1 Executive Information System Chapter 4 Gaining Executive Commitment

2 Contents The Executive Sponsor Expanding the Executive Base of Support The Operating Sponsor The Operating Sponsor's Role Retaining Executive Commitment

3 The Executive Sponsor The sponsor may be the Chief Executive Officer, president, a vice president, or another top-level executive. The sponsor values the potential of an EIS and is willing to spend the necessary time, effort, and resources on its development. EIS without strong and active sponsors has virtually no chance of success.

4 Executive Sponsor Cultivation (Train) The sponsor must be cultivated to realize the need for improved executive information, the opportunity an EIS offers to satisfy this need, and the confidence in those offering the undertake its development. The characteristics for an executive sponsor are: –Authority:- The sponsor utilizes the EIS effort and the necessary resources. –Influence:- The sponsor is as a leader of the firm or pioneer in the use of ICT. –Attitude:- The sponsor views ICT as a support tools for achievement.

5 The Executive Sponsor's Role 1.Provides the impetus for the EIS by encouraging other executives to become active in promoting the development, and challenges the EIS staff to produce the best possible system. 2.Solicits executive feedback about ideas and suggestions. 3.Directs EIS initiation, development, acceptance, and evolution. 4.When the EIS is operational, there must be continuous promotion of system improvements and the steering of the system’s evolution.

6 The Executive Base of Support 1.Executive is an important system supporter. 2.The EIS staff should strive to involve all executive users in the development process. 3.The extra effort expanded by the EIS staff to place these users results in the expansion of the executive base.

7 The Operating Sponsor Characteristics The operating sponsor is the person who guides the daily activities necessary to define and develop the EIS. The required skills for the sponsor are: –For the operating sponsors:- IS backgrounds, good technical skills, the ability to understand and work with executives and to understand their information needs –For the EIS development team:- ability to work well with executives, knowledge of the business, interpersonal skills, technical skill, ability to organize data, and others

8 The Operating Sponsor's Role 1.Directs the system’s day-to-day involves resource and schedule management in system development 2.Continues monitor development progress and make decisions that balance the resources and time available with the best possible EIS performance 3.Arranges for access to data can be another major responsibility 4.Makes sure that the infrastructure is in place to sustain the system over time 5.Negotiates access to new data resources, deciding whom to add to the user bans, and developing new applications are some of the additional tasks

9 Winning Over the Tough Ones (1/2) To gain executive commitment, the EIS should be promoted to all potential users and persuaded the benefits by EIS staff by: 1.Planning promotion of potential EIS benefits through the following techniques: –System demonstrations –Meetings to discuss and promote the system –Circulation of EIS news articles –EIS vendor brochure distribution

10 Winning Over the Tough Ones (2/2) 2.Expressing important benefits when EIS is used: –Able to self-retrieve information at any time –Able to study a business situation –Improve communications with all business contacts –Enhance quality of received information –Able to understand the organization’s activities better –Provide a technical platform for future information services –Assess the value of current information systems

11 Retaining Executive Commitment 1.The EIS staff has an obligation to assure all executive users who has involved in development effort. 2.The executive should be kept informed of progress and consulted for decisions affecting the EIS.