CSC 301: COMPUTER CENTER

MANAGEMENT
 CSC 301
• The essential objective of this course is to explore those technological and
management tools which can help computer center managers to optimize
computer systems performance.
• The course is devoted to the study of analytical and empirical tools for
arriving at decisions and guidelines to improve the administration of
computer center functions.
• Course materials
– no specific textbooks
– Notes, online materials and publications.
• In addition to the available materials, you are expected to read extensively
from current literature and embark on field trips if necessary to complete
your assignments and projects.
• Registration page
– http://teaching.yfolajimi.com/register.html
• Course page:
– http://teaching.yfolajimi.com/csc301.html
 Course outline
• 1. Introduction to Computer Centre
• 2. Overview of Computer Centre Management
• 3. Administration and functions of computer center.
• 4. Planning and organizing computer operations
• 5. Computer Center Staffing and personnel management
• 6. Computer selection and performance evaluation
• 7. Software evaluation and management
• MID SEMESTER EVALUATION
• 8. Microcomputer and office automation management
• 9. Data Centre structure and administration
• 10. Data centre network architecture, management and security
• 11. Introduction to IT Service Management
• 12. IT service management metrics
• 13. Case study and Project
 Topic 1: Introduction to computer
center
• Computer Center
– an enterprise designed to perform complex and labor-consuming
computational work using electronic computers
• general-purpose computer centers,
• computer centers for processing economic information,
• computer centers for controlling manufacturing processes.
• A general-purpose computer center
– performs mathematical, scientific-technical, and economic
calculations, as well as operations dealing with the programming of
problems.
– assists in formulating and preparing problems and carries on
consultations on questions of the organization of users’ own computer
centers or laboratories.
– conducts scientific research work in the field of automation of
programming and numerical methods of mathematical and technical
digital computer operation.
 Computer Center
• Computer centers for processing economic information
– are usually the central elements of automated control systems for enterprises
or sectors of the national economy and are administratively subordinate to
the corresponding control bodies (ministries, central boards, plant
managements, and so on).
– They perform regulated work on plan calculations, processing of reports,
financial and book-keeping calculations, and also single technical and
economic calculations. To perform this work, such computer centers
constantly store large volumes of normative and reference data (in the form of
machine archives).
• Computer centers for controlling production processes
– work in real time, automatically receiving raw data from a large number of
sensors of the parameters of processes and issuing control instructions (in a
rigidly assigned cycle) to the operating members (propulsion, heating, and
other units).
– Special requirements for speed and reliability of operation are demanded of
these computer centers.
 Computer Center
• Depending on the volume of work, the three types of computer centers
may have various equipment and may be distinguished according to their
productivity.
– 1. centers that have six to eight large digital computers with speeds of 20,000-
50,000 operations per second (the Minsk-32, M-220, BESM-4, and so on) or
two to three computers with speeds of 600,000-800,000 operations per
second (the BESM-6). In addition, these computer centers have six to eight
systems of punched card equipment, keyboard computers, document
duplicating equipment, and communications equipment. A computer center
of the first category has 50-100 scientific workers, 100-200 engineers, and
200-300 technicians, laboratory workers, and auxiliary workers.
– 2. centers that have approximately one-half of the equipment and personnel
of the first-category center,
– 3. The third-category computer center has about one-third.
• In certain cases the equipment of the computer center includes analog
computers, which are designed primarily to solve problems of modeling
dynamic processes (rocket flights, the operation of power systems, and so
on).
 Computer Center
• computer centers are distinguished according to structure.
• The general-purpose computer center has three primary subdivisions: a sector for
mathematical preparation of problems and programming; a sector for the
technical operation of electronic computers; and a sector for auxiliary operations
(punching, duplication, power supply, and material support).
• A computer center for processing economic information has subdivisions that are
specialized according to the types of economic problems (planning of production,
material-technical supply, financial and bookkeeping service, and so on), as well as
subdivisions for receiving all input information and for sorting results. In addition,
these computer centers usually have specialized subdivisions for product
classifiers, for managing the norm system, and for collecting and processing
operational information arriving through communications channels (the so-called
automated data control point).
• Computer centers for controlling production processes do not have large
subdivisions of programmers or economists, since the sets of problems and
programs of these centers are predetermined and do not change during the
process of operation. Here most of the employees are engineers and technicians
who run the computers and equipment for automatic communications with the
controlled systems.
 Computer Center Planning
• the development of information processing resources over a specified period of time in a manner
that supports organizational growth and development
• must include :
– an objective
– an estimate the information processing requirements over the plan period.
– An estimate of the computing resources requirements over the same period, as well as alternatives and
trade-offs and recommendations for the cost of the acquisition of these resources.
– criteria and milestones to evaluate the execution of the plan.
• Organizations require Strategic, Tactical and Operational plans
• Planning:
– shapes the objectives and goals of the organization.
– seldom changes over time.
– It should identify the general path, or intents, of the organization.
– Each department should have its own strategic plan which satisfy and support the organization's.
– A system plan must fit the business plan. This is one of the most important concepts in a Computer Center.
Without full knowledge of the expected long range changes in the organization, no computer center can
effectively and efficiently satisfy the computational needs.
– E.g:
• Commitment to utilize latest technological offering
• commitment to reach a paperless organization.
• Each plan must consider three major items: Software, Hardware and Manpower Requirements
 Issues to be included in a plan
• 1) Evaluate the current system's performance and
capability.
• 2) Determine the current workload and resource
utilization.
• 3) Develop a current workload profile.
• 4) Estimate future data processing requirements.
• 5) Identify resources expected to be available in future.
• 6) Develop a plan to cost/effectively meet the
requirements.
• 7) Document and communicate the planning results.
 The planning process
• 1) Survey the work processed by time of day,
week, and month.
• 2) Determine resource utilization.
• 3) Identify peak and non-peak periods.
• 4) Choose periods for workload profile
preparation.
 organization of the Computer Center
• Computer Center is divided into three main groups
– Operations, User Services, and Systems Support
• Operations
– responsible for all processing services and the efficient
operation of the equipment
• The user services Group
– staffed by professional programmers who are responsible for
providing technical assistance to the Center's users
• E.g. Consulting, Program Libraries, Documentation, Programming
Assistance, Educational Services, and Microcomputer Support &
Services.
• The Systems Support Group,
– responsible for providing technical assistance and maintenance
of system software
COST JUSTIFICATION OF CURRENT AND
FUTURE COMPUTER RESOURCES
• justification methodologies have concentrated of
labor cost savings, i.e., manpower reduction
– This type of argument is no longer relevant
• the Information Systems improve the productivity of
employees instead of reducing the manpower
• Cost justification method:
– classify employees into categories,
• e.g., Managers, Senior Professionals, Junior Professionals,
Administrators, and Secretaries.
• Identify the type of activities each category
executes
 Cost justification method
• Work Profile without New Office Automation System

