System of criteria for choosing information systems. List of criteria for choosing an information system. Selecting an information system

The very first question facing the management of an enterprise is whether they need an information system. If this is a small enterprise with a small budget, first of all you should find out whether the introduction of IP will have beneficial consequences or whether a lot of money will be spent, but the effect will not cover such costs.

If it was decided that an information system is still needed, the second question arises: “Buy or develop.” Everyone has different opinions on this, but one thing is for sure, it all depends on the criteria of the enterprise. If it is a small or medium-sized enterprise, then purchasing rather than developing is usually more appropriate. If this is a large enterprise, then development can be cheaper, and the effect of implementation will be much higher, however, this does not always have to be this way.

It also depends on the specifics of production. More suitable for a typical enterprise ready-made solution, and not a typical one - developed for an enterprise.

If you still develop an IP, you need to take into account that there are several ways. The first is the recruitment of employees and the creation of a department for development. This method is distinguished by its high cost, however, such a system will be very flexible, since it will be constantly improved and adapted to the needs of the enterprise. This system is most suitable for large enterprises, with atypical production, or with the provision of a different range of services. The second way is to order IP from a software development company. Suitable for medium-sized businesses. The advantage is that there will be no need to hire a department of programmers for development, which will cost the company much less. The downside is less flexibility than the first method. Now, in order to finalize the system, you need to contact the developers again and again pay money, which, by the way, is not endless.

It turns out that in order to implement an IS you need to conduct a considerable analysis, weigh all the pros and cons, pros and cons, and also focus on the budget. That is why a serious approach to choosing an information system is so important. Next, we will consider several finished products that are present on Russian markets.

Analysis of ready-made IPs

The Russian market is accustomed to dividing information systems into domestic and foreign ones. This division is completely justified. The fact is that Russia began to develop software relatively recently. Due to lack of experience, domestic systems do not differ best quality unlike foreign ones, however, this is covered by a lower price than that of foreign competitors. Let's look at some of the most popular systems in these categories.

1. Domestic IP

1C: enterprise.

The 1C: Enterprise software system includes a platform and application solutions developed on its basis to automate the activities of organizations and individuals. The platform itself is not a software product to be used end users, which usually work with one of many application solutions (configurations) developed on a given platform. This approach allows you to automate various types of activities using a single technology platform.

Areas of use. The flexibility of the platform allows you to use 1C: Enterprise 8 in a wide variety of areas:

Automation of production and trading enterprises, budgetary and financial organizations, service sector enterprises, etc.;

Support operational management enterprise;

Automation of organizational and economic activities;

Maintaining accounting records with several charts of accounts and arbitrary accounting measurements, regulated reporting;

Wide range of opportunities for management accounting and analytical reporting, support for multi-currency accounting;

Solving problems of planning, budgeting and financial analysis;

Payroll and personnel management;

Galaxy ERP.

Galaxy - ERP system, component complex of business solutions of the Galaktika Corporation. The system is addressed to medium and large enterprises and has wide functionality for information support tasks of strategic planning and operational management.

Galaxy ERP is designed for use in the Russian economy with its specific features, which consist in constant changes in legislation. According to a review by CNews Analytics, “the advantages of Galaktika include fairly deep integration and clear support of the legislative framework.”

The system has a component structure and consists of functional modules that are combined into circuits.

The system developer provides:

Development and maintenance of the relevance of tools and standards;

Detailed study subject area at the stages of system research, system analysis and system design;

High-quality and fast software implementation of complex projects through the use of modern software development methods (CASE technologies, etc.);

Technical and methodological support at the stages of system implementation and system operation;

Training users in practical work with the system;

System integration, comprehensive supply of equipment, calculation and installation of networks;

Setting up and upgrading computer and telecommunications equipment;

Consulting services in the design of business processes.

Parus is a series of software products designed to automate the activities of organizations in the state and municipal government sector, as well as commercial enterprises, produced by the Russian company of the same name.

Automation solutions are based on the following fundamental principles:

Modular principle of building a software package;

Platform independence;

Ensuring efficient processing and data protection for the client-server architecture and Oracle DBMS;

Integration with external information systems and applications;

Phased implementation;

Scalability and reliability.

Foreign IP.

Today it is the most popular both in the West and here, CIS. SAP AG ranks third in the world among the largest software companies.

The SAP R/3 system reproduces the organizational structure of an enterprise of various types using basic components (“company”, “company code”, “concern”, “business area”), and provides support for business processes of economic activity.

The basic module of the system includes:

Monitoring the functioning of the SAP R/3 system;

Installation and configuration of the DBMS;

System maintenance (database updating, user registration, transaction logging, etc.);

Access control system management;

Printing control;

Electronic document management;

Generation of reports; and etc.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM is a customer relationship management software package developed by by Microsoft and focused on organizing sales, marketing and service provision (support services).

Basic Microsoft benefits Dynamics CRM:

Convenient user interface;

Full integration with Microsoft Office System;

Powerful data analysis tools;

Ease of business process management;

Monitoring the implementation of assigned tasks;

Low total cost of ownership;

Fast return on investment.

