Abdul Rahman Ahmad Dahlan

Critical success factors for IS project implementation in Malaysian institutions of higher learning

What do Information System (IS) project managers consider as critical success factors (CSFs) in IS project implementation? Project implementation is a complex process which requires simultaneous attention to a variety of factors - people, technology and processes. To determine whether a project is a success or a failure, one needs to know what are the important criteria of a project implementation in the eyes of the stakeholders. For this study, we are identifying the CSFs from a project managers view. This study tries to identify which processes, people, tools and environment factors do experienced project managers regard as CSFs for IS projects implementation. Lessons learnt from these experienced project managers provide an important framework for establishing a sense of IS project implementation success, so that others can learn and take the necessary steps. This study is far from being exhaustive, but it can contribute to project managers by identifying and establishing the CSFs for IS project implementation, as there are not many studies concerning this being carried out for Malaysian Institution of Higher Learning (IHL).

eHalal4All Program—Promoting Halal Rural Products and Services Globally by Harnessing the Network-of-Mosques (NoM) Capabilities

The population of Muslims globally is estimated to be more than 1.6 billion. The recent religious awakening of Muslims and their realization of the importance of compliance with Shari’ah laws in business dealings have enabled them to achieve their economic and well-being goals. This conceptual paper proposes eHalal4All Program, which is proposed to be adopted as one of the 1AZAM Malaysian government-sponsored programs and implemented as a proof-of-concept in raising the economic and social status of rural communities in Sabah, Malaysia. This program has the potential to enhance well-being by providing these rural communities with new skills, machinery, eHalal4All Portal, network of entrepreneurs, and network-of-mosques (NoM) in generating new sources of income. This program is executed based on the deployment of the Quadruple Helix Model (QHM), namely the Government, Academia, Industry, and Citizen. Literature reviews and nine (9) blocks of Business Model Canvas (BMC) framework are used as methodology for this paper. As the extent of rural poverty in Malaysia is expected to be reduced and societal well-being to be enhanced through eHalal4All Program, an added benefit is the minimization of the rural–urban migration process, thus demonstrating the contribution of NoM in realizing partly the meaning of “Rahmatan li’l-Alamin”.

MyMukim2Cloud Collaborative System

This conceptual paper seeks to put forth a novel vision, namely the combined deployment of the Quadruple Helix Model (QHM) collaboration mooted by Agensi Inovasi Malaysia, a Whole-of-Government (WoG) concept of ICT implementation across the Malaysian government agencies mooted by Malaysia Administrative and Modernization Planning Unit (MAMPU) and the Network of Mosques (NoM). This will be accomplished through leveraging the advances in cloud computing and mobile applications in setting up a proposed conceptual MyMukim2Cloud Collaborative System. The QHM actors, namely the Government, Academia, Industry and Citizen need to collaborate and share resources in nurturing and addressing the needs of less privileged and less fortunate people holistically, rather than the current practice which is executed in silos, isolation or independently. This proposed collaborative inter-organizational system is to enable a WoG and consolidated approach for government agencies, NGOs, the private sector and individuals in building up a single and trusted national database based on three (3) focus groups of people proposed in this paper, namely the Orphanage, the Poor and the Disabled. This database, proposed to be co-owned and managed by government agencies such as Department of Social Welfare (DSW) and Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM), can be accessed, used and updated by all other authorized and relevant organizations and individuals in making a consolidated contribution in nurturing and developing these groups. Thus, this System shall eliminate unnecessary and duplication in data, efforts and investments made by the various organizations. The expected outcome of MyMukim2Cloud System will be an enhanced quality of life for the proposed focus groups through the execution of social entrepreneurship concept in healthcare, education and financial activities provided by the QHM collaborators.

The government information sharing (GIS) in natural disaster management and risk reduction

The frequency of natural disasters has been increasing for the last 30 years in the world, having caused great damages and losses. Among those damages and losses, about 90 % are concentrated in the Asian region where natural disasters bring about the loss of lives, property, employment and damage to the physical infrastructure and the environment. Disaster management (DM) including disaster risk reduction (DRR) efforts aim to minimize or avoid the potential losses from hazards, assure prompt and appropriate assistance to victims of disaster, and achieve rapid and effective recovery. While data, information, knowledge and resources sharing can enhance the process of DM, there is a perceived gap in government collaboration and coordination within the context of natural DM. The objective of this paper is to present the literature findings on success factors that ensure the quality of government information sharing (GIS) in supporting effectively DM. Accordingly the identified factors were classified into major categories, namely political leadership support, inter-agency collaboration, individual agency capacity including ICT, and agency benefits.