• Work Profile with New Office Automation System

 Cost justification method

• calculate the cost of labor prior to the

implementation of the new information
system
• calculate the increase in productivity due to
the information system.
• If the cost of the new system is greater than
the increase, then the system should not be
implemented.
EVALUATION OF EXISTING SYSTEM / IDENTIFICATION OF
NEW SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
• The computer center is responsible for providing the user the best
performance possible in the most efficient manner.
– i.e satisfying user requirements and needs. The user
• satisfaction is usually measured in time units and the ease with
which he/she can achieve their objectives.
– E.g. turn around time, response time, time since the requested
addition of new software till the time the software is available, and
how easy it is to use this software-man machine interface.
• Performance evaluation, when effectively employed, has
contributed substantially to bringing down the cost of data
processing while increasing the level of user satisfaction
• Unfortunately, only a small fraction of the organizations are using
performance evaluation effectively.
 EVALUATION OF EXISTING SYSTEM / IDENTIFICATION
OF NEW SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
• Factors that determine whether the potential benefits of performance evaluation can
be realized:
• 1. The organization of the data processing department.
• 2. The position of the data processing department within the organization.
• 3. The knowledge, effectiveness and interest of the senior data processing manager
and/or the top level
• managers within the organization.
• 4. The human and computer resources dedicated.
• 5. The effectiveness of communications within the data processing department and
between it and the users of services.
• 6. We may classify performance evaluation into two areas;
– identification of new system requirements and ;
– attributes and the second studies the existing system performance.
• Performance evaluation of existing systems is a continuous process which has to be
performed on a periodical basis. The computer is a dynamic environment, new users
are added practically on a daily basis, existing users utilization pattern changes as
more programs become available and as user requirements changes.
IDENTIFICATION OF NEW HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS

