END USER COMPUTING

Critical Issues

Key Issues in IS ManagementNeiderman, Brancheau, Wetherbe, MISQ, 1991(Gray, et. al.)

Developing an information architecture Making effective use of data Improving IS strategic planning Recruiting, and developing human resources Facilitating organizational learning and use of IS Building a responsive IT infrastructure Aligning IS with the enterprise Using IS for competitive advantage Improving the quality of software development Developing telecommunications systems

Types of Information Systems Sprague & Watson, DSS for Management, Prentice Hall, 1996

Type I (Procedure)High volumeLow transaction costWell structuredMeasurableProcess & efficiencyDataClerical

Type II (Goal)Low volumeHigh trans. valuePoorly structuredHard to measureGoal & effectivenessConceptsMgrs, professionals

IS Development Approaches

Systems Development Life CycleInformation Center (DSS)Object and Component

Type ILarge SystemsIntercommunications among

applicationsFormal methodologiesCASE technologiesPurchased productsOutsourcing

Type ISDLC Type I systemsLarge and CostlyCost justifiedFormal stages of evaluationStages carefully reviewed and

formally approvedData, Process, Communications

Type IIInformation Center (DSS)Type II systemsRelatively small and inexpensiveValue justifiedPrototyping and evolutionary designData, Dialog, Model

End User Computing (EUC)

End User Computing refers to systems in which the user does some of the programming. Arises from:

Capacity of ComputersCost of HardwareFriendly SoftwareData Communications

EUC Issues

Data extraction (warehouses) and availability

System design and developmentManagement and controlNew technologies:

EIS, GDSS and Artificial Intelligence, Expert Systems and Groupware

Prototyping & Iterative DesignDataTrial SolutionUser ExperimentationRevised Solution

Object Oriented(Event Driven)User ownedSmall and experimentalDialog driven, reusable codeCombines data and process

Object Issues

Reliability of tools and softwareDesign methodologiesStandards and portabilityExtent of value

Type I Design

Systems Development Life Cycle: Formal development of systems in progressively detailed stages

Initial investigationFeasibilityGeneral designDetailed designImplementationMaintenance

Type I Design:

Type II Design

DATA MODEL

DIALOG

USER

Development Roles

UserIntermediary (Chauffeur)BuilderTechnical SupportToolsmith

Design Philosophy

Functional EntityDialogueEvent

Distributed Management

Business within a businessIS internal partnershipsVirtual organizationsOutsourcing and consultantsPersonnel management

Ownership

Data

Process

IS Owned User Owned

Information Access:IT User Partnership