Oracle Siebel CRM.

Oracle Siebel CRM is a customer relationship management system that allows you to build a comprehensive corporate information system that automates front office operations: sales, service, marketing management and relationships with partners; and back-office: analytics, order and personnel management, calculation of employee compensation, etc., as well as integration with any client IT systems.

Benefits of Oracle Siebel CRM:

Modular structure, allowing the company to select only the necessary modules;

Flexibility and extensibility - Siebel's architecture and customization tools allow you to configure the product in accordance with business requirements;

The presence of more than 20 full-featured industry CRM solutions, adapted to the characteristics of specific industries, allows us to reduce the cost of some services in a CRM project.

All of the above is only a small part of the entire IP market. The variety of information systems once again proves that their choice is very, very complicated, so next we will consider the possibility of simplifying the process of choosing an information system.

Selecting a database management system (DBMS) is complex
multiparameter problem and is one of important stages during development
database applications. The selected software product must satisfy both
current and future needs of the enterprise, while taking into account
financial costs of acquisition necessary equipment, the system itself,
development of the necessary software based on it, as well as training
personnel. In addition, you need to make sure that the new DBMS is capable of delivering
real benefits to the enterprise.

In this article, based on the results of an analysis of available sources, for example,
an attempt is made to formulate requirements or, in other words, criteria for
when choosing a DBMS, a classification of requirements/criteria is provided. Obviously the most
a simple approach when choosing a DBMS is based on an assessment of the extent to which existing
systems meet basic requirements the project being created informational
systems. A more complex and expensive option is to create
test project based on several DBMSs and subsequent selection of the most
suitable candidate. But even in this case it is necessary to limit the circle
possible systems, based on certain selection criteria. Generally speaking, the list
requirements for the DBMS used in the analysis of a particular information system,
may vary depending on the goals set. However, it is possible
highlight several groups of criteria:

* Data modeling
*Architectural features and functionality
* System operation control
* Application development features
*Performance
* Reliability
*Working environment requirements
* Mixed criteria

Let's look at each of these groups separately.

Data modeling.

* Data model used. There are many data models;
the most common are hierarchical, network, relational,
object-relational and object-based. Question about using a particular model
should be decided at the initial stage of designing an information system.
* Triggers and stored procedures. Trigger - program Database,
called whenever a table row is inserted, modified, or deleted.
Triggers ensure that any changes are checked for correctness before they are
changes will be accepted. A stored procedure is a program that is stored on
server and can be called by the client. Because stored procedures are executed
directly on the database server, provides higher
performance than when performing the same operations using the database client. IN
various software products for implementing triggers and stored procedures
various tools are used.
* Search tools. Some modern systems have built-in
additional contextual search tools.
* Provided data types. There are two things to consider here:
independent criteria: basic or basic data types embedded in the system,
and the ability to expand types. While deviations of the basic
sets of data types in modern systems from some standard, usually
are small, mechanisms for extending data types in systems of one or another
manufacturers vary significantly.
* Implementation of a query language. All modern systems are compatible with
standard data access language sql-92, but many of them implement those
or other extensions of this standard.

Architecture features and functionality.

* Mobility. Mobility is the independence of the system from the environment, in
which she works. The medium in this case is both equipment and
software (operating system).
* Scalability. When choosing a DBMS, it is necessary to consider whether it can
this system correspond to the growth of the information system, and the growth can
manifest itself in an increase in the number of users, the volume of stored data and the volume
processed information.
* Distribution. The main reason for using information
database-based systems is the desire to combine views across the entire
organization information. The simplest and most reliable approach is centralization
storing and processing data on one server. Unfortunately, this is not always the case
It is possible and necessary to use distributed databases. Various systems
have different possibilities distributed database management.
* Networking capabilities. Many systems allow the use of a wide
range network protocols and services for operation and administration.

System operation monitoring

* Monitor computer memory usage. The system may have
ability to control use as random access memory, and disk
space. In the second case, this can be expressed, for example, in database compression
data, or removing redundant files.
* Auto-tuning. Many modern systems include
self-configuration capabilities, which typically rely on
results of performance self-diagnosis services. This
the opportunity allows you to identify weak points in the system configuration and
automatically configure it for maximum performance.

Features of application development.

* Many DBMS manufacturers also produce application development tools
for your systems. Typically, these tools allow the best way
realize all the capabilities of the server, so when analyzing a DBMS it is worth
Consider also the capabilities of application development tools.
* Design tools. Some systems have facilities
automatic design of both databases and application programs.
Design tools various manufacturers can significantly
vary.
* Multi-language support. Support for a large number of national
languages expands the scope of application of the system and applications built on it
basis.
* Opportunities for developing web applications. When developing various
applications often need to use the capabilities of the environment
internet. Some manufacturers' development tools have a wide range of
tools for building applications for the web.
* Supported programming languages. Wide range of used
programming languages increases the accessibility of the system for developers, and
can also significantly affect performance and functionality
created applications.

Performance.

