DECISON SUPPORT SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT

Rus Rozalia Veronica Babe Bolyai University, Faculty of Business, Cluj-Napoca, Almaului Street, No 4, ap. 27, Phone: 0745944801, E-mail: vrus@tbs.ubbcluj.ro Information systems are vital tools for any organization because they deal with the coordination and use of three very important organizational resources: information, people and information technology. Decision support systems (DSS) are an important class of information systems that use data, models and knowledge to help managers solve semistructured and unstructured problems. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the most suitable methodologies for DSS development considering the properties of these systems, the actual trends in DSS field and the progresses made in Information Technology. In order to achieve this goal we will present a number of analysis and design approaches that can be applied in DSS development process: the phased methodology, the ROMC analysis, the evolutionary method, prototyping and end-user development. Each methodology has a number of advantages and disadvantages and DSS success depends, greatly, on choosing a development methodology that is most appropriate for DSS problems. The DSS development process is a complex process that employs experience and knowledge in different areas, such us: decision making, statistics, operational research, information systems analysis and design, user interface design and programming. Keywords: Decision Support Systems, System Development Life Cycle, Tools, Development Methodologies.

Introduction
From the beginning of decision support research, in the late 1960s, till now, a number of methodologies for DSS development have been developed. These methodologies provide instruments for requirements analysis, for specifications, and for design and deal with semistructured problems. Peter G. Keen, Steven Alter, Clyde W. Holsapple, A. Whinston, Efraim Turban, Paul Gray, Eric D. Carlson, Ralph H. Sprague, Hugh J. Watson, and Dan J. Power are some of the researchers who were interested in DSS development methodologies. Ralph Sprague and Eric Carlsons (1982) book Building Effective Decision Support Systems was an important milestone. It further explained the Sprague (1980) DSS framework of data base, model base and dialog generation and management software. Also, it provided a practical, understandable overview of how organizations could and should build DSS (Power 2003). The researchers agree that this type of systems cannot be developed using a traditional system development approach. The way of designing DSS is different from that of a transactional processing system. The purpose of this article is to analyze the most suitable methodologies for DSS development. We will use in our research the analytical descriptive method based on a reach specialty bibliography, the content analysis method and the observation method. Modern DSS provide managers with a wide range of capabilities: quick access to crucial information, reduce the necessary time for decision making, join various sources of information, provide intelligent access to relevant knowledge and provide strategic and competitive advantages. DSS must be part of any managerial activity because they improve the effectiveness of decision-making process.

Development methodologies
DSS development methodologies are different in paradigm, models and objectives. A paradigm describes a specific way of thinking about the problems, while a model represents a subjective way of representing the reality. There are many types of DSS development methodologies: 1. Decision driven methodologies: focus on the comprehensive analysis of decision-making process and on supporting and improving this process using decision support systems. 2. Process driven methodologies: the central component of DSS development is the representation of the system capacities using processes. 3. Data driven methodologies: focus on the DSS database definition, design, construct and management. 4. System driven methodologies: the analysis of the internal component of DSS is made based on the system theory. Almost all methodologies, except system-driven, specify the sequence of phases that must be followed in order to develop DSS. The main phases of decision support system development process are: requirements definition; analysis; design; prototype design and test; implementation; maintenance and evolution.

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DSS can be obtained in different ways: by internal development (insourcing or selfsourcing) or by acquisition or development by a specialized organization (outsourcing). If a company choose the first solution, internal development, it can use the forth generation programming languages, such as Delphi or Visual C++, or the new generation programming languages, like Java, C#, Visual Basic. DSS can be also obtained using a DSS Generator or DSS Tools. Using a DSS Generator can be a profitable solution. A Generator is a package of hardware and software that provides a set of capabilities to quickly and easy build a specific DSS: modeling language, reports generation, graphical data display, financial analysis, inquiry capabilities, etc. The most known DSS generators are spreadsheet programs, and we mention here Microsoft Excel, Lotus 1-2-3 and Quattro Pro. There are, also, on the market, a lot of sophisticated DSS generators, such an example is DSS Architect offered by Micro Strategy, and a number of generators for specific areas: financial analysis, statistic analysis, etc. DSS Tools are hardware and software elements that are used to create a DSS generator or a specific DSS. Examples for DSS tools are graphical programs, text editors, query systems, spreadsheet programs, etc.

