Charactersitics of A Good Systems Analyst

In our first assignment in Systems Analysis and Design I, we were tasked to discuss some characteristics we have to a good system analyst. It is based in our learnings in Chapter I.

Systems analyst

Technology exists to serve, not to be, the human need!
– Malcolm Watson, the Development Manager at Pronto Software in Melbourne

To begin with, let us describe the System Analyst first, their responsibilities and the role they have in the organization.

The Insular Life Assurance Co., Ltd. describes the responsibilities of a system analyst as the personnel that be tasked to design, develop, maintain, control, implement and provide support on assigned projects; acts as systems analyst in more than one systems development project or maintenance activity. The said company is one among others who considers systems analysts in their organization.

Government agencies and universities hire lots of systems analysts, and they’re often the most stable employers. Increasingly, the private sector is using temporary employees, hired just for a specific project.

ccording to Ryan Magennis in his article What Does a Systems Analyst Really Do? The job of systems analyst was very exciting. He has to spent most of his time talking with users to understand the business and to other analysts to ensure compatibility between subsystems. He did a lot of design work, and created documentation for these designs, including reports, input forms, and programming specifications. He coded some of the programs himself. He learned how to test systems as well as implement them. He did some technical writing by documenting new systems, including technical documentation and user documentation. In his years being a System Analyst, he was able to making friends with all the other analysts (work was very social), learning all the time about both the business and technology, meeting new challenges such a public speaking and learning to adjust his “technical jargon” to his audience.

As a Standard Occupational Description: Systems analysts are responsible to Analyze science, engineering, business, and all other data processing problems for application to electronic data processing systems. Analyze user requirements, procedures, and problems to automate or improve existing systems and review computer system capabilities, workflow, and scheduling limitations. May analyze or recommend commercially available software. May supervise computer programmers.

Systems analyst figures out how to use computers to get things done. They tell businesses and other organizations which computers and software to buy, and they decide how to get those tools to work together.

Systems analysts, as motivated and talented IT professionals, solve computer problems and apply computer technology, to meet the individual needs of an organization, realize the maximum benefit from investment in equipment, personnel, and business processes, plan and develop new computer systems, or devise ways to apply existing systems’ resources to additional operations.

As a systems analyst, you may design new systems, including both hardware and software, or add a new software application, to harness more of the computer’s power. Most system analysts work with specific types of systems-for example, business, accounting, or financial systems, or scientific and engineering systems-that vary within the organization and industry. Some system analysts are known as systems developers or systems architects.

After analysts understand what the system needs to do, they break down the task into small steps. They draw diagrams and charts to show how information will get into the computers, how that information will be processed, and how it will get to the people who need it. For example, analysts might decide how sales information will get into a store's computers and how the computer will add up the information in a way that makes it useful for store managers.

Analysts experiment with different computer system plans. They try various tools and steps until they find the system that is fastest, easiest, and least expensive.

Next, analysts decide which computers, software, and tools to buy. They also tell computer programmers how to make any new software that is needed. They give the programmers step-by-step instructions. Some analysts help make the software, too.


The main job for some systems analysts is getting computers to work together. They connect them into a network. Analysts decide how to get information from one computer to another. Many help people get data from the Internet.

After planning a system, analysts test it to make sure it works. They check to make sure that information is processed quickly and without mistakes. They also watch to see if the system is easy to use. Often, they have to change their plans to make the systems better.

Sometimes, these workers work long hours to get a project done on time.

Analysts usually work as part of a team.

Many systems analysts have a bachelor's degree in computer science, information science, or management information systems. Some analysts get college degrees in other subjects. Then, they take computer classes and get computer experience.

Some analysts also have a master's degree in business. This helps them to understand the types of computers that businesses need.

The number of computer systems analysts is expected to grow much faster than average between 2006 and 2016.

People with proper training should have good job prospects. Those who have college degrees in business and courses related to computers also should be able to find jobs in this field.

New jobs are expected as more businesses try to use computers and keep them safe from viruses and hacking. New Internet and wireless technologies are also expected to create more jobs because people will need to learn how to use these tools.

Role of Systems Analyst

Systems Analyst is said to be the solvers Of Computer Problems and Master-Craft Applicants of Computer Technology.

The systems analyst is the middleman, assessing the needs of the end-user and translating them into programming or turning over the programming responsibility to the development department. What are the business requirements? Who will comprise the user community? How large is the application going to be? Will it be internal or external? These are all questions facing the systems analyst, who spends much of the day in front of the computer poring over these issues. With a new product, other elements come into play, such as network location, user community, type of machine, and portability. If the analyst is reviewing an established product, the user community will dictate its changes and enhancements.

As highly trained skilled knowledge workers and information technology experts, they will be in demand. Some of the main duties and tasks include: design and development of new hardware and software systems, incorporating new technologies, new areas of specialization or changes in technology is prevalent.

A systems analyst is responsible for researching, planning, coordinating and recommending software and system choices to meet an organization's business requirements. The systems analyst plays a vital role in the systems development process. A successful systems analyst must acquire four skills: analytical, technical, managerial, and interpersonal. Analytical skills enable systems analysts to understand the organization and its functions, which helps him/her to identify opportunities and to analyze and solve problems. Technical skills help systems analysts understand the potential and the limitations of information technology. The systems analyst must be able to work with various programming languages, operating systems, and computer hardware platforms. Management skills help systems analysts manage projects, resources, risk, and change. Interpersonal skills help systems analysts work with end users as well as with analysts, programmers, and other systems professionals.

Because they must write user requests into technical specifications, the systems analysts are the liaisons between vendors and the IT professionals of the organization they represent[1] They may be responsible for developing cost analysis, design considerations, and implementation time-lines. They may also be responsible for feasibility studies of a computer system before making recommendations to senior management.

Systems Analyst must have the following skills:

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Writing computer programs for various purposes.

Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.

Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.

Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Systems Analyst must have the knowledge of:

Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

Principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Arithmetic, `lgebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Systems Analyst must have the ability to:

Read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

Communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

Choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.

Listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

See details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

Communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

Come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).

Tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.

Combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

A systems analyst must perform the following tasks:

Interact with the customers to know their requirements

Interact with designers to convey the possible interface of the software

Interact/guide the coders/developers to keep track of system development

Perform system testing with sample/live data with the help of testers

Implement the new system

Prepare High quality Documentation

Analyze information processing or computation needs and plan and design computer systems, using techniques such as structured analysis, data modeling and information engineering.

Assess the usefulness of pre-developed application packages and adapt them to a user environment.

Confer with clients regarding the nature of the information processing or computation needs a computer program is to address.

Define the goals of the system and devise flow charts and diagrams describing logical operational steps of programs.

Determine computer software or hardware needed to set up or alter system.

Develop, document and revise system design procedures, test procedures, and quality standards.

Expand or modify system to serve new purposes or improve work flow.

Interview or survey workers, observe job performance and/or perform the job in order to determine what information is processed and how it is processed.

Provide staff and users with assistance solving computer related problems, such as malfunctions and program problems.

Recommend new equipment or software packages.

A Good Systems Analyst must have the following characteristics:

Investigative — Investigative characteristic frequently involves working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These characteristics can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Conventional — Conventional characteristic frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These characteristics can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Realistic — Realistic characteristic frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

Systems analysts need to be independent thinkers-people who can “think out of the box” by grasping concepts quickly and seeing the big picture as opposed to the small details. “

Ability to see the big picture: translate geek-speak into plain English

Identify company needs, and get everybody on board.

The system analyst must be able to communicate in writing and orally.

The analyst must easily get along with people.

The analyst must be a good listener and be able to react to what people say.

The analyst must be knowledgeable of technology. The analyst is not expected to know the intricacies of programming, but a decent general knowledge of concepts and terms is essential.

The analyst must be knowledgeable of business. The analyst is not expected to be an expert in business but a decent understanding of the client's world is required.

