MIS - CONCEPT AND DEFINITION

Management information is an important input for efficient performance of various managerial

functions at different organization levels. The information system facilitates decision making.
Management functions include planning, controlling and decision making. Decision making is
the core of management and aims at selecting the best alternative to achieve an objective.
The decisions may be strategic, tactical or technical. Strategic decisions are characterized by
uncertainty. They are future oriented and relate directly to planning activity. Tactical decisions
cover both planning and controlling. Technical decisions pertain to implementation of specific
tasks through appropriate technology. The elements of decision making include the model,
criteria, constraints and optimization. A model is a quantitative-cum-qualitative description of a
problem. Criteria relate to methods for achieving goals. Constraints are the limiting factors.
Once the decision problem is fully described in a model, criteria stipulated and constraints
identified, the decision-maker can select the best alternative. That is optimization.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF MIS

Dynamic and competitive nature of market place

Globalization of resources/economy

Increasing complexities of business organization (sole organization to large corporate

system)

The information revolution (credit card, overnight package delivery)

MEANING OF MIS
M = management, I= information, S= system
Management
Management comprises the process and activity (planning, controlling and decision making) that
a manager does to utilize the resources of the organization in most efficient and effective manner
Information
It simply means processed data, ie data which is converted into meaningful and useful form for a
specific user.
System
It can be defined as a set of elements joined together for a common objective.

A group of interrelated components working together towards a common goal by accepting input
and producing output in an organized transaction process.
DEFINITION OF MIS
According to G B Davis, MIS is

An integrated user-machine system

For providing information

To support the operations, management, analysis and decision-making functions in an

organization

The system utilizes

Computer hardware and software

Manual procedures

Models for analysis, planning, control and decision making

And a database

MIS IS AN EVOLVING CONCEPT

MIS was first introduced as a single, highly integrated system that would bring together
processing for all organizational functions. Critics questioned whether it was possible to design
adequate computer-based information systems to support management planning and decision
making functions, especially strategic planning.
Overtime, the concept of a single, highly integrated system was demonstrated to be too complex
to implement. The MIS concept is now that of a federation of subsystems, developed and
implemented as needed but conforming to overall plan, standards and procedures for the MIS.
Thus rather than a single, global MIS, an organization may have many related information
systems which serve managerial needs in various ways.
MIS as a concept continues to evolve. Two such concepts that can be considered extensions of
the MIS concept are decision support system (DSS) and information resources
Management(IRM).The latest evolution of the MIS concept is end-user computing.
MIS AND OTHER ACADEMIC DISCIPLINES
MIS is a product of multi-disciplinary approach to the business management. The major
discipline that contributes to the study of management information system are mainly computer
science, operation research, management science, sociology, political science and psychology.

In general we can divide the field of MIS into two broad approaches, ie technical and
behavioural.MIS is a hybrid product of these two approaches that makes it a socio-technical
system.

Technical Approach
Operation
research
Management
science

Socio-Technical System

Behavioral Approach
Sociology

MIS

Political science
Psychology

Computer
science

Technical Approach
Technical approach MIS emphasizes on mathematically based or systematic models to study
management information system as well as the hardware aspect of it. The major role player of
technical approach is computer science which provides ways of computation as well as how to
store large volume of data and its retrieval. Management science gives the concept of decision
support and the models for management practices. Operation research comprises how to
optimize the resources of the management.
Behavioral Approach
The major role player of this approach is sociology that focuses on the impact of MIS on groups,
organizations and society as a whole. Psychology is concerned with how each stake holder in
organization responses to the information system and cognitive models of human reasonings.
Political is concerned with what is the political scene/scenario in the country, what is the
manifesto of ruling party etc.
Concept of Information
Information is a critical resource in the operation and management of organizations. Timely
availability of relevant information is vital for effective performance of managerial functions
such as planning, organizing, leading, controling and decision making. An information system in
an organization is like the nervous system in the human body: it is the link that connects all the
organization's components together and provides for better operation and survival in a
competitive environment. Indeed, today's organizations run on information.

DEFINITION OF INFORMATION
According to Davis and Olson,` `information is data that has been processed into a form that is
meaningful to the recipient and is of real or perceived value in current or prospective actions or
decisions``
This implies that information is
Processed data

It has a form

It is meaningful to the recipient

It has a value, and

It is useful in current or prospective decisions or actions.

