What is Quality of Information?

Quality of information is an important concept. Information quality is a multi-attribute concept. If the attributes that define quality of information are of good quality or of high value then the information is said to have good quality. The attributes of quality of information are:

1. Timeliness- The speed at which the information is received. Normally, faster the information better is its quality.
2. Appropriateness- is the suitability matching of the receiver and the information, more the suitability of the information to the receiver, better its quality.
3. Reliability – the reliability of information is a key attribute of quality. Only if the information is reliable is it of any use. The understanding of reliability comes from past experience, the standing/reliability of the source, the methodology adopted to acquire and process the information and the channel of delivery.
4. Accuracy – is the correctness of the information. Normally, the higher the accuracy of the information, the better is its quality.
5. Completeness – is the measure of comprehensiveness. It is required to ensure that the information provided gives the complete picture of reality and not a part of the picture.
6. These attributes define the quality of information. A high score on each of the attributes indicate that the quality of information is good.

Information Overload

Information overload is a condition where there is more information than one can handle. The concept of information overload has been around for over a century but its impact is being felt in today’s times as never before.

Information overload is a huge problem for managers as it affects the quality of their decision-making. A good management information system ensures that information overload is avoided. Information overload leads to both psychological and physiological problems for the receiver and brings down the quality of decision-making. In today’s organization this is a major issue as it has the potential to destroy a lot of the value created by a good information system. System designers should be careful about this issueand should strive to create one version of the truth all across the organization. This helps to reduce information overload.