Unfortunately, we were not able to interview the MIS officer of our adopted company, Holcim Philippines located in Bo. Ilang Davao City for this topic because their MIS officer was too busy doing his office work. So, to be able for me to answer the question on this assignment, I took reference from Dole, Philippines which remote office is located in Lanang, Davao City. Dole Philippines has been our adopted company for the Management Information System 1 module presentation.
Before I discuss to you the barriers in implementing the information technology or information system in our adopted organization or company, let me first define the following words:
>Barrier
>Implementation
>Information Technology
>Information System
To begin with, let me first define the word "barrier"
Barrier is something that impedes or obstructs the movement of a subject or something that blocks or hinders something from moving forward. It is also referred to as a limit.
Let me now define the word implementation. Implementation is classified as the execution or the carrying out of a plan. The word implementation is also defined as the action that must follow any preliminary thinking in order for something to actually happen. In an information technology context, implementation encompasses all the processes involved in getting new software or hardware operating properly in its environment, including installation, configuration, running, testing, and making necessary changes.
Information technology is composed of the hardware and the software. It has the capacity to handle large amounts of information, these information in return are being processed, for example, handed over to the end users. It refers to anything related to computing technology, such as networking, hardware, software, the Internet. Many companies now have IT departments for managing the computers, networks, and other technical areas of their businesses.
Information system, on the other hand, is the combination of the components of information technology plus the people. Information System allows the company to handle large amounts of data or information. Handling large amount of information are done by the Information Technology components - hardware and software and these information technology components are being managed by the people in the company mainly by the management information systems department or information technology department of a certain company.
After having four terms defined, I will now discuss the barriers of implementing the information technology or information systems in an organization.
Dole Philippines is one of the largest producers - marketer of packaged fruits and vegetables. We interviewed a management information systems programmer from Dole Philippines, Davao remote office. According to her, the end users should be involved in the implementation of the project of the company. She described critical barriers that can somehow affect the information technology or information systems project implementation. These are inexperienced staff, lack of defined IS/IT implementation methodology, lack of IS/IT implementation awareness, lack of support, lack of resources, organizational politics, and time pressure.
Inexperienced Staff
According to dole Philippines' management information system programmer, inexperienced staff needs trainings and seminars to upgrade their knowledge about the new system. Moreover, with the help of these trainings and seminars, the employees and staff will be able to improve their performance in doing their tasks for the company. With the help of trainings and seminars, the inexperienced staff will have mastery of the uses of the system.
One of the reasons of unsuccessful implementation for information technology or information system is the technical director and staff's lack of knowledge on a particular system. Due to this reason, they will have difficulty in understanding the uses, the purposes and the benefits of existing softwares.
Next is the involvement of the experienced staff on the implementation of information systems or information technology in the company because they are the ones who have the knowledge and the experience about the implementation of the system. If the staff have a thorough understanding about the process of the information system or information technology, there will be improvements and better resolution for the said systems
A training policy for Information System or Information Technology must be established to meet the training needs. Responsibilities should be assigned to each staff member regarding IS/IT implementation activities (e.g., process design, process testing, and process deployment). A mechanism that will monitor the progress of each staff member, collect and analyze the feedback from each member and to extract the lessons learned should also be established by the organization.
Lack of IS/IT implementation awareness
According top the Dole Philippines’ management information systems programmer, the involvement of the end user during the development or change of the information technology or information system is very important. For this reason, all the employees involved will have awareness about the matters and solutions.
Moreover, the implementation of information technology or information system is very expensive and is the process of adopting new practices, it is very important that the organization should give or conduct awareness activities for the stakeholders. Information technology or information system implementation is not as beneficial without sufficient awareness of its benefits which must also be promoted. The users and the staff should be able to know their duties and responsibilities within the time of the implementation or upgrading of the system. The staff must plan to organize and to make the information system a part of their organization. Other than that, they must be aware how much investment does the implementation or change of the system needs.
If the staff or the end users will not be given enough awareness about the implementation or change of the information technology or information system, that will cause low performance among the employees and might affect the operations of the company. Moreover, they will have enough knowledge about the benefits, importance and the use of such system which would somehow mean incompetence among the end users.
Lack of Support
Another barrier in the implementation of the information technology or information system is the lack of support by the company or organization for the said project or plan. Lack of support may happen due to the reason that the certain company or organization would give an insufficient to no importance for the project. This might also be because of the reason of what was discussed earlier - the lack of awareness by the heads, by the stakeholders and by the employees of the company. Another reason for the lack of support is that the company or organization does not know or is unaware of the benefits or advantages that the company may get from the said information technology or information system implementation and in the failure of making it part of the company. The last is when the management or the company itself disagrees with the information technology or information system implementation.
Therefore, the management should set up rules or project plans and strongly support the information technology or information system implementation and give high importance for the said project.
