Decision Support System: Factors, Models, and Design

This document provides a detailed analysis of Decision Support Systems (DSS). It begins by discussing five factors driving organizations to adopt DSS and defines DSS. The assignment then differentiates between DSS and expert systems, exploring the narrowing of differences and implications for model management. It further examines how the Dreyfus and Dreyfus model guides DSS, advantages and disadvantages of window sizing in DSS, and suggests solutions to overcome the disadvantages. Finally, the document addresses designing a DSS for career decisions, outlining interview questions to determine decision support needs and strategies for handling talkative or uncooperative interviewees. This assignment offers a comprehensive overview of DSS, covering various aspects of its design and application.

Decision Support System

Table of Contents
Question 1........................................................................................................................................3
Question 2........................................................................................................................................4
Question 3........................................................................................................................................4
Question 4........................................................................................................................................5
Question 5........................................................................................................................................6

Question 1
Decision Support System (DSS) technology is important to the choice process in an organization.
Discuss FIVE (5) factors that are pushing organizations to adopt DSS.
Decision support system is defined as information system which supports business or
organisational decision making activities. DSS is serving various departments like operations,
management and planning levels of the organisation. This helps people in making effective
decisions regarding problems that changes rapidly and they are not specified in advance. The
decision support system can be either human powered or fully computerised. The five factors
that are pushing organisations to adopt DSS are mentioned below – In an organisation, transfer
of data and information is required at different managerial level. Higher managerial levels have
a greater reliance on external environmental information. They have less reliance on information
that is generated internally. The top management of the organisation uses data and information
for making effective decisions for long term. The top level management analyses trend of long
term information for making decisions. In case of top level management, the leaders and
managers require more information and data regarding risk and uncertainty, potential outcomes
and possible actions to take. There is also need of conjoint analysis. On the other hand, at lower
management, information focus is generated internally and it depends on short term goals. The
reports and analysis done by lower level of management is used by top level management for
making effective decisions. The decision supporting system helps both top level management
and lower level management. Data and information required at lower level of management are
used in decision making of top level management. Information and data provided by DSS are
are directed towards supervisory functions for lower management. It provides tactical decision
making for middle management of the company. DSS helps the top level management of the
company in strategic decision making for the company. The main objective of DSS is to improve
management control. There are various tasks involved in managing control and some of these are
listed below -
 Allocating resources to specific activities
 Preparing budgets covering both the expenditure of resources and the expected
achievement goals and objectives
 Observation of results achieved in return for resources used

 Evaluation of these results
 Modification of activities and resource allocation in accordance with the evaluation of
results
Question 2
What were the differences between decision support system and expert systems? What factors
led to the narrowing of those differences? What implication does this have to the model
management feature in decision support systems?
The difference between DSS and expert systems is given below -
DSS Expert systems
This helps in making effective decisions This automates decision making
Works in unstructured environment The decision environment has structure
The alternatives of DSS are not fully realised The alternatives and goals are established in
advance
Knowledge is extracted from a computer
system
Expert knowledge is injected into computer
system
Goals and systems are used for establishing
alternatives outcomes so that a good decision
can be made.
The expert system can eventually replace
decision making of human.
Question 3
Discuss how the model proposed by Dreyfus and Dreyfus would provide guidance to the
decision support systems.

The Dreyfus model explains how an individual progress by different levels in the
acquisition of skills and ideas with how an individual learn. Dreyfus and Dreyfus have
provided a model of professional expertise which plots a person by a series of five levels
including advanced beginner, novice, proficient, expert and competent. The skilled employees
are more beneficial for the company as they can easily understand what is to be done for
making effective decisions in the company. The different levels of expertise that helps decision
support system have different thoughts regarding situations.
Mental
Function
Novice Competent Proficient Expert Master
Recollecti
on
Non
situational
Situational Situational Situational Situational
Recogniti
on
Decompose
d
Decompose
d
Holistic Holistic Holistic
Decision Analytical Analytical Analytical Intuitive Intuitive
Awarenes
s
Monitoring Monitoring Monitoring Monitoring Absorbed
Question 4
The fact that windows can be sized by the user can be both a problem and an opportunity in the
design of decision support systems. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of sizing the
windows. Suggest how might the disadvantages be overcome?
Windows is used for applying decision support systems and windows is known as the
operating system and various languages are supported on this system such as Visual home page,
The official Microsoft ASP.NET site, Visual C++, etc. There are both advantages and
disadvantages of using windows. The advantages are given below -
 The windows has provided advancement and make it easy to use operating systems. This
is more convenient to use than Linux.
 Windows is more convenient software as it provides support to graphic intensive
software.

 All hardware support windows and there are a lot of users who uses windows.
 Windows support all web design programs.
Disadvantages
 Windows is more costlier than other operating systems.
 Windows is more prone to attacks and threats then other operating systems.
 Windows requires to be rebooted on regular basis as there is possibility of hanging up of
system.
DSS made on windows will be more beneficial as it can be accessed by every individual.
In an organisation, it is important to have DSS for making effective decisions. Thus all the above
disadvantages have to be overcome so that DSS can be implemented successfully.
Question 5
Suppose you were designing a decision support system to help students to make better career
decisions. Identify THREE (3) questions that you might use during the interviews in order to
determine their decision support needs. How would you alter those questions if the person being
interviewed were too talkative or uncooperative?
Career decision making is an essential process of career development of an individual.
Parents and children want to make right choice for career so that consider various councillors
and academicians for getting advice about career. In most cases this type of strategy is not
helpful because of lack of knowledge and ability about the students. Nowadays people are using
decision support system for choosing the right career. A model can be designed for making right
career choices so that it will be easier for students and parents to make good career choices. The
system designed must have following three things – User interface – This is the component by which user can interact with system and this
consists of two modules, the one is for personal skills of user and second is for
personality analysis. Inference Engine – This is the information processing component of model and has rule
based decision support capability.

 Knowledge Base – This is the main component of model and it consists of knowledge
sources that supports interference engines for discovering from previous knowledge
patterns.
Questions that might be used during the interviews in order to determine their decision support
needs
What are the different kind of information regarding career you want to have in the system ?
Do you want to have different section of personality development in the system ?
Are you able to find all the information regarding career development or not ?
If the person who is being interviewed is talkative and uncooperative then it will be
difficult for me handle them. I will make such people understand what decision system is going
to offer and how it will help in knowing about different career options. I have to make that
talkative person understand what is more important about DSS system. I will relate his queries
with DSS application.