Building an E-Commerce Website

Building an E-Commerce WebsiteCHAPTER # 4Building E-commerce Site:Systematic ApproachMost important management challenges:

Developing a clear understanding of business objectives.

Knowing how to choose the right technology to achieve those objectives.Pieces of Site-Building PuzzleMain areas which need to make decisions:

Human resources and organizational capabilitiesHardwareSoftwareTelecommunicationsSite designSystems Development Life Cycle Methodology for understanding business objectives of a system and designing an appropriate solution Five major steps: Systems analysis & planning System design Building the system Testing Implementation

Web Site Systems Development Life Cycle1. System Analysis & PlanningBusiness objectives:List of capabilities you want your site to have

System functionalities:List of information system capabilities needed toachieve business objectives

Information requirements:Information elements that system must produce in order to achieve business objectives

2. Systems Design:Hardware & Software Platforms System design specification:Description of main components of a system andtheir relationship to one another

Two components of system design:Logical design Data flow diagrams, processing functions, databasesPhysical design Specifies actual physical, software components, models, etc.

3.Build/Host Your Own VS. Outsourcing Outsourcing: Hiring vendors to provide services involved in building siteBuild own vs outsourcing: Build your own requires team with diverse skill set; choice of software tools; both risks and possible benefitsHost own vs outsourcing: Hosting: Hosting company responsible for ensuring site is accessible 24/7, for monthly feeColocation: Firm purchases or leases Web server (with control over its operation), but server is located at vendors facility

4.TestingUnit testing Incomputer programming,unit testingis a method by which individual units ofsource code, sets of one or more computer program modules together with associated control data, usage procedures, and operating procedures, are tested to determine if they are fit for useSystem testing It is a testing conducted on a complete, integrated system to evaluate the system's compliance with its specifiedrequirements.Acceptance testing It is a test conducted to determine if the requirements of aspecificationorcontractare met.5.Implementation and maintenance Implementationis the realization of an application, or execution of aplan, idea,model,design,specification,standard, algorithm, or policy.

Maintenance is ongoingMaintenance costs: Parallel to development costsBenchmarking