MIS201 - Business Process Analysis

MIS3596 – Business Process AnalysisSpring 2010

Instructor Mart Doyle [email protected]: 215-204-4684

Office/Office Hours Speakman 209H Office Hours:Mondays 9:00-10:30Tuesdays 9:30-11:00

CRN: 066015 Section 1 Alter Hall A239 Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays 8:00-8:50

PrerequisitesGrade of C- or better in MIS2101.

Course ObjectivesIn this course you will learn business process analysis including requirements analysis, feasibility, and data and process modeling. You will learn to apply information gathering techniques to elicit requirements which will be used to compose business and technical requirements. You will work in teams to recommend information systems solutions to improve or transform business processes. You will learn to lead “make vs. buy” decisions, justify proposed process improvements and proposed information systems solutions. You will learn how to implement and negotiate changes to requirements.

mailto:[email protected]

MIS3596 Syllabus Page 2

Textbooks and Supplies

Required:

Optional:

Satzinger, John W., Jackson, Robert B., Burd, Stephen D., Systems Analysis and Design in a Changing World, Fifth Edition, Course Technology, 2009, ISBN 1-4239-0228-9.

We will be using chapter 3 from Concepts in Enterprise Resource Planning by Monk and Wagner. Either the second or third edition is fine. This was one of the required textbooks in MIS2101 so you may already have a copy of this book. We will only be using chapter 3 of this book so if you don’t already have a copy of the book, you may choose to purchase an electronic copy of chapter 3. You will need any one of the following:

1. Ellen Monk and Bret Wagner. Concepts in Enterprise Resource Planning. Second Edition. ISBN: 0-619-21663-8, 2006.

2. Ellen Monk and Bret Wagner. Concepts in Enterprise Resource Planning. Third Edition. ISBN: 1-423-90179-7, 2009.

3. An electronic copy of Chapter 3 only, Ellen Monk and Bret Wagner. Concepts in Enterprise Resource Planning. Third Edition. ISBN: 978-1-111-13927-8, 2009 available for approximately $6.99 at http://www.cengagebrain.com/market/index.html?Cid=GAD1

Microsoft Visio – Available on machines in Speakman labs and at no additional cost through the MIS department. See http://mis.temple.edu/technology/Software/Default.htm

We will be using Visio a good deal in this course but will not be covering how to use Visio. There are a variety of good tutorials on using Visio available on the Internet. I would encourage you to search for a few of these tutorials and complete them to develop basic competency with Visio as early in the semester as possible.

Microsoft Excel – Available on machines in Speakman labs.

http://mis.temple.edu/technology/Software/Default.htm

http://www.cengagebrain.com/market/index.html?Cid=GAD1


Evaluation

Item Percentage Grading ScaleExam 1 – Chapters 1, 2, & 4

20%94-100 A 73-76 C

Exam 2 – Chapters 5-8 35% 90-93 A- 70-72 C-Exam 3 - Chapters 9-11 35% 87-89 B+ 67-69 D+Team Assignments 10% 83-86 B 63-66 D

80-82 B- 60-62 D-

77-79 C+Below

60F

ExamsThere will be three exams during the semester. The exams, including exam three which will be given during finals week, will not be cumulative. Missed exams can only be made up in the case of documented and verifiable extreme emergency situations.

Please note that the slides and/or class discussions may not include everything that is covered by the textbooks. If a certain topic is not covered in the class it does not mean that you are not responsible for it. You will be responsible for everything in the relevant chapters in the textbook and the readings, unless I specify otherwise

Team AssignmentsDuring the first week of the semester the class will be broken up into teams. Each team will be comprised of two students. If students know each other and would like to work together as a team, requests for teams will be honored. If students do not propose teams, students will be assigned to teams.

Throughout the semester team assignments will be given. These team assignments must be completed by the start of class on the due dates listed below. Paper copies of team assignments must be handed in. Electronic copies of team assignments will not be accepted. Late team assignments will not be accepted. The reason for this is that team assignments will be used to stimulate discussions in that class session. In addition to providing paper copies of all team assignments which will be handed in, teams must bring electronic copies of assignments to class which may be used as part of class discussions. Team assignments will be graded pass/fail.

