View
221
Download
0
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D MIS 210 Fall 2004
Lecture 1:The Systems AnalystProject Management
MIS 210Information Systems I
Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D MIS 210 Fall 2004
The Systems Analyst
Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D MIS 210 Fall 2004
What is MIS?
M anagement I nformation S ystems
• Management– Focus on decision making– Blunting the technical edge– People-oriented– Output-oriented
Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D MIS 210 Fall 2004
What is MIS?
• Information– Processed data– Computer or otherwise
• Systems– Not just hardware /
software– People and procedures
Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D MIS 210 Fall 2004
Overview
• Information systems are crucial to modern business
• Key to success is thorough systems analysis and design
• Systems analyst is a key individual in these activities
Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D MIS 210 Fall 2004
Required Skills of the Systems Analyst
• Technical knowledge and skills– Computer hardware, software, databases, and related
devices
– Tools to help develop analysis or design specifications
– Techniques for completing specific development activities
• Business knowledge and skills– Organizational structure
– Functional work processes
Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D MIS 210 Fall 2004
Required Skills of the Systems Analyst
• People knowledge and skills– Communication
– Teams
• Ethics and integrity
Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D MIS 210 Fall 2004
Environment Surrounding the Analyst
• Information system configurations encountered will range from PC to large mainframe systems
• Job titles of the systems analyst vary greatly
• Places of employment vary from small businesses to large corporations
Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D MIS 210 Fall 2004
Analyst’s Role in Strategic Planning
• Special projects that might affect executives• Members of the strategic plan development
process• Input to the information systems strategic
planning effort
– Application architecture plan– Technology architecture plan
Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D MIS 210 Fall 2004
Project Management
Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D MIS 210 Fall 2004
A Project Is…
a temporary endeavor undertaken
to accomplish a unique purpose
Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D MIS 210 Fall 2004
A Project …
– has definable purpose– cuts across organizational lines– is unique– is ad hoc– INVOLVES GETTING A COMPLEX ACTIVITY
DONE
Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D MIS 210 Fall 2004
Project Characteristics
• Because projects are new (not at the repetitive operations stage), they typically involve– high levels of uncertainty and risk– difficult to estimate resources required– difficult to estimate time required
• Temporary activities by ad hoc organizations
Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D MIS 210 Fall 2004
Dimensions of Complexity
• magnitude of effort
• number of groups and organizations to be coordinated
• diversity in skills or expertise needed
• usually the MORE COMPLEX, the more time and resources required
Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D MIS 210 Fall 2004
Project Phases and the Project Life Cycle
• A project life cycle is a collection of project phases
• Project phases vary by project or industry, but some general phases include– concept– development– implementation– support
Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D MIS 210 Fall 2004
Project Entities
• Project Manager – coordinates efforts across functional areas;
– integrates planning & controls costs;
– schedules, assigns tasks
• Project Team– group of people doing what needs to be done
– often from different functions, organizations
• Project Management System– organizational structure, information processing, procedures permitting
integration of tasks and those who accomplish them
Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D MIS 210 Fall 2004
The Project Team
• Each member performs specialized task
• Skills and abilities
• Size and make-up
Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D MIS 210 Fall 2004
INPUT
Environment-level factors
(Nature of task and technology, rewards, policies,
and organization structure)
Group-level factors
(Size and structure)
Individual-level factors
(Abilities, motives, and other characteristics of
members)
PROCESS
Group dynamics
(Patterns of interaction, activity, and sentiment
including informal cliques,norms, unofficial practices,
etc.)
OUTPUT
Task performance
(Quality and quantity ofwork done and speed with
which it is done)
Member satisfaction
(Satisfaction of survival,affiliation, power,
achievement, and self-actualization needs)
The IS Project Team
Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D MIS 210 Fall 2004
What is Project Management?
Project management is “the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities in order to meet or exceed stakeholder needs and expectations from a project” (PMI*, Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide), 1996, pg. 6)
*The Project Management Institute (PMI) is an international professional society. Their web site is www.pmi.org.
Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D MIS 210 Fall 2004
Projects and Project Management
• recognize that organizations are made up of interrelated units
• need coordinated goals• integration benefits global objective attainment
– all pull towards same goal
• PROJECTS are systems of interrelated tasks and work units
• PROJECT MANAGEMENT unifies planning and work efforts to accomplish multiple goals
Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D MIS 210 Fall 2004
Project Management Features
• differs from repetitive operations– market and technology much less predictable– greater uncertainty of outcomes– more parties or organizations involved– DYNAMIC environment
Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D MIS 210 Fall 2004
IS Project Management
• identify what needs to be accomplished
• determine feasibility
• get required resources
• accurately estimate time required
• balance time, cost, and performance requirements
• control operation to make efficient
Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D MIS 210 Fall 2004
A Systems View of Project Management
• A systems approach emerged in the 1950s to describe a more analytical approach to management and problem solving
• Three parts include:– Systems philosophy: View things as systems;
interacting components working within an environment to fulfill some purpose
– Systems analysis: problem-solving approach– Systems management: Address business,
technological, and organizational issues before making changes to systems
Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D MIS 210 Fall 2004
Project Management Tools and Techniques
• Project management tools and techniques assist project managers and their teams in various aspects of project management
• Some specific ones include– Project Charter – Gantt charts, PERT charts, critical path analysis
(time)– Cost estimates and Earned Value Analysis (cost)
Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D MIS 210 Fall 2004
• IT Projects have a poor track record– A 1995 Standish Group study found that only
16.2% of IT projects were successful– Over 31% of IT projects were canceled before
completion, costing over $81 B in the U.S. alone• A 1999 ComputerWorld article listed “project
manager” as the #1 position IT managers say they need most for contract help
• The demand for IT projects is increasing
Why Is Information Technology (IT) Project Management Important?
Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D MIS 210 Fall 2004
Advantages of Project Management• Bosses, customers, and other stakeholders do not like
surprises• Good project management (PM) provides assurance and
reduces risk• PM provides the tools and environment to plan, monitor,
track, and manage schedules, resources, costs, and quality • PM provides a history or metrics base for future planning
as well as good documentation• Project members learn and grow by working in a cross-
functional team environmentSource: Knutson, Joan, PM Network, December 1997, p. 13
Sylnovie Merchant, Ph.D MIS 210 Fall 2004
Project Management Resources
• Check out the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) website at www.pmi.org– Review the role of PMI and the services offered
• Go to www.pmi.org/pmief/– View the presentation “An Introduction to A
Framework for Project Management” – Read “About Project Management”