One should be familiar with designing concepts that is appropriate for the particular development environment. This means one who is good at designing commercial buildings isn't necessarily a good person to design residential housing. Although a lot of concepts overlap, one who is good at designing mainframe system isn't necessarily a good candidate for web projects.

One should have the skills to use the tools to facilitate his/her work. i.e. design software tools. If someone is struggling to use a hammer s/he is worrying about putting a nail in straight not about building a good structure.

One should have the industry/business knowledge or the capacity to acquire them. System implementation is a lot like a bunch of blind people trying to figure out what an elephant looks like. Each person has his/her own field expertise. However, the more knowledge one person has would make the process easier and create better results.

Good communication skills without saying is very important

My characteristics:

Upon knowing the skills, abilities, knowledge and characteristics, I came to realize and believe that I have the potentials of being a systems analyst. I may not graduate with a business-related course, but I can a have a competitive edge in terms of the technology. What I must do, is to realize the great help my tertiary education in having my future job.

I am an independent thinker-people who can “think out of the box” by grasping concepts quickly and seeing the big picture as opposed to the small details. “

I am craving for the new knowledge and is good at following procedures and routines. I also have knowledge in technology and business.

Also, I believe am able to communicate in writing and orally. And easily get along with people. Not to mention, I am good listener and be able to react to what people say.

I believe, it is not very important that you have the expertise in one field and not good at the other. What is the knowledge in business if you don’t know technology? What is the knowledge in programming and mathematical skills if you don’t have the social ability?

Being Systems analysts requires me to be good at both.

References:
http://www.systemsanalyst.com
http://ph.jobstreet.com/jobs/2009/11/default/80/2232084.htm?fr=c
http://www.bls.gov/K12/computers06.htm
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080725042042AA2MqMh
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systems_analyst
http://jobs.virginia.gov/careerguides/computersystemsanalyst.htm

Frustrations in Information Systems Plan

Based on our interview with the Management Information Systems (MIS) head of the AMS Group of Companies at AMS Group of Companies located at F. Torres St., Davao City., the two most frequently experienced causes of frustrations while working on an IS Plan is primarily the dissatisfaction and contrast in time plan to the time completion (Lederer and Sethi) Also, lack of support time concerns so as the communication and user’s fulfillment and acceptance.

Acoording to Wikipedia, Frustration is a common emotional response to opposition. Related to anger and disappointment, it arises from the perceived resistance to the fulfillment of individual will. The greater the obstruction, and the greater the will, the more the frustration is likely to be. Causes of frustration may be internal or external. In people, internal frustration may arise from challenges in fulfilling personal goals and desires, instinctual drives and needs, or dealing with perceived deficiencies, such as a lack of confidence or fear of social situations. Conflict can also be an internal source of frustration; when one has competing goals that interfere with one another, it can create cognitive dissonance. External causes of frustration involve conditions outside an individual, such as a blocked road or a difficult task. While coping with frustration, some individuals may engage in passive-aggressive behavior, making it difficult to identify the original cause(s) of their frustration, as the responses are indirect. A more direct, and common response, is a propensity towards aggression.

Like everything in the world, Information Technology is also evolving. In fact, its innovation is said to be fast in this millennium. And businesses in order to be in the era of fast changing world, link their processes and their plans with regard to the computerized and automated systems.

Strategic information systems planning (SISP) is the process whereby an organization establishes a long-range plan of computer-based applications in order to achieve its goals. A number of problems can potentially impede information systems planners as they carry out the process. A survey of 80 firms who completed the SISP process revealed that the problems constitute five factors: the organization, implementation, database, hardware, and cost. A discriminant analysis showed that three factors—the organization, implementation, and database—best distinguished satisfied from dissatisfied information systems planners. A research application of the five factors suggested that organizations with more sophisticated business planning endure significantly less severe hardware and implementation problems.

Strategic Information Systems Planning (SISP) is the process of aligning an organization's business strategy with effective computer-based information systems to achieve critical business objectives. SISP is a top concern of major executives and considerable resources (time and money) are spent in SISP activities. Many SISP initiatives are not successful due to the difficulty of implementing the recommendations.

In the late 1970s, the primary objectives of the Information Systems planning were to improve communication between end users and the MIS departments, increase top management support for computing, better forecast and allocate information system resource requirements, improve the MIS department and identify new computer application which can be beneficial in the company. Now, the objectives evolved and are now focusing on the identification of strategic information systems implementation which can give the company a competitive edge. Its main desire is to share common data and communicate with each other very easily. Because of the change, the businesses also needed to adopt this change and be flexible enough in a way that they can integrate their existing systems to the new ones.

However these ideals are oftentimes didn’t come into reality. Organizations have often failed to build such system. Complications in ISP may sometimes cause redundant efforts and costs.

ISP entails the search for applications that can give the organization a grate advantage over the competitors. ISP help the organizations use the information systems in innovative ways, change the basis of competition, generate new products and promote creativity.

ISP is the process of identifying a portfolio of computer-based applications to assist an organization in executing its current business plans and realizing its business goals.

In having the ISP, an organization must embark on a major study. It forms teams of business planners and MIS experts as the members and leaders. The duration depends on the scope of the study. It carries out a procedure to guide the study. It also prepares a schedule for developing and installing them.

Every year, $300-700 million dollar corporations spend about 5% of their gross income on information systems and their supports. That's from about $15,000,000 to $35,000,000! A significant part of those funds support enterprise database, a philosophy of database system applications that enable corporations to research the past, control the present, and plan for the future.

Even though an information system costs from $1,000,000 to $10,000,000, and even
through most chief information officers (CIOs) can specify exactly how much money is being spent for hardware, software, and staff, CIOs cannot however state with any degree of certainty why one system is being done this year versus next, why it is being done ahead of another, or finally, why it is being done at all.

A quality ISP must exhibit five distinct characteristics before it is useful. These five are presented in the table that follows.

Timely -The ISP must be timely. An ISP that is created long after it is needed is useless. In almost all cases, it makes no sense to take longer to plan work than to perform the work planned.
Useable-The ISP must be useable. It must be so for all the projects as well as for each project. The ISP should exist in sections that once adopted can be parceled out to project managers and immediately started.
Maintainable-The ISP should be maintainable. New business opportunities, new computers, business mergers, etc. all affect the ISP. The ISP must support quick changes to the estimates, technologies employed, and possibly even to the fundamental project sequences. Once these changes are accomplished, the new ISP should be just a few computer program executions away.
Quality- While the ISP must be a quality product, no ISP is ever perfect on the first try. As the ISP is executed, the metrics employed to derive the individual project estimates become refined as a consequence of new hardware technologies, code generators, techniques, or faster working staff. As these changes occur, their effects should be installable into the data that supports ISP computation. In short, the ISP is a living document. It should be updated with every technology event, and certainly no less often than quarterly.
Reproducible The ISP must be reproducible. That is, when its development activities are
performed by any other staff, the ISP produced should essentially be the same. The ISP should not significantly vary by staff assigned. Whenever a proposal for the development of an ISP is created it must be assessed against these five characteristics. If any fail or not addressed in an optimum way, the entire set of funds for the development of an ISP is risked.


However, upon the preparation and implementation of the system, the organization sometimes fell into the trap of failures. And one of the main causes of frustrations is the DISSATISFACTION and the other is CONRAST IN TIME PLAN TO THE TIME COMPLETION (Lederer and Sethi).

1.) DISSATISFACTION

Advances in information technology and perceived dissatisfaction with MIS performance is leading users to take over their own systems development work. This does not mean an end to the MIS department, but a staff rather than line responsibility will be required as users become the dominant developer of information systems. For a successful transition, HRD will be expected to operate as a change agent helping both groups adjust to their new roles.

