05 Information
01 Information environment
01 Leadership
01 Leadership
01 Has the management promoted the information system in the enterprise eagerly?
Y What kind of effect does the management expect in the enterprise operation most by
making use of the information system?
N Advanced information technology is diversifying business. The establishment ofnecessarily information system in the enterprise may be delayed, if the management
doesn t show their direction of the information system to the employee.
02 Has the management recognized the importance of information system, and discussedwith the employees to get their understanding for developing and using information
system?
Y The management s daily communication makes to increase the employee s consciousness
about information system. The result of regular communication should be written ina document for future reference.
N The management should make the employees understand his willingness, by talking
actively to them shat he thinks about information system.
03 Does the manager take a leadership to utilize information system?
Y The manager should give feedback to the person in charge a result of actually using
information system, so that he would become more active with positive mind.
N When the manager uses information system positively, the employees become more active
to utilize the system. It also inform the convenience that information system canbe appreciated with advantage convenience by using it deeper and wider.
02 Purpose and policy
01 Purpose and policy
01 Does the management clearly announce the purpose and policy to use information
system?
Y The purpose and policy to use information system should be in a document, and review
it every year.
N If an employee develops an information system independently, it would be difficult
to unify the system as a whole in future. The purpose and policy to use information
system should be established through communication with the person in charge.
02 Is there any long-term or middle-term plan, to develop information system? Do you
check if it meets with the management strategy of the enterprise?
Y Review the system plan regularly with the people concerned and the experts, basedon the investigated conditions of rival companies, because a change on information
technology is drastic.
N Developing information system can't be attained in a short time. Make a goal, anddevelop it into a long or middle term plan, and try to achieve it step by step.
03 Do you give priority to an applicable business area in introduction of an information
system?
Y Review regularly if the criteria to give priority are appropriate.
N It is important to what you should give priority in order to utilize management
resources effectively, and the priority should be examined together with the criteria.
04 Do you define the characteristics of an information system to introduce which is goodfor current business conditions?
Y Review the definition to optimize the results again, considering the company scale
and the management resources available.
N The choices increase due to the progress of the information system technology.
Consider them and select the best for the company s future.
03 Information cost
01 Information cost
01 Do you promote introduction of information system, making its budget?
Y Does the budget of information system meet with your middle term business plan?
N Making the budget of information system leads reviewing the necessary management76

resources to develop the system.
02 Is the scale and order introducing the information system fully examined from the cost
vs. effect aspect?
Y Be aware of the cost including necessary expense for operation. Review the effectincluding the indirect effect which is sometimes overlooked.
N It seems difficult to grasp the indirect effect especially, but trying to do it
continuously with ideas makes the result more precise.
03 Do you consider outsourcing (make or buy) on the development and operation of theinformation systems?
Y Be careful especially of the maintenance cost of information system in the case ofoutsourcing.
N Try to estimate the in‑house development cost first. Using outside resource for the
information system has become easier not only on the development of a system but also
on ＡＳＰ recently.
04 Have the development policy and operation policy of the information system been
defined?
Y The development policy should be made in to the company standard and utilized andreferred to it at the review of design development.
N The difference by person in the development phase, and the difference of specification
between the inside work and outside work will push up cost.
05 Is the budget for introduction of the information system surely followed up?
Y Do you confirm not only the use of the budget, but also the effects in your follow‑up?
N Be sure to follow up the budget for introduction and the result expected. If they
are not satisfactory, make clear the reason and establish a countermeasure so as toapply in the next introduction.
04 Organization
01 Organization
01 Are the responsible section and a person in charge of information system defined in
the organization?
Y Innovation of information technology is changing dramatically, so pay attention torefresh in‑house technology.
N Today it does not allow us to promote information system independently by ourselves.
Make clear the person in charge to master necessary technological development.
02 Are the duty, authority and responsibility of the information system department
defined?
Y The information department can t develop and operate the system independently.
Review the organization whether the cooperation of other sections can be gotten
easily.
N Nowadays the work and the business change drastically. It should be considered
carefully to promote the system not only by relying on an individual skill but also
on the organization.
03 Does the information system department grasp user’s needs fully?
Y Train user departments to feedback their needs positively to the information
department.
N The information department should carefully consider user needs, and especiallyreview and pick up them at budget period.
04 Is the organization to review and discuss the priority of development and/or
introduction of the information system clear?
Y A view point of the whole enterprise such as the consistency and the like with the
middle‑term plan is important.
N The concept and priority of developing the system should meet with all the company
policies, so that any system should not be developed only by react to the user s
request05 Are the ability and number of staff composing the information system department
appropriate?
Y Review the consistency with the business plan and the company policy.
N It is very difficult to attain the reinforcement of the information system department77

