Creation of information flows. What are information flows? Information flow diagram. Classification of information flows. Information quality criteria
The amount of information that arises in the management of an enterprise increases with the growth of the organization. Even the smallest enterprises have to process much more information than meets the eye.
In the management process, real difficulties arise, if necessary, monitor changes in information flows. The organization's resources are constantly in flux. At each moment of time there is more or less goods in stock, a certain amount of money, expense and credit accounts. When the external conditions bordering on the activities of the enterprise change, if the management does not receive information on time, the consequences can be disastrous.
Requirements for the information flow system
Information flows are the physical movement of information from one employee of the enterprise to another or from one department to another. Any change in information is not considered as information flows. A system of information flows is a collection of all physical movements of information. Such a system makes it possible to carry out a process and implement a solution. The most general system of information flows is the sum of information flows that allows an enterprise to conduct financial and economic activities. Information flows ensure the normal operation of the organization. The purpose of working with information flows is to maximize the optimization of the enterprise.
Types of information flows
The information flow can be controlled as follows:
- changing the direction of the flow;
- limiting the transmission rate to an appropriate receive rate;
- limiting the volume of flow to the value of the throughput of an individual node or section of the track
- the number of processed or transmitted documents;
- the total number of document lines in the processed or transmitted documents.
Since the manager in his work relies on information about the state of the object and creates, as a result of his activities, new command information in order to transfer the controlled object from the actual state to the desired state, the information is conventionally considered the subject and product of managerial labor.
Information used as an element of control or a subject of managerial work must necessarily provide a qualitative understanding of the tasks and state of the controlled and control systems and ensure the development of ideal models of their desired state.
Thus, information support is a part of the management system, which is a collection of data on the actual and possible state of the elements of production and the external conditions for the functioning of the production process and on the logic of change and transformation of production elements.
The information collected in the center of the controlling system, which provides information and analytical support for decision processes to optimize enterprise management and prescribes the sequence of actions in the management system, must meet a number of mandatory requirements:
- Reliability - the information received must be correct
- Relevancy - data should guide decision making
- Intelligibility
- Efficiency - the effect of obtaining information, should overlap the effort spent on obtaining it
- Regularity - information should be received regularly
When characterizing an information system, as a rule, the movement of various information flows, as well as their intensity and constancy, various types of information transformation algorithms and the document flow scheme corresponding to these conditions are investigated.
Solutions are ideal descriptions of the desired state of an object and how to achieve that state. They are a product of limited use, as they are aimed at a specific object under clearly described conditions. The quality of the solution as a finished product is manifested, indirectly, in the activity of the object to which the solution is directed.
During the creation of information support, one should focus on the average and leveled need for special information of managers and specialists. It is worth noting that a special place here is occupied by the type of information associated with management, which will reflect progressive techniques and methods of organizing management.
In the process of organizing information, it is of fundamental importance to divide it into a conditionally constant, which plays the role of a normative reference, and a variable. Both of these types of information, based on the analysis of classification links, are organized into interconnected blocks (models), which can be descriptive, i.e., characterizing the process in statics or dynamics, components that reflect a certain typical situation.
The process of forming information support includes several stages:
- a description of the state of an object, i.e. a physical photograph. This presupposes a set of technical and economic indicators and parameters that characterize the control and controlled systems, with the appropriate classification of these indicators;
- modeling of classification relationships in information arrays with the allocation of cause-and-effect relationships, that is, the formation of private static models;
- reflection in information models of the dynamics of individual elements and processes, i.e., substantiation of trends in quantitative and qualitative changes in production. At the same time, a quantitative change presupposes the correction of information, and a qualitative change presupposes its partial or complete reorganization;
- integrated information model of the production process, reflecting the relationship and dynamics of local processes and the entire production.
Filtering information flow
Further, I would like to cite several "filters" of information that seriously limit the flow of important information to the management of the enterprise. This filtering is quite typical for Russian enterprises and does not depend in any way on the size of the organization. Here are a few of these "filters" that most distort information flows directed to management:
- Organizational imperfection. This “filtration” arises as a result of the absence of a center for processing and analysis of information from the company's divisions to the management. Information can be provided in any format, both oral communication and data given in the table.
