BMIS 373 Exam 2
Programming
- A developer transforms the design into a working information system Coding - Physical design specifications are turned into working computer code. Testing - Tests are performed using various strategies. - Testing is performed in parallel with coding. Installation - The current system is replaced by a new system
Software Application Testing
- A master test plan is developed during the analysis phase. - During the design phase, unit, system and integration test plans are developed. - The actual testing is done during implementation. - Written test plans provide improved communication among all parties involved in testing.
Team Project
- Choose three technological alternatives, for instance 1. Turnkey template 2. Customizable template 3. Custom solution - Rank each alternative along the six dimensions of feasibility - Recommend the best solution
Color Choices
- Color has a very powerful influence on usability - Pick contrasting colors (light versus dark) on opposite sides of the color spectrum - Colors can have implied meanings - e.g. red tends to be interpreted as error, stop, etc. - Color interpretations vary by culture - Some people (8% of men) have color deficits
Planning Installation
- Considerations - Data conversion •Error correction •Loading from current system - Planned system shutdown - Business cycle of organization
Reasons to outsource
- Cost-effectiveness - Take advantage of economies of scale - Make up for lack of in-house knowledge - Free up internal resources - Increase process efficiencies - System development is a non-core activity for the organization - Political reasons (e.g. labor disputes)
Custom Solution
- Custom software are applications developed to support the unique business processes of a specific organization - Not targeted to the mass market - Developed exclusively for a specific organization - Designed for particular business needs - Higher development costs, as all features and functionality need to be implemented
Web Pages Must Live Forever
- Customer Bookmarks - Links from Other Sites - Search Engine Referrals - Old Content Adds Value - System Security vs. Ease of Use - "Remember my password" - Use of cookies
Design Issues Related to Site Management
- Customer Loyalty and Trustworthiness - Design quality - Up-front disclosure - Comprehensive, correct, and current content - Connected to the rest of the Web
Outsourcing
- Data processing - some firms outsource the processing of all or certain types of data - Systems Management - Payroll - Custom software developers - develop software to meet the client's specific requirements - Application service providers (ASP) - an organization that hosts and runs computer applications for other companies
Usability Survey
- Do you like the visual design of the website? - Were you able to easily find all the information you were looking for? - Does the website appear professional and trustworthy? - Is the content on the website clear and written in plain language? - All in all, how would you rate this website?
Economic Feasibility
- Economic feasibility identifies financial benefits and costs associated with the project - a.k.a. Cost-Benefit Analysis - Typically estimated over a 5-year time horizon - Do the financial benefits outweigh the costs? - What is the return on investment (ROI)? - When will the project break even? - Arguably the most critical aspect of feasibility - Most visible to management - Demonstrates impact on bottom line
Factors That Influence Usability
- Efficiency - users should be able to accomplish a task with minimal effort - Consistency - website layout and navigational aids should be presented in a consistent manner - Understandability - information on the website should be readily comprehensible to the target audience - Predictability - users should have a general idea of what to expect while interacting with the website - Accessibility - a broad range of users should be able to access the website - Intrusiveness - users should not be bombarded with annoying material that is irrelevant to the task
Enterprise Solutions Software
- Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems integrate individual traditional business functions into modules enabling a single seamless transaction to cut across functional boundaries. - SAP AG is the leading vendor of ERP systems.
Open Source Software
- Freely available including source code - Developed by a community of interested people - Performs the same functions as commercial software Examples: Linux, mySQL, Firefox How to make money? - Provide maintenance/services - Sell a more featured version of the free software
Cloud Computing Examples
- Google Apps- for sharing documents, spreadsheets, and presentations - Salesforce.com - online customer relationship management (CRM) software - An example of software as a service (SaaS) Microsoft Azure platform Amazon.com cloud infrastructure and services - An example of hardware as a service (HaaS)
Cloud Computing (Cont.)
- Heavy growth predicted Benefits: - Frees company of internal IT staff requirements - Faster access to application than via internal development -Lower cost than internal development Concerns: - Security - Reliability - Regulation compliance
Information Technology (IT) Services Firms
- Help companies develop custom information systems for internal use - Develop, host, and run applications for customers - Provide other services (management, accounting, auditing, financial)
Origin of Software CH2 Introduction
- Historically, software development for a corporate information systems department was done primarily in-house. - Now it involves use of components from external sources. - Much in-house application coding involves making the components work together
In-House Development
- If sufficient system development expertise with the chosen platform exists in-house, then some or all of the system can be developed by the organization's own staff. - In-house development usually leads to more maintenance burden than other approaches - Hybrid solutions involving some purchased and some in-house components are common.
