NGO Management Information System
Today, the effective management of any contemporary organization has largely become dependent on management information systems (MIS) in place. It is important to note that when it comes to the formalization and implementation of organization-wide procedures and systems, the relevance of information systems cannot be overstated. In this text, I will come up with a recommendation of an appropriate MIS for a Non-Governmental Organization undertaking its operations in a third world setting.
Management Information Systems: A Brief Overview
According to Lucey (2004), MIS does not have an assigned definition. In the author's opinion, the definition of MIS is largely dependent upon the emphasis of any given writer. However, one way of defining MIS according to Lecuit, et al. (1999, p. 2) "is as a tool to collect, analyze, store and disseminate information useful for decision-making in a project." Hence in basic terms, MIS can be viewed as a system (computer based) that avails the necessary information needed for the effective management of an organization. It can be noted that in any organization, whether profit marking or not, a MIS should be tailored to support both the direction and strategic goals of an organization.
Recommendation: Appropriate MIS for an NGO in a Third World Setting
To be able to recommend an appropriate MIS for an NGO in the above setting, it would be prudent to first take into consideration the nature of work most NGOs in the third world undertake. According to Pacione (2009), organizations operating in third world communities, more so in urban settings, mainly try to bridge the gap existing between the minimal services provided by the public sector and the various needs and requirements of groups in such settings.
In my opinion, the appropriate MIS for such NGOs would be founded on functional disciplines including but not in any way limited to human resource and finance. In the table (Table 1) below, I come up with submissions of appropriate systems which I feel would support strategic, tactical as well as operational management given the presented functional
Human Resource
Finance
Operational
Management
Leave Record
Salaries and Wages
In the opinion of Joseph and Mohapatra (2009), leave records fall under the realm of operational information. In this case, the management information system should be designed to decrease the chores associated with record keeping where the same is done in large-scale. Key considerations in this case include accuracy and speed. For such a system, these considerations should be regarded primary performance measures. Further, the financial management's operational system in this case is represented by salaries and wages. Here, key considerations for the NGO would be speed and cost effectiveness. The system in this case should guarantee the accurate execution of data relating to all the employees in the organizational payroll on a regular basis (i.e. per month).
In regard to tactical management, employee evaluation, a human resource item, could mainly concern itself with policy conformance. In this case, accuracy is highly relevant as the impact of the various decisions founded on this system could either be long or medium-term. It can also be noted that regarding tactical management, the finance function's analysis of variance must have an underlying system keen in the identification of excesses in budget, overruns in cost as well as other deficiencies. The system can identify the above through a detailed comparison of target information or goals with the information (in a brief format) gleaned from operational data. It is important to note that accuracy in this case is also critical. However, in this case, for purposes of ensuring the system remains under control by initiating the appropriate actions, the decision maker may find pattern recognition to be particularly important. It can also be noted that owing to the fact that resetting the system could be considered a priority, timelines are a requirement.
When it comes to strategic management, some of the…
