PROCEDURES FOR MANAGING

INFORMATION

Some of the main categories under which these procedures fall are:

Information path flows Records management systems Prioritizing jobs Ensuring privacy in multi-user

environments Assigning passwords in multi-user

environments

INFORMATION PATH FLOWS

To show the big picture, data flow paths can be used, set across an appropriate background context.

The background might be of departments or managerial decision levels or a data structure diagram.

Fig. 5.4.2 is an example of a diagram that represents the data flow paths. State Manager

Western Manager

Northern Manager

Eastern Manager

SouthernManager

Store Manager

Personnel Hardware Admin.Store GroceriesDeli

Store Managers

Whatever the representation chosen, once the flow path is documented and displayed for all staff to see.

It acts as reminder to follow the established information handling procedures

It also guides systems manager, when installing new programs and allocating passwords, on who should have access to what (see Fig. 5.4.1)

Computer Services

FILE SERVER APPLICATION

Word processing

Spreadsheets

Accounting

Database

Presentation

PASSWORD

PASSWORD

Admin.

Fresh Produce

Groceries

Accounts

PASSWORD

Deli

Fruit and Veg.

Diary

Head office

Eastern Region

Western Region

Southern Region

Northern Region

PASSWORD

Brunswick

Frankston

Dandanong

St. Kilda

Head office

Figure 5.4.1: Password allocation

RECORDS MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

Procedures for managing records include for example, making sure that records are printed in a particular order.

A small sports club with a simple spreadsheets, database and wordprocessing package might insist that the surname field in the members’ file is always sorted alphabetically when lists are printed, as in

Fig. 5.4.3.

Member Number

Surname First name

1

2

3

4

Jameson

Brown

Silvano

Alberto

Slyvia

Alex

Frank

Jo

Member Number

Surname First name

4

2

1

3

Alberto

Brown

Jameson

Silvano

Jo

Alex

Slyvia

Frank

Membership numbers are assigned as new members join.

Sort A to Z

Alphabetical sorting allows easy access to member information

Figure 5.4.3: Produce for sorting surname field alphabetically

In larger organizations, the clients’ personal information tables, stock lists and transaction records are all saved in different files. These files are constantly interacting electronically.

Procedures for managing these files need to be electronic to keep up with the speed at which the actions are happening.

A set of programs written to manageOpeningClosingProcessingSavingPrintingof files is a records management

system.

Libraries, video hire shops and equipment hire business lend goods to customers for a fee.

Lending businesses need two databases: one for their stock and another for their borrowers personal details.

Records management systems match the item loaned to the borrower’s record.

This creates a relationship between the two data-bases while that item is on loan.

These are called relational databases. Fig. 5.4.6 shows an example of how relationship is created.

Borrower Number

Surname

241389742381629

ChristosJohnsonAdamsNygenPolizia

Borrower Number

Video Number

389 02749

Video Number

Title

5562115872141461298102749

All the KingsJennyRed RidersRunnersThree Mice

Borrower number

Video number

Borrower/member

database file

Video database file

is attached to

Key Field Key Field

Figure 5.4.6: Creating s relation between key fields

Medical clinics have a database which includes;

patient recordsdrug and medication inventory accounts and Medicare social security reports.

The records management systems available to medical practices have electronic procedures which;

open the patient fileupdate the informationprint an account close the file store it back on hard disk.

PRIORITIZING JOBS In many organizations situations

arise in which a non-routine project has to be completed by a certain date.

The organization might be having its fiftieth anniversary, for instance, and the directors may decide to compile a history of the company.

This means that managers have to think about who should do the various tasks involved and decide in what order they should be done.

Part of this process is outlined in Fig. 5.4.7.

Investigate Design Produce Evaluate

• dates• people• resources• costs

• content• format• evaluation• survey

• template• booklet• survey

sheet• cost

estimate

• conduct survey• compile

responses

Survey

Contents

Thanks to:

History of the

Company

START

Milestone 1

Milestone 2 Milestone 3 Milestone 4

Roster of Tasks

First draft of History

Deadline to Printer

Assess success

Figure 5.4.7: One-Off Projects

Prioritizing jobs for non-routine or one-off project can be more difficult than a large volume or mass production situation. In a repetitive situation such as printing a daily newspaper, the procedures for passing information from one stage to the next can be altered if they are seen not to be working.

Microsoft Project and similar programs provide managers with a set of procedures for working through an unfamiliar project finding the clashes on paper before too much

time, moneyeffort is wasted.

In respect, programs which provide managers with such a set of procedures greatly improve efficiency.

MULTI-USER ENVIRONMENTS AND

PRIVACY

In a singular-user environment, the privacy of the information largely defends on the care and integrity of the user.

While the attitude of the group is very important in maintaining privacy in a multi-user environment, there is sometimes a sense of diminished responsibility in groups.

