Design and Implementation of Decision Support Systems in the Public Sector

This paper examines the implications of utilizing decision support systems (DSS) in the public sector based on a DSS developed and implemented for a community mental health system. The DSS includes a multiple objective (goal programming) allocation model and encompasses a multiple party decision process. The experiences and insights acquired during the development and implementation are relevant to public sector decision support, in general. The importance of a DSS as a process-support aid rather than simply providing answers (i.e., a product-oriented aid) and the interaction of system architecture and the chosen design strategy are key insights. In particular, the distinction between model-oriented and data-oriented DSS does not appear to be appropriate. The public sector decision maker's concern with issues of equity requires the ability to operate in a higher dimensional framework than the typical spread sheet model and there is a critical need for communication support.