Chapter 12

McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2013 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Chapter 12

Implementing Business/IT Solutions

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Learning ObjectivesUse the systems development process outlined

in this chapter and the model of IS components from Chapter 1 as problem–solving frameworks to help you propose information systems solutions to simple business problems.

Describe and give examples to illustrate how you might use each of the steps of the information systems development life cycle to develop and implement a buiness information system.

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Learning ObjectivesExplain how prototyping can be used as an

effective technique to improve the process of systems development for end users and IS specialists.

Understand the basics of project management and its importance to a successful systems development effort.

Identify the activities involved in the implementation of new information systems.

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Learning ObjectivesCompare and Contrast the four basic

information system conversion strategies.Describe several evaluation factors that should

be considered in evaluating the acquisition of hardware, software, and IS services.

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Section 1Developing Business Systems

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I. IS Development • Applying the Systems Approach to IS development• The Systems Approach is a systematic way to develop

a solution to a problem

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II. The Systems Approach Uses a systems orientation to defining and solving

problems and opportunities Problem Solving – there are specific steps in solving

any problem Recognize/Define a Problem or Opportunity – recognize it

exists Develop and Evaluate Alternative System Solutions – what

are the different ways to solve this problem? Select the Best System Solution – decide which alternative is

best Design the Selected System Solution – design the system for

the chosen solution Implement and Evaluate the Success of the Designed System

– put the solution into effect and monitor results for the outcome

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II. The Systems Approach Systems Thinking – the “Fifth Discipline”

– seeing the system contextSee the Interrelationships among the

systems rather than linear cause-and-effect chains

See the Process of change among the systems rather than discrete ‘snapshots’ of change

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II. The Systems Approach

Systems ThinkingSystems Thinking

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III. Systems Analysis and Design The process of designing and

implementing an IS – Object-oriented or Life Cycle approaches

The Systems Development Life Cycle – a multistep, iterative process to designing systems, very popular, 5 Phases: Investigation, Analysis, Design, Implementation, Maintenance

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IV. Starting the Systems Development Process

Systems development can be very costly, investigations are made to determine whether to proceed

Feasibility Studies – identify needs, resources, costs, benefits

Operational Feasibility – will the proposed system fit existing business environment and objectives?

Technical Feasibility – degree to which current technical resources can be applied to the new system

Human Factors Feasibility – assess the degree of approval/resistance to the new system

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TheTheSystems Systems

Development Development Life CycleLife Cycle

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Economic Feasibility – the extent to which the proposed system will provide positive economic benefits to the organization

Cost/Benefit Analysis – do the benefits justify the costs?Tangible Costs/Benefits – can be calculated/quantified

(hardware, software, increase in payroll) Intangible Benefits – hard to calculate (customer

approval, political feedback)

Legal/Political Feasibility – what are the legal/political ramifications of the new system?

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Feasibility FactorsFeasibility Factors

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V. Systems Analysis • A detailed study of the current system and

organizational needs• Organizational Analysis – you must have a thorough

understanding of the organization to make the system work well

• Analysis of the Present System – “those who fail to study history are doomed to repeat it”, a complete understanding of the current system is critical

• Logical Analysis – create logical models the current system, WHAT the system does without regard to HOW

• Functional Requirements Analysis and Determination – what Information is required for each business activity and what Processing is required in the system

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Prometric: Understanding Application Performance

What is Prometric’s product?What product makes all this possible?How do problems in this product affect their

entire operation?What does APM do?What were the results of using APM?

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VI. Systems Design• Create a new system to solve the

problem/opportunity• Prototyping – create working models of the

proposed system• The Prototyping Process – prototypes are

developed quickly for trial by users to obtain user feedback

• User Interface Design – critical because the interface is the part of the systems closest to the user

• System Specifications – listing of elements that formalize the design

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VI. Systems Design

The Prototyping ProcessThe Prototyping Process

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The Determinants of Project Success

According to the case, what is the most important factor for business project success?

Which projects have fewest problems?Why would a manager not know if his project

is strategic?What was the biggest challenge given by

project managers?

