Information resource management (IRM) is a philosophical and practical approach
ID: 3865513 • Letter: I
Question
Information resource management (IRM) is a philosophical and practical approach to managing
information. Information is regarded as a valuable resource which should be managed like other
resources, and should contribute directly to accomplishing organisational goals and objectives.
IRM provides an integrated view for managing the entire life cycle of information, from
generation, to dissemination, to archiving and/or destruction, for maximising the overall
usefulness of information, and improving service delivery and program management.
Identify an IT industry technology-oriented research problem (caused mainly by lack of proper
IRM) by describing and analysing the research problem, showing gaps through a rigorous
literature review and formulating objectives, research questions and hypotheses. The research
problems can include investigating different existing models to
identify the shortcomings of service functions, or service operation processes
To carry out the above research work, do the following:
1.1 Write an introduction of your research problem, highlighting its background and foundation.
[10]
1.2 Formulate the research problem statement. [5]
1.3 Formulate the hypothesis of your research problem. [5]
1.4 Formulate the objectives of your research work. [5]
1.5 Formulate the research questions. [5]
1.6 Write a complete literature review by analysing critically, comparing and evaluating
scholarly works (like research papers) on the problem to be investigated. [20]
Explanation / Answer
Information resource management involves identifying data as an asset, categorizing it and providing various types of active management. Experts describe IRM as the process of managing the life cycle of data sets, from their creation to their use in IT architectures, and on to archiving and eventual destruction of non-permanent data. The term IRM can refer to either software resources, physical supplies and materials, or personnel involved in managing information at any stage of useInformation Resources Management (IRM) is the process of managing information resources to accomplish agency missions and to improve agency performance, including the reduction of information collection burdens on the public. When standardized and controlled, these resources can be shared and re-used throughout an agency, not just by a single user or application. [1]
There are three (3) classes of information resources:
Business Resources: Enterprises, Business Functions, Positions (Jobs), Human/Machine Resources, Skills, Business Objectives, Projects, and Information Requirements.
System Resources: Systems, Sub-Systems (business processes), Administrative Procedures (manual procedures and office automation related), Computer Procedures, Programs, Operational Steps, Modules, and Subroutines.
Data Resources: Data Elements, Storage Records, Files (computer and manual), Views, Objects, Inputs, Outputs, Panels, Maps, Call Parameters, and Data Bases.
The concept of RM is actually no different in intent than Materials Resource Planning (MRP) as used in manufacturing. Both are concerned with the efficient and cost effective use of resources. The classification and control of resources are the main objectives. Resources are classified to prove their uniqueness so that redundancy is not introduced and to promote sharing. Control is required to collect, inventory and retrieve resources as required by the business.
Whereas MRP is concerned with managing products and the parts required to produce them, IRM is concerned with managing information and the resources required to produce it.
One of the important by-products of cataloging and cross-referencing information resources is a model of the enterprise, including how it is organized and how it operates. Other benefits include:
All information resources are controllable, permitting the ability to design integrated systems and perform an “impact analysis” of a proposed resource change.
Simplified search of information resources for reuse. Redundancy of resource definition is eliminated.
Complete and current documentation of all information resources, in an organized and meaningful way.
Communications within the organization is improved since developers and users would use standard and common definitions for information resources, all of which would be in standard business terminology.