How to Set Up Information Systems A Non-specialist's Guide to the Multiview Approach

A spectacular dialogue of the deaf has been on-going for many years. Information systems are as misunderstood today as they have been for a decade. The designers who make them, the managers who commission them and the stakeholders who use them consistently fail to communicate with each other resulting in the inevitable plethora of systems failures which appear in the media every week. This book seeks to address the key problem of transforming organizational need into information systems delivery. Using understandable language, real world examples and user-focused tools and techniques it aims to deliver sustainable information systems in even the most complex contexts.This is important reading for all concerned with making information systems sustainable, especially professionals in IT. It should also be of interest to environment and development organizations, business schools and software developers.

This introductory user's guide to systems analysis and systems design focuses on building sustainable information systems to meet tomorrow's needs. It shows how practitioners can apply multiple participatory perspectives in development, so as to avoid future problems. As a practical guide, it is presented to be readily comprehensible and is organized to enable users to concentrate on their goals efficiently, and with minimum theoretical elaboration. The chapters follow the sequence involved in planning an information system, explaining key words, the time involved in each step, ending with a tutorial or exercises.

Information Systems and Organization * What is Systems Analysis and Systems Design? * The Role of the Systems Planner or Systems Analyst * Selecting Planning and Development Tools * The Human Activity System: Making a Model * Information Modelling: Making a Workable System * Technical and Social Needs: The Balance * The Human-Computer Interface * Technical Aspects: What is Needed? * Total Design, Training, Hardware, Software and Implementation * Glossary, Appendices, Further Reading, Index

Simon Bell is Senior Lecturer in Information Systems at the Open University and lead author of Sustainability Indicators and its sequel, Measuring Sustainability. Trevor Wood-Harper is Professor of Information Systems at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST), a Professor at the University of South Australia, Adelaide, and author and editor of 15 books and reports.