Good Information has certain features, these are

It improves the representation of an entity

It updates the level of knowledge

It has a surprise value

It reduces uncertainty

It aids in decision making

Characteristics of Information
Promptness in availability and updation, Accuracy,
Precision, Unambiguous
Completeness, Impartiality, Validity, Reliability, Consistency, Mode and format of
representation, Exception based
Data versus Information
Data refers to raw, unevaluated facts, figures, symbols, objects, events, etc. Data may be a
collection of facts lying in storage, like a telephone directory or census records.
Data is raw material & unorganized facts that need to be processed.
When data are processed, organized, structured or presented in a given context so as to make
them useful, they are called information. The relation of data to information is that of raw
material to finished product.

Information is data that have been put into a meaningful and useful context and communicated to
a recipient who uses it to make decisions. Information involves the communication and reception
of intelligence or knowledge.

Transformation of data into information in an information system

Data storage

Data

Processing

Information

TYPES OF INFORMATION
The information is differentiated mainly on behalf of their source of generating information and
types of decision taken by manager at different level

Environment Information

Government policies

Factors of production

Economic trends

Technological information

Sociological information

Political information

Competitive Information

Competitors product features

Competitors market demand

Competitors strengths and weaknesses

Competitors pricing and promotion strategy

Operational information

Operational decisions are taken by the lower level of management and the information
need is known as operational information which relates to the day-to-day operations like
daily or weekly sales, day-to-day cash position etc.

Tactical Information

This information relates to the middle level of managers. They requires information for
allocating resources and establishing control to implement the top level plans.

It is partly historic and partly current which uses both internal and external resources of
providing information

Strategic Information

Strategic information is used to make a choice among business options. Strategic

Information relates to the top managers.

Strategic information is predictive in nature and have long term perspective

It is retrieved not only from external source but to some extent internal resources are also
explored.

QUALITY OF INFORMATION
Quality is fitness for use or reliability of information. It is difficult to measure the exact quality
of information as the quality varies from situation to situations and users to users. If a user is
satisfied with the information he is currently provided with, the quality of information may be
rated high.
The quality of information can be classified into three categories such as
Time Related
Timeliness: information should be available when needed
Currency: the information should be up to date when needed
Frequency: the information should be available frequently as needed
Time period: the time period may be past, present and future as needed by the user.
Content Related
Accuracy: the information should be free from errors

Relevant: the information should be specific to the needs of the receipts

Completeness: all the information required must be provided to the user when needed
Brief: information needed must be provided in the right measure. Too much information may
confuse the recipient.
Form related
Clarity: The form in which information is served must be easy to understand
Detail: The level of summary or detail as required by the user must be met
Order: There should be a predetermined order for providing information
Presentation: The presentation may be in narrative, numeric or graphic form
Media: The media may be paper documents, video displays etc as the required by the user
VALUE OF INFORMATION

To produce quality information organization has to incur certain costs.

These costs are due to collection, processing and storage of the information.

To justify these costs, the information must have certain value

The information has value if it is able to improve the quality of decision

The information has two types of values

Quantifiable value
Non Quantifiable value
QUANTIFIABLE VALUE

This means that we can measure the information value in monetary terms.

The value of information is calculated by the value of the change in the decision behavior
resulted by the information minus cost of obtaining the information.

VPI = (V2 - V1) (C2 - C1)

VPI

V2, V1 = Final and initial value of Information

= Information perfect

C2 , C1 = Final and initial cost of obtaining the information

NON QUANTIFIABLE VALUE

Non quantifiable value of information is that which is not measurable in terms of money or
tangible benefits
Information Overload
It is a state where user is presented with too much information that may make difficult to find
which information is relevant to the problem context. The overload causes a barrier to understand
information presented and confuses the users.
Techniques for managing Information Overload
SUMMARIZING, FILTERING, INFERENCES AND MESSAGE ROUTING

Summarizing
Data summarizing reduces the volume of data for transmission without affecting its essential
meaning. Classification is a formal way of summarization of data. Aggregation and statistics are
important form of summarization

Filtering
In this method organizations have systems to scan information at every level and controlling the
flow of information upward. Filtering is a technique that trims irrelevant information before it
reaches the managers at each level. Each level in the hierarchy functions as a filter station.
Inferences
Inferences are drawn usually from a large volume of data and such inferences are communicated
in place of the original data. The user gets only the inferences and does not know anything about
the original data. The quality of inference depends person`s ability to interpret the volume of data
in the context of the problem. Interpretation may be based on statistical analysis of data.
Message routing
In this method information is only distributed to those individuals or organizational units which
require the information for some action or decision.
CONCEPT OF SYSTEM