Mr. Gernald Cabarilo cited one instance in which the said frustrations are found.
For a particular company system which is being outsourced from the other company, it is very important to seek and gather the data. You also have good sense of contact between the firm. It is said to have a proper closure of the project from the client in a way that upon the creation of the system, the client have to be fixed on his decision over time. He has to set his mind on what are the things he really wants to appear in the system It is so frustrating in the part of the developer to change and change his system because of the dissatisfaction of the clients.

Also, the developer and the client must have a constant communication regarding the project over time so that the possible dissatisfaction may be lessened in the implementation of the IS.


According to a survey released on Dec. 12, 2009, 'Information Disconnect -- The Weakest Link,' reveals that 96 per cent of enterprises interviewed, including many from the Global 500 and Fortune 1000 companies, are frustrated with their information management processes.

In addition, nearly 70 per cent of survey respondents felt that their current information systems deliver inconsistent reporting, and that it takes too long to collate information.

The survey, commissioned by Kalido Ltd. and conducted by Harte-Hanks, a leading IT market research agency, examines the current market understanding of information management and the most critical information issues that the world's leading companies are facing today. Additional findings reveal that:
-- Nearly 60 per cent of companies find that their current information systems
do not have the flexibility to handle change

-- Nearly 60 per cent of companies have concerns about the accuracy of their
data sources

-- Over 60 per cent of companies have planned data/information integration
projects

2.) CONRAST IN TIME PLAN TO THE TIME COMPLETION

To address this problem, it is a must to execute and Adjust the ISP Through Time.

Enterprises, once they evolve beyond their first round of information systems, find themselves transformed from a project and package mentality to a release mentality. The diagram on the next page illustrates this new continuous flow environment. It is characterized by:

! Multiple, concurrent, but differently scheduled projects against the same subject area database or warehouse database
! Single-database projects that affect multiple subject area and data warehouse databases
! Projects that develop completely new capabilities, that can assess required changes to existing capabilities, and that can accommodate a variety of systems generation alternatives (COTS, package, and custom programming)
The continuous flow environment contains four major sets of activities. The user/client is represented at the top in the small rectangular box. Each of the ellipses represents an activity list to accomplish a specific need. The four basic needs are essentially:
! Need Identification
! Need Assessment
! Design
! Deployment
The box in the center is the metabase. Specification and impact analysis are represented through the left two processes. Implementation design and accomplishment are represented by the right two processes.

Claudia Imhoff, industry expert in corporate information architecture, commented: "As new investments are mapped out, establishing an intelligent management information strategy is essential. Without a reliable company-wide view of a customer, working with your customers will be less effective. Similarly, without an enterprise-wide view of products and services, decisions will continue to be made without understanding their impact. This must change before businesses can operate efficiently and effectively on a truly global scale."

Doug Laney, vice president, META Group said: "To lessen business performance frustrations, enterprises must strive to establish consistent levels of information quality and information management throughout the organisation. Our research indicates that, while enabling technology exists, a change in how a company views its information assets, must accompany it. Suffering silently with information incongruence we believe, is a certain way of devaluing overall corporate assets."

Frank Buytendijk, senior research analyst at Gartner, Inc.: "Enterprises need to understand that in order to gain strategic value from business information, it's vital to connect data to strategic objectives and to deploy it strategically across an enterprise. This means that enterprises must solve the many challenges of data integration and ensure they have a scalable and reliable data warehouse infrastructure."

Chris Worsley, vice president of global marketing at Kalido Ltd, added: "Frustration equals inefficiency. In the current economic environment, it's more important than ever that companies reap their investment in information management systems in order to get timely, accurate, consistent information, to manage their business effectively. Unlocking value from existing technology and ensuring future investments are integrated painlessly is our mission and working with global companies such as Unilever, the Royal Dutch/Shell Group (Shell), and Phillips, is proving that it can be done."

The companies surveyed, including many from the Fortune 1000 and Global 500, operate in the US, UK and Netherlands and were cross-industry covering finance, products and services, retail, transport, primary resource, telecommunications and healthcare. At least 40 per cent have a turnover of over $US2billion. 171 interviews were completed over a six-week period beginning September 2001.

http://www.clarionmag.com/cmag/v3/informationsystemsplanning.pdf
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119990266/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0
http://www.computer.org/portal/web/csdl/doi/10.1109/HICSS.2000.926735
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/96+Per+Cent+of+Global+Enterprises+Suffer+From+Information...-a080732718

Relationship Between Business Plan & Information Systems Plan

It is quite difficult to answer the question because when searched in the internet using the keywords, the exact answers are hard to find. However, I found a related study which I hope can answer the problem.

The said research is entitled Differences in Stage of Integration between Business Planning and Information System Planning according to value configurations by Petter Gottschalk and Hans Solli-Sæther of Norwegian School of Management BI, Sandvika, Norway. It is concerned with how stages of integration between strategic business and IS planning are related to different value configurations and eras of IS growth. The aim of the study is to investigate how and Information System planning is integrated with business planning.

Integration between Information System planning and business planning is considered to play a significant impact on the extent of information systems involvement to organizational performance. It is an important enabler of business-IS alignment. The content analysis of IS plans is conducted to identify stages of integration. The companies were also classified according to value configurations and eras of IS growth.

The word planning is used in the literature in many and various meanings: as future thinking, as controlling the future, as decision making, as integrated decision making, and as a formalized procedure to produce an articulated result, in the form of an integrated system of decisions (Mintzberg 1994). In this paper, a planning approach is defined as strategic decision making through a rational process that allows managers to formulate and document strategies. The aim of this study was not to do process research, but rather to investigate how IS planning (ISP) is integrated with business planning (BP).

Business planning is usually conducted when starting a new organization or a new major venture, for example, new product, service or program. Essentially, a business plan is a combination of a marketing plan, strategic plan, operational/management plan and a financial plan. Far more important than the plan document, is the planning process itself.

Business planning usually includes a thorough examination of the idea for a new product/service, if there's really a market for it, who the competitors are, how the idea is uniquely positioned to be competitive and noticeable, how the idea will be produced to a product/service, how much it will cost, how it will be promoted, what overall goals must be accomplished, how the development and ongoing operations will be managed and what resources are needed (including money). As noted above, a business plan is a combination of a marketing plan, financial plan, strategic plan and a operational/management plan. Here are a variety of perspectives. (McNamara, 1998-2007)

The information systems plan is the plan by which databases and information systems of the enterprise are accomplished in a timely manner. A key facility through which the ISP obtains its Adata@ is the meta data repository. The domain of the meta data repository is set forth in Figure 1, and, as seen through Figure 1, persons through their role within an organization perform functions in the accomplishment of enterprise missions, they have information needs. These information needs reflect the state of certain enterprise resources such as finance, people, and products that are known to the enterprises. The states are created through business information systems and databases.

The information systems plan project determines the sequence for implementing specific information systems. The goal of the strategy is to deliver the most valuable business information at the earliest time possible in the most cost-effective manner.
The end product of the information systems project is an information systems plan (ISP). Once deployed, the information systems department can implement the plan with confidence that they are doing the correct information systems project at the right time and in the right sequence. The focus of the ISP is not one information system but the entire suite of information systems for the enterprise. Once developed, each identified information system is seen in context with all other information systems within the enterprise.
IT projects are accomplished within distinct development environments. The two most common are: discrete project and release. The discrete project environment is typified by completely encapsulated projects accomplished through a water-fall methodology.
In release environments, there are a number of different projects underway by different organizations and staff of varying skill levels. Once a large number of projects are underway, the ability of the enterprise to know about and manage all the different projects degrades rapidly. That is because the project management environment has been transformed from discrete encapsulated projects into a continuous flow process of product or functionality improvements that are released on a set time schedule. Figure 3 illustrates the continuous flow process environment that supports releases. The continuous flow process environment is characterized by:
• Multiple, concurrent, but differently scheduled projects against the same enterprise resource
• Single projects that affect multiple enterprise resources
• Projects that develop completely new capabilities, or changes to existing capabilities within enterprise resources

Value configuration can be defined as an organization of activities, resources, and technologies, in order to create firm level competitive advantage. Our assumption is that there exist three basic value creation logics. Based on this assumption, this paper discusses differences in stages of integration between businesses and IS planning according to companies’ value configurations, and attempts to relate these differences to eras of IS growth.

