A Model for Design of Human Activity Systems

A background is given to the common failures of management information systems and the authors' view of the causes behind these failures. There seems to be a lack of effective methods for analyzing information requirements. Different scientific methods are discussed as to their propensity for analyzing the information requirements. The importance of the systems design approach instead of the system improvement approach is emphasized. The concept of Human Activity Systems is discussed and an analysis of the interdependence of the soft and hard parts of these systems indicates that an integrated view is necessary. A methodology based on a systemic and systematic analysis of the information requirements in an organization is proposed. This methodology focuses the settings of the decisions on all levels in organizations and also indicates organizational discrepancies and information imbalances. The methodology can be regarded as a dynamic, learning system.