*Invited Article:* Decision Support Systems: An MIS Manager's Perspective

Any discussion of Decision Support Systems must of necessity include the MIS manager. It is crucial that the MIS manager understand the need for and the role of DSS in the full context of Information Resource Management, if a workable DSS environment is to be created. First, to facilitate this understanding, the need for DSS is established by examining the effectiveness of data processing in meeting organizational goals. Business problems and opportunities are considered in the light of typical EDP performance and a gap is identified. DSS is proposed to bridge this gap. Then decision support systems are contrasted with traditional data systems. This is accomplished by defining characteristics and objectives of classical data processing, MIS and DSS. A three-dimensional view portrays their different but complementary functions. Next, the issue of how to fit decision support systems into an organization’s information resource architecture is addressed. A conceptual organization is drawn for DSS, including office, process, classical, and telecommunications support systems. Finally, a plan of action is presented.