Planning for computer-based management information systems for municipal corporations

Abstract

Consequent to the recommendations of the administrative reforms commission, some serious attempts have been made to introduce formal management information system in central and state government departments. The present study attempts to provide some help in that direction to urban local government in which such conscious efforts have so far not been made. The study confines to planning of computer-based MIS for municipal corporations.

Findings of the study are based on the understanding gained from the study of working of two municipal corporations in Gujarat activity ‘Analysis approach’ was reported to in this study.

‘MIS’ as the name implies is a system to provide informational support for the managerial activities for an organization. A conceptual framework has been given (a) to clearly understand the management system in the municipal corporation and (b) to identify and organize the information to support the management system. It helps the data processing people to understand clearly the various managerial functions and their inter-linkages. It enables the municipal authorities to give purposeful direction for the development of computer-based information system.

MIS proposed is a federation of the following subsystem: (1) Subsystem for comprehensive planning, (2) Subsystem for project management/ control (3) Subsystem for performance evolution of services K(management control), (4) Subsystem for administrative control. An operations-based system has been suggested to identify and organize the information . consistent with the concept of operations-based system appropriate files have been suggested which will help operating needs as well as provide planning data base. A suitable codification scheme to act as a linkage among files has been suggested. Meaningful information / parameters have also been given evaluate the performance of many of the services which are difficult to measure quantitatively. Guidance for the implementation the system have been given