Figure ds.03 shows the major steps in the development of a DSS. The logical flow of the activities is shown by the solid arrows. The dotted arrows in the opposite direction indicate revisions of one or more phases that might become necessary during the development of the system, through a feedback mechanism.
Figure ds.03 Phases in the development of a decision support system
- Planning. The main purpose of the planning phase is to understand the needs and opportunities, sometimes characterized by weak signals, and to translate them into a project and later into a successful DSS. Planning usually involves a feasibility study to address the question: Why do we wish to develop a DSS? During the feasibility analysis, general and specific objectives of the system, recipients, possible benefits, execution times and costs are laid down. It is not easy to identify the benefits of a DSS. As already observed, the main advantage for most DSSs is not so much an increased effectiveness as an improvement in decision quality, which is difficult to predict a priori. The elements required to decide whether or not the system should be implemented become available at the end of the feasibility study. A negative decision will call a halt to the development of the project, although of course this may be reconsidered at a later time. If one decides to proceed with the system, the planning phase should be followed by the definition of the activities, tasks, responsibilities and development phases, for which classical project management methodologies should be used.
- Analysis. In the analysis phase, it is necessary to define in detail the functions of the DSS to be developed, by further developing and elaborating the preliminary conclusions achieved during the feasibility study. A response should therefore be given to the following question: What should the DSS accomplish, and who will use it, when and how? To provide an answer, it is necessary to analyze the decision processes to be supported, to try to thoroughly understand all interrelations existing between the problems addressed and the surrounding environment. The organizational implications determined by a DSS should be assessed. The analysis also involves mapping out the actual decision processes and imagining what the new processes will look like once the DSS is in place. Finally, it is necessary to explore the data in order to understand how much and what type of information already exists and what information can be retrieved from external sources.
- Design. During the design phase the main question is: How will the DSS work? The entire architecture of the system is therefore defined, through the identification of the hardware technology platforms, the network structure, the software tools to develop the applications and the specific database to be used. It is also necessary to define in detail the interactions with the users, by means of input masks, graphic visualizations on the screen and printed reports. In recent years the web browser has become an important interaction tool, and has certainly contributed to the harmonization of, and to the simplification of the problems related to, communication between knowledge workers and computers. A further aspect that should be clarified during the design phase is the make-or-buy choice – whether to subcontract the implementation of the DSS to third parties, in whole or in part.
- Implementation. Once the specifications have been laid down, it is time for implementation, testing and the actual installation, when the DSS is rolled out and put to work. Any problems faced in this last phase can be traced back to project management methods. A further aspect of the implementation phase, which is often overlooked, relates to the overall impact on the organization determined by the new system. Such effects should be monitored using change management techniques, making sure that no one feels excluded from the organizational innovation process and rejects the DSS.