Sources of Software
- Information technology services firm - Packaged software producers - Enterprise solutions software - Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) - Cloud computing - Open source software - In-house developers There are ways to evaluate software from sources
Client/Server Advantages
- Leverages benefits of microcomputer technology - Processing performed close to data source - Improves response time - Reduces network traffic - Facilitates use of GUIs
Sources of Application Software
- Outsourcing - turning over responsibility of some or all of an organization's information systems applications and operations to an outside firm - Commercial Off-the-shelf (COTS) - pre-packed software purchased from a software vendor - In-house development - developed by internal personnel
Comparing Alternative Functionality
- Part of operational feasibility - Can the system do everything the company needs it to do? - Will the project be able to deliver full functionality? - Steps 1) Determine requirements and constraints (refer to CH6) 2) Prioritize requirements and constraints 3) Compare each alternative against requirements and constraints - Since the alternatives rarely meet all requirements and satisfy all constraints, we need to find a balance
The F-Shaped Pattern
- People scan in an F-shape when all of these 3 elements are present: - A page or a section of a page includes text that has little or no formatting for the web. For example, it has a "wall of text" but no bolding, bullets, or subheadings. - The user is trying to be most efficient on that page. - The user is not so committed or interested that he is willing to read every word
Political & Legal Feasibility
- Political feasibility assesses how top management and key stakeholders view the project - How will stakeholders feel about the project? - Are there any opponents to the project? - Will the organizational structure change? - What impact will the implementation have on employees' jobs and responsibilities? Legal and contractual feasibility assesses whether legal or contractual barriers exist - Copyrights - Law infringements - Ownership (e.g., source code) - Non-disclosure - Non-compete - Security - Privacy
Site Consistency
- Professionalism requires a consistent look-and-feel across all pages of a Web site. - Cascading Style Sheets (CSSs): a set of style rules that tells a Web browser how to present a document
Hoosier Burger Example
- Replacement for existing system - Requirements and constraints have been determined and prioritized as follows:
Types of Training Methods
- Resident expert - Traditional instructor-led classroom training - E-learning, distance learning - Blended learning (instructor plus e-learning) - Software help components - External sources (e.g. vendors)
Schedule & Technical Feasibility
- Schedule feasibility assesses whether the alternative can be implemented within the proposed timeframe - Can the alternative be implemented in the desired timeframe? - Can we obtain the necessary human resources to complete the project in a timely fashion? - Technical feasibility focuses on the ability of existing technologies to deliver the desired result - Are the technologies "bleeding edge" or proven? - Is the expertise needed to implement the technology available?
Hoosier Burger Example
- Selecting the most likely alternative - According to the weights used, alternative C appears to be the best choice
Identify Potential Solutions
- Software alternatives can be viewed along a customization continuum - Not customizable (e.g., template) - Purchase "base" product and customize to specific needs - Build from scratch (completely custom)
Comparing Alternatives
- Software alternatives typically rate higher on certain dimensions than others - Rarely is the perfect solution available
Documenting the System
- System documentation: detailed information about a system's design specifications, its internal workings, and its functionality - User documentation: written or other visual information about an application system, how it works, and how to use it
Implementation
- The goal of the implementation phase involves transforming the design into a working information system Activities: - Programming - Testing - Installation - Documentation - Training - Planning for support
Cloud Computing
- The provision of computing resources, including applications, over the Internet, so customers do not have to invest in the computing infrastructure needed to run and maintain the resources - Pay-per-use or monthly/yearly licenses
Attention
- The reticular activating system (RAS) regulates attention by filtering and prioritizing stimuli
COTS
- Third-parties produce pre-packaged software - Turnkey systems - Ready to use out of the box - Not customizable - Enterprise systems - Must configure prior to use - Customizable - Typically requires implementation experts - Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) - application software that provides integrated information systems support for all business functions.
