Book: Systems Analysis and Design       

Author: Kendall and Kendall

Reference no.: QA 76.9 S88 K45 2002

Quotation (chapter126)

            “Decision support system allows the decision makers to interact with them in a natural manner by virtue of the careful design of user interface. Useful DSS will challenge and eventually change decision makers. By contrast, management information system (MIS) provides output but no real impetus for change in the person receiving it. Interacting with DSS will provide to be new and challenge for most decision makers and will provide new perspectives on the decision-making process that are attractive and understandable yet innovative.”

Decision-Making Style

Decision-making styles are often characterized as being either analytic or heuristic.

Analytic Decision-Making relies of information that is systematically acquired and systematically evaluated to narrow alternatives and makes choice that is information based. Some of the analytic decision maker uses mathematics to model problems and algorithms to solve them. They use decision techniques such as graphing probability models and mathematical techniques to ensure a sound decision-making process, where in the Heuristic decision-making uses some guidelines, although they may not applied consistently or systematically. They seek satisfying, not optimal solutions.  These decision makers are generally experience-based. The decision-making style of managers relate back to the openness and closeness of organizational system.

These are the differences between an Analytic and Heuristic decision makers