* TPC rating (transactions per cent). For testing
productivity, various means are used, and there are many
test ratings. One of the most popular and objective is
tpc system performance analysis. In fact, tpc analysis considers
composition of the DBMS and the hardware on which the DBMS runs. TPC indicator –
this is the ratio of the number of requests processed over a certain period of time to
the cost of the entire system.
* Parallel architecture capabilities. To ensure parallel
there are at least two approaches to data processing: parallelization
processing a sequence of requests on multiple processors, or
the use of several client computers working with one database, which
combined into a so-called parallel server.
* Query optimization capabilities. Using
In non-procedural query languages, their execution may not be optimal. That's why
it is necessary to carry out the query optimization process, i.e. choose this method
execution when, according to the initial representation of the request through its syntactic
and semantic transformations, a procedural execution plan is developed
query, the most optimal given the existing managers in the database
structures.

Reliability.

The concept of system reliability has many meanings - it also means the safety of information
independent of any failures, and failure-free operation of the system in any conditions, and
ensuring data protection from unauthorized access.

* Recovery after failures. If software or
hardware failures, the integrity, and the performance of the entire system can be
broken. How effectively the recovery mechanism is planned after
failures, the viability of the system depends.
* Backup. A hardware failure may result in
The storage medium is partially damaged or disabled and then
Data recovery is impossible if backup has not been provided
copying a database or part of it. Backup also saves
situations when a logical system failure occurs, for example when an erroneous
deleting tables. There are many data backup mechanisms
(storing one or more copies of the entire database, storing a copy of part of it,
copying the logical structure, etc.). Often the system includes
the possibility of using several such mechanisms.
* Rollback changes. When executing a transaction, a simple
The rule is that either the transaction is completed completely or not at all.
This means that in case of failures, all results are not completed
transactions must be cancelled. The rollback mechanism may vary
speed and efficiency.
* Multi-level protection system. Organization information system
almost always includes sensitive information, so to prevent
unauthorized access uses the user identification service.
The level of protection may vary. In addition to direct identification
users can also use the mechanism when logging into the system
encryption of data when transmitted over communication lines

Requirements for the working environment.

* Supported hardware platforms.
* Minimum Requirements to the equipment.
* Maximum addressable memory size. Since almost everything
modern systems use their file system, an important factor
is what is the maximum amount of physical memory they can
use.
* Operating systems that can be run under
DBMS.

Mixed criteria.

* Quality and completeness of documentation. Unfortunately, not all systems have
complete and detailed documentation.
* Localization. The possibility of using national languages is not
fully implemented in all systems.
* Cost formation model. As a rule, DBMS manufacturers
use certain cost formation models. For example, the cost
of the same product may vary significantly depending on
how many users will work with it.
* Manufacturer stability.
* Prevalence of DBMS.

Even if you just note how good or bad the selected parameters are in
case of each specific DBMS, then comparison of two different systems is
a time-consuming task. However, clear and deep comparative analysis on
Based on the above criteria, in any case, it will help to rationally choose
the right system for a specific project, and the effort expended will not be
in vain. The list of criteria will help you understand the scale of the task and fulfill
its adequate staging.

It should be noted that according to current practice, the decision to use that
or another DBMS is accepted by one person - usually the head of the enterprise, and he
may not be based on technical criteria. Here they can play a role
such, from a technical point of view, insignificant factors as advertising
promotion of the DBMS manufacturer, use of specific systems on others
enterprises, cost. In this case, the last factor can be interpreted in two ways
opposite meanings depending on financial condition and politics
enterprises. On the one hand, this may be the principle - the more expensive, the better. On the other hand, the cultivation of almost free use of the product,
up to “hacking” its license protection. Obviously, the latter approach is fraught
collisions and cannot lead to success in long-term work.

No one doubts the need for an information system to automate business management, but there is no such unanimity when it comes to choosing a system, since each of the systems has both certain advantages and a number of disadvantages. The problem of choice is aggravated by the fact that the management of an enterprise, planning to automate its activities, has little idea of what it will receive as a result of the implementation of a particular information system, therefore, as a rule, the choice is made not on the basis of clear criteria, but from general considerations or even as a result a coincidence of circumstances.

The choice of an information system can be based on a variety of criteria, depending on many factors. Their list is quite diverse, and their significance is determined by the characteristics of a particular enterprise. Despite this, the following essential criteria can be identified that are qualitative for assessing an information system:

functionality of the information system;
organization of a single information space;
information system adaptability;
information system development;
possibility of phased implementation.

Ignoring these criteria or underestimating them

their significance can lead in the future to large additional costs and significant time delays, which can significantly increase total cost of ownership (Total Cost of Ownership, TCO) information system. TCO includes not only the purchase price of an information system, but also the cost of its further operation. Let's analyze these criteria in detail.

Information system functionality- this is the presence in it of the necessary functions that ensure the solution of various types of problems for the sake of which automation of the enterprise’s activities is carried out.

There are two types of functionality:

universal functionality, little dependent on the characteristics of a particular business - warehouses, contracts, finance, personnel, etc.;
specialized functionality closely related to the nature of the business - technology, products, production, dispatching, etc.