Global Outsourcing
- Top outsourcing countries: India, China, Malaysia (A.T. Kearny report 2014) - Top 10 are in Asia, Latin America, Europe, and Africa - Some U.S. firms are switching to nearshoring (same time zone, low labor costs)
Planning for Support
- Training - Prepare User Guide - Types of training •Courses or workshops •Online •Train the trainer - Planning for support - Create user guide - Develop help-desk procedures - Develop backup and recovery plans - Develop new version installation procedures - Consider proactive information sharing • User groups • Wikis • FAQs
Other Site Consistency Issues
- Two key issues should be considered: - Use unique titles. - Choose words carefully. - Major problem is users do not know where they are going when they follow a hyperlink. - You should have link titles to explain hyperlinks.
Hoosier Burger Example
- Unweighted approach can be used to compare the alternatives against requirements and constraints
Validating Vendor Proposals
- Use a variety of information sources - Product demonstrations - Running software through a series of tests - Feedback from other users of the vendor's product - Independent software testing services - Articles in trade publications
Quick Review
- Using usability metrics •Effectiveness •Efficiency •Satisfaction - Customization: refers to sites that allow a user to customize the content and look of a site based on his or her personal preferences - Personalization: means providing Internet content to a user based upon knowledge of that customer. - links must live forever: •Customer Bookmarks •Links from Other Sites •Search Engine Referrals •Old Content Adds Value
Technological Alternatives
- We want to implement a solution that will satisfy the three main points in the project triangle - cost, time, and scope. - Rarely is the perfect solution available - Software alternatives typically rate higher on certain dimensions than others
Organizational Issues in Systems Implementation
- Why does implementation sometimes fail? - Traditional wisdom of primary success factors: - Management support - User involvement - But these are not enough - Other important factors - Commitment to project - Commitment to change
Cloud Computing
- provision of applications over the Internet where customers do not have to invest in the hardware and software resources needed to run and maintain the applications, but are charged on a per-use basis. Amazon Example: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Simple Storage Service (S3), Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) Information systems infrastructure: The hardware, software, data, facilities, human resources, and services used by organizations to support their decision making, business processes, and competitive strategy.
Quiz (Usability Metrics) Using usability metrics, it is possible to observe and quantify the usability of any system irrespective if it is software, hardware, web-based or a mobile application. List 2 of 3 ISO/IEC 9126-4 Metrics recommended usability metics discussed in the article
1) Effectiveness 2) Satisfaction
Factors driving attention...
1) Physical need 2) Priming 3) Personalization 4) Emotion 5) Contrast 6) Novelty
Steps in Usability Testing
1. Users work first-hand with prototypes 2. Measures are taken - Time to learn - Speed of performance (system and user) - Rate of errors - Subjective satisfaction 3. Prototypes are modified as needed
Feasibility Analysis
Analysis - what will the new system do? 1) Determine user requirements - Study current information system - Determine what users want from proposed system - Identifies process improvements - Conduct feasibility study and recommends best alternative
Advanced Forms of Client/Server Architectures
Application server: a computing server where data analysis functions primarily reside. Virtual machine: a software emulation of a physical computer system, both hardware and operating system, that allows more efficient sharing of physical hardware resources. Virtualization: the act of creating virtual (rather than physical) versions of a variety of computing capabilities including hardware platforms, operating systems, storage devices, and networks.
Designing Systems for a Client/Server Architecture
Client/server architecture: a LAN-based computing environment in which central database server or engine performs all database commands sent to it from client workstations, and application programs on each client concentrate on user interface functions
Website Content Management
Content management system (CMS): a special type of software application for collecting, organizing, and publishing Web
Selecting Off-the-Shelf Software
Cost: comparing the cost of developing the same system in-house with the cost of purchasing or licensing the software package Functionality: the tasks that the software can perform and the mandatory, essential, and desired system features Vendor support: whether and how much support the vendor can provide and at what cost Viability of vendor: can vendor continue to adapt/update software to changes in systems software and hardware Flexibility: the ease with which software is customized Documentation: understandable and up-to-date user's manual and technical documentation Response time: how long it takes the software package to respond to the user's requests in an interactive session Ease of installation: a measure of the difficulty of loading the software and making it operational
______ refers to sites that allow a user to customize the content and look of a site based on his or her personal preferences
Customization
Data Conversion
Data conversion involves transferring data from the old information system to the new information system - Garbage In, Garbage Out (GIGO) refers to the fact that given poor data (inputs), an IS will produce poor output Steps: • Identify data required in the new IS • Identify data available on the old IS • Map data (old IS à new IS) • Clean (a.k.a. scrub) data to be converted • Importing clean data
Deliverables and Outcome
Document that consolidates system design information: - Description of each site - Description of data usage for each site - Description of business process for each site
_____ solutions integrate individual traditional business functions into a series of modules so that a single transaction occurs seamlessly within a single information systems rather than several separate systems
ERP
Limitations of File Servers
Excessive data movement - Entire data table must be transferred, instead of individual records. Need for powerful client workstations - Each client workstation must devote memory to a full DBMS. Decentralized data control - Record concurrency control, recovery, and security are complicated.
