Chapter 1

A Brief History of Info Systems

2000 ++

personalization

1980

Virtualization, DSS, BI
Computerization Basic Transactions

communications
transportation
industrialization

1900

1950-1970

1850

1800
Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu

Knowledge Management in Theory and Practice (Second Edition),

By Kimiz Dalkir

*birth of the internet 1969

Todays Working Environment

Multi-lingual
Multi-site

Multi-cultural

More
Global

More &
Faster

Systems

More
Mobile
Knowledge Management in Theory and Practice (Second Edition),
By Kimiz Dalkir

More
Connected

Increasing Complexity
Todays work environment is more complex due to
an increase in the number of subjective knowledge
items we need to attend to everyday

Filtering over 200 emails, faxes, voicemail messages on

a daily basis how to prioritize?
Having to think on our feet as expected response time
has greatly decreased as well
Info Sys is a response to the challenge of trying to
manage this complexity amidst information overload

Knowledge Management in Theory and Practice (Second Edition),

By Kimiz Dalkir

Some Challenges
Managing access, content, users, security
Managing infrastructure
Collaborating effectively
Reliability, Availability, Efficiency
Learning and making decisions based on
complex mountains of information
Knowledge Management in Theory and Practice (Second Edition),
By Kimiz Dalkir

Why Info Systems are different

in Public Sector
National Association of Schools of Public Affairs
and Administration (NASPAA) had a narrow view
earlier in 1980s and 1990s.
Today NASPAA embraced modern view.
Some operations of government differ
significantly from business operations in privatesector firms..(ex: off-the-shelf accounts
receivable for private firm can not be used for
government)

Why Info Systems are different

in Public Sector
Political and bureaucratic environments in
government in which technological decision
can differ
Cost of technology and people need. (cutting
technology vs.

Public Information
Management

Public sector organizations must often manage the opposing pulls of visibility and
security
Many organizations in the public sector handle sensitive information from their
stakeholders (citizens and businesses) that must be protected from a privacy and security
perspective. At the same time, they also often hold information that is part of the public
record and have an obligation to make this available as freely as possible. This creates a
number of information management related challenges over and above those experienced
in the private sector.

Keeping Score in the Public Sector

The performance management and information access reality
Dale Vile and Tony Lock, Freeform Dynamics Ltd, March, 2012

Public Information
Management

Most are meeting statutory obligations, but it is challenging and getting harder
Problems to do with information fragmentation and inconsistency between systems,
aggravated by lack of automation, means producing routine reports for government and
regulators is typically costly and time consuming. The escalating need to publish
performance metrics more broadly, deeply and frequently, along with an increasing
obligation to make information available on demand to regulators, citizens and businesses,
is adding to the burden and creating some real challenges.

Keeping Score in the Public Sector

The performance management and information access reality
Dale Vile and Tony Lock, Freeform Dynamics Ltd, March, 2012

Public Information
Management

Significant gaps exist with regard to meeting internal needs and stakeholder
expectations
The underlying information disjoints already mentioned also mean that the majority
participating in our study do not do a good job in meeting the internal information needs of
either management or the broader workforce. Public sector organisations are also finding
that keeping up with the information access expectations of politicians, the media and,
most importantly, an increasingly tech savvy population of stakeholders, is extremely
difficult. Indeed most are failing at the moment.

Keeping Score in the Public Sector

The performance management and information access reality
Dale Vile and Tony Lock, Freeform Dynamics Ltd, March, 2012

Public Information
Management

Significant gaps exist with regard to meeting internal needs and stakeholder
expectations
The underlying information disjoints already mentioned also mean that the majority
participating in our study do not do a good job in meeting the internal information needs of
either management or the broader workforce. Public sector organizations are also finding
that keeping up with the information access expectations of politicians, the media and,
most importantly, an increasingly tech savvy population of stakeholders, is extremely
difficult. Indeed most are failing at the moment.

Keeping Score in the Public Sector

The performance management and information access reality
Dale Vile and Tony Lock, Freeform Dynamics Ltd, March, 2012

Public Information
Management

Initiatives are in place to improve things, but lack of funding is an issue

Many public sector organizations have initiatives in place to improve the way in which
information is managed, secured and accessed. These include making better use of
electronic channels such as the Web, and in some cases coordinating, collaborating and
sharing with similar organizations. However, the imperative to reduce both capital
expenditure and operating costs often trumps such efforts, making it hard to secure
funding for investment in new capability.

Keeping Score in the Public Sector

The performance management and information access reality
Dale Vile and Tony Lock, Freeform Dynamics Ltd, March, 2012

Public Information
Management

The trick is to make better use of whats already in place, and work more smartly
Significant under-exploitation of the tools and systems already in place is an endemic
problem. The reporting and analytics facilities within desktop tools, database management
systems and even specialist business intelligence systems are far from fully utilised.
However, this represents a great opportunity to improve capability without the need for
major spend. Having said this

Keeping Score in the Public Sector

The performance management and information access reality
Dale Vile and Tony Lock, Freeform Dynamics Ltd, March, 2012

Value of Information Systems

Improved learning

Individual
Teams
Organization

Better decision-making and

problem-solving
Higher quality knowledge
work, greater expertise
More innovation and
greater creativity

Better able to stay ahead of

the competition
Improved knowledge
embedded in products and
services
More effective networking
and collaboration
More ethical behaviour

Notes from the book

Public-Sector IS Misfortunes

Notes from the book

Public-Sector IS Misfortunes

Notes from the book

Public-Sector IS Misfortunes

Notes from the book

Notes from the book

Notes from the book

Summary from the book