Work system

Work system

1. WORK SYSTEM

2. WORK SYSTEM A work system is a system in which human participants and/or machines perform work (processes and activities) using information, technology, and other resources to produce products/services for internal or external customers.

3. FUNCTIONS OF WORK SYSTEM Typical business organizations contain work systems that obtain materials from suppliers, produce products, deliver products to customers, find customers, create financial reports, hire employees, coordinate work across departments, and perform many other functions.

4. TYPES OF WORK SYSTEM The work system concept is like a common denominator for many of the types of systems that operate within or across organizations. Information system Service system Project Supply chain   E-commerce 

5. INFORMATION SYSTEM An  information system  ( IS ) is a system composed of people and computers that processes or interpret information. The term is also sometimes used in more restricted senses to refer to only the software used to run a computerized database or to refer to only a computer system. Any specific information system aims to support operations, management and decision making. An information system is the information and communication technology(ICT) that an organization uses, and also the way in which people interact with this technology in support of business processes.

6. SERVICE SYSTEM A  service system  (or  customer service system, CSS ) is a configuration of technology and organizational networks designed to deliver services that satisfy the needs, wants, or aspirations of customers. PROJECT In contemporary business a  project  is defined as a collaborative enterprise, involving research or design, that is carefully planned to achieve a particular aim. Projects can be further defined as temporary rather than permanent social systems or work systems that are constituted by teams within or across organizations to accomplish particular tasks under time constraints. An ongoing project is usually called ( or evolves into ) a program.

7. SUPPLY CHAIN SYSTEM A supply chain is an inter organizational work system devoted to procuring materials and other inputs required to produce a firm’s products. A system of organizations, people, activities, information, and resources involved in moving a product or service from supplier to customer. Supply chain activities transform natural resources, raw materials, and components into a finished product that is delivered to the end customer. In sophisticated supply chain systems, used products may re-enter the supply chain at any point where residual value is recyclable.

8. E-COMMERCE An ecommerce web site can be viewed as a work system in which a buyer uses a seller’s web site to obtain product information and perform purchase transactions. Electronic commerce draws on technologies such as mobile commerce, electronic funds transfer, supply chain management, Internet marketing, online transaction processing, electronic data interchange (EDI ), and automated data collection systems.

9. WORK SYSTEM FRAMEWORK A static view of a work system is represented by the work system framework. The work system framework was originally developed to help business professionals recognize and identifies the basic elements for understanding and evaluating a work system. It identifies nine elements that are part of an elementary understanding of a work system. Four of these elements (processes and activities, participants, information, and technologies) constitute the work system. The other five elements fill out a basic understanding of the situation. For example, no analysis of a work system is complete without some understanding of the customer’s view of whatever the work system produces.

10. The elements of the work system are: Customers - people who use and receive direct benefits from the products and services produced by the work system. Customers maybe external to the organization or internal to the organization. Products and services - the combination of tangible and intangible things that the work system outputs for the consumption of its customers. Processes and activities - a set of correctly sequenced work steps or activities. Participants - people that perform tasks within the system. Information - that is used by the participants to complete their tasks. Technology - hardware, software or any other tools and equipment used by the participants to complete their work. Environment  includes the organizational, cultural, competitive, technical, and regulatory surroundings within which the work system operates. Infrastructure  includes human, informational, and technical resources that the work system relies on even though these resources exist and are managed outside of it and are shared with other work systems. This includes support staff such as training and maintenance. Strategies  include the tactic of the work system and of the department and enterprise within which the work system exists.

11. WORK SYSTEM LIFE CYCLE MODEL A dynamic view of how a work system changes over time is represented by the work system life cycle model (WSLC). The WSLC is an iterative model based on the assumption that a work system evolves through a combination of planned and unplanned changes. The planned changes occur through formal projects with initiation, development, and implementation phases. Unplanned changes are ongoing adaptations and experimentation that change aspects of the work system without performing formal projects.

12. Initiation Vision for the new or revised work system Operational goals Allocation of resources and clarification of time frames Economic, organizational, and technical feasibility of planned changes Development Detailed requirements for the new or revised work system (including requirements for information systems that support it) As necessary, creation, achievement, configuration, and modification of procedures, documentation, training material, software, and hardware correction and testing of hardware, software, and documentation

13. Implementation Process of making the desired changes operational in the organization Include planning, training of work system participants, conversion to the new work methods, and follow-up to ensure the entire work system operates as it should. Operation and maintenance Operation of the work system and monitoring of its performance Maintenance of the work system by identifying small flaws and eliminating or minimizing them through fixes, adaptations, or workarounds. On-going improvement of processes and activities through analysis, experimentation, and adaptation.