IslamGRID: Knowledge management at JAKIM

IslamGRID was developed to collect, preserve, disseminate and promote knowledge of Islam to all Muslims globally, whether in the administrative, industrial and commercial. With the advent of Information Technology and the increase of the amount of information that organizations have to deal with, there is a requirement to put strategic process in place to ensure the effective management of knowledge. This case study research looks into 3 main areas of a Knowledge Management (KM) System (KMS) (i. People; ii. Process; and iii. Technology) and their relationship, which might affect the effectiveness of the IslamGRID to the Islamic community (Ummah). The application of these areas would be for JAKIM, JAIN, Muslims as well as non-Muslims.

The success factors in government information sharing (GIS) — Empirical findings from the Malaysians natural disaster management context

Governments around the world are turning to information sharing and collaboration in an interactive process to act on issues such as natural disasters. This demand for a comprehensive disaster management (DM) program covering a wide range of disciplines, sectors and organizations, calling for diverse and expanded forms of collaboration can be far more powerful than individual contributions. The occurrences of natural disasters has been increasing for the last 30 years in the world causing great damages and losses, where about 90% are concentrated in the Asian region. Malaysia has also experienced some devastating natural disasters. In 2007, 29 people had been killed and more than 166,000 people had been affected by floods, with economic damage amounting to USD 968 million. DM including disaster risk reduction (DRR) efforts aim to minimize or avoid the potential losses from hazards, assure prompt and appropriate assistance to victims of disaster, and achieve rapid and effective recovery. While data, information, knowledge, experiences, expertise and resources sharing can enhance the process of DM, there is a perceived gap in government collaboration and coordination within the context of natural DM. The objective of this paper is to present the initial empirical findings on the success factors that can provide high quality of government information sharing (GIS) in supporting effectively DM in Malaysia.

Knowledge management initiative: A case study in Malaysia national library

The Malaysia National Library (PNM) was established in 1966 as a unit of the National Archives of Malaysia. Today PNM is a Division under the Ministry of Education. PNM plays a significant role in collecting, processing, disseminating, storing and utilizing knowledge. This role is parallel with the aspiration of Malaysia government to inculcate a knowledge culture in the development of Malaysia and to promote a reading culture among Malaysians. So far, PNM does not really have a system in managing their knowledge. This paper tries to propose a Knowledge Management (KM) model that suits with PNM situation, which later could be used in fully applying and implementing KM in PNM.

My Emergency Assistant Device: A Conceptual Solution in Enhancing the Quality of Life for the Disabled and Elderly

Numerous studies have been conducted in the field of assistive technology for elderly and disabled. However, the overall user needs are rarely considered and understood. There is a dire need for a holistic solution to keep away dangerous happenings especially to the disabled or elderly people, who are physically fragile and feeble. This paper surveys the needs, the pains, the gains, and the challenges faced by the elderly and disabled at home, workplaces and other common vicinities. Assistive technology-based solutions for today tomorrow are to help those vulnerable people to live better and safer are researched in this study. This study proposes a conceptual MyEmergencyAssistant solution, an integrated assistive technology embedded with customized buttons as an emergency device in enhancing the quality of life and safety for the disabled and elderly community. In addition, literature-review unveils user needs based on emergency situations. This conceptual MyEmergencyAssistant solution is developed using the Environmental Map (EM), Business Model Canvas (BMC), and Value Proposition Diagram (VPD) suite of tools.

Intellectual assets and knowledge audit as a fundamental step for the “University of the Future” transformation

The higher education sector is undergoing a fundamental transformation, as the forces of globalization and technology have transformed other industries of the economy in the past 20 years. The industry is driven by a number of drivers of change where some of them are disruptive. Universities will have to transform the way they deliver their services, administer their organizations, and manage their intellectual assets and knowledge in creating values and virtues. The purpose of this paper is to present the methodology deployed and the findings of a knowledge audit (KA) at a Malaysian Institution of Higher Learning (IHL). This paper gives a high level description of the conducted KA methodology, as one of the early strategic initiatives on embarking the transformation journey to “University of the Future” or in short UotF. The KA attempted to address the most critical intellectual assets & knowledge requirements of a typical IHL. The audit helped to make the intellectual assets & knowledge in the IHL visible, helped the IHL to understand its value and contribution to the IHL excellence and transformation journey to UotF.

Designing business models options for “University of the Future”

A number of key studies have argued universities are in need of new business models in order to stay relevant and sustainable. Drivers of change such as technology, financial support, industry trends and socio-economic ecosystems are dictating higher education sector to re-examine its existing business model and value proposition. The changes are dynamic and complex. It is very difficult to analyse complex problem without proper business modeling tools. Business Model Canvas (BMC) and Value Proposition Design (VPD) are recent tools being used by industry to design, evaluate alternative business models and value propositions. The tools allows us to design business models that create value for the business and value propositions that create value for the customers, thus enabling the creation of sustainable road maps. In this paper we explore the use of BMC as business modeling tool to analyse and design sustainable business models for the University of the Future. Depending on the targeted customer segments and value proposition design, we found design options for the University of the Future. In our opinion this will help university business planners and relevant stakeholders to design sustainable and competitive business model.