CH A R A C T ER I S T I C S

O F M IS
 FEATURES OF MIS
MIS HAVE SEVERAL VITAL FEATURES, INCLUDING:

• DATA INTEGRATION: MIS INTEGRATES DATA FROM VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS AND FUNCTIONS,
GIVING DECISION-MAKERS A COMPREHENSIVE VIEW OF THE ORGANIZATION’S DATA.

• DATA STORAGE: MIS STORES VAST DATA IN DATABASES, MAKING IT ACCESSIBLE AND
RETRIEVABLE WHEN NEEDED.

• DATAPROCESSING: MIS PROCESSES DATA TO GENERATE MEANINGFUL INFORMATION. IT CAN

PERFORM CALCULATIONS, COMPARISONS, AND OTHER DATA TRANSFORMATIONS TO PRODUCE
REPORTS AND INSIGHTS.

• USER-FRIENDLY INTERFACE: MIS SYSTEMS TYPICALLY HAVE USER-FRIENDLY INTERFACES THAT

ALLOW NON-TECHNICAL USERS TO ACCESS AND INTERACT WITH DATA EASILY.

• CUSTOMIZATION: MIS SYSTEMS CAN BE CUSTOMIZED TO MEET AN ORGANIZATION’S NEEDS.

USERS CAN DEFINE THE TYPE OF INFORMATION THEY WANT TO ACCESS AND HOW IT IS PRESENTED.

• SECURITY: ACCESS TO SENSITIVE INFORMATION IS RESTRICTED, AND MEASURES ARE IN PLACE TO

PROTECT DATA FROM UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS OR BREACHES.
• REAL-TIME INFORMATION: MANY MIS SYSTEMS OFFER REAL-TIME OR NEAR-REAL-TIME DATA
CONTI…
UPDATES, ENSURING DECISION-MAKERS CAN ACCESS THE MOST CURRENT INFORMATION TO
MAKE TIMELY DECISIONS.

• REPORT GENERATION: MISGENERATES VARIOUS REPORTS, INCLUDING STANDARD REPORTS,

AD-HOC REPORTS, AND EXCEPTION REPORTS. THESE REPORTS HELP MANAGERS MONITOR
PERFORMANCE AND MAKE INFORMED DECISIONS.

• ACCESSIBILITY: MIS CAN BE ACCESSED REMOTELY, ALLOWING DECISION-MAKERS TO RETRIEVE

INFORMATION FROM VARIOUS LOCATIONS.

• INTEGRATION WITH OTHER SYSTEMS: MIS SYSTEMS CAN INTEGRATE WITH OTHER SOFTWARE
AND SYSTEMS OF THE ORGANIZATION, SUCH AS ERP (ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING)
SYSTEMS, CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT (CRM) SYSTEMS, HUMAN CAPITAL
MANAGEMENT (HCM) SYSTEMS, ETC.

• MOBILE COMPATIBILITY: MANY MODERN MIS SYSTEMS ARE COMPATIBLE WITH MOBILE
DEVICES, ALLOWING USERS TO ACCESS CRITICAL INFORMATION ON THE GO.

• DATA ANALYTICS: ADVANCED MIS SYSTEMS MAY INCORPORATE DATA ANALYTICS AND
BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE TOOLS TO PROVIDE DEEPER INSIGHTS AND SUPPORT PREDICTIVE
ANALYTICS.
COMPONENTS OF MIS
THERE ARE FIVE MAJOR COMPONENTS OF A MANAGEMENT INFORMATION
SYSTEM.

• PEOPLE: PEOPLE PREPARE AND ANALYZE MIS TO ACHIEVE ORGANIZATIONAL

GOALS.

• DATA: DAY-TO-DAY BUSINESS TRANSACTIONS OF AN ORGANIZATION.

• HARDWARE: INPUT AND OUTPUT DEVICES LIKE KEYBOARD, MOUSE, MONITOR,
PRINTER, ETC., HELP IN DATA INPUT AND DISPLAY INFORMATION.