in a short time. Proceed with the increase in personnel intentionally.
06 Are the talented people who have high information processing ability intentionallyposted in the user departments as well?
Y The balance of information technique capability between the user department andinformation department should be considered.
N It is difficult to rely on the information department for all information techniquecapability with quick response. Study strengthening of the user section.
05 Fostering capable staff
01 Training of information literacy
01 Are the engineers trained intentionally to catch up with the technological progress in
the information system?
Y Recommend studying from the outside of the office, for example to review information
system of other company or to attend outside seminars, so as not to be inself‑satisfaction.
N Today the technological progress is drastic, and new techniques and new applications
are developed successively in the information field. Give a theme to the person in
charge, and request a report on the result of technological study.
02 Have you established a curriculum of information literacy (information ability) training
program, covering all the company staff and executing it with the schedule?
Y Recommend establishing the curriculum including legal request for packaging softwareand in‑house standard for information development, as well as the general training
such as Word and Excel.
N The company s re‑engineering becomes possible after making permeate the information
literacy through all the company. Make a plan to let all the staff have a minimum
requirement of information technique.
03 Is the department to take charge of information training defined, and do they know
user's information technological capability?
Y Recommend reviewing whether the investigation method and frequency of user s
information technological capability are appropriate.
N Decide a department in charge, and make a plan to investigate the capability andrefresh it periodically, because a difference of information literacy by individual
is big.
04 Is there any user training in order to follow the expansion and advancement of theinformation system?
Y Recommend to review the function of the organization making use of the most of theadvanced information expert and the like in each department, whether the information
technique permeates in the company.
N It is difficult for only the information system department to promote the expansion
and advancement of the information system technology. A training plan of acquiring
skill in each department is necessary.
05 Is the information processing technological skill reflected on the personnel appraisal?
Y Review the management structure if the employee s effort to challenge to get required
technology and to utilize it, is reflected in his daily job.
N An organizational support is important to reflect on the personnel appraisal boththe employee s effort to master information skill and to use it to the daily practice,and link it to the assessment of the person s salary.

02 Utilizing information
01 Relationship with the management strategy
01 Relationship with the management strategy
01 Do you know whether your present information system meets with today’s businesscondition of your company? And are you satisfied with the present system
conditions?
Y Have you reviewed if the present system conditions meet with the future business
requirement? And do you have a plan to review the system periodically for futureenhancement?
N Today an information system would not be developed only for your own sake, but should78

