Book excerpt: Management information systems (MIS) produce the information that managers use to make important strategic decisions. This book covers the essential managerial skills that are necessary to design these systems. In contrast to other books on management information systems, this book takes a decidedly managerial perspective. It focuses on how managers perceive and respond to information, and on their need to use this information to make important decisions. The book considers how systems can be designed to combat 'information overload' experienced by managers, using such techniques as data aggregation and data visualization. Chapters provide an in-depth and practical consideration of these topics, focusing on the use of information systesms for managerial decision making. Designing Management Information Systems covers the topics of key performance indicator monitoring, and of shortlisting and selecting alternatives from a range of options. These are managerial decisions for which MIS are particularly useful, and which managers face on a daily basis. This is the first book offering practical guidance on how systems should be designed to support these decisions. It is written for managers, those studying business, management, and IT, and those developing MIS on behalf of management.