INFO 3: Use of ICT In The Digital World Topic 7: Developing ICT Solutions Factors that contribute to the success and failure of ICT Systems

Starter Activity (5 mins) Working in a pair, discuss the answers to the following questions and write your answers onto the mini whiteboards: What is meant by the term ‘a project’? Have you been involved in a project? If yes what was the project about? What made your project a success OR failure?

Objectives At the end of the lesson, students should be able to: - Explain the factors that contribute to a successful development process and a failing development process Explain the factors that contribute to the failure of a newly introduced system and the success of a newly introduced system Justify what factors are needed for an effective teamwork when working on newly developed projects

Exam Practice… 1.When ICT systems are developed, its important that the project is managed properly. Describe how each of the following is used to help with the management of a project: Agreed deliverables Clear timescales Approval to proceed (6 marks, Folens ICT). 2.ICT Projects consist of agreed deliverables. Explain what is meant by an agreed deliverable. (2 marks, Folens ICT).

Assessment Objectives (Outcome) Grade E/D Standard: Be able to briefly explain what is meant by the term “project” and give 1 example of a factor that contributes to the success and failure of developing projects. Achieve more than 40% of the exam style question. Grade C/B Standard: Be able to describe in detail, using several examples of what factors contribute to the success and failure of developing projects, by fully justifying your answers. Achieve 60% or more of the exam style question. Grade A Standard: Be able to describe all the advantages and disadvantages of working in a team, as well as justifying why teamwork is better than lone working, including how effective team work can be a contributing factor to the success of ICT projects. Achieve 80% or more of the exam style question.

Reasons For Project Failure? Activity 1 – Video – Class Activity (12 Mins) Watch the following video clip that your teacher will play on the board. Independently make notes as to why projects often fail. Your note taking is important as we are going to rely on your answers for a short discussion. Brief discussion to occur after.

Activity 2 – Card Sort – Paired Activity (20 Mins) Sort the cards into those factors that lead to successful ICT projects and those factors that lead to ICT project failure. Have them checked before you move on. In your notes put these factors into 2 separate spider diagrams one for factors for success and one for the factors for failure. For each factor write a brief sentence or two explaining why it is a factor for success or failure (Please separate these out into two sections of your notes. Clearly titled)

Success Factors – Management Involvement All projects have a project sponsor who maybe a senior manager/group of managers that have been asked for a problem to be solved using ICT. Project sponsors are the ICT staff who are developing a project and report back on the project progress. They will have extensive knowledge of the business area the project affects. Project sponsors will be able to give ICT staff who are developing the ICT project information about all aspects of the existing and new system (if one exists) and the proposed system. Other information that they will be able to provide includes: - A budget for the project A timescale for the project.

End users are the people who will be using the ICT system daily and will need to consulted throughout the stages of the developing project. End users will know their part of their business in depth and will be able to give useful input to the development team on how things should be done ideally. Other ways in which end users and managers can aid in a successful project: - Success Factors –End User Involvement

Management/End User Involvement Helping… They can be clear about project objectives for the project, the scope of the project and the project requirements before the project is started. They can agree a budget and time scale for the project. They can agree on milestones and deliverables. Can be consulted during the analysis phase so the development team fully understand the area of business being analysed. Project sponsor can be present at progress meetings to check the budget and timescales are not exceeded. Ensure the developing system is meeting all requirements

Key Terms (Write down and Revise…) Milestones: Points in a project that mark the ends of logical stages in the project where the project is reviewed or part of the project is delivered. Deliverables: Parts of a project that are completed and signed off as being acceptable by the client/project sponsor.

Failing Factors – Losing Control of the Project Plan All projects should have a project plan in place (before the project is to be started) highlighting the following: - A budget Details on the staff who should be working on the project and what they will be working on. Deliverables (what needs to be produced by certain dates) Dates for completion on the deliverables. (aka milestones) A date for the overall project completion. Loosing project plan control can be achieved easily is staff decided to leave half way through the project making it harder to recruit new staff, which is also takes time. Organisation maybe forced to contract people to step in which could cause the budget to be exceeded.

Failing Factors – Lack of Formal Methods For most ICT projects a set of formal methods are in place, whereby people working on ICT projects should conform to a set of minimum standards in how tasks or the project should be completed. By not conforming to a minimum set of standards, it could result in parts of the project taking short cuts, making the project overall not professional or adequately complete.

Failing Factors – Lack of Management Knowledge Management may not be aware of the latest developments in ICT and they usually place their trust in ICT specialists, who they assume will have the latest knowledge. ICT specialists will not have knowledge in all parts of a business, so management will be expected to keep up to date with the latest developments in their particular area and also aim to keep up to date on technology within their areas of business.

Failing Factors – Other Factors Complexity of the system – Needs to be simple for the end users to perform their daily tasks BUT detailed enough to provide all the adequate data and information from a MIS perspective. Inadequate analysis Inappropriate hardware/software – system cannot be too slow or the users will be get fed up with it. Need to think about high speed servers and speed of which data is sent. Poor communications between professionals

Activity 1 – Effective Teamwork – Paired Activity (10 Mins) In world of work and study when completing projects you will most definitely have to work in a team. Working in a team has advantages and disadvantages. Discuss with your partner the advantages of working in a team. Write your answers from your discussion in your notes. Have these checked by your teacher before moving onto the next task… Discuss with your partner the disadvantages of working in a team. Write your answers from your discussion in your notes. Have these checked by your teacher.

Activity 2 – Lone working– Paired Activity (5 Mins) Some organisations may have one person working on a project, though this is very rare these days… Discuss with your partner the advantages of lone working. Write your answers from your discussion in your notes. Have these checked by your teacher before moving onto the next task… Discuss with your partner the disadvantages lone working. Write your answers from your discussion in your notes. Have these checked by your teacher.

Activity 3: Group Discussion: How might effective team working contribute to the success of an ICT Project? (5 minutes) Deadlines are more likely to be met. Budget is more likely to be stuck too. Continuous sharing of skills and knowledge, meaning client requirements will be met.

Exam Practice (8 minutes) 1.When ICT systems are developed, its important that the project is managed properly. Describe how each of the following is used to help with the management of a project: Agreed deliverables Clear timescales Approval to proceed (6 marks, Folens ICT). 2.ICT Projects consist of agreed deliverables. Explain what is meant by an agreed deliverable. (2 marks, Folens ICT).

Assessment Objectives (Outcome) Grade E/D Standard: Be able to briefly explain what is meant by the term “project” and give 1 example of a factor that contributes to the success and failure of developing projects. Achieve more than 40% of the exam style question. Grade C/B Standard: Be able to describe in detail, using several examples of what factors contribute to the success and failure of developing projects, by fully justifying your answers. Achieve 60% or more of the exam style question. Grade A Standard: Be able to describe all the advantages and disadvantages of working in a team, as well as justifying why teamwork is better than lone working, including how effective team work can be a contributing factor to the success of ICT projects. Achieve 80% or more of the exam style question.

Topic 7 Tasks 1.Open the Task sheet “Topic 7: Success and Failing Factors of ICT Projects” worksheet up from Moodle and complete all tasks outlined. 2.Anything you do not complete in lesson, is to be completed as part of your homework. 3.Ask your teacher for a copy of the answers for the exam style questions to self assess your own answers

Homework Revision of objectives learned this lesson. Mind Map of main themes of lesson. Using past exam papers to find and answer questions on the topic covered and then to use the mark scheme to mark the questions. Do some research on the topics of the next lesson coming to the lesson with some ideas already (Topic 8: Development Methods – Systems Development Lifecycle Stages).