The presence of universal functionality in the system is necessary to solve typical problems facing an enterprise. As a rule, different implementations of universal functionality in different information systems almost do not differ from each other in the capabilities provided, since methods for solving typical problems are generally accepted and have long been formalized. If the company is not suitable universal solution typical task, then additional requirements are imposed on the information system - adaptability and development.

The presence in the information system of specialized functionality that corresponds to the specifics of the business and the tasks facing it is a mandatory requirement for the system. This functionality, although it has some common features inherent in various types production, has significant differences and features that significantly affect the entire manufacturing process and require accounting and analysis. Despite the adaptability of many information systems, taking into account the specifics of a particular production can significantly change the solutions used in information systems and greatly affect connections with other subsystems. Ultimately, the adaptation of universal algorithms to the characteristics of a specific production can be comparable to the implementation of specialized algorithms. In this regard, the availability of specialized solutions for a specific subject area is a necessary condition for the successful implementation and further operation of the system.

When choosing an information system, it is also necessary to take into account the presence of redundant functionality in it, i.e. functionality that is not in demand at a particular enterprise. On the one hand, there is nothing wrong with having redundant functionality, but on the other hand, any additional functionality has connections within the system with other functions that complicate the user interface and lead to the need to be included in the system additional information. The complexity of developing multifunctional systems and the high costs of them lead to the fact that even if an enterprise acquires an information system with artificial limited functionality(i.e. without redundant functionality), it still pays for that functionality at the expense of the higher cost of the remaining functionality.

Organization of a single information space (EIP)- this is the second the most important criterion choosing an information system. Ultimately, the possibility or impossibility of solving certain problems, the adaptability and development of the information system depend on the principles of the organization of the UIS, which affects all functions and characteristics of the system.

The possibility of organizing a UIP is determined by:

language for presenting information in an information system and its expressive capabilities: weak expressive capabilities of the language for presenting information lead to the loss of various types of information from the subject area when describing it in the EIP, as well as to the formation of rigid data storage structures that require further modification of the entire system when requirements change to the task;
means of representing generalizations and enlargements: processing large volumes of heterogeneous information is impossible without means of generalization and enlargement that allow performing massive operations on large arrays of information that is similar in meaning, and the possibility of dynamically forming such arrays must be ensured;
the fundamental possibility of presenting and processing meta-information (information about information): to solve complex problems it is not enough to have only factual information; it is also necessary to take into account meta-information, which makes it possible to organize the management of array processing much more efficiently specific information;
means of displaying in the information system all significant relationships between separate components information: solving multifunctional problems is possible only if there are various connections between the components of information, and what more difficult task, the more versatile such connections should be;
means of semantic support: processing of heterogeneous information that makes up the UIP is impossible without formal representation and strict adherence to semantic rules that ensure the integrity and consistency of all information in the system;
degree of intelligence of information search and analysis tools: one of the main goals of creating a UIP is the need for simultaneous analysis various information related to different functions systems. At the same time, given the complexity of organizing the UIS and the impossibility of predicting and programming all possible requests to the system in advance, the need for intelligent means of searching and processing information in the UIP is more than urgent.

The absence of any of the listed components in the development of the UIP or their insufficient development leads to a significant complication of the UIP itself and all applied algorithms. This, in turn, entails a decrease in the adaptability and development of the information system, and also causes great problems and costs when adding new functionality. An effective organization of the UIP allows not only to solve pressing problems, but also to connect new functionality with minimal changes to the existing UIP organization scheme at a relatively low cost.

It is necessary to distinguish between the adaptability of the system and the ability to configure it.

Adaptability of the information system- this is the ability contained in the system to customize the functionality existing in it in accordance with the requirements of a particular production.

Information system configuration- this task certain parameters in the system, ensuring its operation under various conditions. In this case, all possible configuration options are preset in the system, and configuration consists of selecting one of them. The adaptability of the system, in contrast to configuration, allows you to configure the system for previously unknown options, taking into account the various nuances necessary to solve the problem.

To ensure adaptability, the information system must be open and have special mechanisms that provide easy change and expansion of descriptions of objects used in the system, as well as the ability to change applied algorithms.

As a rule, large information systems have great configuration capabilities, but are characterized by low adaptability. This is due to the fact that they implement a large amount of different functionality with many connections that need to be changed when adapting the system. Therefore, developers of such systems preset various options solutions in order to timely establish all possible connections in the information.

Information system development- this is the ability to include new, previously unknown functionality (in contrast to the adaptability of the system, which ensures customization of the functionality existing in the system).

Adding new functions to a system and linking them to existing functionality causes great problems when building multifunctional systems. This is due to the need to change the used representation of information in the system to take into account new data and their relationships, as well as the algorithms used to ensure that they work with new information. Changing functionality in systems with developed functionality, covering a wide range of tasks, but having a rigid structure, is fraught with unreasonably high costs.

Possibility of phased implementation: the cost of information systems that provide automation of enterprise activities is high or very high due to the complexity of their creation. For a specific enterprise that needs to automate its activities, this price is not always acceptable. One way to solve this problem is to purchase an information system in parts: first, the minimum functionality is purchased, or separate module, and then, during operation, new modules are connected based on the specific needs of the enterprise. The ability to use an information system with minimal functionality allows an enterprise to evaluate its compliance with the requirements for it.

