The document discusses strategies for managing information processing projects. It covers documentation, evaluating efficiency, and techniques for handling information. Key points: - Internal documentation explains a system to staff while external documentation explains it to users. Electronic documentation like help menus and email are more efficient than paper-based forms. - Efficiency is measured by savings in time and effort. Choosing the right equipment and software impacts effectiveness. - Strategies for managing projects include top-down, bottom-up, and middle-out planning. Procedures cover research, design, production, and evaluation to meet user needs on time and on budget.

1. Information
Processing
and
Handling

2. • DOCUMENTATION
• EVALUATING EFFICIENCY
• STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING PROJECTS

3. DOCUMENTATION
• A set of documents provided on paper, or online, or
on digital or analog media, such as audio tape or CDs.
• A synonym for the term document.
• Is one of the system‟s which are used to
communicate, instruct and record the information for any
reference or operational purpose.

4. The designers of an information system provide internal
documentation and external documentation.

5. INTERNAL DOCUMENTATION
• The library staff are provided with documentation which
explains how to navigate the system as a borrower and
how to operate the system as a troubleshooter.

6. The documentation covers activities for
librarians at the loans and enquiries counter
and includes:
• Starting up and shutting down the system
• Troubleshooting student problems
• Hotline contact procedures
• Navigating the menu system

7. EXTERNAL DOCUMENTATION
Explains how to access and use the wide range of online
search facilities available. They can access the library
catalogue from home and at terminals suited throughout
the library. This means that the documentation has to
explain two thing:

8. 1. how to use the search facility
2. how to connect to the system when working from home

9. ELECTRONIC PAPER BASED
Help menus Quick reference cards
Cue cards Telephone hotline lists
Internet Comprehensive user manual
E-mail
Telephone

10. EVALUATING EFFICIENCY
Efficiency is measured in savings. If, by doing something in
a certain way, a task takes less effort then there is a saving in
energy. If a task takes less time there is a saving in the cost
associated with time.

11. PROCESSING TECHNIQUES
Is a series of steps carried out in order to perform an
individual task.
Example:
Loading paper into the printer correctly or giving a draft
copy of a document a file name which clearly identifies its
position in the production sequence.

12. Common questions that can help to evaluate efficiency of a
processing technique
QUESTIONS ABOUT SENDING AND SAVING FILES KIND OF SAVING
ELECTRONICALLY
Is it quicker to send and save files electronically? Time saving
Yes, once the staff are skilled, both operations happen with the click of a
mouse
Is it easier to send and save files electronically? Effort saving
Yes, once the staff are skilled, and understand the software, it is easier to
click a mouse button than walk to a filing cabinet or post a letter
Is it cheaper for staff to send files electronically? Cost saving
Yes, if it takes less time and is easier.
Is it cheaper to save files electronically?
Yes, if the company uses less paper and less office space is devoted to
filing cabinets.

13. EQUIPMENT
• Hardware and software are the two main categories of
equipment. Important considerations are how well the
chosen software runs on the available hardware and
whether the varieties of hardware are compatible.

14. • As with efficiency, choosing the right equipment
particularly the right combination of hardware and
software – has a strong influence on the effectiveness of
the information product.

15. FACTORS WHICH INFLUENCE THE QUALITY
OF INFORMATION
Checklist for equipment effectiveness
CRITERIA QUESTIONS TO ASK
Timeliness Can the new equipment access and manipulate the latest file types:
Graphic, video, sound?
Accuracy Does the new equipment have electronic procedures for validation
and testing of data and information?
Can it update its own virus-detecting software?
Relevance Can the new equipment add new search categories to its
thesauruses?
Completeness Does the new equipment accept historical files/formats during
changeover?
Will old records be lost during transition?

16. EVALUATING EFFECTIVENESS
• Effectiveness is a measure of output‟s success.
Questions for evaluating effectiveness are:
• Does the information product meet the design
specification?
• Does the output communicate the message it is supposed
to?