Today many companies make large investments in information systems (IS) (Earl and Feeny 1994). Yet executives often question the business-IS alignment, namely whether these investments support their strategic objectives or whether opportunities to exploit IS for competitive advantage are being overlooked (Henderson and Venkatraman 1993).

There are both enablers and inhibitors of business-IS alignment (Luftman, Papp et al. 1999) and one area considered important for improved alignment is integration of strategic business and IS planning (Teo and Ang 1999).

Strategic alignment is said to be present when:

i) business strategies are enabled, supported, and stimulated by information strategies (Broadbent and Weill 1993);

ii) the goals and activities of the business are in harmony with the information systems that support them (Woolfe 1993);

iii) information systems support organizational goals and activities at every level (Lederer and Mendelow 1989); and

iv) choices within content and process dimensions of IS planning are mutually supportive and the two dimensions themselves are harmonized in a manner that is consistent with competitive strategy (Das, Zahra et al. 1991).

Integration between business planning and information systems planning is one important enabler of business-IS alignment (Teo and King 1997; Luftman, Papp et al. 1999; Teo and Ang 1999). Teo and King (1997) found a significant positive relationship between the level of business and IS planning integration and the extent of information systems contribution to organizational performance.

King and Teo (1997) have suggested a stages of integration model for the evolution of integration between strategic business and IS planning. The first stage is a separate planning with administrative integration characterized by the integration mechanisms such as a technically oriented and non-strategic role of the IS function. The second is a one-way linked planning with sequential integration characterized by integration mechanisms such as performance criteria of business strategy contribution. The third is a two-way linked planning with reciprocal integration such as frequent IS executive participation in business planning. The fourth is joint planning with full integration.

Nolan’s (1973) theory, perhaps the best-known and most widely cited model of IS evolution of in organizations, provides an insight into the way IS evolves in organizations and offers IS management the possibility of managing this complex phenomenon. The model describing the theory does not appear in the literature as a single model, but rather as a number of versions of the same model, which have evolved over time (Khandelwal and Ferguson 1999). For example, the model has been expanded in the form of three S-curves, each curve describing an era, with a discontinuity between the preceding and the following eras. The three eras are identified as data processing (DP) era, information technology (IT) era, and network (NW) era. These eras are themselves subdivided into three phases each as shown in Table 3. The curves represent both the growth of the IS and the organization’s learning experience as IS progresses through these eras. Each era is characterized by a period of evolution, followed by a period of stability, ending with a period of discontinuity before the start of the next era. The discontinuity is more a revolution rather than an evolutionary transition. For example, the transition from DP era to IT era is characterized by technological discontinuities in the form of personal computers, data communication networks, and robotics, while the transition from IT era to NW era is characterized by business discontinuities in the form of strategic alliances with customers and suppliers, access to external data, and outsourcing.

Typically, value chains transform input into output (products) using a long-linked technology. Scale and capacity utilization are key cost drivers. For each basic activity in the business value system the effort of IS is to improve products and production processes. Information systems are developed to support the activities in the value chain: accounting systems, production planning and control systems, marketing and sales systems. A typical example of administrative integration between BP and ISP was the plan for a food producer: IT can assist business processes in realizing and exploiting solutions for value creation. Value chains belong to the IT era as indicated by their technology use and stage of planning integration.

Value shops rely on an intensive technology to solve a customer or client problem. Selection, combination, and order of application of resources and activities vary according to the problem at hand. The development and use of IS, such as diagnostics, simulations, project management tools, and collaborative technologies, is first of all to support or assist the solution of unique problems. A typical example of administrative integration between BP and ISP was the plan S for a municipal health and social sector: Our goal is for all health personnel to use IT as help in medical and administrative
matters better than before. Value shops belong to the DP era as indicated by their technology use and stage of planning integration.

Value networks rely on a mediating technology to link clients or customers who are or wish to be interdependent. The mediating technology facilitates exchange relationships among customers distributed in time and space. Technology development is basically a support activity, but technology may as well be core business in this value configuration. The growing convergence of telecommunications, computing and production technology is of special relevance for value networks. Development and use of IS might be to obtain operational efficiency and cost minimization, as well as to create new integrated
services or products. A typical example of reciprocal/full integration between BP and ISP was the plan AG for a telecommunication company: Business puts heavy demands on IT, as IT contributes heavily to new business. Value networks belong to the IT network era as physical and electronic networks converge towards each other.

References:

Gottschalk, Petter and Hans Solli-Sæther. “Differences in Stage of Integration between Business Planning and Information System Planning according to value configurations.”

http://managementhelp.org/plan_dec/bus_plan/bus_plan.htm

http://www.tdan.com/view-articles/5262

Ten years from now

Think about yourself worthy to be called as IT professional, how do you see yourself 10 years from now, what are your strategies to get there?

Reflecting ten years from now, I would probably be an Information Technology professional, expecting that I graduated with the degree of IT. But the word “worthy” makes a big difference. It implies that I should also be an IT professional not only by name but also by deeds.

In order to be worthy, I’m expected to possess valuable or useful qualities in the field of IT. I already have the expertise in my job and of course, I have to love what I am doing. In this high technology era, IT professional cannot lose its importance in the world. See how the companies are going with today’s innovations in order for them not to be obsolete and become even more competent despite the problems they are facing just like the global financial downturn scenario. We know that computers and using computers and other programmable devices are often more expensive than the manual system but the businesses and other organizations also consider the great advantages it offers. Thus, IT people has become as one of the important people for most organizations. “Let your profession be your vocation.”


I could still remember the day when I was still undecided to which path of the crossroads I have to take and now, I am already determined to stand with the career I am taking and I am eager to make it as a means to my aspirations. I already have the understandings of my present situation and where could it lead me in the future. I never knew I would come this far and suddenly realize, “This is it, I am really into it.” And I would try my best to prove it right.

Not so long ago, I dream on traveling abroad. Perhaps as a tourist, but I never dreamed to be a worker there. However, I wish to gain big salary. So what do you expect?
In one of our meeting in MIS2, our facilitator made me realize that I am a state university student. I am subsidized by the government which means that the government helps me sent to study a degree. In return, I have to thank the government by rendering the service I can offer to the country. The country needs us more than the foreign do.

In the near future, I’m not expecting to be an employer in an instant. Maybe, I could start from being a simple employee in a small company. I also had dreamed of becoming a database administrator and later on become an IT manager. It's really a dream.

Database Administrator
is responsible for installing, backing up, testing, securing and making changes to production databases within an IT environment. They work on ongoing development projects with developers and architects and, increasingly, with business-side workers. They also maintain operations on a day-to-day basis.

Duties

The duties of a database administrator vary and depend on the job description, corporate and Information Technology (IT) policies and the technical features and capabilities of the DBMS being administered. They nearly always include disaster recovery (backups and testing of backups), performance analysis and tuning, data dictionary maintenance, and some database design.

Some of the roles of the DBA may include:

* Installation of new software
* Configuration of hardware and software
* Security administration
* Data analysis
* Database design
* Data modeling and optimization
* Responsible for the administration of existing enterprise databases.

Striving hard for years maybe I would become a manager f a big company. I do dream about that. Ten years the, I would probably manage my own company Not only a company, but a company which strongly competes probably to the world. A company which is flexible to the demands of the fast-changing world.

IT MANAGER ROLE-SPECIFIC COMPETENCIES


Networking
Assists in the planning and implementation of additions, deletions and major modifications to the supporting regional infrastructure.
Implements network security at the regional level as established by corporate Security Director.
Oversees the administration and maintenance of the company's infrastructure, and directs more junior Innovators when necessary.
Oversees the administration of the company's WAN.