A system can be most simply defined as a group of interrelated or interacting elements forming a
unified whole.
DEFINITION
A system is a group of interrelated components working together towards a common goal by
accepting inputs and producing outputs in an organized transformation process.
All information systems use people, hardware, software, data and network resources to perform
input, processing, output, storage and control activities that transform data resources into
information products.
TYPES OF SYSTEM

Open and Close System

Adaptive and Non-Adaptive System

Physical and Abstract System

Deterministic and Probabilistic

Super and Subsystem

Temporary and Permanent

Natural and Man Made

Open System
Open system is one which is interactive in nature and it allows to exchange data,
material, information etc. with its environment. Examples of open system are human
beings, organization etc
Close System
Closed system is one which does not interact with its environment and it is relatively
isolated from the environment.
In a way, relatively closed system is one which controls its inputs, processes and output
and is protected from the environmental threats.
Examples are computer program, accounting system etc.

Physical System

Physical system is tangible entities that may be static or dynamic in operation.

Such systems are generally concrete operational system made up of people, material,
equipment, machine and other tangible thing. Static physical system means which is
static and not tends to change, like the physical parts of a class room means, desk, table,
chair, black board. Dynamic physical system varies every time, like fashion industry in
which the style, size and stuff of the dress changes often
Abstract System

Abstract systems are conceptual or non physical entities.

It is an orderly arrangement of interdependent ideas which may or may not have any
existence in the real world.

A system of theology is an example, which is an orderly arrangement of ideas about God

Sub-System

Some systems are often a part of a large system and they are known as sub- system.

Subsystems are interactive and dependent to each other and they work together to achieve
a common goal.

Example, various departments of an organization like marketing, finance production etc.

Super System

Super system is a large and complex system which may or may not have a number of
parts known as its subsystem.

Super system is always complex in nature and difficult to understand.

Example, education system which has universities, colleges, schools etc

Deterministic System

A deterministic system is one which the occurrence of all the events is certain.

In other words, it is a system which operates in accordance with predefined set of rules
and every step and order of their performance is known

Example, billing system of a departmental store

Probabilistic system

It is one in which the occurrence of the event cannot be perfectly predicted and the result
of such system cannot be pre determined.

Example, sales forecasting system, weather forecasting system etc.

Temporary system

Temporary systems are those which are made to achieve certain objective or to perform
specific task.

Example, project to construct a shopping mall.

Permanent system

Permanent systems are those systems which has relatively long time span.

Natural system

Natural systems are abound in nature and are God gifted or their existence is because of
the nature.

Example, solar system, galaxies etc.

Man made system

Man made system may be defined as a set of devices, procedures, people and operating
system designed to achieve a common goal.
Example business organization, industries etc

Adaptive system

A system that reacts to its environment in such a way as to improve its functioning,
achievement or probability of survival is called an adaptive system.

Example, business organizations are adaptive system

Non adaptive system

A system which does not react to their environment is called non-adaptive.

They are basically closed system

STRUCTURE OF MIS

The structure of management information system is described in terms of four separate

but related classifications.

Operating Elements

Decision Support

Management Activity

Organizational Function
OPERATING ELEMENTS OF AN INFORMATION SYSTEM

A management information system (MIS) is an organized combination of people,

hardware, communication networks and data sources that collects, transforms and
distributes information in an organization

The physical components of an MIS include

Hardware

Software

Database

Personnel

Procedures

Hardware

All physical components of a computer system compose the computer hardware.

Important components include

The central processing unit

Input/output devices

Storage units

Communication devices.
Communication can be over fiber-optic cables or wireless networks.
Software

Software provides the interface between users and the information system. Software can
be divided into two generic types:

System software

Applications software

The system software comprises of the operating system, utility programs and special
purpose programs.

Applications are developed to accomplish a specific task.

For users of MIS it is much more important to understand the software than the hardware.
Software maintenance can take 50 to 70 percent of all personnel activity in the MIS
function
Database

A database is a centrally controlled collection of organized data. Central control reduces

redundancy and duplication of data.

Data is stored in an organized and structured way to facilitate sharing and improve
availability to those who need it.

