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Community Development and Training Centre Semester 2 2006

IT 245 Management Information Systems

Chapter 8 Developing E-business Solutions The Systems Development Cycle: Business end users and IS specialists may use a systems approach to help them develop information system solutions to meet E-business opportunities. This frequently involves a systems development cycle where IS specialists and end users conceiving, design, and implement E-business systems. The stages, activities, and products of the information systems development cycle are summarized in Figure 8.3.

Figure 8.3 The traditional information systems development cycle. Note how the five steps of the cycle are based on the stages of the systems approach. Also note the products that result from each step in the cycle, and that you can recycle back to any previous step if more work is needed.

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Prototyping: Proto typing is a major alternative methodology to the traditional information systems de-velopment cycle. It includes the use of pro to typing tools and methodologies, which promote an iterative, interactive process that develops prototypes of user interfaces and other information system components. See Figure 8.4.

Figure 8.4 Application development using prototyping. Note how prototyping combines the steps of the systems development cycle and changes the traditional roles of IS specialists and end users.

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End User Development: The application development capabilities built into many end user software packages have made it easier for end users to develop their own E-business applications. End users should focus their development efforts on the system components of business processes that can benefit from the use of information technology, as summarized in Figures 8.19.

Figure 8.19 How companies are encouraging and managing intranet website development by business end users. Implementing IS. The implementation process for information system projects is summarized in Figure 8.30. Implementation involves acquisition, testing, documentation, training, installation, and conversion activities that transform a newly designed E-business system into an operational system for end users.

Figure 8.30 An overview of the implementation process. Implementation activities are needed to transform a newly developed information system into an operational system for end users.

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Evaluating Hardware, Software, and Services. Business professionals should know how to evaluate the ac-quisition of information system resources. IT vendors' proposals should be based on specifications developed during the design stage of systems development. A formal evaluation process reduces the possibility of incor-rect or unnecessary purchases of hardware or software. Several major evaluation factors, summarized in Figures 8.24, 8.25, and 8.26, can be used to evaluate hardware, software, and IS services.

Figure 8.24: A summary of ten major hardware evaluation factors. Notice how you can use this to evaluate a computer system or a peripheral device.

Figure 8.25 A summary of selected software evaluation factors. Note that most of the hardware evaluation factors in Figure 8.24 can also be used to evaluate software packages.

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Figure .26 Evaluation factors for IS services. These factors focus on the quality of support services E-business users may need.

Key Terms and Concepts These are the key terms and concepts of this chapter. 1. Computer-aided systems engineering 2. Conversion methods

3. Cost benefit analysis 4. Documentation

5. Economic feasibility 6. End user development

7. Evaluation factors a. Hardware b. IS services c. Software

8. Feasibility study 9. Functional requirements

10. Implementation process 11. Intangible a. Benefits b. Costs

12. Operational feasibility 13. Organizational analysis

14. Organizational feasibility 15. Post implementation review

16. Prototype 17. Prototyping

18. Systems analysis 19. Systems approach

20. Systems design 21. Systems development life cycle

22. Systems implementation 23. Systems investigation

24. Systems maintenance 25. Systems specifications

26. System testing 27. Systems thinking

28. Tangible a. Benefits b. Costs 29. Technical feasibility

30. User interface design

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Review Quiz Match one of the key terms and concepts listed previously with one of the brief examples or definitions that follow. Try to find the best fit for answ_rs that seem to fit more than one term or concept. Defend your choices. 1. Using an organized sequence of activities to study a problem or opportunity using systems thinking.

2. Trying to recognize systems and the new inter-relationships and components of systems in any situation.

3. Evaluating the success of a solution after it has been implemented.

4. Your evaluation shows that benefits outweigh costs for a proposed system.

5. The costs of acquiring computer hardware, software, and specialists.

6. Loss of customer goodwill caused by errors in a new system.

7. Increases in profits caused by a new system.

8. Improved employee morale caused by efficiency and effectiveness of a new system.

9. A multistep process to conceive, design, and implement an information system.

10. The first stage of the systems development cycle.

11. Determines the organizational, economic, technical, and operational feasibility of a proposed in-formation system.

12. Cost savings and additional profits will exceed the investment required. 13. Reliable hardware and software are available to implement a proposed system. 14. Customers will not have trouble using a proposed system. . 15. The proposed system supports the strategic plan of the business. 16. Studying in detail the information needs of users and any information systems presently used. 17. A detailed description of user information needs and the input, processing, output, storage, and control

capabilities required to meet those needs. 18. The process that results in specifications for the hardware, software, people, network, and data

resources and information products needed by a proposed system. 19. Systems design should focus on developing user friendly input and output methods for a system. 20. A detailed description of the hardware, software, people, network, and data resources and information

products required by a proposed system. 21. Acquiring hardware and software, testing and documenting a proposed system, and training people to

use it. 22. Making improvements to an operational system. 23. Using software tools to computerize many of the activities in the systems development process.

24. A working model of an information system.

25. An interactive and iterative process of developing and refining information system prototypes.

26. Managers and business specialists can develop their own E-business applications.

27. Includes acquisition, testing, training, and conversion to a new system.

28. Performance, cost, reliability, technology, and ergonomics are examples.

29. Performance, cost, efficiency, language, and documentation are examples. 30. Maintenance, conversion, training, and business position are examples.

31. Operate in parallel with the old system, use a test site, switch in stages, or cut over immediately to a new system.

32. Checking whether hardware and software work properly for end users.

33. A user manual communicates the design and operating procedures of a system.

34. Modifying an operational system by adding E-commerce website access would be an example

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Discussion Questions 1. Why do you think prototyping has become a popular way to develop E-business applications?

2. Refer to the Real World Case on Raytheon, Cutter, GE, and Honeywell in the chapter. Do you agree that in the development of E-commerce systems, "speed doesn't always equal quality, !:rot quality always equals speed"? Why or why not?

3. Review the Panasonic and Quicken Loans real world examples in the text. What design changes should Panasonic make to correct the design flaws at their site and bring their website design up to Quicken's stan-dard? Explain your reasoning.

4. What are the three most important factors you would use in evaluating computer hardware? Explain why.

S. What are the three most important factors you would use in evaluating computer software? Explain why.

6. Assume that in your first week on a new job you are asked to use a type of software package that you have never used before. What land of user training should your company provide to you before you start?

7. Refer to the Real World Case on Select Comfort and Vocal Point in the chapter. Should system reliability be such an overriding concern in E-commerce systems? Why or why not?

8. What is the difference between the parallel, plunge, phased, and pilot forms of IS conversion? Which con-version strategy is best? Explain why.

9. What are several key factors in designing a successful E-commerce or intranet website? Refer to Figure 8.13 as a starting point. Explain why the design factors you chose are important to Web success.

10. Pick a business task you would like to computerize. How could you use the steps of the information systems development cycle as illustrated in Figure 8.3 to help you? Use examples to illustrate your answer

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