The Technology of GDSS
There are three technology options for providing GDSS.
1. A special purpose electronic meeting facility
2. Custom designed for GDSS, a general purpose computer lab
that doubles as a less elegant but equally useful GDSS facility
3. Web (Internet), intranet, or LAN based software that allows
groups to work from any location at any time.
DeSanctis and Gallupe define the components of GDSS as hardware,
software, people and procedures.
Hardware
Single PC Participants gather around a single PC while one person
accesses and enters data and models.
PCs and Key
Board
This is basically a collection of workstations, each equipped
with keypads for voting.
A Decision Room This is a GDSS facility dedicated to and designed for
electronic meeting.
Distributed GDSS The participants are in different locations using PCs,
networks, and standard operating systems.
Software
GDSS software includes modules for support the individual, the group,
the process, and specific tasks.
Example _ the software may include special routines for improving the
decision making process and an easy to use, flexible user interface.
Typical group features include…
Numerical and graphical summarization of group members, ideas, and
votes.
Programs for the calculation of weights for decision alternatives,
anonymous recording of ideas, formal selection of a group leader,
progressive rounds of voting toward consensus building or elimination
of redundant input during brainstorming.
Text and data transmission among the group members, between the
group members and the facilitator, and between the members and a
central data / document repository.
People
The people component of the GDSS includes the group members and
a facilitator, who serves as the group’s chauffeur, operating the GDSS
hardware and software, and displaying requested information to the
group as needed.
Procedures
The final component of the GDSS consists of the procedures that
enable ease of operation and effective use of the technology by group
members.
GDSS Software Packages
The following are the major comprehensive GDSS software packages
that are primarily used in a decision room environment.
GroupSystems for
Windows
This is a comprehensive set of electronic meeting software.
VisionQuest This product supports a wide range of interactive team functions
such as control over the agenda, prioritizing, idea generation,
and the documentation of activities.
It also supports meetings in which the participants are in
different locations and can even communicate at different times.
SAMM This software from the University of Minnesota has been
installed in several corporate decision rooms
Lotus
Domino/Notes
This software is applicable to executive information system
deployment.
Netscape
Communicator
This software provides many of the features of Lotus notes
directly via Web servers and browsers.
TCBWorks This is one of the emerging Web based GDSS packages. It runs
on Unix servers.
The GROUPSYSTEMS for Windows standard tools support group
processes such as brainstorming, list building, information gathering,
voting, organizing, prioritizing, and consensus building.
The standard tools are as follows.
Electronic
brainstorming
This is designed to gather ideas and comments in an
unstructured manner.
Group Outliner This allows the group to create and comment on a multilevel list
of topics in a tree or outline structure.
Topic Commenter This allows participants to comment on a list of topics. It
supports idea generation in a more structured format than
Electronic Brainstorming, but less structured than Group
Outliner.
Categoriser This allows the group to generate a list of ideas and supporting
comments. Categories are created for the ideas, and
participants can drag the ideas into the desired category.
Vote This supports consensus development through group evaluation
of issues.
Voting methods include the following quantifiable ways.
Rank order, Multiple selection, 4 point and 5 point
agree/disagree, 10 point scale, yes/no, true/false, and a user
defined custom method.
The GROUPSYSTEMS for Windows advanced tools include add-ins
for analysis, surveys, and modeling.
The advance tools are as follows.
Alternative analysis This allows the group to weight or rate a list of alternatives
against a list of criteria because collaborative decisions require
the evaluation of multiple perspectives and ideas.
Survey This allows the creation, administration and analysis of an online
questionnaire.
This may be distributed to participant workstation in a wide
variety of setting from a group meeting to the World Wide Web.
Activity Modeler This provides user friendly group support for simultaneous
business process reengineering modeling.
Using activity modeler, people from all levels in an organization
can participate in the modeling process, producing more
accurate and productive business models, quickly.
There are three technology options for providing GDSS.
1. A special purpose electronic meeting facility
2. Custom designed for GDSS, a general purpose computer lab
that doubles as a less elegant but equally useful GDSS facility
3. Web (Internet), intranet, or LAN based software that allows
groups to work from any location at any time.
DeSanctis and Gallupe define the components of GDSS as hardware,
software, people and procedures.
Hardware
Single PC Participants gather around a single PC while one person
accesses and enters data and models.
PCs and Key
Board
This is basically a collection of workstations, each equipped
with keypads for voting.
A Decision Room This is a GDSS facility dedicated to and designed for
electronic meeting.
Distributed GDSS The participants are in different locations using PCs,
networks, and standard operating systems.
Software
GDSS software includes modules for support the individual, the group,
the process, and specific tasks.
Example _ the software may include special routines for improving the
decision making process and an easy to use, flexible user interface.
Typical group features include…
Numerical and graphical summarization of group members, ideas, and
votes.
Programs for the calculation of weights for decision alternatives,
anonymous recording of ideas, formal selection of a group leader,
progressive rounds of voting toward consensus building or elimination
of redundant input during brainstorming.
Text and data transmission among the group members, between the
group members and the facilitator, and between the members and a
central data / document repository.
People
The people component of the GDSS includes the group members and
a facilitator, who serves as the group’s chauffeur, operating the GDSS
hardware and software, and displaying requested information to the
group as needed.
Procedures
The final component of the GDSS consists of the procedures that
enable ease of operation and effective use of the technology by group
members.
GDSS Software Packages
The following are the major comprehensive GDSS software packages
that are primarily used in a decision room environment.
GroupSystems for
Windows
This is a comprehensive set of electronic meeting software.
VisionQuest This product supports a wide range of interactive team functions
such as control over the agenda, prioritizing, idea generation,
and the documentation of activities.
It also supports meetings in which the participants are in
different locations and can even communicate at different times.
SAMM This software from the University of Minnesota has been
installed in several corporate decision rooms
Lotus
Domino/Notes
This software is applicable to executive information system
deployment.
Netscape
Communicator
This software provides many of the features of Lotus notes
directly via Web servers and browsers.
TCBWorks This is one of the emerging Web based GDSS packages. It runs
on Unix servers.
The GROUPSYSTEMS for Windows standard tools support group
processes such as brainstorming, list building, information gathering,
voting, organizing, prioritizing, and consensus building.
The standard tools are as follows.
Electronic
brainstorming
This is designed to gather ideas and comments in an
unstructured manner.
Group Outliner This allows the group to create and comment on a multilevel list
of topics in a tree or outline structure.
Topic Commenter This allows participants to comment on a list of topics. It
supports idea generation in a more structured format than
Electronic Brainstorming, but less structured than Group
Outliner.
Categoriser This allows the group to generate a list of ideas and supporting
comments. Categories are created for the ideas, and
participants can drag the ideas into the desired category.
Vote This supports consensus development through group evaluation
of issues.
Voting methods include the following quantifiable ways.
Rank order, Multiple selection, 4 point and 5 point
agree/disagree, 10 point scale, yes/no, true/false, and a user
defined custom method.
The GROUPSYSTEMS for Windows advanced tools include add-ins
for analysis, surveys, and modeling.
The advance tools are as follows.
Alternative analysis This allows the group to weight or rate a list of alternatives
against a list of criteria because collaborative decisions require
the evaluation of multiple perspectives and ideas.
Survey This allows the creation, administration and analysis of an online
questionnaire.
This may be distributed to participant workstation in a wide
variety of setting from a group meeting to the World Wide Web.
Activity Modeler This provides user friendly group support for simultaneous
business process reengineering modeling.
Using activity modeler, people from all levels in an organization
can participate in the modeling process, producing more
accurate and productive business models, quickly.
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