Research for Terrain Mapping
A major government department wanted to intoduce a management information system that would support more responsive management of resource at all levels of the business, underpin a balanced score card initiative and enable its staff to gain more client understanding from an existing case management system.
Before developing the system specification, it was essential to examine the interests of several different management teams and to understand the completeness and robustness of the data sources that underpinned the existing casework system. In this way, the ultimate system users were able to form realistic views of what the MIS could deliver and set in hand a programme to improve the quality of the input systems.
Users at management and operational levels were researched to understand both the longer term aspirations for use of the system and the day-to-day practicalities so that gleams in the eye could be accommodated and routine usability enhanced.
It all meant that the specification of the system was built upon firm foundations of understanding rather than guesswork.