Chapter 7 Integration of Information The Strategic Management of Information Technology

Transaction Processing System Input Output Process Information Communication

Steps Toward Integration l Windowing Operating System –OS/2 Presentation Manager –Windows –X-Windows (Sun) l Transaction Processing Systems –Payroll Services –Sales Order Processing Systems –Process Control Systems –Corporate Accounting Systems

Steps Toward Integration l Multi-Tasking –Allow Users to run different programs at the same time –Windows –OS/2 (Presentation Manager) –XWindows l Networks –Enable Dynamic Integration from Several Sources

Integration l Vertical –Different Levels of Production –ex: Oil Company l Horizontal –Retail Stores –ex:WalMart

Object-Orientation l Different than Transmitting Raw Bits of Data –Hardware Connections –Access Controls –Simple Data Formats l Software Agents –object-oriented programs written to perform specific tasks in response to user requests –agents know how to exchange object attributes –agents have the ability to activate object functions in other agents l Multimedia –Integration of Text, Video, Sound, Pictures, Animation

Integration/Links l Static –Hard-Coded –Import l Dynamic –Linked –Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) –Hot-Linked –Object-Linking and Embedding (OLE) l Original Software Package Automatically started when chosen

Systems Project Proposals l Feasibility Factors –Technical –Economic –Legal –Operational –Schedule l Strategic Factors –Productivity –Differentiation –Management

Systems Plan l Business Plan –Document Company’s Goals and Objectives –Align Systems Project with Company’s Business Plan l Enterprise-Wide Model –Entity Relationship Diagram showing relationship between organization’s entities and their relationship to supporting strategies of Business Plan –View of Future Organization of Enterprise under a Business Plan

Two Levels of Planning l Systems Planning –Gives Managers, Users, and Information Systems Personnel Projects –Establishes what should be done –Sets a budget for the total cost of these projects l Systems Project Planning –Setting a plan for the development of each specific systems project

Systems Professional Skills l Systems Planning –Form project team after proposed systems project is cleared for development l Systems Analysis –Business Systems Analysts knowledgeable in business l General Systems Design –Business Systems Analysts l Systems Evaluation and Selection –Business Systems Analysts l Detailed Systems Design –Wide Range of Systems and Technical Designers l Systems Implementation –Systems analysts, programmers, and special technicians

Effective Leadership Style l Autocratic Style –Crisis-Style Management –Used to Correct Major Problem, such as Schedule Slippage l Democratic Style –Team-oriented Leadership –Gives each team member the freedom to achieve goals which he/she helped set l Laissez-Faire Style –Highly-motivated, Highly-Skilled Team Members –People who work best alone

Project Management Skills l Planning –States what should be done –Estimates how long it will take –Estimates what it will cost l Leading –Adapts to dynamics of enterprise and deals with setbacks –Guides and induces people to perform at maximum abilities l Controlling –Monitors Progress Reports and Documented Deliverables –Compares Plans with Actuals l Organizing –Staffs a Systems Project Team –Brings together users, managers, and team members

Project Management l Gantt Chart l Pert Chart

Gantt Chart l Compares Planned Performance against actual performance to determine whether the project is ahead of, behind, or on schedule l Schedule a complete systems project by phases

PERT Chart l Program, Evaluation and Renew Technique l Estimate, Schedule, and Control a network of interdependent tasks l Shown by arrows, nodes, or circles l Determine minimum time needed to complete a project, phase, or task l Critical Path –Minimum time needed to complete a project or phase –Total of the most time-consuming chain of events

PERT Chart l Four Steps –Identify Tasks –Determine Proper Sequence of Tasks –Estimate the Time Required to Perform each Task –Prepare Time-Scaled Chart of Tasks and Events to Determine the Critical Path

CASE l Computer-Aided Systems and Software Engineering l Increase Productivity of Systems Professionals l Improve the Quality of Systems Produced l Improve Software Maintenance Issue

CASE l Includes: –workstations –central repository –numerous modeling tools –project management –Systems Development Life Cycle Support –Prototyping Applications –Software Design Features

Central Repository l Models Derived from Modeling Tools l Project Management Elements l Documented Deliverables l Screen Prototypes and Report Designs l Software Code from Automatic Code Generator l Module and Object Libraries of Reusable Code l Reverse Engineering, Reengineering, and Restructuring Features

Software Maintenance l Reverse Engineering –Extract original design from spaghetti-like, undocumented code to make maintenance change request –Abstract meaningful design specifications that can be used by maintenance programmers to perform maintenance tasks l Reengineering –Examination and changing of a system to reconstitute it in form and functionality –Reimplementation l Restructuring –Restructures code into standard control constructs l sequence, selection, repetition

Work Group Technologies l Suite of Products l Groupware

Suite of Products Examples l Microsoft Corporation –Word –Excel –PowerPoint l Lotus Development Corporation –AmiPro –Lotus –Freelance l Novell/Borland –WordPerfect –Borland –dBaseIV

Suite of Products Advantages l Integrated Document l Economies of Scale l Consolidated Training l Shared Files Across Group

Suite of Products Disadvantages l Choice Based upon Group Rather than Advantages of Individual Product l “Locked In” to Product Company l Difficulty in Matching Client Requirements

Today’s Organization l Enterprise-Wide Development l Object-Oriented Definition l Implementation of Suite Approach