Conclusion about the criterion approach.

Information systems that are highly adaptable and developable are able to more flexibly adapt to the various specifics of production and require lower maintenance costs. When choosing an information system, whether you want it or not, you need to delve into its internal organization and correlate your requirements for the system with its real capabilities. The best option is to try to simulate typical situations its production using various systems.

It is also necessary to take into account that the costs of an information system consist not only of its cost. In the future, you will have to constantly allocate funds for its maintenance and development, and these costs may exceed the cost of the system itself.

The variety of such languages is great - the current period of development of information technologies is characterized by an explosive process of creating more and more new information models. This development occurs both within the framework of specific infrastructures (such as OMG architectures, in particular CORBA architecture, model-driven architectures (MDA), architectures semantic web, service-oriented architectures, architectures electronic libraries, architecture of information grid systems), and in the standards of specific information models - data models (such as, for example, ODMG2000, SQL 2006, UML, stacks of XML and RDF data models), work flow models (for example, Staffware, COSA, InConcert, Eastman, FLOWer, Domino, Meteor, Mobile, MQSeries, Forte, Verve, Vis.WF, Changeng, IFlow, SAP/R3), process service composition languages (XPDL, BPEL, BPML, XLANG, WSFL, WSCI), semantic models(including ontological models and metadata models), models of digital repositories of data and knowledge in specific areas of business, trade, science and many others.

How can you avoid spending several million dollars on purchasing a system that, even after two years of implementation, will not be able to support routine business processes? This question is not rhetorical for companies that have already chosen an ERP-class information system and spent several years on its implementation. The experience they gain can help your company choose an information system that will become a reliable technical platform for business development, provide a significant reduction in operating costs, increase business manageability, ensure the implementation of priority business tasks, and improve the quality of customer service. In addition, the accumulated experience will allow you to select an IT solution provider who will implement the system taking into account the specific requirements of the company on time and within budget.

Selection procedure

The proposed list of requirements for the procedure is a synthesis of the experience gained as a result of several projects on the selection and implementation of IS.

The chances of making the right choice will increase significantly if...

- Determine the goals of implementing a new information system at senior management level. Based on the goals, formulate the main functional and technical requirements to the system. The goals of system implementation should ensure the achievement of business goals.

- Determine budget for the purchase of an information system and inform the system selection group or consulting company before starting the selection.

- Select system once. Companies often go through several iterations of selecting an information system, start the selection all over again, and include systems that were not considered from the very beginning into the set of considerations. Repeating the selection process leads to a delay in the system implementation project, and also affects the quality of the selection; in the end, it may not be selected The best decision, but the one that was considered last. If consideration of an additional system cannot be avoided, it is necessary to use the same unified system of criteria for its evaluation as for other systems.

- Plan the process system selection. It is necessary to develop a project plan for selecting a system. The plan may contain the following sections: collecting preliminary information (review of the IT solutions market), creating a list of potential systems and integrator companies, preparing tender documentation, collecting information from tender participants, processing information, selecting participants for second round, negotiations, final selection.

- Develop and use a unified system of criteria to compare information systems at all stages of selection.

- Prepare high-quality tender documentation, which will allow IT companies to make proposals on the timing and cost of the project without conducting a preliminary survey. The company can prepare tender documentation independently or engage a consulting company. To prepare tender documentation, it is necessary to describe the company’s business processes “as they should be,” that is, to design new processes and improve existing ones. This work can be effectively performed with the involvement of consultants, especially in those organizations that do not have their own expertise in the field of modeling business processes and formalizing requirements for an information system. IT department staff can face serious difficulties if they are entrusted with the entire preparation of tender documentation, since they usually only know that part of the business that is supported by information systems, but the business development strategy, the business needs for new tools, as well as the needs for organizational changes may be unknown to them. Some companies have development departments that are constantly improving the organization's business processes and determining the company's need for hardware and software. In this case, the organization can prepare tender documentation independently.

- Install comparable information systems in the organization, check the presence of all the necessary functionality or the possibility of modification, evaluate the convenience user interface, system performance under conditions close to real use. Never buy a system without looking. It is better to spend a week learning the system than several years on unsuccessful implementation.

- Visit the office of the integrator company. For successful implementation, it is necessary to have qualified specialists in the integrator company. Meeting the developers, a short conversation on technical topics, and a story about projects completed for other customers will allow you not only to evaluate the technical competence of the employee, but also the culture of the company as a whole. Of course, it is difficult to avoid subjective assessments here, so the final assessment of the integrator company must be made on the basis of a whole set of criteria: completed projects, the company’s turnover, the presence of a certified quality system, reliability (number of clients, ownership structure), the company’s experience in working with enterprises in this industry and employees who will participate in the project.

Comparison criteria

- Defining Comparison Objects. In fact, the comparison occurs not only between software solutions, but also between software and hardware platforms, development companies, system implementation life cycle models, and deployment architectures. It is necessary to clearly identify the objects of comparison and determine their possible combinations (platform - system - integrator company - architecture). Each object has its own set of criteria for comparison.