1. Identify both requirements and attributes of the

system
– Requirements are constraints that the system must satisfy.
They specify what the system must be able to do.
– Attributes are constraints or options and user desires that
a good system should (not must) satisfy.
– The process of identifying requirements is divided into two
phases:
• requirements analysis and requirements synthesis.
– Each user needs and application functional requirements
are analyzed, projection of future needs, and the
important functions identified
IDENTIFICATION OF NEW HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS

2. Translate the identified needs into requirements

and attributes.
– Requirements may be defined in terms in computational
speed, I/O and memory requirements
3. calculate the computational, processor speed and
memory requirements of the system.
– The main memory space for a user programs is
estimated using the average residence requirement per
user program and the maximum level of
multiprogramming needed toachieve the required
performance.
IDENTIFICATION OF NEW HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS
• 4. combine these calculations based on the time of day
and number of users, etc.
– The result identify the specific system computational
requirements.
– The same process is repeated for other requirements and
trade offs are made.
– Issues to be addressed:
– Processor Speed. – Availability and Capability of
Operating System.
– I/O capabilities.
– Type and Availability of
– Percentage Utilization of Peripherals.
resources. – Flexibility.
– Cost/Performance ratio. – Expandability.
– Bus Complexity.
– Memory Size.
– Executive Complexity.
– Availability of Software. – Availability.
IDENTIFICATION OF NEW HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS

• 5. identify those characteristics that the

system must have (Requirements) and those
that the system should have (Attributes)
• A technical specification is developed and
used in the request for bids
 HARDWARE UTILIZATION EFFICIENCY
• The efficiency of hardware utilization is performed using specialized
software packages, called monitors, which not only identify areas
requiring reviews in the software and hardware, e.g., reorganization of
disks, but also system utilization charts which may be used to investigate
growth pattern and to recommend updates.
• A system performance analysis requires carrying out the time, space and
allocation analysis.
– It is usually advantageous to carry out the time analysis first.
– Typical measurements are the percent busy of the processor and other devices, the
systems throughput, average throughput rate, and turn around time
– The space analysis measure the ability of the main memory and secondary storage to
simultaneously store the data, the software code, and the user program code needed to
meet the performance requirements
– The allocation analysis measure the efficiency of allocation of the system.
• Other typical measurements:
– work load to be processed
– turn around times to be met by month, day and hour.
• Periods of heaviest processing loads and shortest turn around time requirements are of special
importance.
 VENDOR EVALUATION AND FACILITY DESIGN

• Early computers were stand alone systems.

• Today there is a strong
• trend towards cooperative computing or distributed
computing.
• Current trend is intelligent allocation of resources in
cloud computing
• The decision to choose a computer must be altered to
a decision to choose a family of computers.
• The consequence is that a choice of vendor must now
be determined not only on the characteristics on a
specific machine a vendor is offering, but also on his
line of machines.
COMPUTER-FAMILY SELECTION METHODOLOGY

• Computer systems have become more complex and in

many cases require periodic reconfiguration to upgrade
them. Management and DP staff must, therefore,
adopt a new philosophy and techniques to adapt the
selection process to the information systems policy.
• It is necessary to change from "conventional" selection
procedures to new methodologies that are more
flexible and lead to a better solution of the
organization's information problems.
• One such method is the selection of a computer family.
COMPUTER-FAMILY SELECTION METHODOLOGY

• basic definition of a computer-family:

– A family of computers of the same type, consisting of
several models from the same manufacturer's product
line, ranging from microcomputer to mainframe, with
full compatibility in the operating system and the
system's software, to enable transfer of application
software from one family member to another without
changes
• Selecting a computer-family will enable the
organization to better implement its DDP policy,
and provide it with more capabilities
COMPUTER-FAMILY SELECTION METHODOLOGY