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Google’s Interface: Balancing Freedom and Consistency

What are Google’s design decisions based on?What problem is inherent in Google’s culture?Why is this a problem for users?What issues does this cause in consistency vs.

pragmatism?

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VII. End-User Development IS professionals act as consultants while

user do their own application development

Focus on IS Activities – focus should be on fundamental activities: input, processing, output, storage, control

Doing End-User Development – may discover new or improved ways to do the job

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VII. End-User Development

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Blue Prism: “Shadow” IT Is Becoming More Pervasive

What is “shadow” IT?What situations can lead to this behavior, and

why do users do it?What did the Blue Prism survey reveal?What is IT’s solution to a problem? Why is this

not always the correct solution? What should be their focus?

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VII. Technical Note: Overview of Object-Oriented Analysis and Design Objects – anything a programmer wants to manage or

manipulate Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)

Inheritance – ability to inherit properties of a higher-order object

Modularity – a series of interlinked yet stand-alone modules

Polymorphism – different behavior based on conditionsEncapsulation – concealing all the properties inside the

object Object-Oriented Analysis (OOA) – modeling the problem

domain as an object-oriented systemObject-Oriented Design (OOD) – create solutions using

objects

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Section 2Implementing Strategic Business Systems

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I. The World of Systems Implementation

Implementation is a vital step that must be completed; it is important to PLAN an implementation.

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II. Implementing New Systems

May be difficult and time-consuming

The Implementation ProcessThe Implementation Process

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Project Portfolio Management: Shoot the Bad Projects, Keep the Good Ones

What is the reward for doing a good job? Why is this true?

What skills need to be learned by IT to close the credibility gap in PPM?

What role does internal politics have?Why does IT look bad when another

department creates a bad project?

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III. Project Management

What Is a Project? – a set of activities with a beginning and an end, has goals and tasks, may have constraints (limitations)

The Process of Project Management – five phases: Initiation and Defining – state the problem and identify

objectives and resources, explore costs/benefitsPlanning – identify and sequence objectives/activitiesExecuting – put plans into motionControlling – ensure project objectives and deadlines

are metClosing – install deliverables, release resources, end the

project

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III. Project Management

Phases of Project ManagementPhases of Project Management

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SAS: Services Key in Mainframe Migration Project

What is the problem with the current “homegrown” SAS system?

What solutions does the new system provide?

What are the expected dollar savings fro, this implementation?

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IV. Evaluating Hardware, Software, and Services

Performance must be demonstrated and evaluated

Hardware Evaluation Factors – physical and performance characteristics

Software Evaluation Factors – similar to evaluating hardware

Evaluating IS Services – services may be provided by suppliers of hardware/software or by third parties; do the services address your needs?

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V. Other Implementation Activities

Testing – testing and debugging are important, does the system work as it should?

Data Conversion – new implementations often require replacing software and databases

Documentation – an important means of communication, often overlooked

Training – training users is vital, usually under-budgeted, and expensive

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Owens and Minor: The Mainframe Goes, but COBOL Stays

What is the issue with the ERP system?Why do they not want to rewrite the

system?What are the benefits of continuing to

use the COBOL system?

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System Conversion Strategies – cutting over to the new systemDirect – simplest but most dangerous method, turn off

the old system and turn on the new oneParallel – most expensive but safest, run both systems

until everyone is satisfied, then turn off old systemPilot – let only a select few users use the new system

until they are happy, then implement the new system for everyone; best user representation can be selected for the trials

Phased (Modular) – gradual conversion one module at a time, combines best of both direct and modular while minimizing risks

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System Conversion StrategiesSystem Conversion Strategies

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Postimplementation Activities – Use and Maintenance – the longest and most costly phase of a system’s life; correct errors, improve performance, adapt to changes in the business environment

Systems Maintenance – making changes to the system Corrective – fix errors Adaptive – adding new functionality Perfective – improve performance Preventative – reduce chances of future system failure

Postimplementation Review – ensure the new system meets established business objectives

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Project Success (or Failure): What We Know but Choose to Ignore

What percentage of major it projects are failures (or cancelled)?

Describe the various reasons for failure.Discuss these reasons – why would we

choose to ignore these items?How can we work to avoid each of the

reasons on the list?

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Chapter 12