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Information Systems Project Management—David Olson
6-1
Chapter 6: System Development
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Information Systems Project Management—David Olson
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Learning Outcomes
• Students be able to demonstrate
implementation of system methodology in
project management
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Information Systems Project Management—David Olson
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Topics Discussion
• IS project types
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Information Systems Project Management—David Olson
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References
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Information Systems Project Management,
David Olson, Olson, David L., 2003,
Introduction to Information Systems
Project Management, 2nd Ed.,
McGrawHill, ISBN: 0-07-282402-6.
Schwalbe, Kathy, 2003, Information
Technology Project Management, 3rd Ed.,
Course Technology, Inc., ISBN: 0619159847.
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Information Systems Project Management—David Olson
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IS PROJECT TYPES
project management
characteristics of different
IS projects
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IS Projects
• programming more automated
– CASE tools, code generators, 4GL,
systems re-engineering tools, OOL
• focus therefore on
– systems design
– development
– implementation
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IS Project Types
• maintenance
• conversion
• new systems development
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Maintenance Projects
by far the most common
• duration
• training
• categories
– fixing errors
– minor enhancements
– major enhancements
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Information Systems Project Management—David Olson
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Duration of Maintenance Projects
• Impact on Organization’s Master Plan
biggest factor
– if significant contribution to revenue, more
likely to have established maintenance team
– can contribute as revenue source (royalties) or
as a production tool
– if less revenue impact, MORE LIKELY TO
HAVE PROJECT TEAM for maintenance
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Training & Maintenance Projects
• some companies use maintenance as a
training ground
• exposure to maintenance can make an
organization’s operations much clearer
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FIXING ERRORS
• clear objective - complexity depends on
– nature of the system, error, personnel
• BEST CASE:
– small system, easily traced
– can assign to someone familiar with it
• WORST CASE:
– nobody familiar with system
– very large & complex system
– system evolved from earlier versions
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MINOR ENHANCEMENTS
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adding, modifying, deleting data or reports
a degree of original design
constrained by original design
usually not under critical conditions
therefore, more likely to examine alternative
approaches
• more likely assigned to those with design
capabilities, knowledge of the organization
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MAJOR ENHANCEMENTS
• design & implementation scope high
• wide-scale modification of existing
module, or development of new module
• can be a collection of minor
enhancements with some common
characteristic
• need experienced personnel
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MAJOR ENHANCEMENTS
• EASIEST IF
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personnel know system
clear connection to a corporate goal
straightforward processes
CASE tool used to develop
• DIFFICULT WHEN
– new personnel
– hard to assess criticality of system
– no design & implementation standards
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CONVERSION PROJECTS
• change an existing system
(not necessarily computerized)
– manual to computer-based
– one computer platform to another
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Information Systems Project Management—David Olson
Convert Manual to
Automated
• closest to pure design & development
• major pitfalls
– improper specification
– failure to accommodate changes
• need knowledge of existing system,
desired system, how to make transition
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Information Systems Project Management—David Olson
Conversion Change
Management
• need senior management support
• need to convince affected employees
that the change will lead to better
working environment
• JOB REDEFINITION
• MAY DISPLACE EMPLOYEES - need
retraining
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Convert to New Technologies
• from one computer system to another
• NEW JOB DESCRIPTIONS
– example - text only to text & image
keyboard only to scanning, working with objects
• DATA RETRIEVAL changes
• Conversion to new or emerging
technologies much more involved
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Convert to New Technologies
• SIMPLEST
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new hardware similar to old
new operating system similar to old
existing applications modular
vendor supplied routines for conversion
• WORST
– major change: single task to multi-task
– line-oriented to icon-oriented
– keyboard to mouse
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Language-Based Conversions
• translate from one language to another
• most from 3GL (COBOL) to 4GL
• need experts in both old & new
languages
– impact on data & code structure
– take full advantage of 4GL
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Non-procedural Conversions
• instead of sequential control,
statements written as rules fired when
all conditions satisfied
• object-oriented approaches
– objects control processing
• need expertise in old & new languages
