Building the Infrastructure THE DESIGN, DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF STRATEGIC SUPPORT SYSTEMS FOR CORRECTIONAL AGENCIES

This presentation will address issues related to the design, development and maintenance of executive information systems (EIS). I will define the concept of an EIS, and discuss why I believe it is critical for agencies like ours to invest in these types of information systems. I will also describe what is required to develop and maintain such systems, and what it costs, at least in some relative terms. Design and development issues will address personnel considerations (e.g., agency verses contract), tailoring the system to the organization's mission and goals, defining measures of organizational performance, data requirements, and software and hardware options. I will also discuss the use of EIS in support of budget justification, strategic (long range) planning, management decision support, performance monitoring, policy impact assessment, and responding to routine and ad hoc information requests. The results of the design, development and maintenance production cycle are illustrated by an executive information system (the Key Indicators /Strategic Support System, also referred to as KI/SSS), that we have developed completely in-house, for use by the Bureau of Prisons' management. The KI/SSS is updated monthly and is distributed Bureau wide via CD-ROM technology. KI/SSS has proven to be an extremely cost effective means of dynamic information dissemination. In fact, we have achieved far greater information dissemination, with better quality control and less cost, than was possible with the paper medium annual statistical reports and ad hoc request driven methods utilized prior to the development of KI/SSS. Our experience suggests that other agencies could expect similar cost effective results by using similar design and development methods.