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Information management

Information management is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Information management rather than just read about it. In short: Information management (IM) is the appropriate and optimized capture, storage, retrieval, and use of information. It may be personal information management or organizational.

Information management — main illustration
Information management — illustration

Key takeaways

  • Information management belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect Information management to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of Information management from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Information management (IM) is the appropriate and optimized capture, storage, retrieval, and use of information. It may be personal information management or organizational. Information management for organizations concerns a cycle of organizational activity: the acquisition of information from one or more sources, the custodianship and the distribution of that information to those who need it, and its ultimate disposal through archiving or deletion and extraction. This cycle of information organisation involves a variety of stakeholders, including those who are responsible for assuring the quality, accessibility and utility of acquired information; those who are responsible for its safe storage and disposal; and those who need it for decision making. Stakeholders might have rights to originate, change, distribute or delete information according to organisational information management policies. Information management embraces all the generic concepts of management, including the planning, organizing, structuring, processing, controlling, evaluation and reporting of information activities, all of which is needed in order to meet the needs of those with organisational roles or functions that depend on information. These generic concepts allow the information to be presented to the audience or the correct group of people. After individuals are able to put that information to use, it then gains more value. Information management is closely related to, and overlaps with, the management of data, systems, technology, processes and – where the availability of information is critical to organisational success – strategy. This broad view of the realm of information management contrasts with the earlier, more traditional view, that the life cycle of managing information is an operational matter that requires specific procedures, organisational capabilities and standards that deal with information as a product or a service.

History

Emergent ideas out of data management In the 1970s, the management of information largely concerned matters closer to what would now be called data management: punched cards, magnetic tapes and other record-keeping media, involving a life cycle of such formats requiring origination, distribution, backup, maintenance and disposal. At this time the huge potential of information technology began to be recognised: for example a single chip storing a whole book, or electronic mail moving messages instantly around the world, remarkable ideas at the time. With the proliferation of information technology and the extending reach of information systems in the 1980s and 1990s, information management took on a new form. Progressive businesses such as BP transformed the vocabulary of what was then "IT management", so that "systems analysts" became "business analysts", "monopoly supply" became a mixture of "insourcing" and "outsourcing", and the large IT function was transformed into "lean teams" that began to allow some agility in the processes that harness information for business benefit. The scope of senior management interest in information at BP extended from the creation of value through improved business processes, based upon the effective management of information, permitting the implementation of appropriate information systems (or "applications") that were operated on IT infrastructure that was outsourced. In this way, information management was no longer a simple job that could be performed by anyone who had nothing else to do, it became highly strategic and a matter for senior management attention. An understanding of the technologies involved, an ability to manage information systems projects and business change well, and a willingness to align technology and business strategies all became necessary.

Positioning information management in the bigger picture In the transitional period leading up to the strategic view of information management, Venkatraman, a strong advocate of this transition and transformation, proffered a simple arrangement of ideas that succinctly brought together the management of data, information, and knowledge (see the figure) argued that:

Data that is maintained in IT infrastructure has to be interpreted in order to render information. The information in our information systems has to be understood in order to emerge as knowledge. Knowledge allows managers to take effective decisions. Effective decisions have to lead to appropriate actions. Appropriate actions are expected to deliver meaningful results.

This is often referred to as the DIKAR model: Data, Information, Knowledge, Action and Result. The recognition that information management is an investment that must deliver results can be important to organisations that depend on information and good decision-making for their success.

Theoretical background

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Information management illustration
Information management: This simple model summarises a presentation by Venkatraman in 1996, as reported by Ward and Peppard (2002, page 207).[4]
This simple model summarises a presentation by Venkatraman in 1996, as reported by Ward and Peppard (2002, page 207).[4]
Information management: This portfolio model organizes issues of internal and external sourcing and management of information, that may be either structured or unstructured.
This portfolio model organizes issues of internal and external sourcing and management of information, that may be either structured or unstructured.
Information management: This framework is the basis of organising the "Information Management Body of Knowledge" first made available in 2004. This version is adapted by the addition of "Business information" in 2014.
This framework is the basis of organising the "Information Management Body of Knowledge" first made available in 2004. This version is adapted by the addition of "Business information" in 2014.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Information management

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Information management claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Information management before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Information management ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Information management

In research
Information management appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses Information management in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
Information management is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Information, Information management, Information systems, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for Information management outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Information management in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what Information management means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain Information management out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Information management in simple terms?

Information management (IM) is the appropriate and optimized capture, storage, retrieval, and use of information. It may be personal information management or organizational.

Why does Information management matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Information management?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Information management.

Tags

  • Information
  • Information management
  • Information systems
  • Works about information

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