Equipment failure is not an acceptable reason for turning in an assignment late. During the semester, media will fail and printers will be out of service. You should always make backup copies of your files. You should make sure you print out your work early enough that you can find an alternate location to print if needed.


Class DiscussionsCome to class prepared to discuss the required readings from your text book. The focus of the class will be discussing the material from the text, not covering the material from the text. I will assume that you have completed the required reading and can share a basic understanding of the material with the rest of the class. Students will be called upon at random to share their thoughts on the required reading. Students may share their understanding of the material or, if they had questions about the material, ask insightful questions about the aspects they didn’t understand. Either way, students must demonstrate that they have completed the required reading and have thought about the material. If a student is not prepared for class and is not in a position to discuss the material intelligently they may simply respond “pass” and I will move on to another student and will not call on this student again during this class. However, if you choose to “pass” during one class it will be extremely likely that you will be called upon during the next class. For every three times that you are called on and you are absent or not prepared for class, your final grade will be reduced by one fraction of one letter grade. Complete the required reading and come to class prepared to discuss what you have read!

Schedule (Keep in mind that all dates are tentative)This syllabus may be changed with prior notice based upon the pace and needs of the class and other unforeseen circumstances. Any change or other information about the class will be announced during the class or on the class blackboard.

Reading: A reference to the relevant chapter in your textbook. Unless I explicitly specify certain sections in a chapter to be excluded from readings, you will be responsible for the chapters in their entirety. For each week/topic the relevant chapters are listed in the tables below


Dates Topics and Learning Outcomes Reading1/20, 1/22 Class Discussion:

Introductions The World of the Modern Systems Analyst

Team/Business Process Assignment – Form teams by 1/22. If teams are not formed by 1/22, they will be formed in class on 1/22. Class discussion on team assignment. Begin to look at the deliverables for the upcoming weeks.

Chapter 1

1/25, 1/27, 1/29 Class Discussion: Approaches to Systems Development Team Assignment Due 1/29 – Come to class prepared to discuss the case study we will be examining this semester found in chapter 3 of Monk and Wagner.

Each team will be assigned one of the following major business process

1. Sales Processes2. Warehouse Processes3. Accounting & Returns Processes

The team will focus their work for the rest of the semester on this set of business processes. Prepare a brief (one page or less) document that describes the processes that your team has been assigned.

Create a first draft of a document that describes your team’s business processes in detail. This should include:

1. A list of the events that drive activity in these business processes.2. A list of the things that are required to perform these business processes.3. A detailed explanation and/or diagram describing how these processes flows.

Bring both paper copies and electronic copies (flash drive) of team deliverables to class.

Chapter 2 (Satzinger, Jackson, & Burd), Chapter 3 (Monk & Wagner)

2/1, 2/3, 2/5 Class Discussion: Beginning the Analysis: Investigating System Requirements

Team Assignment – No deliverables for this week. Begin to look at the deliverables for next week.

Chapter 4


Dates Topics and Learning Outcomes Reading2/8, 2/10, 2/12 Class Discussion:

Bank Case Study – Gathering Requirements Review

Team Assignment Due 2/8 – Come to class prepared to discuss how you would approach requirements gathering for an application that would automate your team’s business processes. Create a first draft of a document (one page or less) which describes where you would collect your requirements from and how you would collect them. Who would be the key people to provide information? How would you solicit the required information from these people? Identify 10 questions that you would ask and identify who you would ask for this information.


Exam 1 – 2/122/15, 2/17, 2/19 Class Discussion:

Exam results Modeling System Requirements: Events and Things

Team Assignment Due 2/19 – Using figure 5-15 as a model, create a first draft of an event table which describes the events which drive activity in your system. Please include at least four external events, two temporal events, and two state events. Excel will be the best tool to use to create your event table. Please label the type of each event (external, temporal, or state).

Identify six “things” and create domain model class diagrams for each of these things using Visio.


Chapter 5

2/22, 2/24, 2/26 Class Discussion: The Traditional Approach to Requirements Begin to discuss chapter 7


Chapter 6 up to but not including section on IE Models



The Object-Oriented Approach to Requirements

Team Assignment Due 3/5 – Using Visio, create two use case diagrams. These two use cases should map directly to two events from your event table.