The impact of this imperfection can be mitigated by developing indicative information systems for the management of the organization. It is also worth all the heterogeneous information that is sent to the head, to be brought together into a single format. This format should provide the dynamics of development, the most important indicators of the enterprise in the form of various graphs and diagrams.
- Low qualifications of the middle management. Such filtering, as a rule, manifests itself in a lack of professionals in the search and provision of information.
- Low qualifications of top management. Most of the management team does not like to admit inability or misunderstanding of any aspect, often fearing to undermine their authority in front of subordinate personnel, and because of this, information is often simply ignored. To solve this problem, firstly, it is worth presenting the information in a fairly simple language, and secondly, it is worth finding out which type of provision is more acceptable. Alternatively, consider a way to train managers for different information by providing the same data in different forms.
- Information processing method. This filter makes itself felt during the introduction of boundary conditions, during mathematical data processing. If the method or boundary conditions are chosen incorrectly, it is very likely that some important information will be lost. To avoid these problems, the expert judgment method should be used as it is most appropriate for dealing with the most valuable information.
- Successful installations. This "filter" appears during the use of typical methods for solving problems that arise. More often than not, enterprise employees develop a model of “successful actions” during their work. But under conditions during a change in any factors, such a model may not work or work incorrectly, thus it becomes a kind of brake. The degree of manifestation of this problem can be characterized by the aging of the personnel.
- Real power. This type of “filtering” is often observed in the rejection of various information by the management, because of the threat to their position. At every enterprise, regardless of its size, there are certain groups of people fighting for power. Power can be expressed both in control of any financial flows, and in the ability to influence management. The only way out of this situation can only be an increase in the economic qualifications of management personnel at all levels.
- Middle link resistance. It can manifest itself in the rejection of the management influences of higher management, on the middle link of the enterprise. Also, this filter can manifest itself in shifting the solution of problems to the leadership located above. Most often this happens due to the incompetence of the middle management, as well as due to the fact that they do not have sufficient information to make optimal decisions.
One of the main and really real ways of enterprise development is to create a fairly comfortable information environment that will facilitate the adoption of the right management decisions.
Part of this development may well be finding information filters, as well as working on them, to reduce their impact on the quality of the enterprise.
Conclusion
The society existing today is rightly called information society. The information society means that a fairly significant part of this society is engaged in the creation, storage, and also various types of processing and implementation of information. For the most part, the peculiarity of this society lies in the smooth exchange of information.
A fairly widespread development of computer technology, as well as telecommunications, which makes it possible to collect, store, transform and transmit various types of information in such volumes and with such efficiency, which could not have been dreamed of a few years ago. As a result of the development of new information technologies, any human activity, including his everyday sphere of communication, really increases without limit due to the attraction of a large amount of useful experience, spiritual values \u200b\u200band knowledge that have been developed by world civilization. At the moment, the economy, as an activity or science, is less and less characterized as the production of any material goods and more and more - as the creation and distribution of any information products or services. During a new round of economic development, information gradually became the same as oil or gas, and their derivatives became for the industrial economy: it turns into a kind of "fuel" for acquiring new knowledge that is quite necessary in the new century.
Information flows are the sum of information flows that allows an enterprise to conduct financial and economic activities.
To function normally, an enterprise must receive complete and high-quality information before and after its management makes management decisions.
Good information allows an enterprise to:
- - to obtain competitive advantages;
- - reduce financial risk;
- - to determine the attitude of buyers;
- - justify intuitive decisions;
- - to increase the efficiency of activities;
- - monitor the external environment;
- - coordinate strategy;
- - increase confidence in the agreements reached and the commitments made.
One of the most important conditions for the successful functioning of production as a whole is the availability of such a system of information that would make it possible to link together all activities and manage it based on the principles of a single whole.
Information is collected and analyzed using four supporting systems, which together comprise: internal reporting, market research, information analysis and collection of current external information.
When determining the parameters of the enterprise, financial and accounting statements play a special role. This system of internal reporting displays the indicators of current sales, expenses, quantities of inventories, cash flows, information about receivables and payables.
Continuity of collection is essential for information. This ensures complete clarity in the affairs of your own enterprise, as well as the ability and willingness to provide the market with the right product in the required volumes.
