44222: Information Systems Development Review & Assignment 1 Requirements Ian Perry Room: C49 Extension:

Ian Perry 44222: Information Systems Development: Review & Ass 1 Requirements Slide 2 Aims & Distinctive Features  The aims of this module are: to explore the issues and methods used in Information Systems Development within a business context.  The distinctive features of this module are that it: Explores a variety of methodologies for Information Systems Development. Encourages students to work in teams towards a common goal, and appreciate the value of a team- based approach. Culminates in the documentation of a computer-based information system that, if/when implemented, will deliver the information needs of a specific business organisation.

Ian Perry 44222: Information Systems Development: Review & Ass 1 Requirements Slide 3 Assessment Method  The ISD Module is assessed; by two assignments, in which small teams of students (i.e. 3 or 4), will be required to analyse a business situation, based upon a case study scenario, in order to document a prototype for a computer-based information system, that promises to ‘solve’ specific problems for the organisation as described by the case study.

Ian Perry 44222: Information Systems Development: Review & Ass 1 Requirements Slide 4 Assignment 1 & Teams  Assignment 1 (40% of Module Marks) Title = Problem Statement Deadline = 28 October 2005  Each Member of a Team (of 3 or 4 Students): Should have signed a Learning Contract; agreeing to work with that team. Must complete a Peer Group Marking Form; assessing the contribution of all of the other members of their team to this Problem Statement.

Ian Perry 44222: Information Systems Development: Review & Ass 1 Requirements Slide 5 Peer Group Marking?  A percentage grade that reflects your perception of the contribution of the others in your Team. You must follow standard marking guidelines. You must write an explanatory paragraph to justify each mark awarded.  An individual must achieve an Averaged Peer Mark (i.e. the average of the Peer Marks from the other members of their Team) of 35% or more to pass each assignment. Peer Marks should be submitted confidentially to your Tutor (i.e. not handed-in with your Team’s Problem Statement).

Ian Perry 44222: Information Systems Development: Review & Ass 1 Requirements Slide 6 Standard Marking Guidelines  % Without this person the Team would have failed!  % Excellent contribution to the Team effort. Very good understanding of all issues, very good analysis, a very important Team Member, who attended all meetings, contributed many very good ideas, and kept the Team on track.  % Very good contribution to the Team effort. Good understanding of most issues, and mostly good analysis, an important Team Member, who attended all meetings and contributed some very good ideas.

Ian Perry 44222: Information Systems Development: Review & Ass 1 Requirements Slide 7 Standard Marking Guidelines  % Good contribution to the Team effort. Good understanding of some issues, and some good analysis, a very solid Team Member, who attended most Team meetings and contributed some good ideas.  % Acceptable level of contribution to the Team effort. Reasonable understanding of some issues, occasional reasonable analysis, a solid Team Member, who attended most meetings and tried to contribute to all those that they did attend.  % Some contribution to the Team effort. Poor understanding of issues, some weak analysis, a weak Team Member, who missed several Team meetings, but managed to contribute occasionally when they did turn up.

Ian Perry 44222: Information Systems Development: Review & Ass 1 Requirements Slide 8 Standard Marking Guidelines  21 – 34% Little contribution to the Team effort. Very poor understanding of issues, no analysis, a very poor Team Member, who missed many Team meetings and didn’t do very much when they did turn up.  1 – 20% Very little contribution to the Team effort. Very poor understanding of issues, no analysis, a very poor Team Member, who missed most Team meetings and didn’t do very much when they did turn up.  0% Did not contribute to the Team effort in any way at all.

Ian Perry 44222: Information Systems Development: Review & Ass 1 Requirements Slide 9 The HCHE Case Study  High Class Home Electrical (HCHE), the organisation for whom you now work, is described by an on-line Case Study, at the following Web-address  History Established in the mid 1950's. Successful electrical wholesale business throughout the 60's and 70's. Moved to a computer related inventory in mid 80's. Began experiencing severe business problems in the mid to late 90's. Called in 'giddens, stanworth + hope' (gs+h), a firm of management consultants, in 2003.

