*SIM Competition Paper:* An Approach to Structured MIS Development

Toward the beginning of 1980, PRD Electronics began developing a Management Information System (MIS) which would monitor the test activity at an Automatic Test Equipment (ATE) Station. This article describes the implementation of a novel MIS development strategy and explains the circumstances that influenced the decision to prepare a user’s manual at the beginning of the system development cycle rather than at the end. This article further describes the management strategy of creating a Systems Engineering Department to exercise centralized project control and emphasizes how the generation of Activity Description Charts, and Hierarchy plus Input-Processed-Output (HIPO) documentation during system development affects the productivity of project personnel by: (a) clearly understanding their individual responsibilities, and (b) knowing the relationship of their work to the overall project development goals.