BIS 300 ch 8

Opportunities and problems that frequently trigger the initiation of an information system project include:

-organizations may pursue opportunities to use information systems to support a key organization strategy or to seize a significant , and ideally long-term competitive advantage -pressure to increase profitability and improve operational efficiencies often drives organizations to implement new approaches and technology -the availability of new technology can create an opportunity to offer new services or attract new customers

Steps in System Investigation

1. Review system investigation request 2. identify and recruit team leader and team members 3. develop budget and schedule for investigation 4 perform investigation 5. Perform preliminary feasibility analysis 6. prepare draft of investigation report 7. Review the results of the investigation with the steering team

steps in system construction

1. code software components 2.create and load data 3.perform unit testing

steps to system design

1. identify and recruit team leader and team members 2. develop schedule and budget for system design activities 3. design user interface 4.design system security and controls 5. design disaster recovery plan 6.design database 7.perform feasibility analysis 8.prepare draft of system design report 9.review results of system design with steering team

design database important steps

1. telling the database management system (DBMS) the logical and physical structure of the data and the relationships among the data for each user. This description is called a schema, and it is entered into the DBMS using a data definition language. A data definition language is a collection of instructions and commands that define and describe data and relationships in a specific database. 2. establish a data dictionary, a detailed description of all data used in the database.

Steps in System Analysis Phase

1.identify and recruit team leader and team members 2. develop budget and schedule for system analysis activities 3.study existing system 4.develop prioritized set of requirements 5.identify and evaluate alternative solutions 6.perform feasibility analysis 7.prepare draft of system analysis report (should be more cost accurate than in the investigation phase) 8. review results of system analysis with steering team

Package Evaluation Phase

1.identify potential solutions 2.select top contenders 3.research top contenders 4.perform final evaluation 5.make selection 6. finalize contract

System Operation and Maintenance steps

1.operation 2.maintenance 3.disposal

user acceptance testing steps

1.the UAT test team is selected form the set of likely users 2. the UAT test team is trained using the currently available training material. 3.the overall UAT strategy and schedule is defined 4. the UAT team designs test cases to exercise the functions and features of the information system 5. the test cares are documented in a clear and simple step-by-step manner to make the tests easy to execute 6. The UAT team executes the defined test cases and documents the results of each test 7.the software development team reviews the test results and makes any required changes to the code so it meets the design specifications 8. the UAT team retests the information system until all defects have been fixed or it is agreed that certain defects will not be fixed 9. the UAT team indicates its acceptance or nonacceptance of the information system.If accepted, the information system is ready to be fully implemented 10. the UAT team provides feedback on the user training material so it can be updated and improved

performance evaluation test

A comparison of vendor options conducted in a computing environment (e.g., computing hardware, operating system software, database management system) and with a workload (e.g., number of concurrent users, database size, and number of transactions) that matches its intended operating conditions.

cold site

A computer environment that includes rooms, electrical service, telecommunications links, data storage devices, and the like.

parallel start-up

A cutover strategy that involves running both the old and new systems for a period of time and closely comparing the output of the new system with the output of the old system; any differences are reconciled. When users are comfortable that the new system is working correctly, the old system is eliminated.

pilot start-up

A cutover strategy that involves running the complete new system for one group of users rather than for all users.

phase-in approach

A cutover strategy that involves slowly replacing components of the old system with those of the new one; this process is repeated for each application until the new system is running every application and performing as expected; also called a piecemeal approach.

direct conversion

A cutover strategy that involves stopping the old system and starting the new system on a given date; also called plunge or direct cutover.

data-flow diagram (DFD)

A diagram used during both the analysis and design phases to document the processes of the current system or to provide a model of a proposed new system. The DFD does not provide any information about the process timing. -Easy to develop and easy to understand by nontechnical people. This uses 4 primary symbols.: 1.The data-flow line includes arrows that show the direction of data movement 2.the process symbol identifies the function being performed 3.the entity symbol shows either the source or destination of the data 4.a data store symbols reveals a storage location for data

request for information (RFI)

A document that outlines an organization's hardware or software needs and requests vendors to provide information about if and how they can meet those needs and the time and resources required.

disaster recovery plan

A documented process to recover an organization's business information system assets including hardware, software, data, networks, and facilities in the event of a disaster.

hot site

A duplicate, operational hardware system or immediate access to one through a specialized vendor.