Ian Perry 44222: Information Systems Development: Review & Ass 1 Requirements Slide 10 HCHE – gs+h & You  gs+h produce an annual review of HCHE, which; looks back on the previous year, highlights problems, suggests possible action to combat problems.  You are Management Trainees who have recently joined HCHE and have been assigned to assist the General Manager. Help your new manager identify (and combat) the problems highlighted by the latest gs+h review.

Ian Perry 44222: Information Systems Development: Review & Ass 1 Requirements Slide 11 HCHE – is Complex  The Case Study is intentionally complex, and often seems contradictory. Read it all very carefully and try to work out what IS, and what IS NOT important.  Make sure that you always remain focused on the task at hand, i.e.: To aid the management decision-making of the ‘Main Business’ of the HCHE organisation, by the development of a ‘viable’ Information System, based solely upon data maintained by the Current Operational Systems.

Ian Perry 44222: Information Systems Development: Review & Ass 1 Requirements Slide 12 HCHE - Example Outputs  The Information System you devise: MUST make use of data maintained by the Current Operational Systems of the ‘Main Business’ of HCHE.  You haven’t got direct access to these operational systems, but: you should ‘know’ the structure of the data files that are maintained by the operational systems (by reading the Case Study carefully). and should have looked at example outputs from some of the operational systems.

Ian Perry 44222: Information Systems Development: Review & Ass 1 Requirements Slide 13 DSDM Functional Model Iteration Agree Plan Identify Functional Prototype Create Functional Prototype Review Prototype Design & Build Iteration Agree Plan Identify Design Prototypes Create Design Prototypes Review Design Prototypes Implementation Implement Train Users User Approval Review Business Business Study High level Requirements Feasibility Study RAD approach suitable?

Ian Perry 44222: Information Systems Development: Review & Ass 1 Requirements Slide 14 How is DSDM Different?  Traditional ISD approaches: fix requirements, BUT allow time and resources to vary during development.  For DSDM; time is fixed, resources are fixed as far as possible, BUT requirements are allowed to change.  A very important product of the Business Study is: a clear prioritisation of the high-level functional and non-functional requirements.  DSDM projects guarantee to satisfy at least a minimum subset of these requirements.

Ian Perry 44222: Information Systems Development: Review & Ass 1 Requirements Slide 15 DSDM & the HCHE Project  Time & Resources are fixed: Deadlines & Teams.  Requirements might change: I hope you read the ‘HCHE’ Case Study carefully. And used the Interviews with “ambassador users” to confirm requirements.  DSDM matched to ISD Assignments: Business Study = Problem Statement Functional Model = Prototype Documentation Design & Build=Prototype (for use in documentation)

Ian Perry 44222: Information Systems Development: Review & Ass 1 Requirements Slide 16 The Prototyping Method Identify Basic Requirements Develop First "rough cut" prototype Present to User Problems? Revise & Enhance Next version of the prototype  More Iterations = Better Prototype

Ian Perry 44222: Information Systems Development: Review & Ass 1 Requirements Slide 17 Prototyping the Problem Statement  Document Structure Introduction A brief re-statement of the important parts of the ‘HCHE’ Case Study. Body Identify a specific Problem;  and discuss specific Information Requirements that will help a specific Manager resolve the problem. Repeat for ALL Problems. Conclusion Might best be expressed in a tabular format, and should; match specific solutions to specific problems for specific users.

Ian Perry 44222: Information Systems Development: Review & Ass 1 Requirements Slide 18 Prototype as a Team  The eventual ‘users’ of your Problem Statement will be the management of the ‘main business’ of ‘HCHE’, but; you have had only ONE opportunity to present a prototype of this document to those managers.  Therefore, in order to develop a good prototype, you should also have been acting as ‘users’, by; presenting subsequent iterations of your Team’s prototype Problem Statement to the other members of your Team.