“If don’t’ fix it someone else will characteristics the attitude of some members of groups.

Tapping is possible when data is in transit between terminals, and events which decrease privacy in one part of the network may not occur in other offices.

MULTI-USER ENVIRONMENTS AND

PASSWORDS

Passwords can be set on a file, on a program, on a workstation or on access to a network.

Some files also have their attribute (a status defined in the file menu of a file management program) set to –P (minus P), which means they cannot be printed.

The Internet is the ultimate multi-user environment and provides an example of the use of passwords in an otherwise totally open environment.

Passwords are required to access Internet e-mail accounts and to upload Web pages.

Networks within organizations are usually closed networks; that is, they are not open to the general public unless at one very well protected access point.

Many companies who do not normally have a public point of access now have to deal with the page and e-mail.

To illustrate the various procedures pertaining to passwords in different organizations, those for a public library and those for a “closed” company are outlined in table 5.4.1

INSURANCE COMPANY –CLOSED HOME PAGE

LIBRARY-OPEN HOME PAGE

No password access

E-mail to information desk

Password access to borrowing and loan renewal.

E-mail to information desk

Open access to catalogue of books ,etc.

Table 5.4.1: Closed and open home pages

Illustrated in table 5.4.2 are some general strategies for effectively managing information.

Table 5.4.2: Strategies for effectively managing the quality of information

AREAS OF QUALITY

MANAGING OF EFFECTIVENESS

Completeness Set up reference files or checklist templates which show all areas to be included in an information product.

Accuracy Establish electronic and manual procedures to validate and test for errors and hacking.

Timeliness Ensure that times and dates are included the footers of all printed documents, and identify the last update for all saved files.

Relevance Provide users with file names and category headings which make it easy to find and select the data or information they need.

TECHNIQUES FOR EFFICIENTLY

PROCESSING AND MANAGING

INFORMATION TO MEET CURRENT AND FUTURE

NEEDS

TECHNIQUES

In computing, a technique is the skill used when handling software and hardware to perform a task.

If a skill is judged on the level of efficiency it brings to the performance, then we can examine many techniques in terms of the time, cost or effort that they save the user.

For example, one technique for copy and paste is to use the following keyboard sequence:

• Select the text or image <shift+cursor keys>

<control+C>• Move the cursor to the new location

<cursor keys> <control+V>.

If text is to be copied to a position close to the original location, say on the same page, and the user is skilled typist, then the whole copy and paste operation is efficiently performed with keyboard only.

If, however, a graphic image is to be copied to a location in another file, then a technique that uses the muse icons will be more efficient.

Below is an analysis of the savings achieved by using the mouse-icon technique in place of the keyboard only technique:

Time is saved because the user can move diagonally to the correct position on the screen for selecting and placing text and images. Movement using the keyboard is restricted to vertical and horizontal.

Effort is saved because the mouse technique relies on hand-eye coordination and visual recognition of the required icons.

Control key functions have to be memorized and recalled as they are needed.

Cost is saved because it takes less training to use the mouse-icon technique than the keyboard-only technique.

Many icons are standard packages, so that the users who initially unskilled can learn to use new software on the job.

REDUCING ERROR RATES

Computer users working under pressure to produce more given amount of time might proofread documents hastily and, as a consequence, make more mistakes.

Organizations often meet this challenge by;

Stimulating that staff use established macros

TemplatesShortcut keyswhen producing information products

that are frequently used and which show the company logo and contact details.

MACROS TEMPLATES SHORTCUT KEYS•A long series of often repeated key stokes can be recorded using the macro function; for example, the company contact details of address, phone, fax and e-mail.•Macro commands and macro buttons are used to assign and record macros.•When correspondence is to be sent via e-mail or paper, the contact details saved as a macro can be added by clicking the macro button. This saves the time and effort required to constantly retype and check this important information before it is sent out.

•A document with special layout, such as an application form, can be saved as a template.•This allows the original layout to be preserved when a new user opens the document to enter data.•Application forms saved as template files and sent electronically save work when they are returned because the data they contain in a standard format. This makes them easy to validate, saving time and effort.

•Shortcut keys are used to record frequently used commands such as tick boxes.•The user can choose to assign Alt+t to this task, and save the time it takes to call up the insert symbol menu when needing to place a tick box in a survey, for example.

CURRENT AND FUTURE NEEDS

Techniques associated with saving and backing-up files are important not only insuring the efficient processing information for current needs but also in meeting future needs.

In organization that is conscious of protecting the value of information for the future users of the information system should use the following techniques:

Templates, which include the prominent location with the date of processing clearly displayed; for example, an invoice with the current date in the top right-hand corner.

Macros, which require the user to choose a present filename structured to indicate the version of the file; for example, the fourth draft of a club magazine cover for March might be: marcovdraft4.doc.

THAT’S ALL FOLKS!

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