In logistics, types of information flows are distinguished depending on:
- - from the type of systems connected by the flow - horizontal and vertical;
- - from the place of passage - external and internal;
- - from direction in relation to the logistic system - input and output (Fig. 1).
Figure:
Horizontal information flows most often they are informal, they are the most effective from a communicative point of view. They store about 90% of the information. That is, the loss of information during transmission in this way is minimal. This is explained by the fact that people who are at the same level of the service hierarchy find it psychologically easier to understand each other, because they solve similar problems and face similar problems (Fig. 2).
Figure:
Vertical information flows take place between employees or groups of employees at different levels of the hierarchy, for example, between a boss and a subordinate.
In turn, vertical information flows are subdivided into descending (from management to rank-and-file employees in the hierarchy) and ascending (from lower-level employees to higher-level ones) (Fig. 3).
Figure:
External information flows reflect the relationship between the enterprise and economic and political actors operating outside of it. They determine the interaction between the enterprise, its real and potential customers, as well as competitors. The enterprise must constantly monitor the main components of the external environment, which include economic, technological, political and legal, socio-cultural and physical and environmental factors.
Internal information flows - this is the flow of information between various services and levels of the enterprise, for example, a document for the release of materials from a factory warehouse to an enterprise workshop, a document on the release of material resources from one workshop to another, a document on acceptance of finished products, products and parts to the warehouse. Internal information flows clearly characterize the stages of the process: supply, internal production, sales.
The main features of internal information flows are: simplified registration, certified by the signatures of officials, inside individual production units (workshops and sections) often consist of oral messages.
Input information streams is a sequence of documents and data entering the information system for input,
information necessary for solving the problem and located on various media: primary documents, machine media, in the memory of a personal computer. For this purpose, a list of input information and the composition of the requisites of each type of input information, the location of the requisites of the input information, a description of the requisites (fields) of the input documents are compiled.
Output information streams are messages that go beyond one logistic system or one of its subsystems.
The information flow is characterized by the following indicators:
- - source of occurrence;
- - flow direction;
- - transmission and reception speed;
- - flow rate, etc.
The information flow is measured by the amount of processed or transmitted information per unit of time.
Methods for measuring the amount of information contained in a message are studied in a section of cybernetics called information theory. According to this theory, the so-called binary unit, the bit, is taken as a unit of information. When using electronic computers, information is measured in bytes. A byte is a part of a machine word, usually consisting of 8 bits and used as a whole when processing information in a computer.
Derived units of the amount of information are also used: kilobytes and megabytes.
In the practice of economic activity, information can also be measured:
- - the number of processed or transmitted documents;
- - the total number of document lines in the processed or transmitted documents.
It is also necessary to determine the places of collection, input and output of information, forms of its presentation and documentation. To build such systems, it is necessary to use, to the maximum extent possible, modern computer facilities, the possibility of their inclusion in local computer networks and access to international networks, for example, the Internet.
Information flow
In logistics, the following are distinguished types of information flows:
1. depending on the type of systems connected by the flow - horizontal and vertical;
2. depending on the place of passage - external and internal;
3. depending on the direction in relation to the logistics system - input and output.
advancing information flow in the opposite direction contains, as a rule, information about the order; forward information flow in the forward direction - these are preliminary messages about the upcoming arrival of the cargo; simultaneously with the material flow, information flows in the forward direction about the quantitative and qualitative parameters of the material flow; after the material flow in the opposite direction, information on the results of the acceptance of the goods in terms of quantity or quality, various claims, confirmations.
indicators: and etc.
At present, in connection with the development of scientific and technical progress, to facilitate the work, it becomes possible to automate the information flow management system. The information flow can be controlled as follows: by changing the direction of the flow; limiting the transmission rate to an appropriate receive rate; limiting the volume of flow to the value of the throughput of an individual node or section of the track
There is no one-to-one correspondence between MT and IP, i.e. synchronicity in the time of occurrence, direction, etc. IP can be ahead of the MP (negotiating, concluding contracts, etc.) or lag behind it (information on receiving the delivered goods): outstripping information flow in counter direction contains, as a rule, information about the order; outstripping information flow in direct direction - these are preliminary messages about the upcoming arrival of the cargo; at the same time with the material flow, information goes to direct direction on quantitative and qualitative parameters of MP; after behind the material flow in counter information on the results of acceptance of the goods in terms of quantity or quality, various claims, confirmations can pass to the direction.
