Introduction
The organization has in recent years been faced with the challenge of information handling. The current method of storage and circulation of data within the institution has become overburdened and is gradually becoming obsolete. Setting up an information system is fundamental to the development of the facility particularly in the wake of the facilities accelerated growth.
However, adequate measures have been taken to ensure that the system installed is suitable to our immediate, mid-term and long-term needs. In this regard we need to identify a proper method of establishing how the new information system will link in to the organization’s goals aside from determining the role of the stakeholders in the process of acquiring and installing the system. These items have been briefly discussed below:
The process of selecting and acquiring the information system
The first item in the process of determining the type of information system to install is the identification of the particular needs of each department of the institution. The information obtained will help to provide the basic criteria for analyzing the available alternatives and selecting the one that will be most appropriate to the needs of the institution (Muñoz, 2009). Various costs have to be considered in the quantitative analysis.
These include the cost of purchasing the hardware needed for the system, the costs of modifying the available infrastructure to accommodate the new hardware, the costs of operating the system per year, the cost incurred in training the members of staff on the usage of the system and the administration costs (Muñoz, 2009). Once the appropriate system has been identified, the next step is choosing a supplier.
To this end, an evaluation of the available suppliers will be conducted with the aim of isolating the one who can provide the desired requirements at a cost that is within our budget. The first step in this process will be to conduct a proper search in the market through going through magazines and online presentations (Glaser, 2002).
The known suppliers will be contacted and requested to provide as much information as possible regarding the selected system. With the research on suppliers complete, the next step is the developing a list of the potential suppliers (Clemen, 1996). All the individuals on the list will be considered potential candidates and they all will be taken through interviews.
The interviews will aim at collecting all the information as part of the evaluation process of all the candidates on the list (Saaty, 2001). After interviewing and evaluating the candidates, the best one will be conducted and negotiations on the costs and implementation will start immediately (Drazen and Metzger, 1998). Finally, the implementation process will kick off and the staff training started immediately.
The goals of the organization in relation to the project
The goals of the organization will guide the entire process of acquiring and setting up the system. Top on the list include the fact that the institution essentially aims at serving clients with utmost level of professionalism and effectiveness. An information system that will serve to bring order and organization into the storage of facility records in such a way that they can be accessed with ease should be selected.
The integrity of the patient data should also be maintained with the inter-information system shift. Owing to the sensitivity of the facility’s information database the new system should have methods of guaranteeing data safety including a password dependent access interface. This will ensure that only individuals with the necessary authorization can access data in the system.
Role of the stakeholders
All the stakeholders from managers to the lowest cadre members of staff will be involved in the selection and acquisition process. The discussions with the entire staff base will essentially help identifying the emerging needs of access to information. Each and every member will be asked to list his/her issues pertaining to the challenges with the current information system.
From these lists the most recurrent complaints and suggestions will be picked as part of the primary guiding data for the setting up of the new information system. The senior members of management, particularly those from the finance department will be called in to establish the amount of money that the institution can spare for the purpose.
Incase more external funding is needed the finance team will advice on the best available options. The information system being a long-term investment will need to be properly established in order to have the highest levels of effectiveness and longer service length. It is therefore imperative that enough resources be dedicated to its establishment.
The involvement of all the organizations workers starting with the senior managers is a clear indicator of the importance of the project. With them leading from the front, junior associates will take the training seriously and this will in turn reflect well in the entire performance of the company. Donors and other contributors to the running of the institution will also appreciate the importance of the changes provided the company heads are committed in their involvement with its implementation.
Reference List
Clemen, R.T. (1996). Making hard decisions an introduction to decision analysis (2nd Ed.). Pacific Grove, USA.:Duxbury Press.
Drazen, E. & Metzger, J. (1998). Strategies for integrated health care: emerging practices in information management and cross-continuum care. New York: Jossey-Bass Publishers
Glaser, J.P. (2002). The strategic application of information technology in health care organizations. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons.
Muñoz, D.G. (2009). “Design of a methodology for identifying and selecting the best alternative in acquiring the information system for a company”. Instrumentos y Controles S.A, Working paper
Saaty, T. L. (2001). Decision Making with Dependence and Feedback: The Analytic
Network Process (Second ed.). Pittsburgh, USA: RWS Publications, 4922 Ellsworth Avenue,Pittsburgh, PA 15213 USA.