Information system planning in drug service: a case study

The development of an information system in Caribbean public sector organisations is usually seen as a matter of installing hardware and software according to a directive from senior management, without much planning. This causes huge investment in procuring hardware and software without improving overall system performance. Increasingly, Caribbean organisations are looking for assurances on information system performance before making investment decisions not only to satisfy the funding agencies, but also to be competitive in this dynamic and global business world. This study demonstrates an information system planning approach using a process-reengineering framework. Firstly, the stakeholders for the business functions are identified along with their relationships and requirements. Secondly, process reengineering is carried out to develop the system requirements. Accordingly, information technology is selected through detailed system requirement analysis. Thirdly, cost-benefit analysis, identification of critical success factors and risk analysis are carried out to strengthen the selection. The entire methodology has been demonstrated through an information system project in the Barbados drug service, a public sector organisation in the Caribbean.