• Selecting a Computer-family: evaluation and selection

methodology
1. Identification of possible vendors and manufacturers.
2. Primary elimination of irrelevant candidates.
3. Determination of mandatory requirements.
4. Examination of vendors' compliance with mandator
requirements.
5. Setting quantitative and qualitative criteria and respective
weighing scale.
6. Writing the RFP to be addressed to selected vendors.
7. Receiving, comparing and analyzing bids.
8. Concluding final list of vendors.
9. Performance of hardware and software benchmarks.
10. Drawing final conclusions and selection of best family.
 SELECTION PROCEDURES
• Factors affecting the computer center manager’s decision on
hardware and software acquisition:
– External: armies of salesmen from the various vendors
– Internal: demands of users for processing power and from
the technical staff for the latest advancements.
• The computer center manager must not delegate
responsibility for establishing acquisition policy, determining
the evaluation criteria, and controlling the thoroughness of
the evaluation
• acquisition should not deviate from the strategic/tactical
objectives of the Center
• Management control should assure that the entire acquisition
process is done with more precision and thoroughness than it
customarily receives
 SELECTION PROCEDURES

• acquisition procedure
– 1. Preparatory steps: forming an evaluation team.
– 2. Obtaining proposals: including (a) Prepare if
necessary, request for information, (b) prepare
request for proposals, (c) conduct bidders conference.
Evaluating proposals: how to select vendor?
– 4. Financing the acquisition.
– 5. Negotiating the contract pocedure
• In actual practice, financing and contract
agreements affect evaluation and selection
 SELECTION PROCEDURES
(Acquisition)
1. Preparatory Steps
– Selecting computing equipment is a process of
matching the desired functions to be performed
against the capabilities of alternate configurations:
• Identify users’ neds
• study what vendors offer.
• state your needs to vendors.
2. Obtaining Proposals
• requests for proposals (RFPs) are prepared by
users and submitted to vendors
 SELECTION PROCEDURES
(Acquisition)
• 2. Obtaining Proposals (Contd)
– Some vendors are likely to be eliminated due to:
• doubts about their reliability or
• their inability to provide services wanted.
– Other vendors are eliminated by considering their ability to meet
mandatory requirements
• RFPs must include:
1. Statement of purpose.
5. Desirable requirements.
2. Deadline for proposals.
6. Request for proposal specifics.
3. Date for the bidders conference. 7. Request for user-support
4. Mandatory requirements. requirements
• If too many vendors still qualify, they can be narrowed further
by obtaining more information by issuing a request for
information.
 SELECTION PROCEDURES
(Acquisition)
3. State Your Needs to Vendors
– Ensure that vendor proposals in response to the
procurement specification serve as the basis for sound
decisions.
– The specification must be as clear as possible
– spell out clear procurement specifications to give bid
guidance to suppliers, making sure to include
coverage of areas of usage, job schedules, hardware,
software communications, maintenance support,
education/training and bid terms.
 HOW TO EVALUATE VENDOR PROPOSALS