The physical existence of stored data is evidence by the physical storage media
(computer tapes, disk packs)used for secondary storage

Procedures

Three types of procedures are required for an MIS to operate effectively: user
instructions, instructions for input preparation and operating instructions for MIS
personnel who maintain the MIS.

Formal operating procedures are physical components because they exist in a physical
form such as manual or instruction booklet.
Personnel

The personnel in the MIS function include computer operators, programmers, systems
analysts and managers.

Human resource requirements should be assessed by considering both the present system
needs and the future system growth.

The quality of MIS personnel is a key factor in its effectiveness. An MIS manager needs a
combination of both managerial and technical skills.
PROCESSING FUNCTIONS
The major processing functions are

Process transactions

Maintain master files

Produce reports

Process inquiries

Process interactive support applications

Output for Users

The user of MIS provides inputs and receives output

The user's assessment of the information system is therefore dependent somewhat on the
ease of input but is primarily based on the usefulness of the output the user sees.
The outputs thus form one description of an IS and can be classified as being of five
major types
Transaction documents or screens
Preplanned reports
Preplanned inquiry
Ad hoc reports and inquiry response
User machine dialog results
MIS Support for Decision Making
Decisions vary with respect to the structure that can be provided for making them.

A highly structured decision can be preplanned or prespecified, where as a highly

unstructured decision cannot.

 A structured decision can be said to be programmable and unstructured decision is said to

be nonprogrammable.
The unstructured, programmable decision tends to be routine and frequently repeated
The unstructured decision tends to occur with less frequency and tends to be nonroutine.

MIS support for decision making can be classified into two parts
1. Structured, programmable decisions
2. Unstructured, nonprogrammable decisions
Structured, Programmable Decision
The information system requirements for structured decisions are clear and unambiguous
procedures for entering the required input data, validation procedures to ensure correct
and complete input, processing of the input using the decision logic, and output of the
programmed decision in a form that is useful for action.
Many highly structured decisions may be completely automated.
Examples of highly structured decisions are inventory reorder formulas and rules for
granting credit.
Unstructured, Nonprogrammable Decisions
The data requirements for unstructured decisions are not completely known in advance,
so data retrieval must allow for ad hoc retrieval requests
Interactive decision support systems with generalized inquiry and analysis capabilities are
appropriate information system support for unstructured decision making.
MIS Structure based on Management Activity
The structure of an information system can be classified in terms of hierarchy of
management planning and control activities
Hierarchy of Management activities
1. Strategic Planning
Definition of goals, policies, objectives and general guidelines for an organization.
2. Management control and tactical planning

Acquisition of resources, tactics, plant location, new products. Establishment and

monitoring of budgets
3. Operational planning and control
Effective and efficient use of existing facilities and resources to carry out activities
within budget constraints.

Operational Control
This is a process of ensuring that the operational activities are carried out effectively and
efficiently.
A large
%
of
decisions
are
programmable
and
the
procedure used is quite stable.

It makes use of pre-established procedures and decision rules. Individual transactions

are
often
important;
hence
the
system
must
be
able
to
respond to both individual transactions and summaries of transactions. The data required
for this process is generally current and the sequence of processing is often significant
Processing support for operational control consists of

Transaction processing Inventory withdrawal transaction can examine balance on

hand, calculate order quantity, produce action document.
Enquiry processing An enquiry for personal files describing the requirement for a
position.
Report processing A report showing orders still outstanding after 30 days.

Management Control
This system is required by managers of departments, profit centers to measure
performance, decision on control actions, formulate new decision rules and allocate
resources. Summary information is needed and it must be processed so that trends may be
observed, reasons for performance variations and solutions may be suggested.
The control process requires the following types of information
1. Planned performance To assist managers in finding problems and reviewing plans and
budgets. It projects the effect of current action.