It is possible that there are several IP accompanying the MP.
Classification of information flows
It is possible to distinguish elementary, key and supporting information flows that accompany the corresponding operations and functions.
Information flows are divided into:
Internal and external (respectively, circulating within the logistics system or between the logistics system and the external environment);
· Horizontal, referring to one level of the hierarchy of the logistics system, and vertical - from the top link of logistics management to the bottom;
· Input and output - in relation to the logistics system (subsystem or link of the logistics system).
By the type of information carriers, the most common are paper streams (documents), and when using computer information processing technologies - on magnetic carriers (magnetic tapes, disks), in the form of electronic videograms, etc.
By the time of occurrence of information, regular (stationary) streams are distinguished, corresponding to a time-regulated data transmission, periodic (with a strict time and duration of transmission) and operational streams that ensure communication of subscribers in interactive and dialog modes on line and offline.
Depending on the purpose, directive (managing), regulatory and reference, informational - for accounting and analysis when making decisions - and auxiliary information flows.
In logistics, the following types of information flows are distinguished (Fig. 2.1.):
Figure: 2.1. Types of information flows in logistics
Depending on the type of systems connected by the flow: horizontal and vertical;
Depending on the place of passage: external and internal;
Depending on the direction in relation to the logistics system: input and output.
Processing information circulating in logistics systems is at the heart of the material management process. In this regard, one of the key concepts of logistics is the concept of information flow.
Information flow - is a set of messages necessary for the management and control of logistics operations that circulate both in the system itself and between this system and the external environment. Information flow can exist in the form of paper and electronic documents.
The information flow can be ahead of the material flow, follow simultaneously with it or after it. In this case, the information flow can be directed both in one direction with the material, and in the opposite direction:
· Advancing information flow in the opposite direction contains, as a rule, information about the order;
· Forward information flow in the forward direction - these are preliminary messages about the forthcoming arrival of the cargo;
· Simultaneously with the material flow, there is information in the forward direction about the quantitative and qualitative parameters of the material flow;
· Following the material flow in the opposite direction, information on the results of cargo acceptance in terms of quantity or quality, various claims, confirmations can pass.
The path along which the information flow moves, in the general case, may not coincide with the route of movement of the material flow.
The information flow is characterized by the following indicators: source of occurrence; flow direction; transmission and reception speed; flow rate, etc.
The information flow can be ahead of the material flow, follow simultaneously with it or after it. In this case, the information flow can be directed both in one direction with the material, and in the opposite direction: advancing information flow in the opposite direction contains, as a rule, information about the order; forward information flow - these are preliminary messages about the upcoming cargo arrival; simultaneously with the material flow, information flows in the forward direction about the quantitative and qualitative parameters of the material flow; following the material flow in the opposite direction, information on the results of the acceptance of the goods in terms of quantity or quality, various claims, confirmations.
The path along which the information flow moves, in the general case, may not coincide with the route of the material flow.
The information flow is characterized by the following indicators: source of occurrence; flow direction; transmission and reception speed; flow rate and etc.
The formation of information systems is impossible without the study of flows in the context of certain indicators. For example, it is impossible to solve the problem of equipping a certain workplace with computers without knowing the amount of information passing through this workplace, as well as without determining the required processing speed.
Information flow can be controlled as follows: by changing the direction of the flow; limiting the transmission rate to an appropriate receive rate; limiting the volume of flow to the value of the throughput of an individual node or section of the path.
Each MT corresponds to some information flow. Information flow (IP) -it is a flow of messages in speech, documentary (paper and electronic) and other forms, generated by the original MT in the considered LAN, between the LAN and the external environment and intended for the implementation of control functions. Table 4.1 shows one of the possible classifications of IP.