- Comparison criteria are related to goals implementation new system. Financial and non-financial indicators are used to compare systems. An analogy can be drawn between the Balanced Scorecard method, which shows the achievement of the company’s strategic goals, and the criteria for comparing information systems, which show the achievement of the goals of implementing a new system. Evaluation criteria should be clearly related to implementation goals.

- Do not use complex financial algorithms in calculations(discounting, etc.). The main criteria when choosing an information system are the costs of implementation, support and benefits from implementation. To estimate costs you should use the total cost of ownership of the system(TCO - Total Cost of Ownership). Total cost of ownership is the sum of technical and software for the entire period of use of the system. According to the rules of financial calculations, when calculating TCO, it should apply discounting for future cost flow. But, taking into account the magnitude of the error when estimating cost items, one should neglect the time value of money and not use discounting, since the magnitude of the adjustment turns out to be less than the magnitude of the error.

What period choose to calculate TCO? The answer to this question will affect the comparison results, since one-time costs (purchase of licenses, implementation, purchase technical means, training) and fixed costs (annual maintenance, version updates, IT staff salaries) are different. The longer the period, the less accurate the calculation. Depending on the scale of the system being implemented, a period of 3 to 10 years can be used.

- Consider risks and manage risks. Risk is a situation of possible losses. Risk is characterized by the probability and magnitude of possible losses. Risk assessments provide additional criteria for comparison. To assess and further manage risks, it is useful to use a taxonomy (risk classification). The risks of implementing an information system can be classified.

By risk source (risk area)

Schedule - underestimated planned time estimates for work lead to a lag behind the schedule.
Budget - underestimating the cost of work leads to exceeding the estimate.
Development management - interaction with the customer is not organized.
Development processes - the lack of necessary control (no testing system) leads to the identification of a large number of errors in the late stages of information system development.
Personnel - insufficient qualifications of personnel.
Project characteristics - the requirements for the information system are incorrectly defined.
Technology - the selected technology does not provide the required speed and reliability.

According to time characteristics of risk

Instant risk - the consequences are immediate (for example, termination of the project, loss of all data as a result of a failure).
Short-term risk - the consequences are felt over a fixed period of time (for example, exceeding the budget or development deadlines).
Long-term risk - the consequences are felt over a period of time long period(for example, constant failures or insufficient speed fulfillment of requests throughout the entire life of the information system).

By degree of impact

Minor - deviation of characteristics from expected up to 10%, provided that these deviations do not have a significant impact on the work (for example, exceeding the development estimate by 10%).
Medium - significant deviations from planned characteristics.
Critical - loss of all investments (for example, in case of termination of the project).

IT investments, unlike investments in buildings and equipment, are virtually impossible to recover if an implementation project fails. Therefore, risk analysis and management are of particular importance.

Policy

The company's goals may be the same or different from the goals of individual members of the IT system selection team. Specialists involved in choosing a system have their own subjective preferences in the field of specific solutions and technologies, and have likes and dislikes for individual solutions and companies. In addition to personal ones, there may also be group interests - for example, the interests of the IT department, the interests of the accounting department, the interests of other departments, services and employee groups.

It is necessary to minimize the influence of conscious personal interest that diverges from the interests of the company, as well as the influence of possible employee misconceptions on the choice of an information system. To reduce political effects, you should:

- create working group consisting of employees of various departments and divisions;

- distribute roles and responsibilities in a group in such a way that IT department employees do not make the final decision, but provide information and conduct technical expertise;

- involve outside experts in the selection process;

- use formal procedures for evaluation and comparison.

Useful tips

Don't choose outdated information systems. It is unlikely that anyone will buy a Ford Model T today for daily trips to work and to the store. At the same time, companies continue to buy systems with unfriendly terminal interfaces that support outdated business models, place increased hardware requirements, are difficult to configure, administer and customize, and do not support industry data exchange standards (for example, XML).

Purchasing an outdated system will reduce employee satisfaction, negatively affect the atmosphere in the company, become an obstacle to business development, and lead to an unjustified increase in IT costs in the long term. Legacy systems require higher DBMS costs because the number of licenses to purchase the server operating system (OS) and DBMS depends on the number of concurrent users.

There are several reasons why outdated systems are still in demand - this is sales technology, and the magic of green numbers on a black monitor, but first of all it is politics and the lack of a selection procedure.

Involve consultants who are knowledgeable about the systems on the market. To make an informed choice, it is generally necessary to consider more than a dozen different systems, several integrator companies and implementation options. Knowledge of systems (technical and functional characteristics), integrator companies (management, completed projects, culture, quality system, etc.) allows not only to reduce the time for selecting information systems, but also to improve the quality of assessment and comparison.

Problems of choosing an information system

Faced with the need to implement information systems in an enterprise, management is faced with the problem of choice. Develop it yourself or buy it, and if you buy it, then what.

