1. Developing Business/IT Solutions
Chapter 12
Developing Business/IT Solutions
McGraw-Hill/Irwin
Copyright © 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

2. Learning Objectives
Use the systems development process outlined in this chapter and the model of IS components from Chapter 1 as problem-solving frameworks to help you propose information systems solutions to simple business problems
Describe and give examples to illustrate how you might use each of the steps of the information systems development cycle to develop and implement a business information system

3. Learning Objectives
Explain how prototyping can be used as an effective technique to improve the process of systems development for end users and IS specialists
Understand the basics of project management and their importance to a successful system development effort
Identify the activities involved in the implementation of new information systems

4. Learning Objectives
Compare and contrast the four basic system conversation strategies
Describe several evaluation factors that should be considered in evaluating the acquisition of hardware, software, and IS services

5. Problem solving technique Interrelated activities
The Systems Approach
Problem solving technique
Interrelated activities
Recognize and define a problem or opportunity using systems thinking
Develop and evaluate alternative system solutions
Select the solution that best meets your requirements
Design the selected system solution
Implement and evaluate the success of the system
A problem solving technique that uses a systems orientation to define problems and opportunities and develop appropriate and feasible solutions
Analyzing a problem and formulating a solution involves these interrelated activities:
Recognize and define a problem or opportunity using systems thinking
Develop and evaluate alternative system solutions
Select the solution that best meets your requirements
Design the selected system solution
Implement and evaluate the success of the system

6. Types of Feasibility Studies
Operational
Fix the problem, fit the organization
Economic
Cost/Benefit Analysis
Technical
Components and time available
Human Factors
Right people and roles available
Legal/Political
Government, patent, or license restrictions
Feasibility Studies
Operational Feasibility
How well the proposed system will
Support the business priorities of the organization
Solve the identified problem
Fit with the existing organizational structure
Economic Feasibility
An assessment of
Cost savings
Increased revenue
Decreased investment requirements
Increased profits
Cost/benefit analysis
Technical Feasibility
Determine the following can meet the needs of a proposed system and can be acquired or developed in the required time
Hardware
Software
Network
Human Factors Feasibility
Assess the acceptance level of
Employees
Customers
Suppliers
Management support
Determine the right people for the various new or revised roles
Legal/Political Feasibility
Assess
Possible patent or copyright violations
Software licensing for developer side only
Governmental restrictions
Changes to existing reporting structure

7. Types of Analysis Organizational Present System Logical
Structure, people, activities
Present System
Hardware, software, network, input, output, processing
Logical
What the current system does
Not concerned with how it works
Types of Analysis
Organizational Analysis
Study of the organization, including…
Management structure
People
Business activities
Environmental systems
Current information systems
Input, processing, output, storage, and control
Analysis of the Present System
Before designing a new system, it is important to study the system to be improved or replaced
Hardware and software
Network
People resources used to convert data resources into information products
System activities of input, processing, output, storage, and control
Logical Analysis
A logical model is a blueprint of the current system
It displays what the current system does, without regard to how it does it
It allows an analyst to understand the processes, functions, and data associated with a system without getting bogged down with hardware and software

8. User Interface Design
Supports interactions between end users and computer-based applications
Get help from end-users
Designers create attractive and efficient forms
Frequently a prototyping process
Produces detailed design specifications
Focuses on supporting the interactions between end users and their computer-based applications
Designers concentrate on the design of attractive and efficient forms of user input and output
Frequently a prototyping process
Produces detailed design specifications for information products, such as display screens
Checklist for Corporate Websites
Remember the customer
Aesthetics
Broadband content
Easy to navigate
Searchability
Incompatibilities
Registration forms
Dead links

9. System Specifications
Components of formal design
User interface methods and products
Database structures
Processing procedures
Control procedures
Examples of System Specifications
User interface specifications
Database specifications
Software specifications
Hardware and network specifications
Personnel specifications
Examples of System Specifications for an e-commerce system
User interface specifications - Use personalized screens that welcome repeat Web customers and that make product recommendations
Database specifications - Develop databases that use object/relational database management software to organize access to all customer and inventory data and to multimedia product information
Software specifications - Acquire an e-commerce software engine to process all e-commerce transactions with fast responses, i.e., retrieve necessary product data and compute all sales amounts in less than one second
Hardware and network specifications - Install redundant networked Web servers and sufficient high-bandwidth telecommunications lines to host the company e-commerce website
Personnel specifications - Hire an e-commerce manager and specialists and a webmaster and Web designer to plan, develop, and manage e-commerce operations