be met with partner s business requirements and industry movements.
02 Does the information system share the responsibility in the management strategy?
Y Is the responsibility of the information system defined and discussed in the long‑termbusiness plan?
N It is the time that a good Information system could lead the business to success.
03 What kind of information system does the top management use?
Y If you use business report monthly, it should be changed to weekly, and if it is weekly
try to get them daily. So you might make business decision earlier with timely manner.
N : If the top management requests a report only on paper, intra‑office management could
be led to be inefficient.
04 Do you utilize your information system to get CS (customer satisfaction)?
Y Can you mutually communicate with the customers to exchange business information?
N There are many cases in which you might get better customer satisfaction by well
utilizing the information system.
05 Have you developed or are you developing any important information system for CS?
Y What is your predominance when it is compared with your competitor s system?
N Is there any reason why you don t develop an important information system for CS?
(no necessity, short money, lack of talented people, doesn t know a method)
06 How do you promote the electronic commerce in future?
Y The information system might be varying according to the business aspect. (newcustomer development, new vender development, enhancement of business condition,etc)
N What is the reason why you don t consider starting an electronic commerce? (nonecessity, short money, lack of talented people, doesn t know a method)
02 Business process and its information system
01 Organization and the business process
01 Does each department have its clear duty, and is the business process standardized?
Y An information system becomes complex and requires more development cost when thebusiness process isn t integrated and standardized, even if the duty and authorityof each department are clearly defined.
N Making department duty and authority clear and promoting standardization lead up to
making each department establish a medium‑to‑long‑term plan, executing their businessprocess steadily and promoting the process improvement.
02 Is the mutual delivery of the information among the departments rational, and aren’t
there any duplication of data entry and document control?
Y To get better understanding of business among the related departments, the job
rotation may be considered.
N It is rare that a business process just closes only in a single department, and thebusiness improvement should be promoted across the departments. The improvement as
a whole should be promoted not only for the office process but also for the businesspurpose.
03 Does each department regularly review the business process, develop an
improvement plan, and request an information system development or improvement
to the information department?
Y A business process has a tendency of becoming more complex as time passes, so it isimportant to review them on a regular base.
N Any daily office process has a tendency to be accepted as a matter of course. It is
important that the regular office process should be reviewed together with the linkageof the accounting process, and established an improved plan through unification andstandardization under the information system.
04 Which department takes an initiative in improvement of the business process acrossthe departments?
Y When a new business is proposed, the top management might be involved actively making
clear a department in charge, when necessary.
N If the responsibility of every department is defined, generally the department incharge of new business becomes clear. If it isn't defined, people mostly expect that79

the information system department could be in charge of the new business without
reason.
02 EUC (End User Computing)
01 Do you consider separately major information system and EUC system?
Y It is important that whole information system is reviewed periodically to cope with
progress of the technology and improvement of the skill, including whether EUC isevaluated with excessive expectation or too small.
N When the expected business process to be covered by EUC is unclear, all businessprocess improvement concerned with information might be requested to the information
system department. Then information system department might not be able to process
a big project for improvement.
02 Is the necessary database for EUC prepared and is the information for the common
use stored?
Y Separate databases for limited access from those for open, and expand the databasefor common use.
N It is important to prepare an environment to promote EUC. It will become possible
for all employees to process data by common use of the information.
03 Is the main information system organized to support EUC?
Y The information system should be developed considering the user skill, for example
as the users in the accounting department might be familiar with PC, or those in the
production site unfamiliar with PC.
N Device means such as developing a data base with RDB, making a system development
adding an auxiliary function easy to retrieve data needed from the data base, andthe like.
04 How much do you utilize EUC and do you have any further schedule to expand EUC?
Y Do you receive the necessary information easier because of EUC, and is your decision
making on business improved much faster?
N What is the reason why the EUC has not been promoted? Is it the user problem (no PC
to use, too busy to study, lack of PC skill), or is there no environment (no database to utilize, no leadership in the information system department)?
03 Gathering information and communication
01 Utilization of network
01 Is the personal computer in house connected to LAN?
Y How much is the utilization level of PC to LAN?
N What is the reason why you have not introduced a LAN, yet? (not enough PC, notechnological knowledge, and lack of money)
02 Have you introduced an E-mail system?
Y Do you have any countermeasures for wrong use of e‑Mail? (guideline for use of e‑Mail,monitoring system in e‑Mail system)
N What is the reason for not introducing e‑Mail? (paper is more reliable, too complex
to use it, no technological knowledge, and lack of money)?
03 Do you utilize the internet on business?
Y How do you expand the internet technology on business? Is it just for retrieving theinformation, broadcasting information in public or for limited use giving informationin common in house? How are you going to expand the use of the internet in future?
N What is the reason why you do not utilize the internet on business? (no business area,
no knowledge and skill to use, lack of money)?
02 Gathering information
01 Is there any information collected regularly or irregularly besides the daily business
operation?
Y What kind of information do you gather now? Do you have any plan to expand it?
N Are you satisfied with the volume of the present business information? What kind of
information do you want for business?
02 What kind of information do you gather, who does select the information, how is it
captured, to whom is it reported?
Y Do you review the collected information, if it has achieved the expected effect vs.