Extreme Programming (XP)

A form of agile software development that promotes incremental development of a system using short development cycles to improve productivity and to accommodate new customer requirements.

user acceptance document

A formal agreement that the organization signs stating that a phase of the installation or the complete system is approved.

slipstream upgrade

A minor system upgrade-typically a code adjustment or minor bug fix; it usually requires recompiling all the code, and in so doing, it can create entirely new bugs.

product owner

A person who represents the project stakeholders and is responsible for communicating and aligning project priorities between the stakeholders and development team.

waterfall system development process

A sequential, multistage system development process in which work on the next stage cannot begin until the results of the current stage are reviewed and approved or modified as necessary. -progress flows steadily downward like a waterfall through the various phases of development

release

A significant program change that often requires changes in the documentation of the software.

system maintenance

A stage of system development that involves changing and enhancing the system to make it more useful in achieving user and organizational goals.

system disposal

A stage of system development that involves those activities that ensure the orderly dissolution of the system, including disposing of all equipment in an environmentally friendly manner, closing out contracts, and safely migrating information from the system to another system or archiving it in accordance with applicable records management policies. 1. communicate intent 2.terminate contracts 3.make backups of data 4.delete sensitive data 5.dispose of hardware

Joint Application Development (JAD)

A structured meeting process that can accelerate and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the investigation, analysis, and design phases of a system development project.

system investigation report

A summary of the results of the system investigation, with a recommendation of a course of action.

Functional Decomposition

A technique used during the investigation, analysis, and design phases to define the business processes included within the scope of the system.

incremental backup

A type of partial backup that involves copying only the data items that have changed since the last partial backup. This produces a set of incremental backup files, each containing the results of one day's transactions

advantages and disadvantages of waterfall system development process

Advantages - formal review at the end of each phase allows maximum management control -this approach requires creation of considerable ssytem documentation so that system requirements can be traced back to stated business needs -approach produces many intermediate products that can be reviewed to measure progress toward developing the system Disadvantages -users get a system that meets the needs as understood by the developers; however, this might not be what the users really needed -often users needs go unstated or are miscommunication or misunderstood -users can't easily review intermediate products and evaluate whether a particular product will lead to a system that meets their business requirements

steering team

An advisory group consisting of senior management and users from the IS department and other functional areas.

scrum

An agile development framework that emphasizes a team based approach to keep the development effort focused and moving quickly.

Feasibility Analysis

An assessment of the technical, economic, legal, operational, and schedule feasibility of a project.

agile development

An iterative system development process that develops the system in "sprint" increments lasting from two weeks to two months.

the most critical step in the entire waterfall system development process

Developed prioritized set of requirements -identifying, confirming and prioritizing system requirements.

build outside

If an organization elects to ______ a system, it can use its own employees to develop the system. Or it can hire an __________ company to manager and/or perform all of the system development work allowing an organization to focus on what it does best, by delegating software development to companies that have world-class development capabilities.

When implementing a new information system into an organization: positive behaviors skills

In order to implement change, people must be convinced to take a _________ attitude to the change and be willing to exhibit new ________ consistent with the change. Management might need modify the reward system to recognize those who exhibit the desired new behaviors. training in any new______ is also necessary.

internal and external sources of data for system analysis

JAD sessions, direct observation, and surveys are often used to uncover data from the various sources

open no

Many organizations are turning to ______ source software with access to the source code permitted so that it can be studied, changed, and improved by the organization's own software professionals.- with __ maintenance charges

Technology Acceptance Model (TAM)

Specifies the factors that can lead to better attitudes about the information system. Perceived usefulness and perceived ease if use strongly influence whether someone will use an information system. Management can improve that perception by demonstrating that others have used the system effectively and by providing user training and support.

