Decision Support Systems

Decision support systems have become very prevalent in today’s business world.  Decision support systems (DSS) are a specific class of computerized information system that supports business and organizational decision-making activates [1]  When a company faces a major decision, decision support systems are used to attain all relative data.  Typical information that a decision support application might gather and present would be:

·      Accessing all of your current information assets, including legacy and relational data sources, cubes, data warehouses and data marts

·      Comparative sales figures between one week and the next

·      Projected revenue figures based on new product sales assumptions

·      The consequences of different decision alternatives, given past experience in a context that is described [1]

Decision support systems can be used to make many different decisions.  Depending on the type of business the company does, and how big the company is, big decisions can be made frequently.  Another reason a company may use a DSS is that if they make the wrong decision, the result could cripple the company for years, maybe even force it to shut down.  

A company could also use a decision support system is to find ways that they could cut cost, while not loosing quality in their product.  Sometimes they will look for a way to improve the product, while keeping costs the same.  Typically, business planners will build a DSS system according to their needs and use it to evaluate specific operations, including:

1.    A large stock of inventory, where decision support system applications can provide guidance on establishing supply chain movement that works for a business.

2.    A sales process, where decision support systems software is a “crustal ball” that helps managers theorize how changes will affect results.

3.    Other specialized processes related to a field or industry. [2]

One field that decision support systems have become a very important tool in is healthcare.  Healthcare professionals do not always have time to research a patient ailment.  Information systems that bring medical and patient information to physicians to support diagnostic and treatment decisions help improve patient safety and manage costs. [3] 

Healthcare professionals have many scholarly articles and medical books that they have to research medical conditions in.  However, DSS can help reduce the amount of time it takes them. Data mining may be conducted to examine the patient’s medical history in conjunction with relevant clinical research.  Such analysis can help predict potential events, which can range from drug interactions to disease symptoms. [4]  This can help get a patient diagnosed and healed at a quicker pace then before decision support systems were available.

Decision support systems will continue to be beneficial to managers for years to come.  They will continue to provide the companies with plenty of data required making their decisions, in less time then they would have been able to prior to the invention of DSS.   The DSS can continue to help managers cut costs while improving quality and increasing profits for many more years.

[1]   http://www.informationbuilders.com/decision-support-systems-dss

[2]   http://www.business.com/guides/decision-support-systems-dss-applications-and-uses-34372/

[3]   http://www.kmworld.com/Articles/Editorial/Features/Decision-support-systems-prove-vital-to-healthcare-19133.aspx

[4]   http://searchhealthit.techtarget.com/definition/clinical-decision-support-system-CDSS