Objectively assessing the probability of independent development of a modern management system, we can safely say that it is zero. What has been developed or is currently being developed at Russian enterprises is a reflection of yesterday’s views of the enterprise’s management personnel and requires constant revision. And this is not the fault of the ACS departments, this is an objective process. But despite this, many domestic companies use their own software products, which is much cheaper and, in rare cases, with proper system development, much more effective than ready-made software products.

If an enterprise decides to focus on ready-made systems, then it needs to decide who to work with, which system to choose - with Russian developers or suppliers ready-made systems leading Western manufacturers.

With all due respect to our developers, we can say with confidence that even if they are able to develop an enterprise management system, it will not be very soon. The history of the development of the most popular modern control systems has 20-25 years and many thousands of operating installations. But every installation of the system is not only money for new developments, it is first and foremost Feedback with the client's needs.

Russian developments are still very far from reaching the level of a fully functional system. Having grown out of the automation of the jobs of Soviet accountants, they carry these traces. Having solved the functions of accounting automation, they are only trying to move in the direction of production, personnel management, management decision-making systems, and this is a task in terms of volume incomparable to accounting.

In my opinion, large enterprises should focus on Western systems. And the next question that needs to be answered is which Western system to choose?

For the Russian user, the choice of such systems is limited. Not so many Western companies have entered Russian market. In reality these are SAP, Computer Associates, BAAN and ISF. Attempts to exit were made by ORACLE, JDEdvards, SSA, JBA and QAD. Moreover, only SAP and Computer Associates products have real implementations. Additionally, different systems are designed for different businesses. Some, such as SAP or CA-Masterpiece, are aimed at the corporate market, others, like BAAN or MK Enterprise (formerly MANMAN/X) at the market of industrial enterprises or companies. And the enterprise needs to make the right choice so that, as a result of an error, it does not end up with a system that is not suitable for it.

Criteria for choosing an information system

1. Functionality of the information system;

2. Total cost of ownership;

3. Development prospects;

4. Technical characteristics;

5. Minimizing risks.

· system architecture;

· reliability;

· scalability;

ability to recover;

Availability of backup tools;

· means of protection against technical attacks;

· Possibility of integration with other systems.

Risk is usually understood as a certain probability that when implementing a management information system, some goals will not be achieved. Obviously, in this case, the organization can expect both a one-time loss of money, which significantly affects the life cycle of the system, and a long-term and constant leakage of funds.

To reduce this likelihood, a comprehensive analysis of risk factors and phased implementation of the solution are carried out. Each stage is preceded by a new assessment of reality, and the decision is modified in a certain way.

To minimize investment risks, the following cost objects are distinguished:

· the process of creating a system;

· equipment;

· software;

· staff;

· task management.

For each cost object, a number of characteristics are put forward that it must satisfy in order to reduce risks.

Topic 8. IP structure

The personnel management service provides new employees with all functional areas of the organization, trains and trains them, and stores personnel-related data. There are four main functions of units involved in personnel management.

Finding and Hiring. Includes preparation and placement of advertisements in media mass media and recruitment agencies.
Education and training. While working at the company, employees have the opportunity free training and training in connection with improving their qualifications or changing their functions.
Creation and storage of databases. Special databases are created related to the personnel used, on the basis of which various reports are compiled for interested departments and services.
Dismissal and provision of non-monetary compensation. Over the years of work at the company, employees receive from it such non-monetary incentives as payment for hospitalization, medical insurance, compensation for the costs of medicines and prosthetics, etc. After retiring from the company, part of the employee’s non-monetary compensation may remain.

The main thing that distinguishes personnel management IS from other functional IS of the organization is a large number of reports and applications created on its basis.

Structure of HR management information system is built on the same principles as the IS structures of other functional areas. It also includes input and output subsystems and a database

Among the input subsystems we again see an accounting subsystem, a research subsystem and an external data subsystem. In most companies, stored personnel data is located on magnetic computer media. Output subsystems reflect the process of personnel movement through the company.

Input subsystems of personnel management information systems

Accounting IS. The data that HR IS deals with includes accounting and personnel elements.

Personnel data elements are relatively permanent and do not carry economic information at its core. This includes such characteristics as last name, first name, patronymic, gender, date of birth, education, number of dependents. These data elements are created when an individual is hired and are retained throughout the individual's time with the company and after retirement.

Accounting Data Elements have an economic nature and are characterized by greater dynamics of change than personnel ones. They include hourly tariff rates, monthly salaries, bonuses, and taxes.

The accounting IS supplies the HR database with accounting data elements about each of the company's employees. On the other hand, the HR IS plays a certain supporting role in the work of the organization's accounting IS, supplying it with the current changes in personnel data necessary for the calculation of salary-related applications.

Research subsystem. Often, HR management systems are faced with tasks whose solutions cannot be found directly in the system database. To solve such problems, special research projects within the framework of a research subsystem specially created for this purpose. The most important are the following directions personnel research.

Search for candidates. It is carried out to search among the company’s employees for candidates for a vacant position (for example, due to the retirement of a certain employee).
Requirements development. It is carried out to determine the requirements for employees in terms of knowledge and skills necessary to perform a particular job performed at the company.
Analysis of complaints. It is carried out to identify the reasons for complaints filed by company employees.