• more code reuse in object-oriented
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Hardware-based Conversions
• causes
– convert to new platform for marketing purposes
– bring in-house a formerly time-shared system
– purchase new computing platform
• most effort in converting low-level input
& output processing routines
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Hardware-based Conversions
• same vendor - little problem
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IBM 32 bit words with 8 bit bytes
CDC 60 bit words with 6 bit bytes
code (even in same language) won’t run same
vendors may supply different codes
• BEST CASE - vendor specific I/O localized in
routines supplied by vendor
• USUALLY some adjustments required
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New Systems Development
each type of system has different project
management characteristics
• transaction processing
• management control
• decision support systems
• group support systems
• executive information systems
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Transaction Processing
• high volumes of quantitative data,
variety of input sources
• drive standard reports, basis for other
systems
• complexity arises from volume
– may involve complex calculations
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Management Control
more specialized than transaction
processing
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monitor manpower allocations
monitor project progress
monitor production levels
monitor sales
compare expected with actual
if variance too great, trigger action
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Decision Support Systems
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explore decision alternatives
data from a variety of sources
may include models
Project Team needs expertise in models
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Group Support Systems
• allow multiple decision makers to work
on decision problem
• PROCESS oriented (communicate)
– can be different time, place
• Features
– anonymity
– brainstorming
– consensus building
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Executive Support Systems
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access to data of all types
much more subjective data, long range
INTERFACE critical
drill-down data tools
trend analysis - graphics & statistics
exception reports
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Recap
• IS project management can involve a wide
variety of tasks
• Need to be able to get technical expertise as
well as experience with old systems
• Apply systems approach
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Information Systems Project Management—David Olson
Reengineering Projects
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Kralovec (1998)
• USAA: high-density storage (optical)
• Picture Tel System: video conferencing to save
travel
• Cellular Automated Transmission System:
portable communications - trucks to HQ, laptops
for generating paper
• United Parcel Service: pen-based computing
(DIAD)
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Information Systems Project Management—David Olson
Babson College
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Kesner (1998)
• reengineered business processes - 3 year
project
• improve records, advising, placement, fieldlearning
• Data warehousing, reduced costs 20%
• internet access
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Information Systems Project Management—David Olson
Systems Development
Approach
Life cycle
Criteria: cost, time, performance
• Specification
• Design
• Code
• Test
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Information Systems Project Management—David Olson
Specification
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• User identifies need
• Systems analyst plans solution
• Feasibility study: clear, concise statement of
the problem
• Statement of work: specification of what is
to be done
• MOST PROJECTS DIE IN THE
SPECIFICATION PHASE
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Information Systems Project Management—David Olson
Design
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• How software will meet requirements
• OPTIONS: make or buy
in-house or outsource
• Request for Proposal: specify for bidding
• OUTPUT: detailed list of user requirements
and system requirements
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Information Systems Project Management—David Olson
Xerox
Halper (1994)
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Early 1994 outsourced IS to EDS
had profit of $620 million on 14.6 billion
shed non-core business
reduced IS staff by 2,000
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Information Systems Project Management—David Olson
Code
• If acquire, Selection of Builder
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cost
feasibility
experience
reputation
• cost-benefit study
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Information Systems Project Management—David Olson
Data Conversion
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• Important in data warehousing, data mining
• Useful for decision support, executive
information systems
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Information Systems Project Management—David Olson
Testing
• User evaluates system performance
• transfer to user (installation)
• TRAINING
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Information Systems Project Management—David Olson
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Implementation
• Install and check system
• User Training key to success
– Especially for enterprise-wide systems
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Summary
• System analysis & development has evolved a
great distance
• Many methodologies exist
– Unimportant which
– Helps a great deal to focus on one
• Standards can increase development productivity
• Many types of IS projects
• Development of a system a sequence of functional
tasks
© McGraw-Hill/Irwin 2004