Lack of Resources
The result of the company or organization’s lack of support for the implementation of the information technology or information system in the company is the lack of resources which in turn becomes a barrier for the implementation of such system. Without any investment by the company for such project, the implementation would be very impossible. Therefore, the management must have sufficient awareness with regards to the full details and benefits of information technology or information system from the planning of the project to the time frame and finally, to the cost of the implementation up to the time when the new system will be implemented in the company. The management should also provide or hire competent and knowledgeable or experienced staff in order for the company to get the best results and to enjoy the benefits of such system.
Proper planning must be done in order to provide all the required resources for the implementation of the information technology or information system. The company must be able to provide rules for the information technology or information system plan and that includes the time frame of the project. The information technology or information system plan must also be composed of experienced staff who will be working for the project. Moreover, they must make a thorough study about the information technology or information system project and the best ways on how it must be implemented to help improve the business operations of the company, to make the best out of end users and for them to be able to improve their performance for not only for their own but also for the company itself.
Organizational Politics
Another major information technology or information system implementation barrier mentioned is the Organizational Politics. It affects the implementation of the information technology or information system in such a way and as what I had mentioned or discussed earlier is when other people within the company or that the company itself disagrees with the information technology or information system implementation for the reason that they might not have sufficient awareness or knowledge about such system and how important is such for the company. This disagreement also happens due to the difference of one group’s or individual’s perspective, belief, plans, capabilities and time pressures.
Therefore, in order to make the information technology or information system and to make it a part of the company or organization’s culture a success, proper planning must be done and that includes trainings and seminars which tackles about the benefits, needs, purposes and the proper use of the system that are thoroughly organized or studied before the seminar or training will be handed over to the end users
Time Pressure
Another information technology or information system implementation barrier is the time pressure. Time pressure happens when the people or the staff who are developing the information technology or information system implementation is having difficulty in finishing the project within the marked deadline due to the shortness of time.
To address this barrier, the development staff should be committed in doing the project and should be given sufficient time to complete the information technology or information system implementation. In this way, time pressure may somehow be avoided and the project can be finished as planned.
Lack of Defined Information Technology or Information System Implementation Methodology:
The last but not the least barrier in implementing information technology or information system is the lack of defined information technology or information system implementation methodology. There is a need to design a good implementation methodology that contains the competent and committed staff with their duties and responsibilities. Also, it must contain the rules in implementing the project, the time frame of the project and the cost of developing and implementing the project. Furthermore, it should be stated in the implementation methodology the trainings and seminars together with the topics that will be tackled in the trainings and seminars that the end users will undergo and will be learned before the new system will be implemented or will be handed over to the company.
References:
http://searchcrm.techtarget.com/definition/implementation
http://www.techterms.com/definition/it
Before I discuss to you the barriers in implementing the information technology or information system in our adopted organization or company, let me first define the following words:
>Barrier
>Implementation
>Information Technology
>Information System
To begin with, let me first define the word "barrier"
Barrier is something that impedes or obstructs the movement of a subject or something that blocks or hinders something from moving forward. It is also referred to as a limit.
Let me now define the word implementation. Implementation is classified as the execution or the carrying out of a plan. The word implementation is also defined as the action that must follow any preliminary thinking in order for something to actually happen. In an information technology context, implementation encompasses all the processes involved in getting new software or hardware operating properly in its environment, including installation, configuration, running, testing, and making necessary changes.
Information technology is composed of the hardware and the software. It has the capacity to handle large amounts of information, these information in return are being processed, for example, handed over to the end users. It refers to anything related to computing technology, such as networking, hardware, software, the Internet. Many companies now have IT departments for managing the computers, networks, and other technical areas of their businesses.
Information system, on the other hand, is the combination of the components of information technology plus the people. Information System allows the company to handle large amounts of data or information. Handling large amount of information are done by the Information Technology components - hardware and software and these information technology components are being managed by the people in the company mainly by the management information systems department or information technology department of a certain company.
After having four terms defined, I will now discuss the barriers of implementing the information technology or information systems in an organization.
Dole Philippines is one of the largest producers - marketer of packaged fruits and vegetables. We interviewed a management information systems programmer from Dole Philippines, Davao remote office. According to her, the end users should be involved in the implementation of the project of the company. She described critical barriers that can somehow affect the information technology or information systems project implementation. These are inexperienced staff, lack of defined IS/IT implementation methodology, lack of IS/IT implementation awareness, lack of support, lack of resources, organizational politics, and time pressure.
Inexperienced Staff
According to dole Philippines' management information system programmer, inexperienced staff needs trainings and seminars to upgrade their knowledge about the new system. Moreover, with the help of these trainings and seminars, the employees and staff will be able to improve their performance in doing their tasks for the company. With the help of trainings and seminars, the inexperienced staff will have mastery of the uses of the system.
One of the reasons of unsuccessful implementation for information technology or information system is the technical director and staff's lack of knowledge on a particular system. Due to this reason, they will have difficulty in understanding the uses, the purposes and the benefits of existing softwares.