Telephony
Manages and develops upgrades to the company's telephone system at the regional level.
Oversees all telephone changes, including routing for seating assignments.

Training & Lab Maintenance
Oversees the administration and maintenance of computer stations and software for company training programs and the Learning Studio and provides additional support if necessary.

Internal Systems
Oversees troubleshooting, systems backups, archiving, and disaster recovery and provides expert support when necessary.
Works with project teams to help implement Internal Systems.

Help Desk Administration
Oversees all help desk activities at the regional level.
Responds to escalated help desk issues.
Oversees the administration and maintenance of our tracking software.
Interacts with internal clients on all levels to help resolve IT-related issues and provides answers in a timely manner.

Asset Management
Builds and maintains vendor relationships and manages the purchase of hardware and software products.
Manages the purchasing of all software, hardware and other IT supplies at the regional level.
Ensures that company assets are maintained responsibly.

CAREER PATH CORE COMPETENCIES


Communication
Facilitates team meetings effectively.
Holds regular status meetings with team.
Keeps team well informed of changes within the organization and general Etensity news.
Effectively communicates relevant IT-related information to superiors.
Delivers engaging, informative, well-organized presentations.
Resolves and/or escalates issues in a timely fashion.
Understands how to communicate difficult/sensitive information tactfully.
Relays relevant IT-related information to the company in a timely manner.

Management
Initiates and implements improvements in all areas of IT responsibility.
Serves as main point of contact on all IT-related matters for the office assigned.
Responds/acts on upper-management direction .
Identifies and provides standards for gathering information for use in trend analysis and reports information to company management.

PROFESSIONAL QUALITIES



Leadership
Challenges others to develop as leaders while serving as a role model and mentor.
Manages the development of team by ensuring, when possible, that project tasks are in line with each Innovator's career interests.
Inspires coworkers to attain goals and pursue excellence.
Identifies opportunities for improvement and makes constructive suggestions for change .
Manages the process of innovative change effectively.
Remains on the forefront of emerging industry practices.

Teamwork
Consistently acknowledges and appreciates each team member's contributions.
Effectively utilizes each team member to his/her fullest potential.
Motivates team to work together in the most efficient manner.
Keeps track of lessons learned and shares those lessons with team members.
Mitigates team conflict and communication problems.
Plans and facilitates regular team activities outside of the office.

Client Management

Manages day-to-day internal client interaction
Sets and manages internal client expectations.
Communicates effectively with internal clients to identify needs and evaluate alternative business solutions.
Continually seeks opportunities to increase internal client satisfaction and deepen client relationships.

ORGANIZATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES


Innovator Development
Conducts effective performance evaluations and mentors those with less experience through formal channels.
Helps team execute career development plans.
Seeks and participates in development opportunities above and beyond training required by Etensity.
Trains other innovators and clients through both formal and informal training programs.
Encourages more junior Innovators to take responsibility for their development within the company.
Challenges fellow Innovators to progress toward their professional development goals.

Internal Operations

Suggests areas for improvement in internal processes along with possible solutions.
Leads internal teams/task forces
Approves team members' time and expense reports in a conscientious and timely manner.
Reviews the status reports of team members and addresses issues as appropriate.
Complies with and helps to enforce standard Etensity policies and procedures.

I don’t really dream to be manager merely to manage people. I want it because I do want to contribute to the success of the company. You might say that even a simple employee can contribute to that success but the level of contribution really matters. That’s what I believe. I want to provide jobs to the needy and equip them with the proper training needed. I also want to implement a reward system that would motivate the employees to work hard and eager to contribute to the company’s success.

For the growth of the company, I with my co-decision makers should foresee the possible demands of the clients and the possible changes. On the other hand, the company’s equity should allot a budget for our own foundation or encourage our employees to give some of to the existing foundations.

Is dreaming to be a manager doesn’t fit to the so-called “worthy IT professional?” Being a manager means to help the company’s improvement and growth with the coordination of he employees. A worthy IT professional means to stand by its name “solutions provider” is it on your organization or the benefit of the other people. So I guess, the answer is YES, because I could be an IT professional by being a manager of the company by providing the employees and the company itself the necessary solutions for the crucial problems and situations.

Life never disallows us to dream. Dream the impossible and the unreachable. In fact it is given to us for free. It is up to us to reach our dreams. But, life doesn’t promise that the way is easy. Life does not come to you in great long gulps but one day at a time. We surely have bad days and everything may turn out wrong. Life has its own trials, annoyances and difficulties. Stormy seas are part of life. Don’t think it will be a smooth sailing. Remember, rough seas make us stronger and courageous to reach our destination. Trials will come as they must into each life but with each burden comes the promise of compensating reward.

It’s up to us to set our own ways and means in achieving our dreams. Theses are our personal strategy. For me, the best strategy is merely based on the values and virtues and striving to at least practice them. Strive and survive.


My personal strategies:

• Trust in Divine Providence

Every path we take every step we make, trust in God. When you feel like you are not sure of your chosen path, trust in the Lord that you are taking the right one and if the day has come when you feel like you’re not really fit to it, then learn to let go of it. I had gone so many of this instance. So I could say, it is the best strategy. I have to pray that what I planned to myself abides and fits to what are his plans for me. We really don’t know our real purpose unless we learn to understand it and pray it to God. I have to pray that God guides me, enlightens me and helps me to have the knowledge and wisdom that I may enable to solve existing problems and obstacles along the way to reach my dream.

• Have that confidence

Following the trust in God is to trust and believe in ourselves. Even if others believe in you that you have the capacity to do certain jobs, you are skilled and everything all will be useless without your confidence. If you don’t have the confidence that you may surpass the challenges you are facing in you studies, then definitely, it’s also a blurry result that you can. In applying for a job, you also have to be confident enough to comply the necessary requirements the employee needed for you to be accepted in their organization. In working for your job, it is also the same thing. You need your confidence that you can do it properly lessening the scolds and chides of your boss. That’s how it is.

• Do a Hard work

Even if I already have the above two but I don’t have the third, then definitely, I would not be able to reach my goal. It is because doing works hard simply means that we want the best result out of it. And if the outcome would not be the same as one we expected, then we could not feel some guilt because we already know that we have done our best. And if the outcome would be pleasant to us, then we can say that that is the best result we can get for our hard work.

• Being responsible

I have to be responsible of my self. As much as possible don’t learn to depend on others and be responsible of the choices I make with no regrets. Not only this, I also have to do my responsibilities as a student now, and a successful employee in the future or even an employer. Do the necessary duties in doing my own job. It is because why do I expect of the success in the future when I’m not doing the right thing to be successful.

•Have the Spirit of sacrifice

Sometimes, you have to sacrifice something just to fulfill the desired outcome. A simple instance is from being a student who wants to enjoy with her many-year unseen friends, but because of her studies to do for the final exams and projects, he has to sacrifice one thing. Here comes the pressure but because of her determination to pass all of her subjects for the semester, she has to sacrifice one thing even if it cost her once in a lifetime enjoyment with her friend. It sounds to be a ridiculous example but at least I believe I already shared what I mean. Anyway, there are so many examples that relate to this strategy.

• Self-discipline or self-denial


It is also important to control myself in all circumstances in my studies and work. Sometimes I also have to deny yourself and your impulses towards things you really love for the sake of the goal you are achieving. Be it short-term or long-term. In order to succeed, I also have to train my conduct in order to improve myself as a student and a career woman and a person. Any improvement in your life is your improvement. Right? When you know how to control and manage yourself, then you could also be followed by you employees. Be a leader of yourself first before becoming a leader of the other.


