Modeling Information Manufacturing Systems to Determine Information Product Quality

Abstract

Many of the concepts and procedures of product quality control can be applied to the problem of producing better quality information outputs. From this perspective, information outputs can be viewed as information products, and many information systems can be modeled as information manufacturing systems. The use of information products is becoming increasingly prevalent both within and across organizational boundaries. This paper presents a set of ideas, concepts, models, and procedures appropriate to information manufacturing systems that can be used to determine the quality of information products delivered, or transferred, to information customers. These systems produce information products on a regular or as-requested basis. The model systematically tracks relevant attributes of the information product such as timeliness, accuracy and cost. This is facilitated through an information manufacturing analysis matrix that relates data units and various system components. Measures of these attributes can then be used to analyze potential improvements to the information manufacturing system under consideration. An illustrative example is given to demonstrate the various features of the information manufacturing system and show how it can be used to analyze and improve the system. Following that is an actual application, which, although not as involved as the illustrative example, does demonstrate the applicability of the model and its associated concepts and procedures.Data Quality, Timeliness of Information, Information Product, Information systems, Critical Path

Measuring and Comparing Effectiveness of Data Quality Techniques

“…Each such dimension aims at capturing and representing a specific aspect of quality in data, and can be associated with one or more measures according to different factors involved in the measurement process [1]. Measures for accuracy, completeness, timeliness dimensions have been proposed in [9,10,11].…”

Ein Optimierungsansatz für ein fortlaufendes Datenqualitätsmanagement und seine praktische Anwendung bei Kundenkampagnen

“…Helfert, 2002), werden hierbei dem spezifizierten Datenangebot des Informationssystems (Datenschema) die tatsächlich enthaltenen Daten gegenüber gestellt. Für sehr viele Unternehmungen stellt dabei die Sicherstellung der DQ ein Problem dar (Helfert, 2000, S. 13;Ballou et al, 1998;Ballou, Tayi, 1999). Eine häufig zitierte Studie des DW Institute ergab, dass der US-Wirtschaft aufgrund von mangelhafter DQ ein jährlicher Schaden von über 600 Milliarden Dollar entsteht (Heijkers, 2003).…”

A risk based model for quantifying the impact of information quality

“…Information quality is the fitness for use of information and is a multi-dimensional concept ( Wang and Strong 1996, D. Ballou et al 1998, English 1999) with dimensions such as, for example, accuracy, consistency, interpretability, timeliness and completeness. The terms "data quality" and "information quality" are usually used interchangeably.…”

“…Models proposed in academia are either focusing on information quality processes and technical metrics without characterizing the impact of information quality, e.g. (D. P. Ballou and Pazer 1985;D. Ballou et al 1998;Askira Gelman 2011;Parssian, Sarkar, and Jacob 2004), or use utility theory to characterize the impact of information quality (Even and Shankaranarayanan 2007;Ahituv 1980), which is difficult to apply in practice as utilities are difficult to link to key business performance indicators.…”