The MIS organization depends on written and verbal communication to share information with MIS staff, the user community, and corporate management. Unless ideas are shared effectively, things can come to a grinding halt. The weakest link in many MIS shops is not the computer applications, but person-to-person communication that takes place--or, more correctly, does not take place. The format and nature of human communication is so important that it actually becomes management policy! All directors, managers, supervisors, systems analysts, technical writers, programmers, and users should understand the importance and role of communication in the MIS organization.

--From the introduction to chapter 1

The book is structured so that “each chapter is a self-contained unit that addresses a critical need in the MIS department.” Many of the chapters contain sample formats, which add to the utility of the book. It is clear that the author has extensive experience working in an MIS environment, and he has been successful in sharing a wide variety of insights.

Chapter 1 argues for the importance of better communication and identifies typical problems. Chapter 2 is a well-written and interesting mandatory short course on effective writing. Chapters 3 through 11 are the heart of the book; they address typical MIS documents and documentation.

Chapter 3 provides considerable insight into project development documents (and the process itself). Topics covered include the proposal document, the feasibility statement, the business plan, the requirements document, system design documents, cost/benefit analysis, programming specifications, and the “chrono” file. Chapter 4 focuses on internal MIS forms ranging from service requests to the presentation of unpleasant news. Chapters 5 and 6 address the preparation and mechanics of user manuals. Run sheets, problem reporting logs, special procedure documentation, automated operational documentation, master system documentation, and reports of data center statistics are covered under data center documentation in chapter 7. Chapter 8 discusses software acquisition documents. The always-important topics of programming and technical documentation, including the data dictionary and system log, are found in chapter 9. This chapter also contains a section on justifying internal documentation. Chapter 10 looks at strategic planning documents. Consultants, application software maintenance support, and application system documentation are covered in chapter 11.

Chapter 12 is on word processing, graphics, and spreadsheets. The discussion of word processing and electronic mail is one that you will want to share. Singer gives six rules for using PCs and much good advice. I particularly enjoyed the observation that “Relatively instant communication can lead to relatively instant interpersonal problems.” Chapter 13 looks at the various types of presentations given in an MIS environment, and chapter 14 examines the role of meetings. The final chapter addresses desktop publishing.

This book is filled with practical solutions to real problems. It is well written. The summaries at the end of each chapter make reviewing key points easy. I recommend this book highly.