• Manage time wisely


It’s in college days that I realized the essence of deadlines. Maybe because our teachers in elementary and high school are not that strict on implementing these things unlike our instructor and facilitators in college and maybe because I’m not that time conscious before. Now, I learned that time really is as precious as gold. When I watched at the news saying something which happened unexpectedly, that’s when I’m enlightened about the importance of every second of our life. That’s why I also consider being curious on time management. It’s also because you have to focus in everything and that everything should not be focused simultaneously. You are going to be insane. So I have to focus one thing at a time. In short, I should learn to wisely manage the time allotted and to be conscious on deadlines. It is a part of a good performance of a student and a worker.

• Be flexible

It means that I have the capacity to be bent over and over again without being damaged or injured but it doesn’t mean that I have to be like Lastikman. It is just that I have to have the capacity to perceive changes and is able to adapt easily and wisely on these changes. These adjectives refer literally to what is capable of withstanding stress without injury and figuratively to what can undergo change or modification.

• Understanding

It is also needed to understand things on how it is in the reality. Actually, I can have many definitions to it but the important thought is the name itself. Understanding means to have a comprehension, good sense, or discernment. Understanding on all things, be it on the unfavorable circumstances, problems, solutions, teachers, classmates, facilitators, instructors, employers, colleagues and even you job.

• Possess selflessness not selfish(ness)

Before, I have no distinction between the two terms. But when I listen to the songs and read some articles, I had noticed that selflessness always refer to the good side while the selfishness on the bad. Later, I had realized that I was simply right because the former is the complete opposite of the latter. Selflessness means showing unselfish concern for the welfare of others. It is just synonymous to self-denying, self-forgetful, self-forgetting, and unselfish. Selfishness is being self-centered and egoistic. The quality or state of being selfish; exclusive regard to one's own interest or happiness; that supreme self-love or self-preference which leads a person to direct his purposes to the advancement of his own interest, power, or happiness, without regarding those of others.

IT people are selfless in nature because they provide solutions for the benefit of the other but not all of these people are worthy to be called. “Solutions provider” as they call it is tagged to IT and it’s also important that IT have been given the credit for the service they render. Be it on cash, rewards or salaries. But some are too demanding for the price of the service to the level of thinking that it is okay for their clients do not know how to use computers. For me, IT people should get the proper credits of their services and so must I.

• Real life experience

All those aforementioned strategies will not be enough to really fulfill my dreams if do not have the last one. Experience means to apprehend an object, thought, or emotion through the senses or mind, active participation in events or activities, leading to the accumulation of knowledge or skill, the knowledge or skill so derived and the totality of such events in the past of an individual.

In the way to reaching our goals, we have to have experience on the different fields that are really useful. These experiences made us equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills needed for the fulfillment of our dream.

REFERENCES:

http://www.mariosalexandrou.com/free-job-descriptions/it-manager.asp
http://shielamariepnara.blogspot.com/2009/07/assignment-2-in-hrm.html

Human Resources at DepEd RO XI

Assignment 9: Interview a personnel/human resource manager on his concept on the nature, scope and role of human resource management. Do you agree with him? Explain. Is his concept similar to that of the management of his organization? If not, ask him how the differences are settled. (1500 words)

Regarding this task, I chose as my interviewee the administrative officer V of the Personnel Section of the Administrative Division of The Department of Education Regional Office XI.

Asked about her concept about human resource management, from its nature and scope to its role in their firm, the following are her answers based on her own insights and the views of the firm she involved in.

Human Resource Management

Nature

It is about managing the employees of the organization. It includes the keeping track of records their attendance, their benefits, their concerns, trainings of different office divisions. More recently, organizations consider the "HR Department" as playing a major role in staffing, training and helping to manage people so that people and the organization are performing at maximum capability in a highly fulfilling manner.

Scope

As she mentioned, the regional office consists of five divisions namely the Elementary Division, Secondary Division, Administrative Division, Budget and Finance, and Alternative Learning System. The Administrative Division classifies different sections which include Legal, Cashier, Supply, Record and the Personnel Section. The Personnel Section is considered as their Human Resource Management. The Human Resources Management (HRM) function includes a variety of activities including managing your approach to employee benefits and compensation, employee records and personnel policies. Aside from managing the office’s employees, The Dep Ed XI also caters the needs of the divisions of Region XI, from the divisions down to the districts and from the districts down to the schools in the said region.

Their management however is limited to some aspects. Of course, they are not ones who manage the office’s supplies, budget and finance. From the word itself, one can understand their scope of management. They only manage the important matters of their “employees” as great resource in their organization. It also includes the records of the employees as opposed to the function of the record section which keeps the records of the regional office.

Role

In all organizations, there should be someone concerned with the welfare and performance of persons who are a part of the operation. When an individual or a team of individuals takes on this task of seeing to programs and setting policies that impact everyone associated with the company, they are engaged in the process of personnel management, sometimes referred to as human resources (HR).

Human resources management comprises several processes. Together they are supposed to achieve the above mentioned goal. These processes can be performed in an HR department, but some tasks can also be outsourced or performed by line-managers or other departments. When effectively integrated they provide significant economic benefit to the company. Workforce planning, Recruitment (sometimes separated into attraction and selection)
Induction and Orientation, Skills management, Training and development, Personnel administration, Compensation in wage or salary, Time management, Travel management (sometimes assigned to accounting rather than HRM), Payroll (sometimes assigned to accounting rather than HRM), Employee benefits administration, Personnel cost planning and Performance appraisal.

Human resource management serves these key functions: Recruitment & Selection, Training and Development (People or Organization), Performance Evaluation and Management, Promotions/Transfer, Redundancy, Industrial and Employee Relations, Record keeping of all personal data., Compensation, pensions, bonuses etc in liaison with Payroll, Confidential advice to internal 'customers' in relation to problems at work , Career development , Competency Mapping (Competency mapping is a process an individual uses to identify and describe competencies that are the most critical to success in a work situation or work role.) , Time motion study is related to HR Function, and Performance Appraisal.

Is her concept similar to that of the organization?

Based on the answers of the interviewee, it is then concluded that her concepts and the organization’s are similar to each other. On previous discussions, it is realized that personnel management and human resource management are just synonymous to some organization while the other distinguished their differences. Dep Ed XI Personnel Section allows the similarity to take in the context of managing their workforce. It is evident in our visit. When we asked to be sent to the human resource department, we end up in their personnel section.

Administrative discipline of hiring and developing employees so that they become more valuable to the organization. It includes (1) conducting job analyses, (2) planning personnel needs, and recruitment, (3) selecting the right people for the job, (4) orienting and training, (5) determining and managing wages and salaries, (6) providing benefits and incentives, (7) appraising performance, (8) resolving disputes, (9) communicating with all employees at all levels.

It is stated that the term means an administrative discipline in the company which provides the specific needs of the people ware so as their benefits and incentives and other programs. Additionally, this discipline is merely concerned on the processes with regards to the "EMPLOYEES" in the company.

Personnel management is concerned with the effective use of the skills of people. They may be salespeople in a store, clerks in an office, operators in a factory, or technicians in a research laboratory. In a business, personnel management starts with the recruiting and hiring of qualified people and continues with directing and encouraging their growth as they encounter problems and tensions that arise in working toward established goals.

This definition is generally meant for all the people, their skills, and its development in their respective organizations. Personnel management is the discipline which manages all of the processes concerned in the people of the organization. These processes start in the hiring of the employees to their development or growth and also to the level of managing tensions that arises among the employees.

Source. http://www.zeromillion.com/business/personnel/personnel-mangement.html#ixzz0QfaMPmTf

Digital Information Environment

Identify an information environment of your choice and write an essay to address the following questions: (3000 words)


• What should be your role within this environment?
• How can the principles of information organization and representation help you in performing this role?
• What are the challenges facing you in performing the role? How will you address these challenges?

DIGITAL INFORMATION ENVIRONMENT

Before getting into the topic, I think it is good to define the terms first. When I read the words “information environment”, the first thing that came up in my mind is that information environment means an environment where information exists; as the name suggests but I doubt it and so I look for its deeper meaning.