17. STRATEGIES FOR MANAGING
PROJECTS
• Managing a project requires planning to organanise
people, equipment, procedures and time in such a way
that the information produced meets users‟ needs.

18. Producing information involves the following steps:
• Identifying the user‟s needs
• Listing the resources needed
• Designing a solution
• Producing the information
• Evaluating the effectiveness of the information

19. Strategies for planning and organising people
• Top-down
• Bottom-up
• Middle-out

20. Top-down
• It attempts to identify all the tasks to be performed and
the resources needed.
• In the planning stage, all tasks are broken down into sub-
tasks that can be performed individually.
• Its strategy allows very tight control is mindlessly
applied.

21. Bottom-up
• Focuses on the output required and then works upwards
through the processes needed to produce the output.
• Used in an oraganizations where the various department
responsible for one stage in the production view the
completion of their task as the end of their environment

22. Middle-out
Unplanned process and might be characterized by four
broad stages:
• Indentifying the information needed and starting
production
• Bringing in equipment as it is needed
• Checking the product and modifying where necessary
• Calculating the cost at the end, if at all

23. • A middle-out planning strategy often operates without
detailed costings and without a progressive timeline.
• The strategy works small group of people working
together in the same room.
• Operates without the usual planning constraints and with
little hierarchy of authority. It is sometimes called
“muddle out”.

24. Producing information to meet user’s needs
• Involves establishing procedures to cover all stages of the
technology process, having access to suitable production
equipment and following a timetable to meet established
deadlines.

25. Research procedures include:
• Interviewing potential users/audiences
• Analyzing audience characteristics and users‟ needs
• Preparing a checklist of information content that is to be
output
• Indentifying software to produce the output effectively
• Identifying hardware to run the software efficiently
• Checking availability of equipment
• Costing tasks and resources associated which each stage
of the project

26. Design procedures include:
• Creating a template of output layout
• Annotating a mock-up of output with suggested font
styles and sizes
• Creating a timeline with estimated dates for milestones
• Preparing evaluation criteria

27. Production procedures include:
• Establishing file names for identifying drafts
• Validating accuracy of content against a checklist
• Validating layout against design mock-up
• Producing an evaluation checklist
• Producing the information product

28. Evaluation procedures include:
• Testing final product against evaluation criteria
• Deciding on modifications arising from test survey

29. Time
four important concepts related to the timing of tasks:
• Duration
• Predecessors
• Lead
• Lag

30. • The duration of each task is estimated and a timeline
constructed. Some tasks have to be completed before
others: these are called predecessors.

31. • Some tasks can be started while others are only partly
completed. The overlap in their start to finish is called
lead.
• Some task need to have a “setting in” time before the next
task is started. The delay time is called lag time.

32. Allocating task and responsibilities
example:
the task „scan images‟ would require the name of a person
and the use of a scanner to be allocated.

33. Resources Name Category Cost per Cost
hour outright
People Jay Staff $25
Sally Staff $25
Materials Paper $400
Film $75
Equipments Camera Hire $36 $550
Scanner Hire $45 $120
Space Darkroom Rent $75
Studio Rent $50
Editing In house $25

34. Monitoring progress
Monitoring the progress of a project involves setting a
detailed timeline, and this requires:
• Identifying tasks and subtasks
• Estimating subtasks duration
• Selecting indicators to mark the completion of a major
stage
• Sequencing the task and setting predecessors

35. Setting timeline
• All task are listed in the order in which they need to be
executed.
Determining indicators
•When a stage in the process is completed, a milestone is
reached.

36. • Milestones need to be identified to monitor the project
timetable. Milestones have zero duration; they are
markers of a task completed and are not tasks themselves.
For example, party invitations and programs for sports
carnivals must be ready some weeks before the event.
Milestones help keep the production on schedule.

37. The selection of hardware and software to meet information
processing needs is aided by completing details under the
headings in the following checklist.
Selecting hardware Selecting software
RAM Application required
Screen resolution Files type
Printer Graphics/text/sound
Modern speed Operating System compatibility
Operating System compatibility