Ian Perry 44222: Information Systems Development: Review & Ass 1 Requirements Slide 19 What is an Information System? training attitudes job decisions organisation peopletechnology hierarchy functions procedures controls software hardware network applications

Ian Perry 44222: Information Systems Development: Review & Ass 1 Requirements Slide 20 A Model of Management Decision Structure Unstructured Semi-structured Structured Information Characteristics Ad Hoc Unscheduled Summarised Infrequent Forward Looking External Wide Scope Narrow Focus Internal Historical Frequent Detailed Scheduled Pre-specified Strategic Long-Term Tactical Short-Term Operational Day-to-Day

Ian Perry 44222: Information Systems Development: Review & Ass 1 Requirements Slide 21 Information for Decision Making Strategic Long-Term Tactical Short-Term Operational Day-to-Day Operational Data Processing Systems Information! Information? Data Information? Data Information ? Data Information! Data

Ian Perry 44222: Information Systems Development: Review & Ass 1 Requirements Slide 22 ‘HCHE’ Problems?  Are they; ‘simply’ because of ‘poor’ Operational Data Processing Systems?  Or, are they; about ‘poor’ Information provision in support of Management Decision-making?  Or, are they; a bit of both?

Ian Perry 44222: Information Systems Development: Review & Ass 1 Requirements Slide 23 A ‘good’ Problem Statement?  Needs to demonstrate; a clear understanding of the current information system, and its problems.  i.e. provide a good 'picture' of: the structure of the ‘HCHE’ organisation, the important sub-systems, and the interactions between these sub-systems. the people, and management decision- making processes within, and between, these sub-systems.

Ian Perry 44222: Information Systems Development: Review & Ass 1 Requirements Slide 24 Helping ‘HCHE’?  From the 'picture' you build of ‘HCHE’ you should be able to decide if each of the ‘problems’ identified are due to: poor Operational Systems? Not much you can do about these ‘problems’. poor Management Information Systems? You should be able to ‘solve’ these problems. or, a bit of both? You may be able to offer ‘partial’ support/solutions.  You will then be able to document a suitable solution.

Ian Perry 44222: Information Systems Development: Review & Ass 1 Requirements Slide 25 The Problem Statement  Purpose To document problems & information requirements in terms of what NOT how.  Audience Managers who work for the ‘Main Business’ of HCHE.  This is DEFINITELY NOT a technical document!

Ian Perry 44222: Information Systems Development: Review & Ass 1 Requirements Slide 26 Presentation, Structure & Language (20 Marks)  Document should be in a loose report format, e.g.: Introduction, Body, Conclusion.  and be between 5 and 8 pages (maximum) long.  It should provide a brief description of the organisation, its problems and functional & information requirements in a clear, consistent, complete and yet concise way.  The Managers who work for the ‘Main Business’ of HCHE MUST be able to understand the report since they need to confirm that it accurately defines their problems, and promises viable solutions.

Ian Perry 44222: Information Systems Development: Review & Ass 1 Requirements Slide 27 Understanding of Problems (60 Marks)  The Document should provide a clear statement of the problems faced by the management of the ‘main business’ HCHE, i.e.; translate both the HCHE Case Study and the latest gs+h review into a valid set of information requirements.  The Document MUST, therefore; demonstrate a clear understanding of specific problem areas (i.e. those relevant to the managers who are the audience for this report),  AND and explain the role that management information could play in alleviating these problems (i.e. match problems to decisions and hence identify information requirements).

Ian Perry 44222: Information Systems Development: Review & Ass 1 Requirements Slide 28 Realism (20 Marks)  Your analysis of the problems, and functional & information requirements should demonstrate business realism. Your document MUST, therefore, be realistic about what the Management of ‘HCHE’; should do, can do, & want to do.  I hope you used the Interview opportunity wisely? It was your best chance of being sure that your ‘solution’ will be considered ‘realistic’ by the Management of ‘HCHE’.

Ian Perry 44222: Information Systems Development: Review & Ass 1 Requirements Slide 29 NO Workshop This Week!  There are also; NO Lecture or Workshop sessions Next Week!  The Assignment 1 Deadline is: Friday, 28 October, 2005  So, get on with it; and Good Luck!