Unit 4 University of Sunderland CSEM04 ROSCO Unit 4: Understanding the Problem (Concept of Ideality) CSEM04: Risk and Opportunities of Systems Change in

Unit 4University of Sunderland CSEM04 ROSCO

Unit 4:Unit 4: Understanding the Understanding the Problem Problem

(Concept of Ideality)(Concept of Ideality)

CSEM04: Risk and Opportunities of Systems Change in Organisations

Prof. Helen M Edwards


OverviewOverview

• Understanding the Problem



• The Concept Of Ideality

• Student Activity


Understanding the Understanding the ProblemProblem

• In this context – understanding the impact of the systems change

project.– Need clear understanding of

• what the system is to achieve (in terms of business value)

• what exists currently (IT, organisationally, culturally) • what needs to change• How proposed systems change fits with this



• Elements required at start of project:– (Contextual) systems analysis – Requirements analysis

[these outside the scope of the module:

expected that concepts understood]

– Cost-benefit analysis– Risk identification and analysis– Opportunity identification and analysis

[these covered within the module]



• Elements required during project:– Project management– Active risk/opportunity management

[covered within the module]

• Elements required after project:– Project post-mortem.

[covered within the module]


The Concept Of IdealityThe Concept Of Ideality

• Defined as the end point, the purpose, the main function we are seeking – All functionality / benefits – Everything we want (must haves / nice to haves)– Everything we don’t want– Where & when we want our functionality.

The real functionality - Why do we want this? – Ideal Outcome – Everyone’s Ideal Outcome– Identify conflicts in Time and Space



• Ideal Outcome – a vision of the perfect end result – no constraints – no “we can’t have this because…” – Think like Leonardo da Vinci who said

• “Think of the end before the beginning.”

– Thinking about what you want rather than what you currently have.

– Deliver more for less, finding solutions to problems for a minimum of cost and harm.

– The concept of an Ideal Outcome frees thinking away from constraints and why something can’t be done, to what might be possible and how to achieve it.



• Everyone’s Ideal Outcome – makes you look at the problem from everyone else’s

point of view (whoever is relevant, customer, manufacturing engineer, designer, shareholder etc.)

– Understanding the conflicts between all stakeholders and resolving conflicts / contradictions is one of the great powers of TRIZ.

• Altshuller said “Every great invention is the result of resolving one or more contradictions”.

– once everyone’s input is considered we can then look at how to reduce conflicts between stakeholders for the company’s problems.



• The best solution to a problem– increases the benefits of your system – while simultaneously reducing both the disadvantages and costs.

• Part of achieving the ideal is using all the resources available to you, e.g.– using very inexpensive resources,

• In this context: resources includes hardware, software, organisational knowledge, consultants, staff, etc.

• In this context: an example would be a systems change project that achieves its objectives without additional external investment (by improving internal workflow, business practices)

– See Clay, M, Edwards, H.M., and Maguire, J. (2003). Establishing the Strategic Context of IT Projects - A Case Study from the Automotive Industry. Electronic Journal of Information Systems Evaluation,

• turning anything harmful in the system into something useful. – In this context: an example would be converting someone who is resistant to

the project (but influential) into a systems champion.


Student ActivityStudent Activity

• Self study: read about some of the basic checklists for systems failure/success

• starting point: – Moynihan, T. (2002) Coping with IS/IT risk management :

the recipes of experienced project managers. Practitioner series, Springer, London.

– Sauer,C and Cuthbertson, C (2005) The State of IT Project Management in the UK 2002-2003. Computer Weekly Report.

– Risk module (COMM80)website: http://osiris.sunderland.ac.uk/~cs0hed/comm80.html

Documents

Unit 4 University of Sunderland CSEM04 ROSCO Unit 4: Understanding the Problem (Concept of Ideality) CSEM04: Risk and Opportunities of Systems Change in