgment * #6: Control problems at their source * #7: Monitor the quality of both inputs and outputs * #8: Boundaries between process steps should facilitate control * #9: Match the work practices with the participants * #10: Serve the participants * #11: Align participant incentives with system goals *

© Steven Alter, 2010, all rights reserved #12: Operate with clear roles and responsibilities * #13: Provide information where it will affect action * #14: Protect information from inappropriate use * #15: Use cost/effective technology * #16: Minimize effort consumed by technology * #17: Take full advantage of infrastructure * #18: Minimize unnecessary conflict with the external environment * #19: Support the firm’s strategy * #20: Maintain compatibility and coordination with other work systems * #21: Incorporate goals, measurement, evaluation, and feedback * #22: Minimize unnecessary risks * #23: Maintain balance between work system elements * #24: Maintain the ability to adapt, change, and grow * AVERAGE Note: * p < for a two tailed paired test Work system principle CorrectConformDiffT

© Steven Alter, 2010, all rights reserved Correctness: Highest and lowest Score Work system principle Highest Lowest #1: Please the customers. 6.3 #4: Perform the work efficiently. 6.3 #13: Provide information where it will affect action. 6.2 #19: Support the firm’s strategy 6.2 #24: Maintain the ability to adapt, change, and grow. 6.3 #3: Match process flexibility with product variability. 5.5 #5: Encourage appropriate use of judgment. 5.3 #16: Minimize effort consumed by technology. 5.3 #23: Maintain balance between work system elements. 5.5

© Steven Alter, 2010, all rights reserved Conformance: Highest and lowest Work system principleHighestLowest #1: Please the customers. 4.5 #12: Operate with clear roles and responsibilities 4.5 #14: Protect information from inappropriate use. 5.0 #19: Support the firm’s strategy 4.5 #22: Minimize unnecessary risks. 4.6 #6: Control problems at their source. 3.9 #7: Monitor the quality of both inputs and outputs. 3.9 #11: Align participant incentives with system goals. 3.6 #16: Minimize effort consumed by technology. 3.8 #21:Incorporate goals, measurement, evaluation, and feedback 3.9

© Steven Alter, 2010, all rights reserved Work Principles Gaps Work system principles with highest gapsRaw Diff. Score Stand. Diff. Scores #4: Perform the work efficiently #7: Monitor the quality of both inputs and outputs #11: Align participant incentives with system goals #21: Incorporate goals, measurement, evaluation, and feedback #24: Maintain the ability to adapt, change, and grow Work system principles with lowest gapsRaw Diff. Score Stand. Diff. Scores #5: Encourage appropriate use of judgment #8: Boundaries between process steps should facilitate control #14: Protect information from inappropriate use

© Steven Alter, 2010, all rights reserved Conclusions and Future Research Additional validation –(need to replicate in Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Angor Wat, and Bali.) Evaluate link to organizational success Incorporate into systems analysis and design Test in the practice of systems analysis and design Can we tie performance outcomes to normative principles?

© Steven Alter, 2010, all rights reserved Larger Questions Work system principles vs. information system principles Alternative principles not included Optimal number of principles Criteria for good principles Potential applications of principles