For each of the two use cases just developed, use Visio to create activity diagrams which describe the interaction between all actors and the computer system.

Include a copy of your event table from a few weeks back.


Chapter 7

3/8, 3/10, 3/12 Spring Break3/15, 3/17, 3/19 Class Discussion:

Evaluating Alternatives for Requirements, Environment, and Implementation

Team Assignment Due 3/19 – Create a first draft of a document (one page or less) which describes your team’s thoughts on the “make vs. buy vs. outsource” decision regarding the development of your system.


Chapter 8

3/22, 3/24, 3/26 Case Study – ContinuedReview

Team Assignment Due 3/22 – For each of the two use cases developed back on 3/5, use Visio to create SSDs which describe the interaction between the primary actor and the computer system.

For each of the two use cases developed last week, use Word to create a fully developed use case description.

Include a copy of your event table from a few weeks back.


Exam – 3/26

None



Exam results Business Process Transformation – The Essence of IT The “Run, Grow, Transform” framework The impact of IT on the income statement

Team Assignment Due 4/2 – Create a first draft of a document (three pages or less) which describes three ideas of how you might leverage IT to add business value to your team’s business process. Discuss where each of these ideas fits into the “Run, Grow, Transform” framework. Discuss how each of these ideas would impact the income statement for the organization.

None

4/5, 4/7, 4/9 Class Discussion: Moving to Design


Chapter 9

4/12, 4/14, 4/16 Class Discussion: Moving to Design

Team Assignment Due 4/14 – Network Design Exercise (see below).

None

4/19, 4/21, 4/23 Class Discussion: The Traditional Approach to Design

FoxNet Research Assignment Due 4/23

Team Assignment – None

Chapter 10

4/26, 4/28, 4/30 Class Discussion: The Object-Oriented Approach to Design: Use Case Realization

Team Assignment – None

Chapter 11

5/3 Class Discussion: Review


Network Design Exercise

Create a first draft Visio document (one page or less) which describes your team’s network design. As in most cases, you will need to integrate your application into an existing network. For this exercise you will not only need to take into consideration the bandwidth requirements of your application but you will need to take into consideration the bandwidth requirements for all of the new applications being considered by all of the teams in the class.

Prepare a network diagram which will be presented to the network manager. The network manager is responsible for providing network connectivity and ensuring good network performance.

The topology of the existing network is as follows:

This diagram shows all of the locations and the existing network connections between locations. For each connection the amount of current bandwidth and the current utilization of the link is specified.

Assume that we will utilize a centralized architecture for all applications and that clients at each location will access application servers located in the datacenter in Glenside.


The following table lists the maximum number of users who will be using each application at any one time. We are assuming that each concurrent user will require 10K of bandwidth to access their application. Bandwidth will need to be available to support their needs. If existing unutilized capacity is sufficient then network upgrades will not need to be performed. For links that do not have sufficient capacity, you will need to highlight the necessary upgrades for the network manager.

Business Process

Sales Warehouse Accounting ReturnsTotal Bandwidth Required

Jenkintown 0 0 0 10 100Glenside 0 0 8 0 80Abington 3 5 1 0 90Willow Grove 3 6 1 0 100Fort Washington 4 4 1 0 90Bensalem 2 4 1 0 70Hatboro 1 10 1 0 120

Include the technology required to support the three ideas that were proposed in the team assignment three weeks earlier. If your system requires connectivity to the Internet show that too. List assumptions about the number of concurrent users accessing systems across the Internet and the bandwidth required to support this load (again, assuming 10K per concurrent user). If your system interacts with any external organizations, show the link to these external organizations on your network diagram.



FoxNet Research AssignmentThis assignment will be due towards the end of the semester (see course schedule for actual due date). You are required to use FoxNet to search for jobs and/or internship opportunities. If you are an MIS major you must identify 10 MIS related jobs and/or internship opportunities between now and the due date. If you are not an MIS major, please find 10 jobs and/or internship opportunities that are related to your major instead but be sure to let me know what your major is. For each opportunity you identify you must list:

1) Name of the employer2) Title of the position3) Short summary description of the position (2-3 sentences)4) Salary if listed5) Location if listed6) Industry if listed7) Short summary list the qualifications8) If you feel you are qualified for this position, explain how you met these

requirements. If you do not feel you are qualified for this position, explain why not. If you feel that your field of study will prepare you for this opportunity before graduation, let me know that too.