2. Variance from planned performance This report shows performance and variations from
planned performance.
3. Problem analysis models to analyze data to provide input for decision making.
4. Decision models to analyze a problem situation and provide possible solutions.
5. Inquiry model to provide assistance to enquiries.
Strategic Planning
The purpose of strategic planning is to develop strategies by which an organization will
be able to achieve its objectives. These activities do not occur on a periodic basis. Data
required for strategic planning are generally for processed summarized data from a
variety of sources. Information system support can provide
Substantial aid to the process of strategic planning.
Evaluation of current capabilities based on internal data.
Internal projection of future capabilities by analyzing past data.
Fundamental market data on the industry and the competitors.
Databanks of public information regarding industry and competitors
MIS structure based on organizational functions
There are no standard classifications of functions but a typical set of functions in an
organization includes
Production
Sales & Marketing
Finance & Accounting
Logistics
Personnel
Information system
Top management can also be considered as a separate function. Each of these functions has
unique information needs and each requires information system support designed for it.
Sales & Marketing

 The transactions involved in this subsystem are Sales order, promotion order, etc.
Operational activities include hiring and training of sales force,
day to day scheduling of sales and promotion effort, periodic analysis of sales volume by
region, product, customer, etc. Managerial control concerns comparison of overall
performance against planned. Strategic planning involves new markets and marketing
strategies.
Production
It includes planning, scheduling and operation of production facility, employment and
training of production personnel, quality control and inspection.
Transactions include production order, assembly order, finished parts tickets, scrap
tickets.
Operational control requires reports comparing actual performance to the production
schedule.
Management control requires summary report comparing oval planned performance to
standard performance.
Strategic planning includes alternative manufacturing approach and approach to
automation.
Logistics
Transaction process includes purchase, manufacturing and receiving report. Tickets for
inventory, shipping and orders.
Operational control includes past-due purchases, shipment, out of stock items.
Managerial control information consists of overall comparisons between planned and
actual inventory levels, costs of purchased items, stock outs etc
Strategic planning involves analysis of new distribution strategy, policies, etc.
Finance & Accounting
Transaction involves credit applications, sales, billings, payment vouchers, checks,
ledgers, stock transfer, etc.
Operations include daily error and exception reports, records of processing delays and
reports of unprocessed transactions.

Managerial control utilizes information on budget versus actual costs of financial

resources, cost of processing accounting data and error rates

 Strategic planning involves a long run strategy to ensure adequate financing, a long range
tax accounting policy to minimize the impact of taxes
Personnel
Transactions involve documents describing employment requisition, job description,
training specifications, personnel data, hours worked, paycheck termination etc.
Operational control requires decision procedures for action such as hiring, training,
termination, changing pay rates etc
Management control is supported by reports and analyses showing the variances between
planned and actual performance of employees hired, cost of recruiting, distribution of
wages rates etc
Strategic planning is involved with evaluating alternative strategies for recruiting, salary,
and training, benefits to ensure that the organization obtains and retains personnel
necessary to achieve its objectives
Organizational Functions
The MIS structure has been described in terms of support for decision making,
management activity and organizational functions
These three approaches will now be synthesized into a management information system
structure.
We can divide the MIS structure into
(1) Conceptual structure
(2) Physical structure
The conceptual structure of an MIS is defined as a federation of functional subsystem,
each of which is divided into four information processing components:

(1) Strategic planning

(2) Management control
(3) Operational control
4 Transaction Processing
FORMAL AND INFORMAL I S, PUBLIC AND PRIVATE I S

The complete information processing system of an organization consists of both public

and private systems.
Public is used in the sense of being known to relevant persons in the organization and
available to all who have authority to access the information.
Private systems are kept by individuals. These may supplement or duplicate the public
systems.
There are within the public and private systems both formal and informal information
systems.
Formal and Informal I S
The formal information system is manifested by documents and other records, usually
indicating compliance with prespecified rules and procedures.
The informal information system may process information that is vital to organizational
functioning but without formal records of that process.
Formal public system
The MIS with its prespecified procedures and programs for applications is a part of the
formal public system.
It is organizationally public and access is dependent only upon having appropriate
organizational authority to enter or retrieve data or to receive reports or inquiry responses

Informal Public System

The informal system has few predetermined rules. Examples of public informal system
are electronic mails, telephone calls, conversation at gathering points such as water
cooler, notes on the bulletin board etc.
Formal Private I S
Example, An industrial sales manager might maintain a separate file of performance data
on sales representatives which he uses to enhance the information received from the
formal sales information system
Informal Private I S

Many individuals also have their own private informal information system. Primarily
through personal contact they maintain a flow of information which may be critical to
decision making but is available to them as individuals rather than as occupiers of a
formal position.

SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT LIFE CYCLE

Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a process used by a systems analyst to
develop an information system, including requirements, validation, training, and user
(stakeholder) ownership. The basic idea of SDLC is that there is a well defined process
by which an application is conceived, developed and implemented.
The SDLC is a type of methodology used to describe the process for building information
systems, intended to develop information systems in a very deliberate, structured and
methodological way, reiterating each stage of life cycle.
FEATURES OF SDLC

The phases in the SDLC provides a basis for management and control

Define segments of the flow of work which can be identified for managerial
purposes

Specify the documents or other deliverables to be produced in each phase

SDLC consists of three major stages

Definition
Development
Installation and operation
Definition
Proposal definition
Feasibility assessment

Information requirement analysis

Conceptual design
Proposal definition
The proposal definition phase is not necessary if the application was defined as part of
information system planning. Otherwise, a simple procedure may be used for proposal of
an application. The proposal should not be complex but in a short one or two page
document which should provide sufficient justification to support a decision to proceed
with a feasibility analysis.
Feasibility assessment
Feasibility study results in recognition of both the benefits and risks inherent in the
development and implementation of the proposed application system.
Five types of feasibility studies are there
Technical study : analyze the proposed application to be implemented with existing
technology available on the market
Economic feasibility : analyse the fact that the system will provide benefits greater than
the cost
Motivational feasibility : analyse the fact that the organization is sufficiently motivated
to support the development and implementation of the application with necessary user
participation, resources, training time etc
Schedule feasibility : analyse the probability that the organization can complete the
development process in the time allowed for development
Operational feasibility : analyse the probability of working the proposed application
system efficiently when it is installed
INFORMATION REQUIREMENT ANALYSIS
The information requirements of proposed application system are detailed at this stage.
The information requirement consists of
Reports
Queries (both regular & Ad hoc)
Conceptual schema for database (from data modeling or other analysis)
Functional requirements

User interface requirements

CONCEPTUAL DESIGN
the conceptual design phase establishes a more complete user oriented design for the
application. It emphasis the application as seen by those who will operate or use the
outputs of the system. It is characterized as external or general design.
DEVELOPMENT STAGE
Physical system design
The physical system design phase, also called internal or detailed design, consists of
activities to prepare the detailed technical design of the application system. the physical
design is based on the information requirements and the conceptual design and it
provides the basis for physical database design, program development and procedure
development.
Physical database design
The approach to physical design for an application depends on the existing database and
the approach followed for database requirements determination.
There are three major approaches for meeting the data requirements for an application
Create a new physical file or database
Using and modifying an existing database
Access an existing database by means of a user schema
Program development
A primary output of the physical process is a set of specifications that define
programming tasks. The goal of the program development phase is to code and test
programs required for the application. A number of program development techniques are
used to achieve program correctness. Important examples are modularity, structured
programming, application generators and tailoring of application packages.

Procedure development
Procedure development like manuals, instruction sheets, input forms, help screens etc can
take place concurrently with program development. Procedures should be written for all
personnel who have contact with the system. This includes the following
Primary user, secondary user, computer operating personnel, etc
Installation and operation stage
Conversion

Conversion to the new application begins after all programs and procedures have been
prepared and individually tested. Three major activities for actual conversion: acceptance
testing, file building, user training
Acceptance testing: testing of completed application and comparing it to the
specifications. It verifies to the user that the system meets performance criteria and
operational requirements.
File building: Refers to the collection and conversion to machine-readable form of all
new data required by the application. The data must be gathered, coded and entered into
the database.
User training: Proper user training is an important factor in overcoming user resistance to
new systems.
Operations and maintenance
When the system appears to be operating without difficultly it is turned over to the
information processing production function. Any subsequent changes in the application
are handled as maintenance. The maintenance of an application can be classified as
repairs or enhancements.
Post audit
a desirable part of SDLC is a review of the application after it has been in operation for a
period, such as a year. An audit team with representatives from user, development,
maintenance, operations reviews the operation, use, cost and benefits of the application.
Recommendations from post audit include specific recommendations for dropping,
repairing or enhancing an application.

Prototype approach
This approach is an experimental assurance in development of information system
applications. A small version of the system is designed and is made available to users for
experimentation. The users work with this quickly and inexpensively made prototype and
suggest modifications or changes to the prototype. Such modifications are incorporated
into the prototype after consideration of its feasibility.

Prototype is a working system developed to test the behavior of the new system.
Model of prototyping process
Identify the user`s basic information requirements
Develop the initial prototype system

Use of the prototype system to refine the user`s requirements

Revise and enhance the prototype system