An information system for production control in a diffusion department: application of a design methodology

Abstract

The design of information systems is considered for situations where the problem definition is not fixed but. on the contrary, is expected to change. Such a situation requires flexibility in the design of information systems.

The determination of this flexibility is a combined responsibility of the production control systems design team and the information systems design team. This makes the two design activities interdependent. In this article, the concept of flexibility is elaborated. Emphasis is laid on the differences in nature between data and software.

The purpose of the information system is not only to present information for decision making, but also to present information for the proceeding design activity.

The design approach has been applied to the design of a production central system for a diffusion department and this application is discussed.