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cost, and should be continued?
N Do you have clear criteria about the information gathering in the business process?
03 Is the top management satisfied with the present business report?
Y Do you receive all necessary information including bad news, and is your information
system maintained well to keep advantage on the competitor s system?
N Does the top management direct clearly what kind of information is requested forbusiness?

03 Information system
01 System composition
01 System composition
01 Do you have a managing system to overview the whole company information system?
Y When each department advances EUC activities, the information system department could
not monitor every department because their system is apt to be changed without
reporting to the information system department. It is important to encourage
cooperation among the related departments.
N Higher performance of network system could be achieved by organizing all the company
system effectively. It is important to make clear the assignment of the information
system department and to make it known to the related departments thoroughly.
02 When has the main information system been introduced, and are the capability and the
distribution of machines on system appropriate?
Y Do you review the capability and the distribution of the system and reconsider theneed of replacement of the system, or rearrangement of the distribution, at the timemaking budget?
N Do you have the system layout of each machine and do you know the persons who use
the system and machine?
03 Is the hardware composition appropriate considering the user needs?
Y How do you judge the balance between the capability of the machine and the actualuse of the system?
N The usage of the machine should be reviewed regularly.
04 Is the capacity of the device strengthened in accordance with expansion of the use?
Y Do you know the maintenance time of the machines, and the turnaround time of an accessto the machine?
N You should know the usage of the information machines, and make effort to use it
effectively.
05 Do you have a renewal plan of the hardware and the software of the information
system?
Y Does the renewal plan consist of a part of the company s business plan and theinvestment plan for plant and equipment?
N There is an expiring period on the vender and manufacturer support schedule, and thenany system has its lifetime. It is important to make a renewal plan for the information
system and the machines.
06 Do you consider the user’s convenience in arrangement of the capability of terminal
machines and input/output machines?
Y Is the cost performance of the systems considered?
N Have you surveyed the complaints of the users?
02 Software
01 Software
01 Is the concept of the software development clear? Do you consider to utilize an off
shelf package program?
Y Do you have a guideline for development of the software? Do you have a concept of
the software development? Have you studied which way, make or buy, to take for thesoftware in the development? Have you surveyed an off shelf package software? Are
you sharing the subroutine with your colleague?
N If you leave software development to one individual, you can't maintain it in future
because there are various choices to develop software. You would better to prepare81a guideline for the process of the development consisting of standardized databaseand middleware, setting up timing for design review in the process.
02 Do you make clear the software specifications before developing it? Do you review thesoftware specifications effectively before and during the development process?
Y Do you set up design reviews during the planning process of system development, inorder to avoid any change of the basic specification after you have started thedevelopment process?
N It becomes difficult that you promise a development period and a development cost,
if the system specifications aren't cleared. It is necessary to describe the system
specifications especially when ordering outside, even though some inner office users
do not want to make detail specification at first.
03 Do you consider operation and maintenance of the system, when you describe thespecification and the manual? Are they updated to the latest one?
Y The document and manuals necessary for system development must be made to meet withthe department standard, and applied to every system development. The above document
and manuals must be maintained in case of any specifications change, so you can utilize
it for future maintenance.
N In general, a host information system has well‑organized document such as system
specifications and program specifications and so on, but a client‑server system doesnot. It is important to prepare similar document and manuals for the client‑server
system as well, because a different maintenance person from the developer may be
assigned in future.
04 Are there clear procedures and effective application for development, change, or
expansion of the program?
Y Who and how is making decision for the development priority, the development period,
necessary cost? Is the procedure and result open in public?
N In case of receiving an order of system development or change, request to the user
to prepare a form standardized by the information department which includes necessityof the information, development priority, budget cost and expected completion period.
And you should be able to make response information on whether the development has
been accepted, together with expected cost and period.
05 Do you handle the program change or the system expansion in house or outside of
office?
Y How do you manage when you order it outside? Do you have a method to review the document
to order outside? Do you have a system or organization to review the document fromoutside, to manage the outside progress, to evaluate the cost, to keep goodcommunication and the like?
N Why do you limit system development only in house? And how do you manage the backlog
of system development?
06 Is the effect of the completed system followed up?
Y If a system doesn t show up the expected effect, there are many items to feedback
to future system development, such as a wrong measure for development, miscalculationof the expected effect, and the like.
N There are many indirect effects in developing a system, and it is sometime difficult
to measure them precisely. But, as far as you need to confirm effects of developing
system, please try and make effort to measure indirect effects.
07 Do you have any control system of preventing the illegal use of the marketed package
software?
Y It is possible to control when the information system department knows all soft wares
in the company. The more personal computers in the company, the more soft wares suchas free software, shareware, and so on which are installed by each personnel. It is
important that you make a standard to control and audit marketed package softwarein the company and audit them once a year to check the situation and to protect illegal
use.
N Illegal use of the marketed package software is a crime. Sometime the use in houseis complicated, and it is difficult to judge the illegality in some cases. Even if
it is illegally used as a result of mistake, it is a crime. You have to make a clear