1. Phased methodology (systems development life cycle)

The DSS main characteristics are: provide quick and easy access to information, perform quick calculation, are easy to use, are flexible, contain graphical capabilities, are interactive systems used by managers, can generate complex reports, process large amount of data, offer the possibility to query data, integrate models and databases. The developers have to consider these characteristics when they want to build a decision support system. The phased methodology is also known as the waterfall model. According to this methodology the systems development life cycle (SDLC) is decomposed in sequential phases; each phase has its own set of inputs, activities (processes) and outputs. There are literally hundreds of different activities associated with each phase in the SCDL. The transition from one phase to another is done only when the previous phase was completely finished. Each phase is ended with a writing documentation for that phase. According to this methodology the main stages in DSS development are: 1. Problem definition in this phase the analysts identify the problems, set the DSS objectives, identify the decisions that will be supported, determine the outputs that must be provided by the system and define the functional and nonfunctional requirements. Before starting the development of a DSS all the alternative ways for solving the problem must be analyzed. The feasibility studies have an important role in this phase. These studies analyze the way that the system reaches the organizations goals, the report between benefits and costs (development costs, acquisition costs and utilization costs). In this context the feasibility can be:

a. Organizational analyzes the way in which the proposed DSS reaches the organization goals; b. Economical analyzes the anticipated benefits related with the development and utilization costs; c. Technical identifies the software products and hardware elements that must be acquired for DSS
development;

d. Operational analyzes if the system is operational.

A project plan is also developed in this phase. The project plan defines the persons involved in this project, projects deadlines, the financial resourced implied in the project etc. 2. Analysis: involves end user and IT specialists working together to gather, understand and document the requirements for the new system. The physical model is transformed in a series of logical models. 3. Design: defines the solution for the proposed system based on the requirements and the constraints established in the previous stage. The most important activities performed in this phase are: the design of the technical architecture and the design of system models. A model is a graphical representation of a design. In this stage the main components of DSS are designed: the dialog management component, the data management component, the model management component and the knowledge management component. The IT specialists identify the necessary internal data files, the external sources of data and the data flows between the sources and the system. The primary goal of the design phase is to build a technical blueprint of how the proposed system will work. 4. Programming: in this phase, based on the specification resulted from the previous phase the logical model is transformed in a physical model with the help of programming languages. The main activities that must be performed during the development phase are: the built of the technical architecture and the built of the DSS components and programs. This phase is finalized with the module testing and integration. 5. Implementation: in this stage the DSS is distributed to the final users. The main activities performed in this phase are: functionality testing, integration of modules, programs exploitation, writing detailed user documentation and providing training for the system users. Postimplementation contains a number of activities evolved after the distribution of DSS to the end-user: exploitation, operation, maintenance, update, extend, and evaluation of the DSS. The phased methodology can be used in the development of the DSS but it is not the most suitable approach due to the following reasons: managers requirements cannot be entirely specified in advance; 883

is a rigid approach; requires large documentation cost; system updates are not easily performed, while managers are confronted with problems that requires quick and easily update of the system; the decision maker is not sufficiently involved in the development process; the unstructured and semistructured nature of DSS problems; the system is delivered to users only when the development cycle is finished.

2. ROMC Analysis
Ralph Sprague and Eric Carlson defined this methodology in a series of articles on development of DSS and in their book Building Effective Decision Support System (1982). This methodology is a descriptive one, is a process-driven methodology and is based on four entities: representations (R), operations (O), memory aids (M) and control (C). Using this methodology the analyst characterizes different representations available for use as methods of communication between the user and the application. Examples of representation are: graphical displays, charts, tables, lists, menus, etc. The representations will provide the frame of reference for the operations involved in using the system. The managers and analysts must analyze and choose the appropriate representation. The operations are the activities necessary for the DSS to perform or facilitate the generation and the delivery of the representation in the system. Operations are activities that the decision maker can execute using the decision support system. The memory aids are elements that provide support in using the representations and in executing the operations. Databases, views, workspaces, libraries, reminders, triggers, profiles are examples of memory aids. The controls are elements that help the decision maker to use the DSS: to use the representations, operation and memory aids. Sprague identified five roles that managers and technicians will play in the development and operation of DSS as follows: the manager or user, the intermediary, DSS builder, technical supporter and the toolsmith. The main activities that must be performed according to ROMC approach are: identify the representations that are meaningful for the system, find a way to computerize the representations, identify the operations that will be performed on it for each representation, design memory aids and design control mechanisms.