10. Object-Oriented Analysis and Design
Object – anything a programmer needs manipulated
Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) techniques:
Inheritance
Modularity
Polymorphism
Encapsulation
Object-Oriented Analysis (OOA)
Model of object interaction, not solution
Object-Oriented Design (OOD)
Solution based on constraints
Once an object is defined by a programmer, its characteristics can be used to allow one object to interact with another object or pass information to another object. The behavior of an object-oriented system entails collaboration between these objects, and the state of the system is the combined state of all the object in it
Inheritance. The ability of one object to inherit the characteristics of a higher order object.
• Modularity. The extent to which a program is designed as a series of interlinked yet stand-alone modules. For example, all cars have wheels; therefore, an object defined as a sports car and as a special type of the object cars must also have wheels.
• Polymorphism. The ability of an object to behave differently depending on
the conditions in which its behavior is invoked. For example, two objects that
inherit the behavior speak from an object class animal might be a dog object and
a cat object. Both have a behavior defined as speak . When the dog object is
commanded to speak, it will bark, whereas when the cat object is commanded to
speak, it will meow .
• Encapsulation. Concealing all of the characteristics associated with a particular
object inside the object itself. This paradigm allows objects to inherit characteristics
simply by defining a subobject. For example, the object airplane contains all
of the characteristics of an airplane: wings, tail, rudder, pilot, speed, altitude, and
so forth.
Object-Oriented Analysis - an object-oriented analysis model does not take into account implementation constraints, such as concurrency, distribution, persistence, or inheritance, nor how the system will be built. Because object-oriented systems are modular, the model of the system can be divided into multiple domains, each of which are separately analyzed and represent separate business, technological, or conceptual areas of interest. The result of object-oriented analysis is a description of what is to be built, using concepts and relationships between concepts, often expressed as a conceptual model.
Object-oriented design (OOD) - takes the conceptual model that results from the object-oriented analysis and adds implementation constraints imposed by the environment, the programming language, and the chosen tools, as well as architectural assumptions chosen as the basis of the design.

11. Managing a project effectively requires
What is a Project?
Every project has
A set of activities with a clear beginning and end
Goals
Objectives
Tasks
Limitations or constraints
A series of steps or phases
Managing a project effectively requires
Process
Tools
Techniques

12. Hardware Evaluation Factors
Performance
Cost
Reliability
Compatibility
Technology
Ergonomics
Connectivity
Scalability
Software
Support
Hardware Evaluation Factors Rating Performance
What is its speed, capacity, and throughput?
Cost
What is its lease or purchase price? What will be its cost of operation and maintenance?
Reliability
What are the risk of malfunction and its maintenance requirements?
What are its error control and diagnostic features?
Compatibility
Is it compatible with existing hardware and software?
Is it compatible with hardware and software provided by competing suppliers?
Technology
In what year of its product life cycle is it?
Does it use a new untested technology, or does it run the risk of obsolescence?
Ergonomics
Has it been “human factors engineered” with the user in mind?
Is it user-friendly, designed to be safe, comfortable, and easy to use?
Connectivity
Can it be easily connected to wide area and local area networks that use different types of network technologies and bandwidth alternatives?
Scalability
Can it handle the processing demands of a wide range of end users, transactions, queries, and other information processing requirements?
Software
Are system and application software available that can best use this hardware?
Support
Are the services required to support and maintain it available?
Overall Rating

13. Software Evaluation Factors
Most Hardware Evaluation Factors Apply
Quality
Efficiency
Flexibility
Security
Connectivity
Maintenance
Documentation
Hardware
Overall Rating
Software that is slow, hard to use, bug-filled, or poorly documented is not a good choice at any price
Software Evaluation Factors Rating
Quality
Is it bug-free, or does it have many errors in its program code?
Efficiency
Is the software a well-developed system of program code that does not use
much CPU time, memory capacity, or disk space?
Flexibility
Can it handle our business processes easily, without major modification?
Security
Does it provide control procedures for errors, malfunctions, and improper use?
Connectivity
Is it Web-enabled so it can easily access the Internet, intranets, and extranets, on
its own, or by working with Web browsers or other network software?
Maintenance
Will new features and bug fixes be easily implemented by our own software
developers?
Documentation
Is the software well documented? Does it include help screens and helpful
software agents?
Hardware
Does existing hardware have the features required to best use this software?
Other Factors
What are its performance, cost, reliability, availability, compatibility,
modularity, technology, ergonomics, scalability, and support characteristics?
(Use the hardware evaluation factor questions in Figure )
Overall Rating
Software that is slow, hard to use, bug-filled, or poorly documented is not a good choice at any price

14. IS Service Evaluation Factors
IS evaluation factors include
Performance
Systems development
Maintenance
Conversion
Training
Backup facilities and services
Accessibility to sales and support
Business position and financial strength
Hardware selection and compatibility
Software packages offered
Evaluation Factors for IS Services Rating Performance
What has been their past performance in view of their past promises?
Systems Development
Are Web site and other e-business developers available?
What are their quality and cost?
Maintenance
Is equipment maintenance provided?
What are its quality and cost?
Conversion
What systems development and installation services will they provide during the conversion period?
Training
Is the necessary training of personnel provided?
Backup
Are similar computer facilities available nearby for emergency backup purposes?
Accessibility
Does the vendor provide local or regional sites that offer sales, systems development, and hardware maintenance services?
Is a customer support center at the vendor’s Web site available? Is a customer hotline provided?
Business Position
Is the vendor financially strong, with good industry market prospects?
Hardware
Do they provide a wide selection of compatible hardware devices and accessories?
Software
Do they offer a variety of useful e-business software and application packages?
Overall Rating

15. Post-Implementation Activities
System Maintenance
Corrective: fix bugs and logical errors
Adaptive: add new functionality
Perfective: improve performance
Preventive: reduce chances of failure
Post Implementation Review
Correct Errors
Periodic review/audit
Single most costly activity
The single most costly activity
Correcting errors or faults in the system
Improving system performance
Adapting the system to changes in the operating or business environment
Requires more programmers than does application development
May exist for years
System Maintenance
Four basic categories
Corrective: fix bugs and logical errors
Adaptive: add new functionality
Perfective: improve performance
Preventive: reduce chances of failure
Post Implementation Review
Ensures that the newly implemented system meets the established business objectives
Errors must be corrected by the maintenance process
Periodic review/audit of the system as well as continuous monitoring