Because open source software is free, it is impossible to make a money with it
False
Feasibility Study
Feasibility Matrix
Feasibility Analysis
Feasibility analysis refers to a structured process that assesses the degree to which a particular technological solution can be successfully implemented 1. Identify potential alternatives 2. Compare alternatives along six dimensions •Operational feasibility •Economic feasibility •Scheduling feasibility •Technological feasibility •Political feasibility •Legal (or contractual, compliance) feasibility 3. Select and recommend the alternative that is most likely to satisfy the goals of the project
Installation (Rollout)
Installation: the organizational process of changing over from the current information system to a new one - Hardware installation - Software installation - Data conversion Types of rollouts: - Direct - Parallel - Sequential location (Also known as location or pilot installation) - Phased
Logic of Testing
Is the payroll system working properly? - If so, then salaried employees should be paid a base salary - If so, then hourly employees that worked < 40 hours should be paid an hourly wage and an absence report should be produced - If so, then hourly employees that worked 40 hours should be paid and hourly wage - If so, then hourly employees that worked > 40 hours should be paid an hourly wage and overtime wages
Managing the Cloud
Issues to consider when choosing service providers: - Availability/Reliability - no cloud service is completely immune to errors, network outages, or hardware failures - Scalability - this is the promise of the cloud, but there may be limits - Viability - you want to make sure the service provider will last over time - Security, Privacy, and Compliance - these are critical (e.g. Sarbanes-Oxley, HIPAA) - Diversity of Offerings - which provider can offer services needed now and in the future? - Openness - how interoperable is the service? - Cost - how will cloud cost compare to internal, public vs. private?
Designing LAN and Client/Server Systems
LAN systems are either of these: - LAN-based file server architecture. - Client/server architecture.
Designing Systems for Local Area Networks (LANs)
LAN: the cabling, hardware, and software used to connect workstations, computers, and file servers located in a confined geographical area - Typically within one building or campus
What is the practice of US firms contracting with countries in Latin America?
Nearshoring
Which of the following is NOT a major category of sources of software?
Offshore
Operational Feasibility
Operational feasibility focuses on whether the solution will satisfy system requirements Likelihood that the project can achieve its objectives - Will it solve a business problem? - Will it take advantage of a business opportunity - We also need to identify how the project will affect the current operations (day-to-day activities) of the organization and employees, the organization structure and procedures, etc.
Quiz (Origins of Software lecture) _______ is the practice of turning over responsibility of some to all of an organizations systems applications and operations to an outside firm
Outsourcing
Systems Acquisition: Outsourcing
Outsourcing Example - Shell Oil outsource spending: $3.2 billion (2008) - Shell's outsourcing vendors (2008-2011): EDS, T-Systems, AT&T, IBM, Logica, Wipro, Accenture
Comparing Alternative Functionality
Part of operational feasibility - Can the system do everything the company needs it to do? - Will the project be able to deliver full functionality? Steps - Determine requirements and constraints (refer to CH6) - Prioritize requirements and constraints - Compare each alternative against requirements and constraints Since the alternatives rarely meet all requirements and satisfy all constraints, we need to find a balance
______ means providing Internet content to a user based upon knowledge of that customer
Personalization
Which of the following is NOT a feature of a file server in a file server model?
