Information Management - Anecdotal

I had my lunch at 2pm today, 2 hours later than I normally would.

And no, it wasn't because I was busy at work. (These days, I am adjusting to cope with underemployment issues.) Instead, it was because the lunch delivery screwed up.

I usually order my from a Burmese restaurant. The shopkeeper insists that the staff at our office call before 11.30pm each day so she can deliver on time, by 12pm. In taking the phone orders, she also demands our names, imprinted on our (styrofoam) lunch boxes  - saves us (30-odd staff at the office) from arguing over which is whose.

Today, I had an 11am meeting and couldn't place the lunch order on time so I called up option 2 - the Chinese Restaurant. The person who answered the phone took the order but didn't take down my name. Being new, I didn't doubt the Chinese resto's system and patiently (and trustingly) waited for my lunch.

Soon, it was 1pm and my food has yet to arrive so I called the Chinese resto again to confirm my order. The person who answered the phone wasn't sure so he kept me waiting on the line to check with the chef. About a minute later, he returned to the phone and said he is not sure but he THINKS it is on the way.

I was hungry (and cranky) so I canceled my order and walked out to the Burmese resto (about 10-minute walk from the office to get my food). I came back to the office around 2pm and I am glad I didn't wait for the Chinese resto's food because it never came.

So, the moral of the story is - yes, I am trying to justify my rantings here- that information systems matter! Unless you have a proper system to inquire, record and apply the information, systems will not flow and operate smoothly. And operational reliability/certainty is crucial to organizations.

While there have been studies on the uses (and abuses) of IS in large organizations, such systems also matter for smaller commercial units - such as these road side food stalls - as my experience today demonstrated.

It didn't take a lot of time or complex info storage devices to set up the IS system like the Burmese resto owner, but it does make a difference. I, for one, know that I don't trust the Chinese resto and given a choice, will not be ordering from there again.