Partial credit for this assignment will NOT be given if the required number of opportunities is not identified. You will not be able to wait until the due date and then expect to find the required number of opportunities out on FoxNet; there are never that many out there at any point in time. Job opportunities posted to FoxNet change frequently so you will have to check FoxNet regularly (I suggest at least once per week) for job opportunities until you have completed this assignment.

If you have secured an internship or a permanent position, you will not be required to complete this assignment. Please provide me with a copy of your offer letter and you will receive credit for this assignment.

Failure to complete this assignment by the due date will result in a reduction of your final grade by two fractions of a letter grade. For example, if you earned a “B+” in the class based on your performance for all three exams, this grade would be reduced to a “B-“.

Attendance PolicyWhile attendance will not be taken, you are expected to attend each and every class. I expect you to arrive on time to class. If you miss a class it is your responsibility to catch up. Talk to your class fellows, check the blackboard, find out the homework, team assignments, readings, etc.

Preparation, Participation & What to Expect in ClassYou are expected to be prepared for class. In order to be prepared for class you must complete the required reading and assignments BEFORE class. The focus of the class


will not be a lecture that covers the material in the text. The focus of the class will be to discuss the material in the text. If you have not prepared for class, you can’t discuss the materials in the text intelligently. Come to class with any questions you have from the required readings. Be prepared to share your thoughts on the material with the rest of the class as well as ask questions about topics that were not clear. Slide decks have been posted to the class Blackboard. I strongly encourage you to print these slide decks out, bring them to class, and use them to take notes. Students who print the slide out, bring them to class, and use them to take notes consistently perform better on exams and earn significantly higher grades in this class. If you have issues with your grades in this class, one of the first things I will ask you is to show me your set of slides and notes.

We will have a variety of in-class questions/exercises that will be used to help us learn to apply the material from the text. Time permitting, working in small teams we will work through many of these exercises in class. These in-class questions/exercises have been included in the class slides. Please look through these questions/exercises that are included in the class slides while preparing for class and come to class prepared to work with others on these questions/exercises in class.

Class participation will be key to your success in this class. Each student is expected to make significant contributions to the class. The types of contributions students can make to the class can be varied. Asking intelligent questions about the material is one way to contribute to the class. Sharing your understanding of the material or experiences with the rest of the class is another great way to make contributions.

Proper preparation is essential. At a minimum, make sure you complete the required reading, have thought about the material, and come to class ready to ask questions and share your thoughts and ideas. Also review the in-class questions/exercises before class and come to class ready to share your thoughts and ideas.

Appropriate Use of Technology in the ClassroomPlease turn off cell phones at the start of class. Let any calls roll over to voice mail; you can turn hour phone on and pick up your messages after class. If you have an urgent, personal situation and may be receiving an important phone call during class, please let me know this at the beginning of class, sit near the door, and step out of the classroom if you need to take a call.

While the use of laptop computers in the classroom is permitted for taking notes, using a laptop for any other purpose is prohibited. This distracts the students sitting around you. If I find that you are using a laptop for something other than taking notes, you will be asked to put your laptop away and you will no longer be permitted to use a laptop in the classroom.


BlackboardThere is a Blackboard web site for this course. You should make sure your Blackboard ID works properly before the second week of class. You are responsible for checking the site daily for updates and announcements.

Digital Drop BoxWhile I used Blackboard for many things, I do not use the digital drop box. If you need to get and electronic document to me, please e-mail it to me. Do not place it in my digital drop box.

Extra CreditNobody asks about the possibility of earning extra credit at the start of the semester. It is only after exams that some people start asking about opportunities for extra credit. In this class there is only one way to earn extra credit.

