MIS

An organized approach to the study of the information needs of an organization's management at every level in making operational, tactical, and strategic decisions. Its objective is to design and implement procedures, processes, and routines that provide suitably detailed reports in an accurate, consistent, and timely manner.

In a management information system, modern, computerized systems continuously gather relevant data, both from inside and outside an organization. This data is then processed, integrated, and stored in a centralized database (or data warehouse) where it is constantly updated and made available to all who have the authority to access it, in a form that suits their purpose.

  

Management Information Systems (MIS) not only include software systems, but the entire set of business processes and resources that are used to pull together information from functional or tactical systems. Data is then presented in a user-friendly and timely manner so that mid and upper-level managers can use it to take the right actions. The entire system is designed so that the company will meet its strategic and tactical goals

Types

MIS is not necessarily a specific combination of functional systems, but instead is created based upon the business need. CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems combine data that relates directly to the customer experience. ERP (Enterprise Resource Systems) combine data used in the entire sales process. Decision Support Systems or Data Warehouse often combine summary data from multiple systems in order to show executives a snapshot view of the entire organization.

 

Considerations

Prior to starting an MIS project, organizations need to carefully review the transactional systems, the business processes and the needs of management within an organization. As an MIS project grows, so does the cost of implementing a solution, managing the information processes and monitoring daily activities. The result of an MIS project must provide value back to the organization in order to be worth the cost.