Improving the decision-making process using an information management system

Abstract

The ability to make effective decisions is crucial to an organization’s survival in today’s tumultuous business environment. In order for firms to evaluate alternatives and make informed choices they must have reliable and timely data upon which to make their decisions. Consequently, the development of effective information management techniques is of central importance to organizations that find themselves inundated with nearly overwhelming amounts of data. In this research a web-based information management system is developed for better decision-making. Two agents are integrated in the system, namely; mapping agent and extraction agent. Through the mapping agent the user information load is reduced by half and the risk of data input errors minimized. The extraction agent is designed to aid in the retrieval of current, timely and relevant data, eliminating unnecessary information. The system is implemented and tested at a Kenyan based Internet Service Provider. As a result of interviews conducted, the needs and critical information requirements of the management and customer care executives are identified. Thus a prototype is developed for verification. The prototype is developed using PHP language for the system interfaces, integration of PHP and GD application for providing a report layout in graphical format and MySQL for the system database. Based on the prototype developed, the management team is able to access updated information regardless of time and place. The arrangement of information is also found to be in a manner according to their information requirements. The information management system is used to store, access, analyze, and present data. The data outputs are both tabular and graphical in nature. There are no user costs associated with the system except for an internet connection