• review proposals on the basis of such factors as pricing,

fit of proposed equipment to specific needs, future
growth potential, vendor qualifications, equipment
maintenance, installation, assistance and delivery, etc.
• Rating analysis:
1. Vendor qualifications. 7. Future growth
2. Differences in hardware
implementation. 8. Equipment compatibility.
3. Software architecture. 9. Risk factors.
4. Software availability. 10. Scoring system and the
5. Reliability and field engineering
support preferred alternative.
6. Price/performance 11. Rent, lease, purchase decision.
A process view of systyem configuration
 FACILITIES DESIGN
• Facility design involve preinstallation planning,
building requirements, environmental
requirements, magnetic recording media
storage, safety and fire precautions.
• In some cases, vendor will support proposals
to help customer design their facilities
 FACILITIES DESIGN
1. Preinstallation Site Planning
a) Establish Planning Group
– includes computer vendor representatives, engineering
consultants, and other consultants
– This group will consult with and advise the Computer center
manager on the course of action, objectives, and progress of
installation.
– The manger will be in charge of overall operation and will
coordinate the physical planning with the procedures and general
planning.
b) Location
– User must decided on a suitable location for thecomputer area.
– In the real world, location always decided by the manager of
Computer Center
• unadvised decision will affect the operation of whole systems
c) Schedule
– computer center manager should take note of discrepancies and
prepare an adequate schedule.
 FACILITIES DESIGN
2. Building Requirements
• Factors to consider in selecting a location for the
computer installation:
1. Availability and location of proper and adequate
power (including standby power where required).
2. Space to house air conditioning equipment
(compressor and air handing location and placement of
cooling tower or evaporative condenser).
3. Ceiling height, outside wall area, and glass area
4. Work flow to other areas such as academic
department, etc.
5. Proper safety and fire prevention procedures
 FACILITIES DESIGN
3. Environment Requirements
• Temperature and humidity in the computer room
must be controlled within the limits given by the
manufacturer.
4. Magnetic Recording Media Storage
• manager he should set up a cost-effective policy
about back up requirements
5. Safety and Fire Precautions
• choice of a computer location, building materials
used, fire prevention equipment, air conditioning
and electrical systems, and personnel training.
 OPERATIONS
• the operations of a computer center are so
complex and highly diverse activities.
• For most computer centers the problem is
how to control operations effectively
• Two most important operations within a
computer center are:
• operations documentation and
• production control.
 OPERATIONS DOCUMENTATION
• Uses of documentation
1. Management Tool--As a management tool to provide the
necessary material to review a new system or program.
2. Communication Linkage--Simplify program revisions by
providing details in support of each program, and
since the most cost (80%) is the maintenance cost,
program documentation can reduce the whole cost.
3. Reference--Provides the communication necessary for
presenting a clear and detailed picture of the new
system to all effected personnel.
4. Aids in instructing new personnel.
5. Documentation Standards--Serves as one basis for an
evaluation of internal controls.
 OPERATIONS DOCUMENTATION
• Levels of Documentation
– Policy
• Policy statement should cover the general policy, computer equipment use, and how the
policy will be applied
– Procedures
• Implement a standard operating procedure manual which specifies for all personnel the
standard methods to be used in the center. This will include standard procedures for
system analysis, programming, and operations.
– Standards
• A standard is a rule for the measure of quality in a computer center.
• Performance standards aid in planning, controlling costs, and in evaluating performance.
• Computer center should set standards for
1. Common program language.
2. Equipment selection procedures.
3. Print character sets.
4. Flowcharting.
5. Documentation procedures.
6. Tape labeling.
 OPERATIONS DOCUMENTATION
• Operating Documentation Requirements
1. A cover letter which describes the benefits of the system to
management.
2. A table of contents which allows a quick reference to an
individual area of concern.
3. Narrative that states objectives and constraints of the
system.
4. Flowcharters, data flow diagrams, or data dictionary, etc.
5. File specifications that describe the master file creation,
edits, updates, output creation, file clean up, and utility
programs.
6. Test procedures including data that will be its alternatives.
7. Performance criteria.
 OPERATIONS DOCUMENTATION
• Control
a. Review and Approval Cycle
• To assert effective management control over a system and its documentation, checkpoints
must be developed where either a management design review or a technical design review
take place.
• The reviews are to provide planning visibility, assure technical quality, and insure timely
resource allocation.
• No system or job should be put into the production environment without total operational
acceptance of the system.
• A sign-off sheet with signatures from each managerial level within the computer center, should
be forwarded to the Director before he accepts the system.
• Within implementing a system, time for the documentation to flow through this loop must be
planned.
b. Audit
minimum acceptable set of documentation in auditing
1. Problem statement.
2. System flowchart.
3. Operator instructions.
4. Record layouts.
5. Processing time.
6. Approval and change sheet.
7. Set-up information.
 PRODUCTION CONTROL
1. Nature of Production Control
a. Objectives
1. Plan and control computer center resources.
2. Provide service at reasonable cost.
3. Be responsible to user needs.
b. Functions
1. Forecast demand.
2. Schedule.
3. Monitor.
4. Control must be established over the basic operations that need to be performed to
process a job. These include: Job initiation, set-up, routing, dispatching and follow-up.
c. Relationship with Input/output
– Operations means that you are involved in an input/output situation;
therefore, we must exercise control over:
1. set guidelines on user input.
2. provide the user information on computer resources.
3. establish effective lines of communication within the organization and with the user.
4. establish a control system which provides job and resource status at regular
intervals.
 PRODUCTION CONTROL
• 2. Understanding the Product
– identify your products so that you will know where to
plac