3. Evolutionary development
A better alternative to the typical system development process is the evolutive model. According to this model the most important four steps of the development life cycle: analysis, design, construction and implementation are combined into a single step that is iteratively repeated. This approach is appropriate for DSS development for the following reasons: is subproblems-driven; is oriented on small, usable DSS; the system is constantly evaluated. The essence of this approach is that the manager and the developer agree on a small subproblem then design and develop an initial system to support the decision making process required for resolving that problem. After a short period of use, for example, a few weeks, the system is evaluated, updated and developed to include other subproblems. This cycle is repeated many times over the course of a few months until a relatively stabile system is developed. This approach requires a high degree of management involvement in DSS design. The iterative process is different from prototyping because the initial system is real, usable, not just a pilot system.

4. Prototyping
Prototyping is another efficient method that can be use with success in DSS development. The managers requirements are not very clear from the beginning and the development of a prototype can help them to identify more easily the informational needs. A prototype, in DSS development methodology is a relatively small DSS, developed in a short period of time, in a way that allow quick interactions, with components that are not very detailed and that can be adapted and refined further accordingly to the users suggestions. Prototyping is an iterative process, a dynamic process that allows users to see, work with and evaluate a model of DSS and suggest changes to that model. The advantages of prototyping are: short development time; encourages end-user participation in the development process; gives user a feel for how the final system will look and work; allows a better understanding of a system, of information needs and of system capacities; offers a tangible product; offers the core of the system that can be extended later; the users can interact with the system and can identify previously the elements that are not exactly as they wanted; reduces the risks of development and the development costs;

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A prototype demonstrates, at a smaller scale, and only partial, which are the capabilities offered by the final system. If the prototype is a failure the project can be redesign. In conclusion, a prototype is the best way to prove the feasibility even before the investment in a project. Two categories of prototypes can be used in DSS development: throwaway prototype - is used only for demonstrative scopes and is destroyed when is not longer needed. evolutionary prototype - this prototype is continually refined until satisfies the users requirements.

5. End-user development
Selfsourcing is the development of DSS by end users with little or no help from IT specialists. End users, managers, can build their own decision support systems using the DSS tools and generators available on the market. The selfsourcing process is similar to SDLC process but it also includes prototyping. An important advantage of this method is that knowledge workers understand very well the problems they confront with and the decision processes. The advantages of end-user development are: improved requirements determination, increased decision maker participation and increased speed of DSS development. The disadvantages of this approach are: end user do not have adequate expertise in information system development; the anomalies that can appear if the database is not design respecting the rules; the models are not tested properly and can contain errors; the lack of documentation and external support; the interfaces are not designed properly and can cause data input errors.

Conclusions
The nature of DSS requires a different design approach from other classes of information system (transaction processing systems, management information systems, etc.). The traditional approach for system analysis and design have proven inadequate because the conditions which decision maker faces are continually changing and because the problems assisted by DSS are unstructured. The research of DSS methodologies is necessary because the build of a DSS imply important material and human resources and if the methodology is not suitable for them then the resources are not used efficiently. The quality of DSS depends, greatly, on the developers experience and competence, on the development process and on the development tools.

Bibliography:
1. 2. 3. 4. Gray, P. (editor), Decision Support And Executive Information Systems, Prentice Hall International, Inc., New Jersey, 1994. Power, D.J., A Brief History of Decision Support Systems. DSSResources.COM, World Wide Web, http://DSSResources.COM/history/dsshistory.html, version 2.8, May 31, 2003. Sprague, H. R., Watson, J. H., Decision Support Systems. Putting theory into practice. third edition, Prentice Hall, USA, 1993. Sprague, H. R., Carlson, E. D., Building Effective Decision Support Systems, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1982.

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