Table 2.1. Classification of information flows
| Classification attribute | IP type |
| Attitude to drugs and its links | Internal, external, horizontal, vertical, entrance, exit |
| Type of information carriers | On paper, on magnetic media, optical, digital, electronic |
| Frequency of use | Regular, periodic, operational |
| Purpose of information | Directive (managerial), normative reference, accounting and analytical, auxiliary |
| The degree of openness | Open, closed, secret |
| Data transfer method | By courier, post, telephone, telegraph, teletype, e-mail, fax, over telecommunication networks |
| Information exchange mode | "On-line", "off line" |
| Directivity relative to MP | In the forward direction from the MP, in the opposite direction from the MP |
| Synchronization with MP | Leading, simultaneous, subsequent |
The information flow is measured by the amount of processed or transmitted information per unit of time.
Methods for measuring the amount of information contained in any message are studied in a section of cybernetics called information theory. According to this theory, the so-called binary unit, the bit, is taken as a unit of information. When using electronic computers, information is measured in bytes. A byte is a part of a machine word, usually consisting of 8 bits and used as a whole when processing information in a computer.
Derived units of the amount of information are also used: kilobytes and megabytes.
In the practice of economic activity, information can also be measured: the number of processed or transmitted documents; the total number of document lines in the processed or transmitted documents.
The reporting consists of numerous generalized, detailed and special references, which provide information support for logistics operations. The movement of the information flow, connecting all these components, takes place through communication channels.
Logistic information flows are characterized by:
· Heterogeneity (information used in logistics systems is qualitatively heterogeneous). It should be noted that homogeneity in linear programming and, in particular, in the transport problem is understood as the unlimited possibility of transporting products from any point of departure to any point of destination.
With regard to the process of information movement within the logistics system, the requirement of homogeneity also implies the unlimited possibility of transferring any document to any structural unit of the management apparatus;
· A plurality of departments - information providers;
· A plurality of departments - consumers of information;
· The complexity and difficulty of practical visibility of information routes;
· Multiplicity of number of transmissions of units of documentation for each route;
· Multivariate optimization of information flows.
Methodologically important from the point of view of logistics is the definition of the interaction of material and information flows. It was always believed that the material flow generates information flow, that is, the primacy of the material flow was postulated. However, modern information technologies have changed the sequence of interaction of material and information flows, and at present there are three options for their interaction.
1. The information flow is ahead of the material one. In this case, the information flow receives information about the achievement of material flows (forward direction) or it contains information about the order (opposite direction).
2. Information accompanies the material flow, moves simultaneously with it. This flow is information about the quantitative and qualitative parameters of material flows, which allows you to correctly and quickly assess their condition and make the necessary regulatory decisions.
3. Information flow lags behind material flows. In this case, the information is only used to evaluate the results.
Any logistics company, and not only needs advertising. Small format ads are great for growing companies with a small advertising budget. In order for the name of a company, store or organization to become familiar enough to the eye of a potential consumer, there is nothing better than reminding him of our existence within the walls of his home.
Logistics companies are very closely related to the consumer market - these are cargo transportation, delivery of grocery and industrial goods, warehouses, including wholesale, small wholesale, and this is a small business and, accordingly, advertising is very relevant not only on large stands, but also advertising at the entrances, leaflets in mailboxes, etc.
An increasing number of Russian businesses are beginning to study the problems associated with information flows. What is this phenomenon? How important are information flows for the development of organizations? What are the features of the application of the methodology for their study for enterprises in different industries?
The practical significance of information flows
Among the areas in which information flows are of greatest practical importance is enterprise management.
In order to increase the efficiency of the release of goods, as well as their quality, master the production of new types and introduce advanced technologies, company leaders use a wide range of scientific and applied methods.
Information flows in the organization to a large extent contribute to the quality work of managers in all the noted areas.
By researching them, companies can successfully solve the problems associated with the exploitation of existing production resources.
Application of information flows in production
Let's consider by means of what mechanisms the information flows in the enterprise are involved. As a rule, companies try to build them in system projections. The basis for the formation of which are information resources (having both internal corporate and external origin).
A typical model of information flows in a company, as we said above, reflects the interest of the company's management in improving the quality of management. Building it involves solving the following main tasks:
- implementation of control systems on production lines;
- analysis of the quality of information sources, its collection, assessment of the significance and prospects of involvement in business;
- modeling the mechanisms of the direct influence of information on production processes;
- creation and updating of the corporate knowledge base;
The specific algorithm for building the model depends, as a rule, on the industry specifics of the company. In some segments, the exchange of information both within the corporation and with the external market can be difficult due to secrecy or technological difficulties in compiling data into files and then transferring them to the addressee.
