Mohammad B' Ayati, Ph'D'

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Decision Support Systems
Mohammad B. Ayati, Ph.D. Professor of
Information Systems CIS Department, CSULA
[phone] [phone] (CIS Office)
mayati_at_calstatela.edu
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Use of email Email is a narrow channel of
communication not sufficient for distance learning

• For short messages (few line) you can contact me
  at mayati_at_calstatela.edu
• A broad question or request like I didnt
  understand the DSS Modeling System as you
  explained it in class, I wonder if you would
  email me some more explanation? can not be
  answered via email. The same request, however is
  appropriate if you expect more explanation in the
  next class

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Decision Support Systems (DSS) Definitions (1)

• Broad Definition Any and all systems that
  directly or indirectly facilitate the processes
  of
• Decision- Making,
• Command, and
• Control in the organization.
• As such DSS MIS.
  

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Decision Support Systems (DSS) Definitions (2)

• Course Description ...Topical issues regarding
  the role of Information Technology in decision
  making in the organization. ... includes
• Decision Support Systems(DSS),
• Group Decision Support Systems(GDSS),
• Executive Information Systems (EIS),
• Course Objective To make students effective
  agents of automation to automate processes that
  aid decision making.

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Prerequisites for Automation

• Technological Feasibility Principle
• Can you break down the complex process into its
  precisely known simple elements ?
• Economical Justifiability Principle
• Can you
• Reduce costs ?
• Reduce risks ?
• Improve quality?
• Capture new market?

Key terms repetitiveness, voluminous, safety
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DSS in the Broader context of MIS

• Transaction Processing System (TPS) paperwork,
• Management Reporting System (MRS), evolution of
  TPS, (MIS, narrow definition)
• Decision Support System (DSS)
• Expert Systems (ES)
• Executive Support System (ESSEIS)
• Office Automation (OA)

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Challenges in the Study of DSS

• DSS incorporates a wide variety of knowledge
  areas
• Both technology and technology-related products
  are relatively recent and evolving at an
  extremely fast and unpredictable pace
• Many of the terms used in DSS environments are
  imprecise and controversial
• DSS problems are often multidimensional problems
  , which are not easy to define and structure

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The Nature of the course

• A system course built on many disciplines.
• A none procedural, a design course
• A critical thinking course.
• This system course can not and should not be
  linearly and sequentially structured.

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System learning vs sequential learning, an
example

• Taking a helicopter tour of a large metropolitan
  area such as Los Angeles
• Learning the area starting from ones initial
  residence and proceeding street by street.

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Look for the Focus and Structure of the course

• It is not immediate
• It is not obvious
• It reveals itself
• to involved students

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Two Objectives of studying DSS

• What is What in the field?
• The issues ?
• the components of the discipline ? (The building
  blocks ?)
• the relationship between those elements ?
• (the building as a whole ?)

• How-to-dos of the
  field
• Methods,
• Tools and
• Techniques

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Two Objectives of studying DSS

• What is What in the field?
• The issues ?
• the components of the discipline ? (The building
  blocks ?)
• the relationship between those elements ?
• (the building as a whole ?)

Mainly discussed in the lectures
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Two Objectives of studying DSS

• How-to-dos of the
  field
• Methods,
• Tools and
• Techniques

Mainly discussed in the lectures
Much of the textbooks contribution
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Matching Expectations

• How can we make this course congruent with your
  purpose of your present education Program?
• Your perception of the audience?
• My perception of the audience?
• Your ways of learning?
• My ways of teaching?

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Congruency in Your present education Program

• How can we make CIS 487 congruent with your
  purpose of your present education Program?

The question leads to
What is the Purpose of your present education
Program?
Are you being trained as a generalist?
or as a specialist? The difference? ?
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The audience? generalists or specialists?

• Why the distinction matters?
• different blends of issues, concepts, and
  how-to-dos for different audience.
• Generalists vs Specialists is an example of a
  complex and multi-dimensional issue? Do not look
  for a clear-cut answer see the spectrum of the
  issues involved !

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Defining

• Specialist
• Knows few things in depth.
• Focuses on how-to-dos
• Master of a specific task

• Generalist
• Knows something about many things.
• Focuses on what should be done.
• Master of integration?

Note Every professionals knowledge-base has a
blend of general and specialized
knowledge. Every job requires a blend of
general and specialized knowledge.
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From Organizational Perspective, How the
dichotomy emerged.

• Efficiency of the group-work
• Individual work evolved into group work
• Needs for coordinating works and workers.
• The dichotomy emerged along with the
  organizational pyramid

See notes below in Notes Page View
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Organizational Perspective 2 How Technology
pushes the specialist into the realm of the
generalist

• Exact recognition of work sequence lays the
  ground for automation.
• Machines take over the bottom of the pyramid.
• Specialties deepen and widen.
• Coordinating tasks become a bigger part of the
  job

See next figure
See notes below in Notes Page View
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Generalists vs. Specialists
Tasks and performers in the organizational pyram
id
Before Industrial Age
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Generalists vs. Specialists
Tasks and performers in the organizational pyrami
d
After Industrial Age, at the dawn of Information
Age
See notes below in Notes Page View
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General vs. Specialized knowledge From the
perspective of the
Individuals knowledge-base
See notes below in Notes Page View
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In short

• For two reasons, a business analyst / manager
  must understand the virtue of general vs
  specialized knowledge and skill
• In the organization, his ever present job is to
  blend generalists traits with specialized talents
  to fit the job at hand.
• In his/her own professional development, again,
  he/she is in pursuit of the proper blend. The
  blend varies as the person grows professionally.