Next is the involvement of the experienced staff on the implementation of information systems or information technology in the company because they are the ones who have the knowledge and the experience about the implementation of the system. If the staff have a thorough understanding about the process of the information system or information technology, there will be improvements and better resolution for the said systems
A training policy for Information System or Information Technology must be established to meet the training needs. Responsibilities should be assigned to each staff member regarding IS/IT implementation activities (e.g., process design, process testing, and process deployment). A mechanism that will monitor the progress of each staff member, collect and analyze the feedback from each member and to extract the lessons learned should also be established by the organization.
Lack of IS/IT implementation awareness
According top the Dole Philippines’ management information systems programmer, the involvement of the end user during the development or change of the information technology or information system is very important. For this reason, all the employees involved will have awareness about the matters and solutions.
Moreover, the implementation of information technology or information system is very expensive and is the process of adopting new practices, it is very important that the organization should give or conduct awareness activities for the stakeholders. Information technology or information system implementation is not as beneficial without sufficient awareness of its benefits which must also be promoted. The users and the staff should be able to know their duties and responsibilities within the time of the implementation or upgrading of the system. The staff must plan to organize and to make the information system a part of their organization. Other than that, they must be aware how much investment does the implementation or change of the system needs.
If the staff or the end users will not be given enough awareness about the implementation or change of the information technology or information system, that will cause low performance among the employees and might affect the operations of the company. Moreover, they will have enough knowledge about the benefits, importance and the use of such system which would somehow mean incompetence among the end users.
Lack of Support
Another barrier in the implementation of the information technology or information system is the lack of support by the company or organization for the said project or plan. Lack of support may happen due to the reason that the certain company or organization would give an insufficient to no importance for the project. This might also be because of the reason of what was discussed earlier - the lack of awareness by the heads, by the stakeholders and by the employees of the company. Another reason for the lack of support is that the company or organization does not know or is unaware of the benefits or advantages that the company may get from the said information technology or information system implementation and in the failure of making it part of the company. The last is when the management or the company itself disagrees with the information technology or information system implementation.
Therefore, the management should set up rules or project plans and strongly support the information technology or information system implementation and give high importance for the said project.
Lack of Resources
The result of the company or organization’s lack of support for the implementation of the information technology or information system in the company is the lack of resources which in turn becomes a barrier for the implementation of such system. Without any investment by the company for such project, the implementation would be very impossible. Therefore, the management must have sufficient awareness with regards to the full details and benefits of information technology or information system from the planning of the project to the time frame and finally, to the cost of the implementation up to the time when the new system will be implemented in the company. The management should also provide or hire competent and knowledgeable or experienced staff in order for the company to get the best results and to enjoy the benefits of such system.
Proper planning must be done in order to provide all the required resources for the implementation of the information technology or information system. The company must be able to provide rules for the information technology or information system plan and that includes the time frame of the project. The information technology or information system plan must also be composed of experienced staff who will be working for the project. Moreover, they must make a thorough study about the information technology or information system project and the best ways on how it must be implemented to help improve the business operations of the company, to make the best out of end users and for them to be able to improve their performance for not only for their own but also for the company itself.
Organizational Politics
Another major information technology or information system implementation barrier mentioned is the Organizational Politics. It affects the implementation of the information technology or information system in such a way and as what I had mentioned or discussed earlier is when other people within the company or that the company itself disagrees with the information technology or information system implementation for the reason that they might not have sufficient awareness or knowledge about such system and how important is such for the company. This disagreement also happens due to the difference of one group’s or individual’s perspective, belief, plans, capabilities and time pressures.
Therefore, in order to make the information technology or information system and to make it a part of the company or organization’s culture a success, proper planning must be done and that includes trainings and seminars which tackles about the benefits, needs, purposes and the proper use of the system that are thoroughly organized or studied before the seminar or training will be handed over to the end users
Time Pressure
Another information technology or information system implementation barrier is the time pressure. Time pressure happens when the people or the staff who are developing the information technology or information system implementation is having difficulty in finishing the project within the marked deadline due to the shortness of time.
To address this barrier, the development staff should be committed in doing the project and should be given sufficient time to complete the information technology or information system implementation. In this way, time pressure may somehow be avoided and the project can be finished as planned.
Lack of Defined Information Technology or Information System Implementation Methodology:
The last but not the least barrier in implementing information technology or information system is the lack of defined information technology or information system implementation methodology. There is a need to design a good implementation methodology that contains the competent and committed staff with their duties and responsibilities. Also, it must contain the rules in implementing the project, the time frame of the project and the cost of developing and implementing the project. Furthermore, it should be stated in the implementation methodology the trainings and seminars together with the topics that will be tackled in the trainings and seminars that the end users will undergo and will be learned before the new system will be implemented or will be handed over to the company.
References:
http://searchcrm.techtarget.com/definition/implementation
http://www.techterms.com/definition/it
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