– Look for deliverable end items; these are your
– products.
– Your products may be: time, reports, or service, or
their combinations
3. User Interface with Operations
– Define the User
– Identify user Interfacing Area
– Controlling User Requests
 PRODUCTION CONTROL
4. Distribution
– 1. The end of the line for all the data preparation, processing both
human and computer, and control is here in the distribution area. If
they do not perform their tasks correctly and on time, the effort of all
other areas is wasted. The primary functions are: decollating, bursting,
packaging.
– Distribution must be prepared to communicate with the user
community and with the I/O control, scheduling, and programming
departments. The primary question will concern job status and final
quality checks by I/O control.
5. Quality Control
– The center's standards should cover programming practices as well as
operating and control procedures.
– Procedural standards define clearly how each task is to be done.
– Performance standards are used to aid planning and toevaluate
performance.
– The production control function consists of activities which monitor
the processing and insure that no data is lost or mishandled.
 PRODUCTION CONTROL
6. Responsibility
– The primary responsibility rests with top management who
must review organization and control practices, and evaluate
the performance of the computer center. You as computer
center managers, must keep top management informed as to
your needs and the state of the art so that wise decisions can
be made.
– Systems and programming have the responsibility of defining
the type of controls and the check points for each new
system they install.
– Quality control does pay off in improved and satisfied users.
– The responsibility in the computer center starts when data is
received in the input area, where it is logged and batched,
and then moves to data preparation, and then back to input
control, processing, output, and to distribution. Usually the
input and data preparation areas are the most vulnerable to
error.
 STAFFING
• The Computer Center must project a
professional, wellrounded image. This is done
primarily by its staff
• Important influences on individual behavior
and motivation:
– Individual characteristics.
– Individual motivation.
– Rewards.
– Stress.
 STAFFING: positions required
1. Organization structure
• The successful running of a computer center, and even its
survival, is dependent upon staffing at all levels with the
highest quality personnel that is obtainable.
a. Supervision and Administration
• Good utilization of equipment is a constant concern since meeting
schedules is very important.
• A combination of rigid detailed operations and creative development
work must often be simultaneously supervised.
• Supervision of data processing work is very difficult without a
thorough knowledge of its technical details and technical skills used.
b. Reporting
– Data processing management faces two special problems:
• Translation of technical measures of process and performance into
commonly understands.
• 2. Continual reporting on planning and on project performance.
 STAFFING: positions required
c. Long-range Planning and Project Control
• Project must be scheduled and developed within the long-range plan, available budgets, and
personnel availability; often in the face of conflicting pressures from the other departments served.
• Data processing management must keep constantly
• abreast of new developments in equipment and techniques to see how these may alter planning.
d. Maintenance of Standards
• Establishment of standards and the maintenance of high-quality level demand
constant attention to:
1. Recruitment of qualified personnel.
2. Continual traing of new employees and updating the training of old employees.
3. Development of a quantity and quality evaluation system, based on meaningful standards.
4. Definition and publication of job descriptions.
5. Constant review of individual and group performance.
d. Liaison
– The unusual position of the data processing activity within the larger organization--half
service, half operating--greatly heightens the importance of the liaison function at the
management level.
 STAFFING: positions required
2. Position Descriptions and Qualifications of Personnel
• a) External Compensation Comparison
– Position descriptions provide a foundation on which to
compare jobs inside the organization with others outside
in order to take full advantage of industry, community,
interorganization, interdivision, and other compensation
surveys.
• b. Internal Compensation Comparison
– Position descriptions provide a basis for job evaluation and
represent an internal part of a soundly aligned salary
administration program, since they crystallize the meaning
of the jobs in the minds of the evaluators
 STAFFING: positions required
• c. Performance Appraisal
– Position descriptions provide a way to measure how completely and how well
the employees is carrying out the responsibilities of the job, his areas of
strength and weakness can be located, and he can be counseled accordingly.
• d. Management Development
• Position descriptions are a necessary part of a management development
program because they permit more accurate analysis of the requirements
for satisfactorily filling a supervisory position. These "target" requirements
then serve as a guide for selecting, training, and developing the men and
women who may later fill the job.
• e. Recruiting, Hiring, and Placement
• Position descriptions are an aid to recruiting, hiring, and placement since
they from the basis for written specifications listing the requirements for
satisfactorily filling a job.
• f. Orien
 STAFFING: positions required
• f. Orienting New Employees
• Position descriptions quickly and efficiently orient new personnel to the
job and its requirements. They are particularly helpful and comforting to
two groups of newly promoted or hired employees: First, those who are
placed in freshly created jobs with a description as their blueprint of
responsibility and authority, and second, those who have been promoted
into new posts embodying duties with which are not familiar.
• g. Evaluation of Position Descriptions
• Descriptions should be evaluated to pre-established guidelines such as:
– Education
– Experience
• Previous qualifying experience on related work or less jobs, either within the
organization or outside.
• The "breaking-in-time" or period of adjustment and adaption on the specific job itself.
– Complexity of duties
– Constacts with others
– Proprietary data
• Qualification of Personnel
• the manager must have the position
blueprints, called "position descriptions“
before he can hire the right employees for the
right positions and decide on the proper rates
of pay.
 RECRUITING--SOURCES OF PERSONNEL

