I think not. How often have we heard that the slow response time from a system is jeopardizing the success of a project or new corporate initiative. These are only two examples. I'm sure people can find comparable situations in their own companies. The Proposal Obviously not all information systems are directly related to the manufacturing process.
Computerized systems support almost all functions of a business, including overhead functions.
It therefore becomes necessary to distinguish between these systems. I propose that information systems be classified as either directive or non-directive. A directive system is one which is used to direct the processes or activities in a proactive sense, identifying what is to be done. A non-directive system is one that tracks activity or resources and reports on it after the fact. A more realistic proposal is to classify directive systems as factory overhead, while non-directive systems would still be classed as pure overhead.