IMS5024 Lecture 2

Philosophical aspects of modelling information

Contents

 Research report  Pitfalls  What is information?

 Next weeks reading!

Semester 2, 2004 IMS5024 2.2

Research report

Write a 2000 – 2500 word report on:  Discuss and critique the influence that participatory design has on modelling.

 The report should include: – Theory about modelling and methodologies – What is participatory design?

– How does it relate to the idea that information systems development is social or technical?

– What are the problems?

Semester 2, 2004 IMS5024 2.3

Basic starting point for the research report

  Avison, DE; Fitzgerald, G. (1995). Information Systems development: Methodologies, Techniques and tools. Second edition. McGraw Hill UK.

Blum, B.I. (1994) A Taxonomy of software Development Methods. Communications of the ACM, Vol 37, No 11, pp. 82-94.

    Martin Fowler, 2001. The new methodology. http://www.martinFowler.com/articles/newMethodology.html

Lecture 2 reading list (Mathiassen et al. and Hirschheim et al.) Andrew Dixon from the library Proquest Semester 2, 2004 IMS5024 2.4

Pitfalls

 Plagiarism !!!!!

 Not starting early  Role of synopsis Semester 2, 2004 IMS5024 2.5

The nature of information?

 What is information?

Commonly described as “data that is transformed into information by data processing”  What is data?

– “Data are interpreted raw statements of fact” – “Data are the result of measurement or observation” – “A general term denoting all facts, numbers, letters and symbols that refer to or describe an object, idea, condition, situation or other factors”  Information production process?

Semester 2, 2004 IMS5024 2.6

The nature of information

 Correct???

Data Source Transformation process Recipient Information Semester 2, 2004 IMS5024 2.7

The hermeneutic circle: Arriving at understanding

Text Context Semester 2, 2004 IMS5024 2.8

The nature of information

Recipient Source Context Information Background Knowledge Semester 2, 2004 IMS5024 Application 2.9

SOOO??

 The transformation process does not create information  Information is created as the recipient appropriates the data and gives it meaning by understanding the data in a particular context leading to insight and even to judgement and knowledge  To produce information we have to interpret what we experience and make explicit what we know  Information cannot exist independently from its producer or consumer – data can Semester 2, 2004 IMS5024 2.10

Does this help us with answering the following?

 Why do we need information?

 Do information systems really provide information to managers or users?

 Can information be managed?

 How does this view affect the way in which systems are modelled?

Semester 2, 2004 IMS5024 2.11

Making knowledge explicit

 When we design an information system, we require knowledge about a human practice which the system should replace  This knowledge we need to make explicit in order to ‘feed’ into rational rules and algorithms  Can all knowledge be made explicit?

 Much of what we know is tacit and intuitive  Therefore we are faced with a dilemma: we can only formalise that which we can make explicit  Information is therefore not a mechanistic concept Semester 2, 2004 IMS5024 2.12

Mechanistic worldview

 Based on rational, objective thinking  Very prevalent in modern (Western) society  Assumes world is orderly and unchanging  Leads to utopian thinking about technology Semester 2, 2004 IMS5024 2.13

Romantic worldview

 Reaction to extreme rationalism  Reaction to technological determinism  Technology seen as threat to culture  Technology associated with a calculative and analytical style of thinking  Technology seen as autonomous and no longer under human control Semester 2, 2004 IMS5024 2.14

Contrasting the two world views

  Mechanistic worldview – Rational thinking about the world – Formal representation – Technology can be used to change society – Knowledge is power Romantic worldview – World should be interpreted rather than understood – Researchers of social systems cannot be completely objective – World is ‘chaotic’ – Technology should be resisted Semester 2, 2004 IMS5024 2.15

A dialectic synthesis

 We live in a world of mechanistic rules and romantic ideals  Scientific understanding and romantic interpretation      We need both concepts and have to reconcile them Implementation of information systems means applying rational machines in chaotic environments We have to formalise in order to make computers work We cannot formalise everything Challenge is to find appropriate degree of formalisation Semester 2, 2004 IMS5024 2.16

Why do we develop information systems?

 Information the lifeblood of the organisation  Use of computers for processing information  Competitive edge  Ect..

Semester 2, 2004 IMS5024 2.17

ISD

 Comments Development group Objectives Object system Change process Hirschheim

et al

see reading list Environment Semester 2, 2004 IMS5024 Object system 2.18

History of ISD methodologies

Generation Principle management and organisational issues Formal life-cycle approaches Control of SDLC; guidance through standardization Structured approaches Prototyping and evolutionary approaches Productivity, better maintainable systems, control over analyst/programmer Speed and Flexibility, overcome communication gap, right kind of system instead of getting system right Semester 2, 2004 IMS5024 2.19

History of ISD methodologies(2)

Generation Socio-technical, participatory approaches Principle management and organisational issues Control of ISD by users through participation; conflict management; joint optimisation Sense-making and problem formulation approaches Multiple perspectives in problem framing; software development as social reality construction Semester 2, 2004 IMS5024 2.20

History of ISD methodologies(3)

Generation Principle management and organisational issues Trade-Union led approaches Labour/ management conflict; workers rights; industrial democracy Emancipator approaches Improve communication; furthering emancipatory effects of ISD Semester 2, 2004 IMS5024 2.21

Summary

 We live in a social world  Information systems are socially constructed  Need to develop a system – mechanistic  Dilemma – Dialectics  What have we seen up until now Semester 2, 2004 IMS5024 2.22

Reality of ISD

Application domain Conceptual models Formal Models Implementation domain Blum, I., 1994. A taxonomy of Software development Methods. Communications of the ACM, Vol37, No11 Semester 2, 2004 IMS5024 2.23

Blum, I., 1994. A taxonomy of Software development Methods. Communications of the ACM, Vol37, No11

Classification of methods

Problem oriented Product oriented Concep-tual Structured analysis Entity relationship modelling Logical construction of systems Modern structured analysis Object oriented analysis Structured design Object oriented design Formal PSL/PSA JSD VDM Levels of abstraction Stepwise refinement Proof of correctness Data abstraction JSP Object oriented programming Semester 2, 2004 IMS5024 2.24

Reading for next week

 Hoffer, J.A; George, J.F; Valacich, J.S. (1999). Modern Systems analysis and design. Second Edition. Addison Wesley, USA. Chapter 8 and 9.

Semester 2, 2004 IMS5024 2.25