User Acceptance Testing (UAT)

Testing performed by trained system users to verify that the system can complete required tasks in a real-world operating environment and perform according to the system design specifications.

integration testing

Testing that involves linking all of the individual components together and testing them as a group to uncover any defects between individual components.

volume testing

Testing to evaluate the performance of the information system under varying yet realistic work volume and operating conditions to determine the work load at which system performance begins to degrade and to identify and eliminate any issues that prevent the system from reaching its required service-level performance.

system investigation

The initial phase in the development of a new or modified business information system whose purpose is to gain a clear understanding of the specifics of the problem to solve or the opportunity to address. What is the scope of the problem? who is affected an how? Is the problem worth addressing? What are the costs, risks, benefits..?

system construction

The phase of system development that converts the system design into an operational system by acquiring and installing hardware and software, coding and testing software programs, creating and loading data into databases, and performing initial program testing.

system analysis

The phase of system development that focuses on gathering data on the existing system, determining the requirements for the new system, considering alternatives within identified constraints, and investigating the feasibility of alternative solutions.

DevOps

The practice of blending the tasks performed by the development and IT operations groups to enable faster and more reliable software releases.

system review

The process of analyzing a system to make sure it is operating as intended.

Techincal Feasibility

The process of determining whether a project is feasible within the current limits of available technology

legal feasibility

The process of determining whether laws or regulations may prevent or limit a system development project.

Economic Feasibility

The process of determining whether the project makes financial sense and whether predicted benefits offset the cost and time needed to obtain them.

installation

The process of physically placing the computer equipment on the site and making it operational.

cutover

The process of switching from an old information system to a replacement system.

System Design

The stage of system development that answers the question, "How will the information system solve a problem?"

user documentation

Written descriptions developed for people who use a program; in easy-to-understand language, it shows how the program can and should be used to meet the needs of its various users.

technical documentation

Written details used by computer operators to execute the program and by analysts and programmers to solve problems or modify the program.

version

a major problem change, typically encompassing many new features

patch

a minor system change to correct a problem or make a small enhancement; its usually an addition to an existing program.

implemenation and the steps

a number of steps are involved in system implementation. 1. user preperation 2. site preperation 3. installation 4. cutover

mission-critical progress

a process that plays a pivotal role in an organizations continued operations and goal attainment

system development

a set of activities used to build an information system to meet users needs. -projects can range from small to large and are conducted in fields as diverse as nuclear science research and video game development

Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD)

a technique for documenting the entities and relationships in a database environment -it cannot by itself describe a business problem or solution because it lacks descriptions of the related activities.

pareto principle(80-20 rules)

an observation that for many events, roughly 80 percent of the effects come from 20 percent of the causes

freeze

at the end of the design phase, organizations employing the waterfall system development process ________ the scope and the user and the business requirements. Any changes that are identified or suggested after this point must go through a formal scope change process. This process requires the organization to assess the project feasibility, cost and schedule

organizations can obtain software using one of two basic approaches

buy or build - buying off-the-shelf software is less risky and leads to quicker deployment. But maintenance and support costs may become expensive with this approach, and the software may not be the exact match to the needs and work processes of the organization. -building custom software can provide a better match to the current work processes and provide a potential competitive advantage; however, software development can be extremely costly, and it can take months or even years to develop custom software.

Diffusion of Innovation Theory

cautions that adoption of any innovation does not happen all at once. for all memebers of the targeted population rather it is a drawn out process.

