Information Systems Infrastructure
(IS3314)3rd year BIS 2006 / 2007
Fergal CartonBusiness Information Systems
2 weeks ago
• Integration definition: benefits of sharing, while retaining own identity
• Integration examples– Dell– Sun MicroSystems– Bank branch
• Integration downsides• ERP project resources
– Business process– Project– Technical (data and IT)
• Topps Case study (handout)
Integration example: Dell • Suppliers using 18 different s/w packages• Missing integration:
– Seamless processing
– Reduces costs
– Speeds up customer responsiveness
• Develop system to interface to 18 others?• For 40 biggest customers “one click shopping”
– Customers continue to order on-line
– Dell simultaneously enters the order into the customers procurement system
Integration example: Sun Microelectronics
• “Fabless” manufacturer• Uses contract manufacturers• Chip demand forecasts based on sales and internal
demand• Forecasts loaded into web based SCM s/w• Contract manufacturers check demand against
inventory and capacity• Enter component and materials needs into system• 2nd tier suppliers (memory and CPU) commit to
deliver by certain dates• Sun sees a picture of upcoming product flow
ERP projects: resources required
Users / power users
User management
Steering Committee
Functional analysts
Application expert
DBA’s / Sys Admin
Project team
Process leads
Project Managers
Technical Project Business process
ERP projects: resources required
Software vendor
Hardware vendor
Users / power users
User management
Steering Committee
Functional analysts
Application expert
DBA’s / Sys Admin
Project team
Process leads
Project Managers
Systems Integrator
Technical Project Business process
Project issues• Availability of team members / users• Decision making processes• Developing workarounds• Timeline too tight to allow resolution of issues• Massive learning curve for team• Expectation management• Retaining ownership of process related decisions
Resources : Financial Controller• Having seconded the AP manager to the project for 18
months …– Just after go-live, lost the AP manager– Basic functionality missing
• Statutory reports for countries• Unmatched receiver report• arguments over Break-Fix vs. Enhancement
– Lost understanding of why things were done in a certain way• Knowledge of application• Knowledge of business processes in the US
– Worse: lost ability to get things fixed!• Prioritisation of SIRs (System Investigation Requests)• Reports written by end-users (eg. AP Manager)• Local IS or global IS now working to gobal requirements• Can’t customise the application
Resources : Technical (data)• Data clean-up team• Data conversion team• Data conversion programmer• Legacy data team • Data quality testing and maintenance• …
Data issues …• Getting and maintaining clean data
– When creating a new customer, who has control?
– 42 occurrences of Siemens in your customer database, what do you do?
– Customers exist in ERP core database, but also in several legacy systems. How do you make sure they are in synch?
– …
Resources : Technical (IT ops)• Database administrator
• Systems administrator
• Operators : core apps
• Server operators
• Storage technicians
• HelpDesk
• …
Database issues …• Guaranteeing “high availability”
• How often should Test be refreshed?• How many environments should I have
– Test– Production– Development– Training– Business Simulation– …
• If I implement a change to Production, do I need to implement the same change across all environments?
• 20 programmers developing / testing new code every day: how do I track releases to production?
• …
Systems admin issues …• Ensuring system access for users
• New users
• Changes to existing profiles
• System downtime for maintenance
• Forcing users out of system
• Tracking source of corrupt data to user profile
• …
HelpDesk issues …• Calls arriving at HelpDesk are either :
• Forgotten password• New user • Changes to user profile• Printing problems• Connectivity problems• Response time problems• System crashes• System error messages• PC problems• I need more training• …
HelpDesk issues …• …or :
• Functionality questions (how do I transact an invoice?)
• Process questions (when should I post to GL?)
• Reporting (I need a revenue report)
Project handover to HelpDesk• Prior to go-live, implement procedures for :
– Logging calls such that it will be routed to the right person and tracked, reported on and escalated
– Training for HelpDesk to be able to ask the right questions concering an application issue
– Troubleshooting application issues to be able to deal with simple “fixes”
– Ongoing consultation with application team regarding new functionality being rolled out, common errors, planned outages, …
Topps questions• Describe the limitations of current processes (un-
integrated)
• What were the potential failure points for the business?
• What are the potential benefits of ERP (integration) for Topps?
• Why did the decision to implement ERP take so long?
Case study notes
• Entertainment products• 3 warehouses
– Cork (stocks manufactured in Cork)– Liverpool (stocks for UK market)– Rotterdam (stocks of imported products)
• Only 20% of goods manufactured locally• Product lifecycle short : rotation critical• Rapid growth of business• Increase in trading -> increase paperwork
Topps : systems “as-is”
• Spreadsheet based (eg. mini P&L accounts)
• Payroll / invoicing / inventory : obsolete systems
• No local IS support
Issues with Spreadsheets?
Risks?
Systems issues
• Lack of on-line stock control• Paperwork delays on shipping• Lack of control of debtors balances /
invoices due• Lack of detail on reporting profitability• Too much information in people’s heads• Too much time gathering information, not
analysis
ShippingCredit Control
Treasury