Agile Information Systems: Conceptualization, Construction, and Management

✍ Scribed by Kevin C. Desouza

• Publisher: Butterworth-Heinemann
• Year: 2006
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 323
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

This book presents cutting-edge research and thinking on agile information systems. The concept of agile information systems has gained strength over the last 3 years, coming into the MIS world from manufacturing, where agile manufacturing systems has been an important concept for several years now. The idea of agility is powerful: with competition so fierce today and the speed of business so fast, a company's ability to move with their customers and support constant changing business needs is more important than ever. Agile information systems: .

✦ Table of Contents

0750682353......Page 1
Copyright page......Page 6
Table of Contents......Page 9
Preface......Page 13
Acknowledgements......Page 20
About the Editor......Page 22
About the Contributors......Page 23
1: Strategizing for Agility: Confronting Information Systems Inflexibility in Dynamic Environments......Page 33
Alignment, Competitive Advantage, Enterprise Systems, and Knowledge Management: A Critique......Page 34
Incorporating Considerations of Environmental Dynamism, Future Information Needs, and the Proactive Role of Information in Strategizing......Page 38
Synthesis: Toward a Framework for Information Systems Strategizing......Page 40
References......Page 43
Comparison of Domains......Page 48
Essential Challenges......Page 51
Strategic Management Tasks......Page 54
Providing Value......Page 56
Characteristics of Agility......Page 57
Investment Modeling......Page 58
Product Planning......Page 59
References......Page 60
3: The Logic of Knowledge: KM Principles Support Agile Systems......Page 63
Knowledge Can Be Created by Anyone......Page 64
Knowledge Is Distributed Cheaply......Page 65
Knowledge Increases When Shared......Page 66
Knowledge Reduces Conflict......Page 67
Knowledge Acts as a Fluid......Page 68
Knowledge Is Guided by Spirit......Page 69
Knowledge Is an Infinite Resource......Page 70
From Knowledge Management to Knowledge Nurturing......Page 71
References......Page 72
4: Producing and Consuming Agility......Page 73
Contrasting Agile Action......Page 74
Characterizing Agility......Page 75
Where Does Agility Come From?......Page 76
5: Business Agility: Need, Readiness and Alignment with IT Strategies......Page 84
Business Agility......Page 85
Methodology......Page 86
Importance of Individual Change Factors and the Role of IT......Page 90
Operational Business Agility......Page 92
Customer Business Agility......Page 93
Analyses......Page 94
Conclusion......Page 98
References......Page 99
6: Achieving Economic Returns from IS Support for Strategic Flexibility: The Roles of Firm-Specific, Complementary Organizational Culture and Structure......Page 102
Theory and Hypothesis......Page 103
IS Support for Strategic Flexibility......Page 104
Moderating Roles of Firm-Specific, Complementary Organizational Culture and Structure......Page 105
The Field Study......Page 106
Measures......Page 107
Discussion......Page 109
7: Balancing Stability and Flexibility: The Case of the California Energy Commission......Page 115
A Model of IT Agility......Page 116
Background Information......Page 118
Identifying the Issues......Page 119
Surmounting the Problems......Page 120
Improving PDSO......Page 121
Analysis and Discussion......Page 122
The Lead-up to Bosley’s Takeover......Page 123
Gass Transforms PDSO......Page 124
Discussion......Page 126
References......Page 127
8: Enabling Strategic Agility Through Agile Information Systems: The Roles of Loose Coupling and Web Services Oriented Architecture......Page 129
Web Services Oriented Architecture......Page 130
Loose Coupling......Page 131
The Benefits of Loose Coupling for Strategic Agility......Page 132
Preliminary Observations of Web Services Enabled Strategic Agility......Page 134
Efficiency......Page 135
Adaptability......Page 136
Flexibility......Page 137
Discussion and Conclusions......Page 138
References......Page 139
9: Agile Information Systems as a Double Dream......Page 142
The Dream of Building a Virtual Office......Page 143
The Reality and Its Ambivalence......Page 144
The Calendar......Page 146
The Videoconferencing System......Page 147
The Reconfiguration of Practices......Page 149
From the Dream to the Instruction Manual......Page 150
Discussion and Reflection......Page 151
References......Page 152
10: Degrees of Agility: Implications for Information Systems Design and Firm Strategy......Page 154