No generally accepted classification criteria that would allow us to unambiguously name the types of information flows have not yet been developed in the modern Russian marketing school. Too many problematic aspects reflecting data exploration. However, among experts, the model that divides streams into types depending on the nature of the information is quite common. So, they can be:
- financial;
- technological;
- marketing;
This is, of course, far from being an exhaustive classification of information flows. Of course, the list goes on. Specific examples of information flows can be very different. It is only important not to confuse them due to their consonance with industry-specific phenomena. For example, channels of financial and information flows that imply settlements in cash and non-cash form, reflecting information, statistical or analytical, about the movement of funds are not the same thing. However, the former can be complemented quite qualitatively by the latter.
Leveraging Streams as a Competitive Tool
If a company has implemented a correctly functioning system of information flows, then this can become a significant competitive advantage of the company. In what aspects?
First of all, in the management of technological processes. When the responsible employees of the company are appropriately supplied with the necessary information, this allows them to more effectively optimize certain stages of production. The information obtained by experts allows us to identify the technologies that are most significant from the point of view of business profitability, as well as implement those that are most likely to become such.
Another advantage that the analysis of information flows gives is an improvement in the quality of management at the personnel level.
Possessing the necessary data, corporate personnel management structures have in their hands a tool that allows them to organize the work of internal corporate structures more efficiently.
Another competitive factor that a company can get by using information flows in its work is the better distribution of financial and material resources.
Possessing the necessary information, managers will know in what volumes and where cash flows and raw materials should be directed more intensively, and where less.
All three noted factors make the firm stronger in potential confrontation with competitors. Information flows make it possible, first of all, to overtake market players due to better building communication between internal corporate structures. As a result, production is more efficient, profitability is higher, more competitive than prices, which means a growing attractiveness in the eyes of buyers or clients in their segment.
Information management practice
By what practical mechanisms do companies manage information flows? As a rule, the exchange of data and their analysis is based on the interaction of employees responsible for work in the relevant areas, through internal corporate documents, network and web resources, and sometimes financial sources. They, as a rule, in the most reliable form (as opposed to, for example, oral negotiations, correspondence between employees, etc.) sets out the current (or planned) state of affairs in a particular structure of the organization.
There is a special category of persons involved in the management of the corporate information system - information generators. They own the "authorship" of the data types mentioned above. The main nuance here is that in an enterprise (especially if it is a large company) in some cases it is problematic to identify specific employees who participated in the generation of certain information. The main reason is that a significant part of documents (especially financial ones) go through multi-stage procedures for approval and adjustment at the level of various levels of management.
The work of the "authors" of information flows can be both spontaneous (that is, documents are formed as a side of the main labor activity, a product), and carried out in a regular manner - these can be specialists whose task is to generate as much data relevant to the company's activities as possible.
The data extracted from internal corporate documents and other sources with signs of reliability are loaded into the information system (we agree that the company already has it). After that, the information is analyzed and a decision is made on how to use the documents. If they are prescriptive (for example, they are instructions), then managers may find it necessary to make adjustments to them, or, conversely, leave them unchanged. If these are, say, accounting papers, then the corresponding conclusions on them can be transferred to the financial department for subsequent analysis and reporting.
In the end, it all comes down to the fact that information flows are somehow involved. And those that are not of practical use were excluded from circulation. Applied relevance is the main criterion of information in an enterprise.
Network technologies
A number of experts call the use of network technologies the main criterion for the quality of the functioning of a corporate information system. What does this mean?
The fact is that the movement of information flows, ideally, according to experts, should take place according to the multi-vector principle. That is, the fewer closed (as well as unidirectional) channels, the better. The more competent people are involved in generating and sharing data, the more efficient the business. From a technological point of view, the most optimal channel for their interaction will be the network. In practice, this can be a corporate website. This is not necessarily public - access from Internet users can be fully or partially restricted.
Network technologies are, of course, also useful in terms of building relationships between the company and external players, who, by the way, can also be generators of information. External information flows, outgoing, for example, in the form of customer requests or commercial offers from other organizations, in many cases are data of applied significance.