• SOFTWARE AND BUSINESS PROCESSES: MIS DEPENDS ON SOFTWARE AND

BUSINESS PROCESSES SUCH AS MS OFFICE, BANKING SOFTWARE, ERP SYSTEMS,
CRM SYSTEMS, ETC.
 A MIS has the following characteristics:

 System approach:
The concept of a system's approach in an information system involves adopting a
comprehensive perspective when studying the system and its functioning to attain its
intended goals. This holistic approach considers the interrelated components of the system
and their interactions to optimize overall performance and achieve the system's objectives.
Management oriented:
To create an effective Management Information System (MIS), it is recommended to employ
a top-down approach. This approach involves initiating system development by identifying
the management requirements and primary business objectives. The managerial focus of
MIS also implies that the management takes an active role in guiding the efforts of system
development.
NEED BASED:
The design and development of management information systems (MIS) should align with
the specific information requirements of managers at various organizational levels.
CONTI…
RELEVANCE
The data provided to a manager through an MIS should be relevant to the decisions that the
manager needs to make.

ACCURACY
The effectiveness of an MIS is largely assessed by the accuracy and dependability of its
information. The accuracy of the utilized data and the correctness of the applied calculations
play a crucial role in determining the effectiveness of the generated information.

USEFULNESS:
The information delivered to a manager by an MIS might be both pertinent and precise;
however, its utility is dependent on its ability to assist the manager in making specific
decisions.
FUTURE ORIENTED:
MIS should incorporate a forward-looking perspective. In essence, it should not just provide
past or backdated data but should also offer insights based on projections, enabling proactive
decision-making.

For instance, when a manager is tasked with deciding which employees to let go due to staff
reductions, information pertaining to the anticipated cost savings is relevant, but details on the
performance of the employees in consideration prove to be more valuable. The MIS should
ensure that such valuable information is readily accessible.
TIMELINESS
Management is required to make decisions regarding the future path of the organization by
analyzing current data, even when assessing trends.

COMPLETENESS
A proficient MIS ensures the presentation of the utmost applicable and valuable information
essential for a specific decision. In cases where certain information is unavailable due to
missing data, it not only brings attention to these gaps but also showcases potential scenarios
or outlines likely consequences reducing from the absence of that data.
 LIMITATIONS OF MIS
Even though MIS has many benefits it has its limitations. While MIS may
solve some critical problems but it is not a solution to all problems of an
organization. The limitations of MIS may be stated as,
1. The MIS is as good as its design-MIS if designed in an improper
manner does not serve the management and hence is of little
relevance.
2. The MIS is as good as its users-if the users do not know how to
leverage the information available from MIS then MIS is of little use.
3. The effectiveness of an MIS diminishes when the foundational data is
outdated and no longer current. In such instances, the MIS would
essentially generate unreliable information, adhering to the principle of
"garbage in, garbage out."
• HACKERS:
At present, a number of people who have excellent IT knowledge hack this kind of system, maybe for
money or for some other purposes.

• EX- EMPLOYEES:
In some cases, it has been seen that the account of employees are active in MIS site even after they
got out from there. Sometimes, these accounts can be used for some negative purposes.

• VIRUS:
While the employees of any organization use this system, they should make sure that their
operating device or computer is virus free. If the device has dangerous viruses then these can be a
concern for the security of the MIS.
LIMITATIONS OF MIS
EVEN THOUGH MIS HAS MANY BENEFITS, IT ALSO HAS ITS LIMITATIONS,
WHICH ARE DISCUSSED BELOW:

• WHILE MIS MAY SOLVE SOME ACUTE PROBLEMS, IT IS NOT A SOLUTION TO

ALL PROBLEMS OF AN ORGANIZATION.

• INVOLVES MAINTENANCE AND EMPLOYEE TRAINING COSTS.

• IT CANNOT MEET EVERYONE'S PARTICULAR DEMANDS.
• IF MIS DESIGNED, MIS DOES NOT SERVE THE MANAGEMENT AND IS
IRRELEVANT.

• THE MIS IS ONLY GOOD IF THE PRIMARY DATA IS UPDATED.

• MOST INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE MIS IS IN QUANTITATIVE FORM.
HENCE, IT IGNORES QUALITATIVE INFORMATION LIKE THE BEHAVIOUR OF
AN EMPLOYEE.