We have created a blog for this course on the social networking site Community.MIS.Temple.Edu. On this blog I have created posts for each module with a title, “Content Summary and Proposed Exam Questions”. In order to earn extra credit you must create comments in these posts. After completing the required reading, you will create a summary (1 well written paragraph) of a key topic or concept of your choice from the text. In addition to the summary, you will create a multiple choice question that focuses on content of your summary. While the question may be fairly challenging, if you have just read and understood the summary, the question should be pretty easy. The answers may not include “all of the above” or “none of the above”.

In order to earn extra credit for these summaries/questions, your content must be posted to the class blog within one week of when we start to cover the module which includes the topic or concept summarized. Content created more than one week after we have started the corresponding module is not eligible for earning extra credit.

For every 10 summaries/proposed exam questions you generate, I will add one point onto your final grade for this course with a maximum of five total extra credit points. To earn credit you will need to take screen shots of your summaries/exam questions and hand them in as paper copies, grouping 10 summaries/questions together.

For those of you who are not interested in earning extra credit, this blog site will still be of interest to you. Depending on the number of summaries/exam questions posted and the quality of the content, expect to see a significant number of these questions on the upcoming exams. I have had situations were nearly 100% of the questions on an exam have been generated by the students in the class.

Academic IntegrityPlagiarism and academic dishonesty can take many forms. The most obvious is copying from another student’s exam, but the following are also forms of this:


Copying material directly from the Internet (or another source) without a proper citation crediting the author

Turning in an assignment from a previous semester as if it were your own Having someone else complete your lab assignment and submitting it as if it were

your own Signing someone else’s name to an attendance sign-in sheet Use of assignments completed in one class as any part of a project assigned in

another class Sharing/copying homework assignments. Use of unauthorized notes during an examination In cases of cheating, both parties will be held equally responsible, i.e. both the

student who shares the work and the student who copies the work.

Of course, behavior like this will not be tolerated in this class. Penalties for such actions are given at my discretion, and can range from a failing grade for the individual assignment, to a failing grade for the entire course.

Academic Honesty Temple University believes strongly in academic honesty and integrity. Plagiarism and academic cheating are, therefore, prohibited. Essential to intellectual growth is the development of independent thought and a respect for the thoughts of others. The prohibition against plagiarism and cheating is intended to foster this independence and respect.

Plagiarism is the unacknowledged use of another person's labor, another person's ideas, another person's words, another person's assistance. Normally, all work done for courses -- papers, examinations, homework exercises, laboratory reports, oral presentations -- is expected to be the individual effort of the student presenting the work. Any assistance must be reported to the instructor. If the work has entailed consulting other resources -- journals, books, or other media -- these resources must be cited in a manner appropriate to the course. It is the instructor's responsibility to indicate the appropriate manner of citation. Everything used from other sources -- suggestions for organization of ideas, ideas themselves, or actual language -- must be cited. Failure to cite borrowed material constitutes plagiarism. Undocumented use of materials from the World Wide Web is plagiarism.

Academic cheating is, generally, the thwarting or breaking of the general rules of academic work or the specific rules of the individual courses. It includes falsifying data; submitting, without the instructor's approval, work in one course which was done for another; helping others to plagiarize or cheat from one's own or another's work; or actually doing the work of another person.

The penalty for academic dishonesty can vary from receiving a reprimand and a failing grade for a particular assignment, to a failing grade in the course, to suspension or expulsion from the University. The penalty varies with the nature of the offense, the individual instructor, the department, and the school or college.


Students who believe that they have been unfairly accused may appeal through the School or College's academic grievance procedure. See Grievances under Student Rights in this section.

Source: Temple University Undergraduate Bulletin, 2006-2007. Available online at: http://www.temple.edu/bulletin/Responsibilities_rights/responsibilities/responsibilities.shtm#honesty

Change History:12/21/09 – Initial draft for spring 2010.

http://www.temple.edu/bulletin/Responsibilities_rights/responsibilities/responsibilities.shtm#honesty

http://www.temple.edu/bulletin/Responsibilities_rights/responsibilities/responsibilities.shtm#honesty

http://www.temple.edu/bulletin/Responsibilities_rights/rights/rights.shtm#ferpa_grievance

Documents

MIS201 - Business Process Analysis