Process or scans tables
Quick Review
Project Overview document: - outlines the scope, timeline, and budget for the project DCP: - outlines the team's strategy for determining system requirements. Outsourcing: - The practice of turning over responsibility of some to all of an organization's information systems applications and operations to an outside firm Major category of sources of software: - Cloud computing vendors - C) In-house developers - D) Package software Nearshoring: - The practice of US firms contracting with countries in Latin America ERP: - A system solutions that integrate individual traditional business functions into a series of modules so that a single transaction occurs seamlessly within a single information system rather than several separate systems RFP: - document sent to vendors asking them to propose hardware and software that will meet the requirements of your new system ûOpen source
System Implementation
Purpose: - To convert final physical system specifications into working and reliable software - To document work that has been done - To provide help for current and future users
Request for Proposal
Request for Proposal (RFP) - a document provided to vendors to ask them to propose hardware and software products or services that will meet the requirements of a new information system. 1. Project team creates RFP and submits it to vendors 2. Vendor bid on the project 3. Project team narrows down the list of solutions 4. Vendors typically brought on-site for demonstration 5. Project team selects the best solution
Requirements and Constraints
Requirements - what should the new system be able to do? Operational feasibility focuses on understanding whether the functionality provided by an alternative meets the requirements of the organization - Key questions... - Will the alternative solve the business problem? - Will the alternative take advantage of the business opportunity? - Must understand system requirements first - Requirements will be gathered in the Analysis phase of the SDLC - Other types of feasibility constrain what alternatives can be implemented - Costs too much (i.e., budget) - Can't be implemented within the desired timeframe (i.e., time) - Technology is bleeding-edge - Legal and contractual obstacles - Political obstacles
Web Hosting Choices
Self-hosting - Running and maintaining Web servers in-house Outsourcing - Leveraging a third-party's existing resources - Types 1) Shared hosting - Web site runs on a third-party Web server - Web server shared with other organizations' Web sites - Third-party responsible for maintaining the Web server and providing connection 2) Dedicated hosting - Web site runs on a third-party Web server - Web server dedicated to the organization's Web site - Third-party responsible for maintaining the Web server and providing connection 3) Co-location - Web site runs on the organization's Web server - Web server dedicated to the organization's Web site - Third-party responsible for providing connection only
A thin client is a client device designed so that most processing and data storage occur on the _____
Server
Stanford Web Credibility Research
Stanford University and Consumer Web Watch's international survey of 1,500+ web shoppers Ways to increase perceived trust - List physical address - Give contact phone numbers and e-mail addresses - Provide articles containing citations and references - Provide links to outside materials and resources Ways to destroy perceived trust - Make it hard to distinguish ads from content - Provide links to a site that may not be perceived as credible - Automatically pop-up new windows with ads - Choose a domain name that does not match the company's name Ways to increase perceived expertise - Design your web site so that it looks professional - Provide a quick response to customer service questions - Send e-mail confirming transactions (e.g., purchases, shipments) - List author credentials for any articles posted on the web site Ways to destroy perceived expertise - Rarely update your site with new content - Include broken hyperlinks - Fail to proofread for spelling and grammatical errors - Web site becomes unavailable unexpectedly
SSR acronym (group project)
Systems Service Request
Quiz (group project) the Project Overview document outlines the scope, timeline and budget for the project
True
Testing Information Systems
Typical timeline for coding, testing and documentation
A ______ is a software emulation of a physical computer system, both hardware and operating system, that allows more efficient sharing of physical hardware resources
Virtual machine
Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS)
Website templates - Vary in terms of customizability - Some are industry-specific - Some are technology-specific
Hoosier Burger Example
Weighted approach can be used to compare the three alternatives - Weights are arrived at by discussion with analysis team and client - Each requirement and constraint is ranked - Alternatives are rated on each dimension - 1 indicates that the alternative does not match the request well or that it violates the constraint - 5 indicates that the alternative meets or exceeds requirements or clearly satisfies the constraint
Issues to Consider
What are the issues to consider when choosing among potential software sources?
Selecting the Best Alternative
Your team will conduct a feasibility study 1. At least three substantially different information system alternatives. For your project, compare: - Custom software development (your team) - Two other solutions (e.g., COTS, in-house development, etc.) 2. A single alternative is judged most likely to lead to the most desirable information system 3. A detailed project plan is created for turning the most desirable alternative into a working information system NOTE: Regardless of the alternative that you recommend to the client, you will implement the custom software development alternative
File Servers
a device that manages file operations and is shared by each client PC attached to a LAN
the document sent to vendors asking them to propose hardware and software that will meet the requirements of your new systems is called a _____
requirements statement