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guideline to protect it.
03 Network
01 LAN (Local Area Network)
01 Is it clear which department develops and maintains the LAN?
Y Is it clear which department manages each LAN and reinforces the LAN, monitoring thenumber of users and traffic?
N It is better that one particular department controls LAN collectively, because there
are several problems such as improper connection with the outside of the company andlowering the network efficiency due to heavy traffic, and the like.
02 Is it clear which department controls the access to the system?
Y Does the department which controls the access to the contents, have a form to control
the access and clear criteria for judgment?
N Generally a department to control the access to the system (LAN) is different froma department to control the access to the contents, because they have different
responsibilities. The information system department is responsible to system set up,
while a department to control the access to the contents is responsible to securityof the contents.
03 Do you have a clear standard to control the access to WAN and internet?
Y It is better to introduce a control system to monitor the access to outside in order
to use the system effectively.
N The more users and access, the more cost for control of the network is needed. It
is important that the access permission to the outside network should be approved
based on the need of business.
04 Do you promote expanding the network use (to handy communication machines,
SOHO, and so on)?
Y Do you review the standard for expanding network considering the cost versus effect,
and meet with the management policy, before use?
N It is one of the means to improve business efficiency that you check your e‑mail bymobile and the like from the place on business trip or at home.
02 Network security
01 Is the person in charge clear, who is responsible to the network security?
Y You have to consider various cases for security, such as the system destruction or
the data destruction due to the natural calamity and man‑made disaster, the dataleakage in house, illegal penetration to the system from the outside, and the like.
You have to make a consensus how far you have to make necessary action in house forthe security.
N If you don t make action for security, you might be getting the system destructed
or valuable data stolen due to the penetration of illegal access and of virus fromoutside. You should assign a person in charge of security control and make him manage
it fully.
02 Have you established a virus control rule, and operated it properly?
Y The information system department should not only report to the office on the virus
found, but also let a user pay attention to the new virus with the notice information.
N There are many cases that a virus prevails over countries. You must establish a system
to prepare countermeasures for an unknown virus penetration. If you find out a virus
penetration you must report it to Information‑technology Promotion Agency office so
as to prevent the virus from penetrating other companies.
04 Database
01 Database
01 Do you standardize the database to use data in common?
Y You must be careful to make the database version control match with a system to be
developed in future, because the life of the business system is so long.
N When different databases are introduced in two or more systems related, the users
may be confused and it needs extra data processing to communicate each other.
02 Do you accumulate in a database plenty of information from the business process, andutilize it to the various purposes for business?

