Slow Learners, or What? MGS Group B Omotayo Adeniyi, Micale Baptiste, Robert Kuhl Claudia Murcia, Deborah Stroud Case Study 10 Chapter 10 Page

In 1974,1994 (CHAOS Report), 2003, and 2004, studies were conducted that showed the causes of information system failures. For over 30 years these studies have consistently shown that the leading causes of system failures are: o Lack of user involvement o Incomplete requirements and specifications o Changing requirements and specifications These same failures continue to mount today.

How closely should users work with the IS team ? Users should work very closely with the IS team because it requires a coordinated team effort o Requires more than technical knowledge to be successful o Users have the business knowledge required – expertise o Ensure that the solution developed is easy to use o Fosters development and participation in maintenance solutions o All have stake in success of business

Who is responsible for stating requirements and constraints ? Users, managers and anyone who is part of the business process Who is responsible for managing requirements? Same as above.

If you ask users why they did not participate in requirements specification, some common responses are: 1.“I wasn’t asked.” 2.“I didn’t have time.” 3.“They were talking about a system that would be here in 18 months, I’m worried about getting the order out today.” 4.“I didn’t know what they wanted.” 5.“I didn’t work here when they started the project.” 6.“The whole situation has changed since they were here; that was 18 months ago.” Please comment on each statement. What strategies do they suggest to you as a future user and future manager of users?

If you ask IS professionals why they did not obtain a complete and accurate list of requirements, common responses are: 1.“ It was nearly impossible to get on the users’ calendars. They were always too busy.” 2.“Users wouldn’t regularly attend meetings. As a result, one meeting would be dominated by the needs of one group, and another meeting dominated by another group.” 3.“Users didn’t take the requirement process seriously and didn’t review the requirements statements before meetings.” 4.“Users kept changing. Different people wanted different things.” 5.“We didn’t have enough time.” 6.“The requirements kept changing.” Please comment on each statement. What strategies do they suggest to you as a future user and future manager of users?

It is widely understood that one of the principal causes of IS failure is a lack of user involvement and if that factor continues to be a problem after 30 years of experience does this mean that the problem cannot be resolved? For example everyone knows that you can maximize your gains by buying stocks at their annual low price and selling them at their annual high price, but doing so is very difficult. Is it equally true that although everyone knows that users should be involved in requirements specifications and requirements should be complete, it just can't be done? Why or why not?

It is equally difficult to have the appropriate user involvement when designing IS as well as completing requirements and specifications due to challenges such as: Difficulty detemining system requirements Requirements are always changing Schedule and budgeting Technology changes during system development Diseconomies of scale - adding more people to a late project only makes the project later

Managers can minimize complications of design by.... Considering different systems development processes when disigning a system to meet established goals This will help ensure the system developed matches the company's needs and makes good use of company's resources Carefully select users to represent different teams using the system Users would actively participate during development and testing Plan for schedule adjustments to address work flow since users would be taken away from regular duties to participate