External Data Subsystem serves to collect data relevant to personnel management from the external environment of the company, including government agencies, trade unions, suppliers, financial institutions, competitors, etc.

Data coming from government agencies, help the company comply with labor laws.
Data from trade unions, assist the company in concluding collective agreements.
Data coming from suppliers. Suppliers in this context are considered to be companies that supply data that facilitates the search for the necessary labor force.
Media data, characterize living conditions (cost of housing, availability of education, medical care and entertainment) in the region. This data helps the company carry out the functions of searching and recruiting workers from other regions and from abroad.
Data coming from financial institutions. Data from banking and non-banking (insurance companies, pension funds, etc.) institutions in a given region largely determine the economic and social living conditions of potential employees of the company.
Data coming from competitors, often provide some assistance in finding new qualified employees from among those working for competitors.

All of this data can be collected using both purely formal (for example, purchasing video text and ads) and informal (but legal) methods.

Database. Data storage in the personnel management systems of large companies is usually carried out on a computer basis. The main databases are built on the basis of a list of company employees and include a large number of characteristics of each of them (Table 3).

Table 3 - Contents of the company's employee database

Data on company employees is usually stored either in central computer company, or in the computer of the personnel management department. To create various reports and applications from this data, HR management information systems widely use standard DBMSs.

Output subsystems of personnel management information systems

Stakeholders typically receive information from HR ISs in the form of periodic reports and responses to queries. In some cases, to obtain the necessary information, they use mathematical models and advice from expert systems. In most cases, standard software is used.

The HR management system includes 6 output subsystems that support the development of various applications.

Workforce planning subsystem is associated with the activity of determining the firm's labor needs for the subsequent calendar period. The most popular applications developed within this subsystem are: 1) calculation of labor requirements based on sales forecasts, calculation of required wage costs; 2) development of lists of requirements for employees; 3) modeling the need for labor taking into account alternative possibilities (increasing the degree of automation of work, using the overtime fund, etc.).

Recruitment subsystem includes two main applications: 1) searches and negotiations with external candidates; 2) candidate search research conducted within the company. As practice shows, the first of these applications is more popular among managers.

Labor control subsystem includes following applications: 1) advanced training; 2) control of suitability for the position held; 3) control of the presence of certain qualifications; 4) disciplinary control of employees.

Payment subsystem includes the following applications: 1) determination of salary dynamics; 2) determination of payments for length of service; 3) determination of additional payments to management; 4) determining various types of insurance, purchasing medications, using company vehicles, etc.

Compensation subsystem contains a number of applications that determine the employee’s contribution to the success of the company and establish the procedure for forming his pension fund, as well as the use of various types of insurance and compensation.

External reporting subsystem serves to create reports for government and trade union organizations on the company's compliance with labor legislation and the terms of employment contracts.

It should be noted that in practice, the development of various applications within the framework of the listed output subsystems of the personnel management system has a high degree of integration, when the results of calculations for one application are used as input data for another. In general, it should be noted that the implementation computer technology in the field of personnel management is significantly delayed compared to other functional areas of IS use.

Topic 2. Criteria for choosing an information system

The criteria for an information system for an enterprise or organization may be different, among which, in my opinion, may be the following:

Functionality of the information system;

Total cost of ownership;

Development prospects;

Specifications;

Minimizing risks.

Under functionality system is understood as its compliance with those business functions that already exist or are just planned for implementation in the organization. For example, if the organization's goal is to reduce financial losses by reducing defects, then the selected system should provide automation of the quality control process.

Usually, to determine whether a system meets the put forward functional requirements, it is enough to have a clear understanding of the business development strategy, a contextual description of the business, and a formalized description of the enterprise’s activities. If all these components necessary for selecting a system are not available, then they are included in the stage of preparing the initial data for selecting a system. To carry out such a scale of work, it is necessary to have a fairly large number of employees, but since it does not make sense to constantly maintain such a staff at the enterprise, it seems most appropriate to invite external consultants.

Clearly structured understanding of business processes own organization, obtained as a result of interaction with external consultants, helps not only in building an enterprise information system, but also for senior management to better imagine the work of their organization, as well as borrow the experience of other organizations.

Total cost of ownership is a relatively new concept. It refers to the sum of direct and indirect costs borne by the owner of the system during its life cycle.

It is necessary to clearly define the life cycle of each of the proposed systems, which includes the lifetime existing system, time to design a new one, time to purchase components and implement a new system, operating time, which is limited by the period when 90% of the cost of the system is returned from the result of its work, and the sum of all direct and indirect costs.

Development prospects are laid down in the system by the system supplier and the set of standards to which it satisfies.

Obviously, the stability of the system supplier in the market also has a huge impact on the development prospects. To determine sustainability, it is necessary to clearly know what form of ownership of the system the supplier has, what share it occupies in the market, and how long it has existed on the market.

Understanding the technical specifications is the best way to ensure that the system meets its intended purpose. TO technical specifications can be attributed:

system architecture;

reliability;

scalability;

ability to recover;

Availability of backup tools;

means of protection against technical attacks;

Possibility of integration with other systems.