Socio-Technical Theory......Page 155
Process Agility......Page 157
Structure Agility......Page 158
Fuzzy Logic......Page 159
Membership Functions......Page 160
Inference Rules......Page 162
References......Page 164
Agility and Corporate IS......Page 166
Application Architecture Complexity......Page 169
Degree of Coupling......Page 170
Integration Project Expenses......Page 171
Analysis of Existing Application Design......Page 172
Ideal Application Design......Page 174
Application Interfacing and Common Integration Layers......Page 176
Ideal Application Interfacing......Page 178
References......Page 179
12: Investigating the Role of Information Systems in Contributing to the Agility of Modern Supply Chains......Page 182
Supply Chain and Agility......Page 183
A European Supplier Park......Page 185
Information Flow in the Supply Chain......Page 186
Process Flexibility......Page 188
Supply Flexibility......Page 189
Contribution of IS to Agility......Page 190
Conclusion......Page 192
References......Page 193
13: Clumsy Information Systems: A Critical Review of Enterprise Systems......Page 195
Rationale for ES Implementation......Page 196
Agenda Formation Decisions and Fashion-Following......Page 198
Selection Decisions and the Status Quo......Page 200
Implementation Decisions and Practice versus Process......Page 202
Usage Decisions and Efficiency versus Flexibility......Page 204
Conclusions......Page 206
References......Page 207
14: Enterprise Information Systems and the Preservation of Agility......Page 210
A Theoretical Framework: Introducing Enterprise Systems, Agility, Interpretative Flexibility, and Workarounds......Page 211
An Organization’s Experience with Implementing an ERP System......Page 213
Flexibility, Agility, and Classification......Page 214
Agility, Flexibility, and Systems Implementation and Use......Page 215
Workarounds......Page 217
References......Page 218
15: Interpretative Flexibility and Hosted ERP Systems......Page 220
Literature Review Technology as Institution......Page 221
Technology as Structure......Page 222
Technology and Interpretive Flexibility......Page 224
Interpretative Flexibility......Page 226
Research Methodology......Page 227
Evidence and Discussion......Page 228
Issue 3: On the Role of Materiality and Interpretative Flexibility......Page 231
Conclusion......Page 232
References......Page 234
16: Agile Drivers, Capabilities, and Value: An Over-Arching Assessment Framework for Systems Development......Page 239
The Proposed Framework of ISD Agility......Page 241
Agile Drivers......Page 242
Creation......Page 243
Learning......Page 244
Agile Value......Page 245
References......Page 248
17: Vigilant Information Systems: The Western Digital Experience......Page 254
OODA Loops and Vigilant Information Systems......Page 255
WD’s Vigilant Information System......Page 257
The VIS Architecture......Page 258
Revamping WD’s Business Processes......Page 259
The Factory Dashboards......Page 260
The Corporate Dashboards......Page 262
How the VIS Accelerates WD’s OODA Loops......Page 263
Cost Savings......Page 265
Strategic Advantages......Page 266
Lessons Learned......Page 267
The Future of Vigilant Information Systems......Page 269
References......Page 270
18: Coors Brewing Point of Sale Application Suite: An Agile Development Project......Page 271
Shortcomings of the Former POS System......Page 272
Establishment of the e-Business Department......Page 273
Moving Toward Agile Operations......Page 274
POS System Requirements......Page 275
Phase One......Page 276
The Produce to Order System Was First......Page 277
The E-POS System......Page 278
Conclusions......Page 279
Summary......Page 280
References......Page 281
19: Organizational Agility with Mobile ICT? The Case of London Black Cab Work......Page 282
Black Cab Work in London......Page 283
Black Cab Work Tasks......Page 284
Research Approach......Page 285
Agility Arrangements of Black Cab Work......Page 286
Agile ICT for Mobile Working......Page 290
Systems and Their Riddles......Page 294
Conclusion......Page 295
References......Page 296
20: Co-Evolution and Co-Design of Agile Organizations and Information Systems Through Agent-Based Modeling......Page 298
Organizational Design and Information Systems Design......Page 299
Co-Evolution of Organizations and Information Systems......Page 300
Computational Organization Theory Research......Page 301
VDT Computational Modeling Environment......Page 303
VDT Adaptation for Co-Design of Organizations and Information Systems......Page 305
Co-Design Models......Page 308
Co-Design Results......Page 310
Conclusion......Page 312
Index......Page 317