Business owners and managers need to be informed about the overall operation of a company and key areas of responsibility. If the president calls and wants to know how much sales have increased in each of the last four years, the sales manager must provide the information. Management information systems give you access to key data about your department and about the company in general. If the manager needs reference information for a bid or for regulatory purposes, management information systems are a good source.
Informing Business Decisions
Decisions are only as valid as the information on which they are based. Management information systems improve your decision-making, because they provide information that is accurate, timely, relevant and complete. Self-checking and cross-checking features in management information systems reduce errors, and IT professionals design the systems to offer a complete picture of a situation or highlight that specific information is missing. Companies that use management information systems ensure that all managers work from the same set of data and make their decisions based on identical information.