Dimensions of Information
Dimensions of Information
Information can be said to have a number of different
characteristics that
can be used to describe its quality. The differences between ‘good’
and ‘bad’
information can be identified by considering whether or not it has
some or all
of the attributes of information quality. Information can be
described in terms
of personal or organizational dimension.
1. Personal Dimensions of
Information
1. Personal Dimensions of Information:
Personal dimension of information considering three points of
view: time,
location, and form.
Time Dimension
Time Dimension
Information, like many organizational resources, can become old
and
obsolete. For example, if you want to make a stock trade today, you
need to
know the price of the stock right now. If you have to wait a day to
view stock
prices, you may not survive in the turbulent securities market. It’s no
wonder
that over one-third of all stock transactions today occur over the
Internet.
Your information is useful and relevant only if it describes the
appropriate time period
♦ Timeliness: The information should be available when needed.
If
information is provided too early, it may no longer be current
when
used. If the information is supplied too late, it will be of no use.
♦ Currency: The information should reflect current circumstances
when
provided. One can go further and suggest that as well as being
up-todate the information should also indicate those areas or
circumstances
liable to change by the time the information is used.
♦ Frequency: In addition to being available when needed, information
should also be available as often as needed. This normally means
that
information should be supplied at regular intervals, for example some
organizations may require weekly sales reports whilst others need
only
monthly reports.
♦ Time period: The information should cover the correct time period.
sales forecast, for example, might include information concerning
past
performance, current performance and predicted performance so that
the recipient has a view of past, present and future circumstances
Location Dimension
Location Dimension
The location dimension of information means that having
access to
information no matter where you are. Ideally, in other
words, your location or
the information’s location should not matter.
♦ Accuracy: Information that contains errors has only
limited value to an
organization.
♦ Relevance: The information supplied should be relevant
to a particular
situation and should meet the information needs of the
recipient.
Extraneous detail can compromise other attributes of
information
quality, such as conciseness.
♦ Completeness: All of the information required to meet the information
needs of the recipient should be provided. Incomplete information can
compromise other attributes of information quality, such as scope and
accuracy.
♦ Conciseness: Only information relevant to the information needs of the
recipient should be supplied. In addition, the information should be
provided in the most compact form possible. As an example, sales
figures are normally provided in the form of a graph or table – it would
be unusual for them to be supplied as a descriptive passage of text.
♦ Scope: The scope of the information supplied should be appropriate to
the information needs of the recipient. The recipient’s information needs
will determine whether the information should concern organizational
or external situations and whether it should focus on a specific area or
provide a more general overview.
Form Dimension
Form Dimension
The form dimension of information has two primary aspects.
The first is
simply having information in a form that is most usable and
understandable
by you—audio, text, video, animation, graphical, and others.
The second is
accuracy. You need information that is free of errors. Think of
information
The form dimension describes how
the information is presented to the recipient.
♦ Clarity: The information should be presented in a form that is
appropriate to the Intended recipient. The recipient should be
able to
locate specific items quickly and should be able to understand
the
information easily.
♦ Detail: The information should contain the correct level of
detail in
order to meet the recipient’s information needs. For example,
in some
cases highly detailed information will be required whilst in
others only a
summary will be necessary
♦ Order: Information should be provided in the correct order. As an
example, management reports normally contain a brief summary at the
beginning. This allows a manager to locate and understand the most
important aspects of the report before examining it at a higher level of
detail.
♦ Presentation: The information should be presented in a form that is
appropriate to the intended recipient. Different methods can be used to
make information clearer and more accessible to the recipient, for
example it is common to present numerical information in the form of a
graph or table.
♦ Media: Information should be presented using the correct medium.
Formal information, for example, is often presented in the form of a
printed report, whereas a presentation might make use of a slide
projector.