In computer science, information simply means processed, stored, or transmitted data while environment means the entire set of conditions under which one operates a computer, as it relates to the hardware, operating platform, or operating system. So those are the meanings of the individual terms but when you combine these two terms its meaning would be converted as the aggregate of individuals, organizations, or systems that collect, process, or disseminate information; also included is the information itself.

In the context of information environment, one may be confuse on what specific meaning is implied in this particular topic and I’m of no exception. However, dealing with the topic a little deeper gives me an idea to choose digital information environment as my choice.

I can compare this information environment as a library in itself but in a digital era.
Libraries inform their users of what materials are available in their collections and how to access that information. Before the computer age, this was accomplished by the card catalog — a cabinet containing many drawers filled with index cards that identified books and other materials. In a large library, the card catalog often filled a large room. The emergence of the Internet, however, has led to the adoption of electronic catalog databases (often referred to as "webcats" or as online public access catalogs, OPACs), which allow users to search the library's holdings from any location with Internet access. This style of catalog maintenance is compatible with new types of libraries, such as digital libraries and distributed libraries, as well as older libraries that have been retrofitted. Electronic catalog databases are criticized by some who believe that the old card catalog system was both easier to navigate and allowed retention of information, by writing directly on the cards, that is lost in the electronic systems. This argument is analogous to the debate over paper books and e-books. While libraries have been accused of precipitously throwing out valuable information in card catalogs, most modern ones have nonetheless made the move to electronic catalog databases. Large libraries may be scattered within multiple buildings across a town, each having multiple floors, with multiple rooms housing the resources across a series of shelves. Once a user has located a resource within the catalog, they must then use navigational guidance to retrieve the resource physically; a process that may be assisted through signage, maps, GPS systems or RFID tagging.
A digital library is a library in which collections are stored in digital formats (as opposed to print, microform, or other media) and accessible by computersThe digital content may be stored locally, or accessed remotely via computer networks. A digital library is a type of information retrieval system.

The DELOS Digital Library Reference Modeldefines a digital library as:
An organization, which might be virtual, that comprehensively collects, manages and preserves for the long term rich digital content, and offers to its user communities specialized functionality on that content, of measurable quality and according to codified policies.
The first use of the term digital library in print may have been in a 1988 report to the Corporation for National Research Initiatives[3] The term digital libraries was first popularized by the NSF/DARPA/NASA Digital Libraries Initiative in 1994.[4] These draw heavily on As We May Think by Vannevar Bush in 1945, which set out a vision not in terms of technology, but user experience. The term virtual library was initially used interchangeably with digital library, but is now primarily used for libraries that are virtual in other senses (such as libraries which aggregate distributed content).
There is now a critical mass of digital information resources that can be used to support researchers, learners, teachers and administrators in their work and study. The production of information is on the increase and ways to deal with this effectively are required. There is the need to ensure that quality information isn’t lost amongst the masses of digital data created everyday. If we can continue to improve the management, interrogation and serving of ‘quality’ information there is huge potential to enhance knowledge creation across learning and research communities. The aim of the Information Environment is to help provide convenient access to resources for research and learning through the use of resource discovery and resource management tools and the development of better services and practice. The Information Environment aims to allow discovery, access and use of resources for research and learning irrespective of their location.

http://www.jisc.ac.uk/whatwedo/themes/informationenvironment.aspx

However, with the sets and collection of media and of media other than books for storing information, many libraries are now also repositories and access points for maps, prints, or other documents and various storage media such as microform (microfilm/microfiche), audio tapes, CDs, cassettes, videotapes, and DVDs. Libraries may also provide public facilities to access subscription databases and the Internet.
Thus, modern libraries are increasingly being redefined as places to get unrestricted access to information in many formats and from many sources. They are understood as extending beyond the physical walls of a building, by including material accessible by electronic means, and by providing the assistance of librarians in navigating and analyzing tremendous amounts of knowledge with a variety of digital tools.
Patrons may not know how to fully use the library's resources. This can be due to some individuals' unease in approaching a staff member. Ways in which a library's content is displayed or accessed may have the most impact on use. An antiquated or clumsy search system, or staff unwilling or untrained to engage their patrons, will limit a library's usefulness. In United States public libraries, beginning in the 19th century, these problems drove the emergence of the library instruction movement, which advocated library user education. One of the early leaders was John Cotton Dana. The basic form of library instruction is generally known as information literacy.

ROLE

The digital information environment has dramatically changed the way that faculty and students access information offered by academic libraries.
My role in the digital information environment is merely on the user side. I am the user of the information in the environment. I am the client who requests certain information from the server who in turn uses it for my helpful purpose. This kind of information technology made me use of the information I wanted by just a click on the mouse or by the press of the keys. The world is really flat in the sense that I don’t have to go anywhere else just to gather the information I needed. As long as there is a connection between me and the server, I have no problem.

In school, I am a student who is a patron in our library but usually I don’t hold books when I have to research certain things. Instead I use computers. Our school library really has a scarcity of books. So, what do you expect me to do? Instead of having high blood pressure of searching the books which is in the database but is nowhere to find in the actual, a very tiring stuff to do, all I have to perform is to go to our so called “virtual library”. But when our virtual library is full of my fellow schoolmates and when the information is badly needed, I just go to internet cafes, searching for the information I really needed.

In an overview of performance measures in higher education and libraries, Kyrillidou ( 1998) identified three issues that should be taken into account when assessing the reliability and validity of academic library data: consistency across institutions and time, ease versus utility in gathering data; and values, meanings, and measurement. The last issue refers to the interpretation of data as guided by local conditions. The methodology for Web surveys demonstrated in this study, given the appropriate networking topology, meets all three of these issues. It can be meaningfully applied with consistency across institutions and time. It is easy to implement and gathers useful data quickly. The data can be interpreted locally, and indeed, local questions can be asked to guide specific service decisions about networked electronic resources.
The vast majority of networked services use occurs on-campus, either in the library or from other locations on-campus, although resources in the electronic information environment are available to authorized faculty and students anywhere they have access to a computer and a network connection. Interestingly the purpose of use (sponsored research, etc.,) varied far more dramatically in both medical and academic libraries when comparing in-library use to remote use, than did the categories of users (graduate student, etc.). The categories of users, to generalize, are similar in the library and outside of the library, but the purpose of use is very different. Use of networked electronic resources for sponsored research occurs outside of the library. Since it is unlikely that faculty would divide their time in such a way, or would come into the library for instructional purposes but not for research, one might speculate that the faculty who come into the library are different people from those who do not, despite the similar percentage distributions.

These data support the conclusion that patrons who log into networked electronic resources from outside the library are different from those who come into the library, a point that came up frequently in discussions with medical librarians. Yet, many libraries make service decisions based upon activity at service points, for example, the reference desk. These service point data are often extended inferentially to represent the library population, for example, in collection development decisions. Although the vendors supply usage statistics for their networked electronic resources, they do not distinguish between usage inside or outside the library. Librarians may incorrectly assume that the usage of networked electronic resources in the library resembles the usage outside of the library.

Further, many libraries are re-inventing their library as a place to attract grant-funded researchers and scientists into the library. It may be felt that the lack of researchers or grant-funded scientists physically present in the library is a result of dissatisfaction with or disinterest in library services. The data presented here support the notion that the library is indeed doing its job, and delivering resources electronically to its patrons, even though they do not come into the library. To reach funded researchers, the library should offer more electronic services in a virtual library, and not worry about their lack of attendance in the physical library.