For example, having received from customers a certain set of requests for the release of goods with characteristics that are not yet characteristic of the manufactured products, the company's management may decide to launch these products into production. Because the buyer wants to see them on the counter, who has communicated his wishes through the information channel provided by the company. The ability to communicate with customers can also be ranked as a competitive advantage in business.
Information quality criteria
Having considered how external and internal information flows are formed, we can study the criteria that determine the quality of information entering the internal corporate circulation. Experts rank as such:
- relevance (timeliness);
- truthfulness (verifiability);
- relevance (reflection of real problems);
- utility (applied value);
- clarity (unambiguous interpretation);
- completeness (no need to clarify facts);
The process, which involves checking information circulating within the company for the above criteria, some experts call controlling (from the English. Control). The task of the specialists responsible for this work is to minimize the presence of data in the company's information system that does not meet the criteria.
About controlling
A number of experts put additional meaning in the term "controlling". In particular, it is believed that this is an activity associated not only with the analysis of the quality of information, but also with its interpretation, identifying aspects that affect the applied significance of information. In addition, there are specialists who reduce the meaning of the term "controlling" only to the activities of the financial and economic structures of the enterprise. That is, in their opinion, all the information that is in circulation within the company should ultimately be used in order to optimize profits and costs. Any information flow scheme in accordance with this concept should be analyzed for its impact on business profitability.
There are experts who somewhat narrow the functions of controlling specialists. In their theory, this activity should be limited only to collecting information from various generators and distributing it to competent departments. In some cases, the controllers can form the optimal, according to their assessment, structure of the information flow, the format of its presentation. Experts believe that its analysis and interpretation should be dealt with by structures specializing in one or another direction of the enterprise's work.
That is, relatively speaking, the statistics reflecting the consumption of paint in the production of toys should be transferred to the specialists responsible for the corresponding production stage. Financial data - to accounting, etc. Controlling only implies a statistical function. Research of information flows is performed by the competent structures of the company
The value of information flow management
Let's try to determine in what aspects the greatest value of information flow management is expressed. Let us agree that controlling is one of the central functions in this process (and not only in terms of data collection and structuring).
The main characteristic of information flows is the concentration of management goals. The totality of data circulating within the corporation predetermines a qualitative increase in the level of knowledge of each of the departments, largely due to interaction with other structures of the company and mutual awareness of the relevance of the tasks facing the enterprise.
Working with information flows, as well as controlling (provided that it is used sufficiently deeply), allows you to discover weaknesses in business. Individual production links are being improved, the company's products are becoming better and more competitive.
Working with information flows involves concentrating the company's resources (not only material, but also personnel), identifying the strongest sides in the business model, finding new sources of increasing competitiveness, introducing innovative mechanisms for organizing production that have not been previously tested in the company.
Use of information flows in logistics
In what other areas are information flows actively used? In logistics it is unambiguous. What could be the reason for this?
For businesses operating in the production and sale of goods, not only information flows, but also a wide variety of material flows are characteristic - the movement of products from the plant to consumers, with or without intermediaries, within the country and abroad. Actually, logistics, which has developed into an independent industry, is responsible for this function. Its most important characteristic is that information and material flows can be studied simultaneously in it. How?
Experts believe that effective management of material flows directly depends on the quality of information processing that circulates in logistics systems.
Much here depends on the level of knowledge possessed by managers and specialists carrying out the relevant analysis.
The fact is that logistics is a relatively new area for Russia. And the criteria that are typical for information systems, say, of a banking or industrial type, are not entirely compatible with this industry.
First of all, experts say, at the level of methods and principles. From a technological point of view, the logistics information flow can well be investigated by traditional tools. But how to correctly use them in the methodological aspect, Russian logistics is just learning to understand, experts say.
At the same time, industry experts, as analysts say, are making some progress. This is mainly due to the intensive computerization of the logistics sector. Now the majority of employees of Russian companies have access to PCs and network technologies; software relevant to research and analytical tasks is being actively developed. Logistics companies get more opportunities to be open within the framework of network technologies - both in terms of interaction with other market players and in terms of exchanging data with customers.