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Y It must be considered that data in the database should be reorganized and maintainedso easy to use for the user who has low skill in information technology, so that the
database is used more frequently.
N The data accumulated in a database should be utilized effectively in the various
aspects of business, so it is important to disclose the data accumulated in a databaseactively.
03 Do you standardize the user technique of database, and instruct it to the users?
Y When building a database, a system developer should standardize the technique easy
to use a database, and teach the technique each other for users
convenience.
N It activates utilization of information to instruct a familiar way of use to the user,
such as use of database information dropping to EXCEL format which the user has alreadymastered and the like.
05 Others
01 Others
01 Have you introduced CAD, and do you utilize it effectively?
Y Can you use CAD information for your work the same as a drawing, and do you utilize
CAD information for CAM・CAT directly?
N Don t you need to introduce CAD? (no designing work, no design information with the
CAD from upper stream, no work to utilize the CAD information)
02 Have you introduced CAM・CAT to automate a production line?
Y Do you create a machining program directly from the CAD information? And do you utilize
it for the production control information as well?
N Don t you have a plan to utilize CAM・CAT? (no NC machine, no information about CAM・CAT, no technological knowledge about CAM・CAT)
03 Do you have a total production automation plan utilizing FA, CIM, and the like?
Y Is the whole production control in the factory computerized, not being limited of
CAM and CAT in the island of the automation? Especially, does the control cope withchanges of production promptly?
N Don t you have any necessity of FA and CIM? (few automation machines, no computerized
production management, no necessity of real time information for production control)

04 Operation
01 Operation organization
01 Organization of operation system
01 Have you defined a manager and persons in charge of operating the information
system?
Y Have you defined the range of responsible work for the manager of operating theinformation system?
N It is important to make clear the responsible personnel for quick response in caseof the unusual conditions of the system and the like.
02 Have you made clear direction to set up operation schedule for daily, weekly, monthly,and yearly?
Y Do you review the operation schedule to improve operator s work and user s work?
N Make clear the operation schedule and get cooperation with the related departments
on date of the data delivery, closing time of the operation, delivery time of thereport, and the like.
03 Is the system operation made properly, following the operation manual and operation
standard?
Y Do you review the operation manual and operation standard to improve operator s workand user s work?
N It is important to maintain an organization to operate the system properly based ofoperation manual and operation standard.
04 Is it clear how to report to the operation manager and the users in case of unusual
conditions of the system?
Y It is important to review and improve the action program whenever you have unusual
conditions of the system.

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N You should make an action program in advance to minimize influence to the work of
the related departments in case of unusual conditions of the system. (delay of thedata delivery, unmatched data, computer malfunction, power interruption, and thelike)05 Do you have a clear control standard for storing the software?
Y It is better to control the software by generation, and then you can maintain thesystem to return to the original conditions in case of software malfunction.
N You should prepare a backup of software in use, so that you can maintain the system
reparable in case of unusual conditions of the system.
06 Do you prepare a necessary budget, and manage it properly?
Y Compare the actual cost with the budget and analyze the difference in order to reflect
on the next budget plan.
N To let the information system department s activity meet the business plan, it isimportant to make a budget plan and promote activities including a new systemdevelopment plan and an operation improvement plan following the schedule.
02 Management of data handling
01 Do you have a clear standard to handle data and reports in order to prevent
information leakage?
Y In handling data, a satisfactory system should be established by combination ofvarious elements, such as to limit place, personnel, time and the like.
N There is some secret information in an enterprise such as personnel information, newproducts information and the like. You should establish a control system to secure
the information from unknown access.
02 Do you have a clear rule to control document such as taking out a file from the storage
and the like?
Y It is important to check that the purpose of taking out the file should be only forbusiness use.
N There are many files, which you should not lose, such as a system file, package file
off shelf, and the like. You have to care especially taking the file out of office.
03 Do you have a clear procedure to control system access, and is it managed
appropriately?
Y Review access application conditions regularly, for example use of an access licensees
who access rare, users who should utilize a system have not request an application
yet, and take appropriate action to correct them.
N You should control same quality on appropriate procedure and on controlling the numberof access, even if the person in charge may change.
04 Do you make a backup of the data processed every day based on a standard?
Y Review the backup conditions such as a generation control, a place control, and thelike, regularly.
N It is important to establish a backup system, preparing for unusual conditions of
the system.
05 Do you have a clear procedure for the data repair process in case of unusual
conditions of the system?
Y Introducing a new system daily to keep the procedure update.
N Set up a clear procedure for a data repair process to repair data as soon as possible
in case of unusual conditions of the system.

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