User Interface Design

critical because the interface is the part of the systems closest to the user. Analysts can develop screen mockups and stimulate how the user moves from screen to screen

system cutover strategies

cutover can be through direct conversion, phase-in approach, pilot start-up, or parallel start-up.

develop prioritized set of requirements

determine user, stakeholder, and organizational needs for the new or modified system. A set of requirements must be determined for system processes, databases, security and controls, and system performance. -As requirements are identified an attempt is made to prioritize each one by using the following categories: -critical, medium priority, low priority

ERD for a customer order database

development of ER diagrams hlps ensure tgat the logical structure of application programs is consistent with the data relationships in the database.

data-flow diagram

illustrates the movement of information between external entities and the processes and data stores within the system

diffusion of innovation 5 categories

innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, laggards

system operations

involves the use of a new or modified system under all kinds of operating conditions

functional decomposition diagram

is an organization chart of systems processes

minimal own licensed pay

once purchased, the existing software can be installed with _______ disruption. Software buyers do not actually ___ the software nor can they access it to make changes; they are simply __________ to use the software on a computer. With no access to the underlying source code, user organizations must ___ maintenance and support costs to the manufacturer or third party authorized to fix bugs or add new functionality.

site preperation

preperation of the location of a new site

alpha and beta

prior to releasing a new software package or major revision of an existing package, commercial software development organizations conduct ____ and ____ testing. ______- is limited internal acceptance test where employees of the software development organizational and limited number other "friendlies" use the softeare and provide feevack. After fixing problems uncovered in the testing, the developer makes a _____ test version of software available on the internet to increases the amount of feedback

Energy Information Administration (EIA)

serves as an adviser to the U.S. Department of Energy and is responsible for collecting energy data, conducting analysis, and making forecasts about future energy inventories, demand, and prices

system performance

system performance issues must be considered - from end-user perspective, functional system performance indicators may include such criteria as timeliness of outputs, ease of use, scalability ( handle business growth and increased business volume without a noticeable degradation is performance), system response time, availability, reliability

defining system requirements

system requirements must be check for consistency so that they all fit together

unit testing

test individual units or pieces of code for a system to verify that each unit performs as designed

How change is implemented

the dynamics of how change is implemented can be viewed in terms of the Lewin and Schein 3 stage model for change: 1. ceasing old habits and creating a climate that is receptive to change 2. learning new work methods, behaviors, and systems 3. reinforcing changes to make the new process second nature, accepted, and part of the job. Leavitt's diamond is a change model that proposes every organizational system is made up of people, tasks, structures and technology-any change in one of these elements will necessitate a change in the other three elements.

behavior than technical mix oforganizational change skill and technicall skills

the major challenges to successful implementation of an informational system are often more _______ than _________. Successfully introducing an information system into an organization requires a mix of __________ ________ skills and ________ skills. Strong, effective leadership is required to overcome the behavioral resistance to change and achieve a smooth and successful system introduction

Perform Investigation

the major tasks to perform during investigation include refining the initial problem definition and scope described in the system investigation request, identifying the high-level business requirements the system must meet, and identifying any issues or risks associated with the project -JAD -Functional decomposition

srum masters

the person who coordinates all the scrum activities of a team

Data modeling

the process of defining a database so that it faithfully represents all aspects of the organization, including its interactions with the external environment

Operational Feasibility

the process of determining how a system will be accepted by people and how well it will meet various system performance expectations

schedule feasibility

the process of determining whether a project can be completed within a desired time frame

monitoring

the process of measuring system performance by tracking the number of errors encountered, the amount of memory required, the amount of processing or CPU time needed, and other performance indicators

user preperation

the process of readying managers, decision makers, employees other users and stake holders to accept and use the new system

failover

the process of reconstructing a system or switching over to other systems when a failure is detected

strengths and weaknesses

the purpose of studying the existing system is to identify its _________ and __________ and examine current inputs, outputs, processes, security and controls, and system performance

Preforming preliminary feasibility analysis

the technical, economic, legal, operational, and schedule feasibility are assessed during the feasibility analysis

two approaches an organization can use to develop their own software

waterfall and agile software development processes