Information Policy, Information Planning and Information Systems

‭ ENERAL: INFORMATION POLICY, INFORMATION‬ G ‭PLANNING AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS‬ ‭ his is the introductory chapter of section F, which focuses in particular on the‬ T ‭automation aspect of administrative information provision. This chapter first‬ ‭addresses the question of who within an organization is responsible for administrative‬ ‭information provision. These officials must carry out the information planning process‬ ‭together. Attention is then paid to information policy making in general, after which‬ ‭strategic information policy making and tactical policy making are discussed in more‬ ‭detail. After discussing the information plan and the information planning process,‬ ‭further attention is paid to the factors that influence the information planning process.‬ ‭Introduction: those responsible for administrative information management systems‬ ‭ ith regard to formulating the information‬‭needs‬‭, designing it systems and taking‬ W ‭the‬‭decisions‬‭In this regard, it can be stated that this should preferably take the form‬ ‭of a project‬‭organization‬‭, where officials from different disciplines work together to‬ ‭c reate 'as a group' b to perform a certain finite task (a project). To avoid confusion‬ ‭and misunderstandings, an effort must be made to achieve a unity of conception‬ ‭with regard to the whole. It is therefore effective to charge a central official with the‬ ‭c oordination of these activities, under the leadership of a steering body‬ ‭incorporated in the project administration (the steering group).‬ ‭ s far as the implementation of the information management processes is concerned, a‬ A ‭number of arguments can be put forward in favor of placing certain parts, and in particular‬ ‭where the substantive aspects of the financial administration are concerned, with a separate‬ ‭body. The most important of those arguments in favor of centralization and concentration‬ ‭have traditionally been:‬ ‭-‬ I‭n view of the requirements imposed by internal control and reliability‬ ‭systems, it is desirable that the registrations on the basis of which the control‬ ‭over decision-making officials, executors and custodians is exercised are‬ ‭made by persons who are hierarchically independent of the officials to be‬ ‭c ontrolled.‬ ‭-‬ ‭Having (administrative) work carried out by specially suited personnel‬ ‭generally offers cost advantages.‬ ‭-‬ ‭Placing information management in a central body offers the possibility of‬ ‭having a common information system for different purposes as well as for‬ ‭different interested officials or departments (prevention of duplication of data‬ ‭c ollections).‬ ‭-‬ P ‭ lacing it under a central body offers the opportunity to create and use all kinds‬ ‭of control relationships between the different parts of the administration; this‬ ‭increases the reliability of the data derived from it. Moreover, concentration‬ ‭offers greater opportunities to provide all kinds of complementary information‬ ‭that can be meaningful to those who need information as a basis for making‬ ‭decisions.‬ ‭Against these advantages, some disadvantages can also be formulated, namely:‬ ‭-‬ ‭A twofold communication problem arises because:‬ ‭O‬‭Those who keep the administration can no longer obtain the necessary‬ ‭basic data directly through their own observations;‬ ‭O‬‭The information to be provided by the administration is no longer in the hands of those‬ ‭who‬ ‭have to use the information in question.‬ ‭-‬ ‭Those who are responsible for administrative information provision become further‬ ‭removed from the actual company and are therefore less able to assess the requirements‬ ‭imposed on their work and the real meaning of what they record.‬ ‭-‬ ‭Users of the information provided by the administration may have a feeling of‬ ‭ ncertainty, whether justified or not, regarding the reliability of that information.‬ u ‭Those to whose work‬ ‭-‬ ‭The information provided relates, but who have been released from independently‬ ‭conducting the administration concerned, often feel threatened by possible criticism‬ ‭that could be based on - perhaps incorrectly processed or misinterpreted -‬ ‭information that they themselves (still) have. is not known.‬ -‭ ‬ ‭Strictly speaking, an administration conducted in this way can no longer be‬ ‭regarded as the sole responsibility of the decision-making officers, custodians‬ ‭or executors involved. The reliability of the data provided by the administration‬ ‭may therefore be disputed by these officials, which could jeopardize‬ ‭accountability for any shortfalls or less favorable outcomes.‬ I‭t will be clear that modern information technology largely overcomes these‬ ‭objections or dwarfs the benefits of its use.‬ ‭ he influence of automation‬ T ‭As a result of the introduction of automation and the associated automation‬ ‭departments, the demand for the organizational‬‭position of the automation function‬ ‭in‬‭the organization. It is often desirable to have this feature, if at all possible, to‬ ‭c ome under a 'neutral' official, so that the interests of the users can be weighed‬ ‭objectively against each other, or can be arranged in accordance with guidelines‬ ‭established by higher authorities.‬ ‭Information planning‬ I‭nformation is needed for both the control and the execution of processes. The employees‬ ‭involved in information management will also have to plan the administrative information‬ ‭management systems. Which information systems should be developed within an‬ ‭organization and how this should be done is recorded in the information‬ ‭policy and‬‭drawn‬ ‭up accordingly in the information‬ ‭plan‬‭. Information policy and the information plan indicate‬ ‭how an organization's information provision can be organized as effectively and efficiently‬ ‭as possible so that the right data and information can be made available at the right time‬ ‭for the execution of processes within an organization.‬ ‭Information policy making‬ I‭nformation policy means:‬‭total to‬‭draw up objectives and guidelines with regard to‬ ‭the development and maintenance of information systems and the information‬ ‭technology to be applied thereto. The information policy can be divided into‬ ‭one‬‭strategic‬‭and a‬‭tactical‬‭parts.‬ ‭ he strategic part of the information policy, hereinafter strategic information policy‬ T ‭or simply‬‭information strategy is‬‭part of a company's overall strategy. It provides‬ ‭management's vision on how the company can improve and/or maintain its‬ ‭c ompetitive position using information systems and includes the strategic‬ ‭objectives and guidelines for dealing with ICT.‬