Introduction
The process of selecting and acquiring an information system requires effective planning in assembling a team for the task. An organization can acquire an information system by buying a ready-made package, asking an internal expert to develop one, or seeking the services of a consultant (Sanders, 2012). Selecting and acquiring an information system for a healthcare organization entails a number of considerations that include organizational goals, roles of stakeholders, structural changes, and essential installations among others. During the process of selecting and acquiring an information system, it is important for the organization to understand the relevance of all considerations. This is important because a new information system should be compatible with an organization’s corporate culture and goals (King, 2009).
Selection and acquisition process
The process of selecting and acquiring an information system has three crucial steps that must be followed methodically. The first step involves assessment of an organization’s information needs. The appropriate way of fulfilling this need is through analysis of information use in decision-making (King, 2009). This information is used to create a system design using proposed features. Creating a system design helps organizational leaders to understand how the system will function and ensure proper documentation of all its requirements. This step provides information on the functions of the desired information system.
The second step involves getting the software that will help in implementing the identified system (King, 2009). Organizational leaders should prioritize the ability of the software to fulfill system needs. The software allows the organization to sell its information needs, and at the same time permit various people to use the system with ease. Organizational leaders should ensure that they acquire a system that first meets the needs of an organization and its customers (King, 2009).
The third step involves getting the hardware compatible with the acquired software. The ability of the hardware to run the software should be the top priority when shopping. It is also important for organizational leaders to understand their hardware needs. This ensures that they buy the right product. The selecting committee should make sure that it has full control of the process (King, 2009). This prevents consultants and sales persons from compromising the ability of the system to deliver.
Impact of organizational goals
Organizational goals have a huge impact on the process of selecting and acquiring an information system. An organization should acquire an information system that helps it to achieve its goals. Organizational goals dictate the decision-making process and information needs in an organization (Sanders, 2012). Therefore, decisions made regarding information systems in a healthcare organization depend on the kind of goals to be fulfilled. In addition, the nature of organizational goals also influences on the quality of information system acquired.
For example, in a healthcare organization, quick and quality service delivery is one of the top organizational goals. Long-term organizational goals require an information system that will effectively cater for organizational needs beyond the projected time for those goals. Healthcare organizations consider acquiring an information system as a huge investment towards achieving their goals and improving service delivery (King, 2009). The process can be very tasking especially in a healthcare organization because of numerous considerations and changes involved. It is important to note that organizational goals should not change in order to have compatibility with the information system acquired.
Role of organizational stakeholders in the process
Organizational stakeholders play a crucial role in the process of selecting and acquiring an information system in a healthcare organization. Some of the stakeholders in healthcare organizations include information managers, doctors, nurses, office managers, physicians, IT analysts and any other associated units (Sanders, 2012). All these stakeholders have a common role of planning, organizing, coordinating, and managing the process. Office managers act as team leaders. They have a responsibility to ensure that everyone is involved in the decision-making process. Doctors, nurses, and physicians play an important role of assessing various information needs depending on the kind of system perfect for the organization.
The stakeholders influence decision-making by providing a clinical aspect when analyzing information needs (King, 2009). Health information managers help in providing information on the functionality of information systems, their requirements, and the conditions that an organization should fulfill before acquiring one. Information technology analysts help the selecting committee to identify suitable systems for the organization in terms of performance, usability, as well as information on cost of operation and management.
Conclusion
The process of selecting and acquiring an information system has three steps that should be applied systematically. The selecting committee should ensure that they have full control of the process from the begging. This helps in increasing the probability of acquiring the right information system. It is also important to consider organizational goals and the input of all organizational stakeholders. Organizational goals have a huge impact on the process of selecting and acquiring an information system. Stakeholders influence decision-making by providing a clinical aspect when analyzing information needs
References
King, W. (2009). Planning for Information Systems. Information Systems Journal, 35(3), 155-174.
Sanders, L. (2012). Information Systems Success Measurements. Information Systems Journal, 11(1), 3-20.