• 1. Employees--Employees who are seeking

advancement and new career paths look for
opportunities within their organization. Posting job
requistions gives the Personnel Department the
communication link to employees and provides them
with avenues for greater growth potential.
• 2. Data Processing School and Other Schools--Schools
are excellent sources for entry level jobs and those
positions which require specialized training.
• 3. Advertisements.
 CAREER PROGRESSION
• Upward mobility in the work force is desirable and
necessary, and organization sponsored training programs
will probably result in upward mobility of employees, so
the systematic training programs are very important to a
computer center, it can provide assistance in the following
areas:
• 1. Ability to ensure a valuable supply of qualified personnel.
• 2. Provide progression to employees thereby avoiding
career dead-ends.
• 3. Providing upward mobility, thereby, aiding in
development of employee morale.
• 4. Lowering employee turnover, expanding and raising the
caliber of the staff.
 MOTIVATION
• A practical definition of motivation might be the following:
– The art of getting people to recognize what needs to be done, to want to do it,
to apply their skills in doing it will, and to want to do it willing, cheerfully, and
with enthusiasm.
• role of the supervisor in motivating employees
– a. Broadly stated, it is the role of the supervisor to maintain the morale of his
unit.
– b. Since within the framework of any organization and within the makeup of
each employee there are both positive and negative motivating factors, this is
not an easy matter.
– c. But by recognizing and interpreting the positive factors of the organization
and by identifying the personal goals of the individual employee, the goals of
the organization and the goals of the employee can be made more
compatible.
– d. This in turn, should improve morale. Through improved morale, the
organization in the general and the supervisor's department in particular
should benefit from increasing employee efficiencyand effectiveness.
 MOTIVATION
• conditions which promote motivation in most
people:
– b. Proper placement;
– b. Participation;
– c. Challenge;
– d. Competition;
– e. Leadership;
– f. Understanding.
 MOTIVATION
• What a supervisor can do to improve morale
a. Develop a positive attitude toward your organization and your
employees. Work on yourself first, get yourself straightened out.
b. Recognize the negative motivating factors of your organization and the
negative emotions, feelings, and personal attitudes of your employees.
c. Tell your employees why and give them reasons.
d. Do your utmost to make jobs safe and healthful.
e. Make a conscientious effort to improve working conditions.
f. Place your employees where their training and experience can be used
best.
g. Use your employees'ideas, ask their opinion and what they think,
develop a "we" attitude.
h. Always give credit when it is due.
i. Represent your organization and your employees fairly.
j. Build up the job, show its importance, show the employee the end
product of their efforts, where it goes, what it is used for
 SUMMARY
• Ten axioms for a successful information center
(Kutnick,1985, pp. 15-171)
1. Obtain top management support.
2. Run the information center as a business within a
business.
3. Develop a microcomputer strategy.
4. Chargeback all costs.
5. Consider education critical to success.
6. Staff well.
7. Track success.
8. Carefully consider the product set.
9. Develop good relations with end user groups.
10. Learn from the past with an eye to the future.