1. Executive
Information
System
Presnted by:-
Tanmay

2. WHAT EXACTLY IS AN EIS?
• An EIS is a special type of DSS designed to support
decision making at the top level of an organization.
• An EIS may help a CEO to get an accurate picture of overall
operations, and a summary of what competitors are doing.
• These systems are generally easy to operate and present
information in ways easy to quickly absorb (graphs, charts,
etc.).

3. FREQUENCY OF EXECUTIVE
ACTIVITIES

4. EXECUTIVE INFORMATION NEEDS
• Decision making (by providing data)
• Scheduling (to set agendas and schedule meetings)
• Email and electronic briefing (to browse data and
monitor situations)
• Majority of personal DSS support the work of
professionals and middle-level managers
• Organizational DSS support planners, analysts, and
researchers.
• Rarely do top executives directly use a DSS

5. HOW TO FIND EXECUTIVE’S
INFORMATION NEEDS
Wetherbe's Approach [1991]
1. Structured Interviews
IBM's Business System Planning (BSP)
Critical Success Factors (CSF)
Ends/Means (E/M) Analysis
2. Prototyping
Watson and Frolick's Approach [1992]
 Asking (interview approach)
 Deriving the needs from an existing information system
 Synthesis from characteristics of the systems
 Discovering (Prototyping)
Ten methods

6. EIS IMPROVEMENTS IN EXECUTIVE JOB
PERFORMANCE ABILITY
- Enhanced communications
- Greater ability to identify historic trends
- Improved executive effectiveness
- Improved executive efficiency
- Fewer meetings and less time spent in meetings
- Enhanced executive planning, organizing, and control
- More focused executive attention
- Greater support for executive decision making
- Increased span of control

7. EIS CHARACTERISTICS
 Tracking and Control Tool
 Excellent Graphics
 Very User-Friendly
 Provides Rapid Access to Current
Information
 Problem Solving vs. Opportunity Assessment
 Tailored to executive’s information needs
 Reports
 “Drill-down” process

8. REPRESENTATIVE EIS SOFTWARE
Product Vendor
Command Center Pilot Software
Commander Comsahre Inc.
EIS Tool Kit Easel Corp.
Executive Decisions IBM Corp.
Focus Channel Computing
LightShip Pilot Software
The SAS System SAS Institute Inc.

9. PURPOSE OF AN EIS
• Gives managers access to the data
• Promotes managerial learning
• Provides timely information
• Looking at the data leads to questions
• Identifies trends
• Measures performance

10. TYPES OF EISs
• Corporate Management
• E.g., Management functions, human
resources, financial data, correspondence,
performance measures, etc.
• Technical Information Dissemination
• E.g., Energy, environment, aerospace,
weather, etc.

11. STRUCTURE OF AN EIS
• Presentation Graphics
• Tutorials
• Web Pages
• Internet Portals
• Intranet
• Database Queries and Reporting

12. TOOLS
• Database Interfaces
• Queries
• Forms
• Modules (Code)
• Hypertext Interfaces
• Active Server Pages (MS ASP)
• Off-the shelf Software
• Custom Programming

13. EIS COMPONENTS
• Early EIS products were developed for use on
high-powered computers, but current products
target the client/server platform.
• These more-flexible platforms can adapt to
changes in the organization and in technology.
• Use of real-time data leads to faster, more informed
decisions.

14. HARDWARE COMPONENTS
• An EIS requires no specific or unique hardware.
• A key issue is to be sure that the EIS components
optimize and conform to the organization’s
computing resources.
• The system must be configured so that the
resources are well-matched to the executives
using them.

15. SOFT WARE COMPONENTS
• In contrast to hardware, software is usually highly
specialized to the problem domain.
• This specialization is often achieved by using off-the-
shelf components for the EIS backbone, and
customized modules to meet specific needs.
• Lotus Notes is a good example. It can be used alone,
or can accommodate third-party plug-in modules.

16. EIS OPERATIONAL SUCCESS
FACTORS
• Deliver timely information
• Improve efficiency
• Provide accurate information
• Provide relevant information
• Ease of use
• Provide access to the status of the organization
• Provide improved communications
An EIS for upper management must fit with their
decision styles

17. DETERMINATES OF EIS ACCEPTANCE
• Rapid Development Time
• Staff Size
• EIS Age
• Not Ease of Use
• Not High Usage
• Not Many Features
• Not a Staff Close to Users

18. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO
EIS FAILURES
• Technology-related factors
• Support-related factors
• User-related factors
• Most EIS fail because they do not provide value for
their high cost though EIS benefits are difficult to
measure

19. SOME EIS LIMITATIONS AND
PITFALLS TO AVOID
• Cost: a 1991 survey showed an average development
cost of $365,000 with annual operating costs of
$200,000.
• Technological limitations: the EIS needs to be
seamlessly integrated into the company’s current IT
architecture, so it is a formidable challenge to the
designer.
• Organizational limitations: the organizational structure
might not be right.

20. CURRENT TRENDS IN EIS
• More enterprise-wide EIS with greater decision
support capabilities
• Integration with other software (Lotus Domino /
Notes and World Wide Web)
• More intelligence - intelligent software agents

21. THE FUTURE OF EIS
Several conditions will merge to transform the
technology. Some are easy to predict, some not.
Two that we can foresee are:
• Increased comfort with computing technology in the
executive suite will make innovations more readily
accepted.
• Broadening of executive responsibilities will broaden
the demand for information.

22. THANK YOU