See notes below in Notes Page View
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Congruency of how you learnand how I teach.

• Concept first The Academic approach
• Practice first the Layman approach
• Professional Coaching
• The
  Professional Approach
• Workshop Style

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So, how would you correct anyone who may call a
Business Graduate as Jack of all Trades and
Master of none?
Much like architects, we are, in pursuit of
mastery of integration. What a challenging job!
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Enable the student to create DSS
modelsParticipate in creating larger DSS and
Group Decision Support Systems (GDSS).
Course Objectives
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To Achieve the Course Objective, one has

• 1) To understand the role of Decision Support
  Systems and Expert Systems in the organization.
• 2) To understand what a business model is.
• 3) To gain experience in the art of Decision
  Support Systems modeling

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Prerequisites

• Fundamentals of computer systems
• Principles of Finance
• Basic Statistics
• Basic Accounting, Management, and
• Economics.
• Ability to understand
• none-linear (system view),
• none-sequential structures.

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The Focus And Structure of the course

• You can start from many points, but always

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Dealing with Complexity and ambiguity Take
Generalist vs. Specialist discussion as a
sample of complex and multi-dimensional issues

• Multi-dimensional issues are inherently complex
  and ambiguous.
• Most DSS, DSS problems are multi-dimensional
• The exercise of professional education is to
  delve into complexity and ambiguity and bring out
  clarity. After all our job is automate gt See
  slide Prerequisites for Automation
• Requires responsible and
• sincere communication.

See notes below in Notes Page View
It takes two to tango or is it flamingo?,
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texts

• Jeffrey H. Moore, Larry R. Weatherford, Decision
  Modeling with Microsoft Excel, 6/e 2001, ISBN
  0-13-017789-X, Cloth Bound w/CD-ROM format
• In this course we equally rely on lecture notes
  and hand-outs. The structure of the course is
  presented in the lectures. Lectures often do not
  follow the text. Therefore, it is essential for
  the student to keep lecture note and handouts
  organized and restudy them after class

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Grading
Overall Judgment of the instructor will
determine the grades. As a general guideline he
uses the following guidelines 1 Active class
participation and homework 15 2. Test 1
20 3. Test 2 30 4. Term project
20 5. Test 3 15 100
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Active class participation means

• Observing class discipline, including on time
  presence,

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Active class participation means

• Participation in questions and comments Any
  question that comes to your mind is legitimate
  do not withhold any question for the fear that it
  might seem unintelligent. Often seemingly dumb
  questions are about fundamentals.
• Learning more details can never compensate for
  lack of understanding of fundamentals.

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Active class participation means

• Meaningful questions and comments make the best
  participation simple questions erroneously
  called "dumb" question and comments are even
  better because they often point to fundamentals.

See notes below in Notes Page View
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Homework will be assigned weekly.
Students will read the chapters before class
discussion. Class time is quite limited not
every parts of each chapter can be covered in
class some chapters will be left to self -
study Homework will be assigned weekly. Feedback
on homework will be given in class. All homework
and reports, including draft reports of your term
project, (but not the final version of your term
project,) must be sent via email to both email
addresses. (Send to mayati_at_calstatela.edu)
Always bring a copy for class discussions.
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Homework

• Regular Weekly Homework
• Read the chapter(s) assigned for the week and/or
  review the class notes. Make two lists
• a. List the 5 - 10 most significant, practical,
  interesting, or intriguing issues that you
  learned from the chapter and/or the lecture.
  (Under each point also make references to the
  page number in the chapter if applicable.)
• b. List any number of points, which are
  confusing or troubling, with reference to the
  page if applicable. In each case, if you can,
  explain where you have lost the point.
• Type both lists in one email message. Send to
  mayati_at_ discussions.

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Naming files and Emails Email Subject LastName,
FI, CIS 487, Ch x____ Attached File Name
LastName, FI, CIS 487, Ch x.doc
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Course Problems vs. Term Projects

• Problems are defined and given solutions
  (application of methods and tools) are expected
• Methods examples?
• Tools examples?
• Research Projects Definition of the
  problem/opportunity is the focus, analysis,
  solutions/recommendations are to follow.
• Using your radar to see and
• interpret the real world and see them fit
  into certain models

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CIS 487 Term Project

• As a present or future analyst / manager, you are
  expected to see problems and opportunities. Your
  work for your term project is an exercise toward
  this objective.
• Be observant in your professional surroundings
  and identify a problem/opportunity which can be
  helped by DSS modeling.
• Define the business application area and
  demonstrate how you would apply the method (s)
  discussed in class or in the text to that
  business system.
• Implement the model
• Term project will be due, in paper form before
  final exam.

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Major Topics of CIS 487

• Charting the Course
• Decision Theories and
• DSS Modeling
• Groupware and Group Decision Support Systems
• Data Warehousing

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A TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE

• See Syllabus