INFORMATION ORGANIZATION

The concept of information organization lies from the fact that information really needs to be organized. We organize information – in our minds and in information systems – in order to collect and record it, retrieve it, evaluate and select it, understand it, process and analyze it, apply it, and rearrange and reuse it. We also organize things, such as parts, merchandise in a store, or clothes in a closet, using similar principles for similar purposes.
Information organization can be understood from four perspectives: a data perspective, a relationship perspective, an operating system (OS) perspective, an application architecture perspective. But I chose the first perspective as the specific information organization I really needed

Data perspective of information organization

• the information organization of geographic data must be considered in terms of their descriptive elements and graphical elements because
o these two types of data elements have distinctly different characteristics
o the have different storage requirements
o they have different processing requirements
• for descriptive data, the most basic element of information organization is called a data item
o a data item represents an occurrence or instance of a particular characteristic pertaining to an entity (which can be a person, thing, event or phenomenon)
• a group of related data items form a record
o by related data items, it means that the items are occurrences of different characteristics pertaining to the same person, thing, event or phenomenon (e.g. in a forest resource inventory, a record may contain related data items such as stand identification number, dominant tree species, average height and average breast height diameter)
o a record may contain a combination of data items having different types of values (e.g. in the above example, a record has two character strings representing the stand identification number and dominant tree species; an integer representing the average tree height rounded to the nearest meter; and a floating-point number representing the average breast height diameter in meters)
• a set of related records constitutes a data file
o by related records, it means that the records represent different occurrences of the same type or class of people, things, events and phenomena
o a data file is individually identified by a filename
o a data file may contain records having different types of data values or having a single type of data value
o in data processing literature, collections of data items or records are sometimes referred to by other terms other than "data file" according to their characteristics and functions
• the concept of database is the approach to information organization in computer-based data processing today
o a database is defined as an automated, formally defined and centrally controlled collection of persistent data used and shared by different users in an enterprise (Date, 1995 and Everest, 1986)
? above definition excludes the informal, private and manual collection of data
? "centrally controlled" does not mean "physically centralized" --- databases today tend to be physically distributed in different computer systems, at the same or different locations
? a database is set up to serve the information needs of an organization
? data sharing is key to the concept of database
? data in a database are described as "permanent" in the sense that they are different from "transient" data such as input to and output from an information system
o the use of database does not mean the demise of data files
? data in a database are still organized and stored as data files
? the use of database represents a change in the perception of data, the mode of data processing and the purposes of using the data, rather than physical storage of the data
o databases can be organized in different ways known as database models
? the three conventional database models are: relational, network and hierarchical
? the emerging database model is object-oriented
• data are uniquely identified as individual objects that are classified into object types or classes according to the characteristics (attributes and operations) of the object

CHALLENGES

When we say challenge, what does it really mean in the context of my role in the information environment? Is it about confrontations? Problems? Tests? In some sense, all of these things.
Lack of ICT Training
There is lack of such expertise in working librarians. All participants viewed it as a major challenge. Establishing a digital library without refreshing the information technology and information retrieval skills of library professionals is a difficult task. A breed of experts and continuous training programmes to handle and operate the latest technology in libraries is a dire need.

Lack of Awareness

Many studies have found that a lack of awareness is associated with lower use of electronic collections (Ibrahim 2004; Said, 2006; Warraich, 2007; Bashir, 2008). Hussain (2006) explores the perception of LIS professionals regarding digital libraries. He found the low IT literacy rate in Pakistan to be a barrier to digital libraries (pp. 50-56). Sadique (2005) found that lack of awareness about Information Resource Center (IRC) in PUL and low digital literacy were the main causes of lower use of electronic services. In a similar vein, a low level of understanding and awareness of available sources and services by the science and technology teachers of Punjab University limit the use of information systems (Muzammil, 2008).

User Orientation

Orienting users to modern library services is another challenge. Mahmood, (2003), Ameen, (2006) and Rehman, (2008) warn LIS schools that they must produce graduates who are up to the demands of the changing and challenging information market place. A study by Naz (2007) depicts significantly lower use of OPACs due to lack of orientation by librarians and low level of IT information literacy among students. Bashir (2008) asserts that training needs attention from university authorities and HEC for better service in libraries.

Bandwidth and Infrastructure

Developing countries may have limited bandwidth available. Universities were faced with purchasing dedicated bandwidth, but HEC provides shared bandwidth via Pakistan Telecommunication Limited (PTCL). Poor connectivity has been a big challenge for accessing and downloading information especially large files.

Improve the Use of Electronic Resources

HEC databases are great source of electronic access for Pakistani universities, and are very costly. Overall use statistics show relatively more use by public universities users than private. The use statistics compiled for 2005 show that the cost per article is less than $2.30, and the cost is borne by the HEC (Said, 2006, p.20).
Universities whose use of e-resources is low have their subscriptions automatically canceled by the NDL programme. Use statistics justify the subscriptions and their effective use. Increasing the use of the databases is essential for maintaining institutional access and requesting subscriptions to more sources. Increased use of resources is the result of user awareness and orientation. Creating awareness and increased use is important for increased research productivity.

Preservation

Due to financial problems and poor infrastructure, it is a concern that digital libraries may lack their current resources in the future. Ameen (2005) and Haider (2004) anticipate the future of digital collections and state that subscriptions to online resources often provide only access rather than ownership. The library may be emptyhanded after the subscription ends.

Technical Support and Security

Security for digital information is a demanding challenge for librarians. Piracy, virus inversions, and parallel satellite networking stress are some of the problems for which solutions are needed. Information technology skills and applications are changing and developing quickly. To endure, digital libraries need the latest technology and more technical staff or experts for this purpose.

New Field of Research

This is new field of research for library and information professionals and researchers. User satisfaction, perception, use, and usability studies regarding digital library sources will be helpful for improving this programme.

Myths about Digital Collections

It is a challenge to combat the myths about electronic resources and libraries. Library users think that the web is a substitute for the library and that there is no need of librarians in the digital environment. In fact, the librarian is a mediator between the huge sea of information and its users, and the need for a trained mediator is more apparent than ever. Ameen (2005) rightly points out that library patrons have confusion. These confusions include the belief that the web is the equivalent of a library and feelings of fear and anxiety.

ADDRESSING THE CHALLENGES
Opportunities

It is a common saying that challenges are also opportunities. There are definitely opportunities for librarians at PUL and elsewhere.
Learning and Improvement of ICT Skills
Library professional can now get informal online education regarding about trends in librarianship on their desktops. They may improve their ability to retrieve information and serve users. Self learning regarding the use as well as understanding of new tools, acquisition of e-resources, and efficiency of retrieving information, dissemination, leadership qualities, and better use of human and financial resources can help meet digital library challenges.
Digital library services can play an increasing role in practical and specific tasks in teaching, learning, and research.

Marketing Strategies
Said (2006) points out that HEC allocated 7 percent of the NDL budget to marketing and promotion of e-resources and 12 percent for training researchers. This is great opportunity for LIS professionals to learn about marketing, develop marketing plans for better promotion , develop a marketing strategy to justify subscriptions to more databases or continuing existing sources, and learn about methods for internal and external communication. Marketing research, strategic analysis, and user segmentation can help librarians know their customers and develop a user-centered approach. Customer- centered services could enhance the use of electronic databases using marketing and promotion. Because of the market demand for more orientation, the LIS Department of the University of the Punjab conducted a workshop on this topic for working librarians. Such continuing education activities can help working professionals.

Improve the Image of Library

Punjab University librarians have a positive attitude towards the NDL. They are providing better services because of these digital sources. This programme not only improves the image of library but also the image of library professionals.

Awareness of Use of E-Resources and Researchers' Orientation

Library orientation can take place at the time of new enrollment, which is the practice at PUL. The role of departmental librarian is crucial. Hands-on exercises are helpful in introducing new students to electronic resources and services. Promotional material should also be distributed among all types of users. Said (2006) mentions that 8,850 faculty members and students were trained at the various seminars across the country from 2003-2006. The short courses and workshops conducted by HEC for library professionals can be a great opportunity for librarians to improve their IT literacy.

Design of Library Web Page

The library web page is used to promote library services and especially to provide access to e-resource links through ELIN. The library web page is an effective tool and should also be used to provide tips to researchers on search strategies and effective use of resources. LIS professionals have the opportunity to learn web page design and develop other ICT skills to help users.


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