Transcript Experiencing MIS

COMM 226
Acquiring Information Systems Through
Projects
Chitu Okoli
Associate Professor in Business Technology Management
John Molson School of Business, Concordia University, Montréal
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IT Operations and IT Projects
• IT projects: acquiring and implementing new IT in
the organization
– A project consists of a temporary endeavor undertaken
to create a unique product, service or result
• IT Operations: running and maintaining existing IT
in the organization
BTM 480: Project Management
• Prerequisite: COMM 225 or 226 or 301. This
course covers the theory, tools, and techniques
associated with the management of projects
including the use of project management
software. Cases from various business contexts
are used to illustrate essential steps in setting
up project plans, scheduling work, monitoring
progress, and exercising control to achieve
desired results. The course integrates the
Project Management Body of Knowledge with
the Project Management Institute's certification
requirements.
Some Risks Inherent in IT Projects
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Lack of experience in the team
Lack of support from top management
Lack of participation from system users
Unclear and uncertain project requirements
A high level of technical complexity, and
changes in the project environments
Software Development Life Cycle
Software Development Life Cycle
Phase 1: Defining Systems
Phase 2: Requirements Analysis
• Management of scope in an IT project
• Determine and document specific features
and functions of the new system
• Approve requirements
• Less expensive to change system in this
phase
How can Software be Acquired?
•
Four basic methods for acquiring
software applications:
1.
2.
3.
4.
•
Buy it and use it as is
Buy it and customize it (most common)
Rent or lease it
Build it yourself or outsource it
Acquiring new software is NOT the
same as acquiring new information
systems, because there is a lot more to
think about in systems than just
software
Technology Acceptance Model
http://www.istheory.yorku.ca/Technologyacceptancemodel.htm
Davis, F. D. (1989). Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user
acceptance of information technology. MIS Quarterly, 13(3), 319-339.
How much FUNCTIONALITY should you
implement?
Perceived Usefulness
1. Baseline replication
– The new system must at least be as functional as the
old one
2. User-requested functionality
– The system should add new features required by
users
3. Analyst-suggested functionality
– The system may optionally go beyond users’
expectations
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How much RETRAINING effort would it take
users to learn to use the new system?
Perceived Ease of Use
1. Baseline replication
– Minimal effort, or net zero effort (takes no more
effort than time and effort saved from switching
from old system)
2. User-requested functionality
– Users must feel that new retraining is worthwhile
considering the benefits they have asked for
3. Analyst-suggested functionality
– No extra retraining should be required, unless
users are absolutely convinced of benefits of
extended functionality
Phase 3: Component Design
Phase 4: Implementation
System Conversion strategies
(b) Plunge
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Phase 5: Maintenance
Problems With SDLC
• SDLC waterfall
– Phases are not supposed to be repeated
– Often teams have need to repeat requirements and/or
design phases
• Difficulty in documenting requirements
– Analysis paralysis or uncertain requirements
• Scheduling and budget difficulties
– Multiyear projects difficult to properly schedule
– Estimations on labour often produce insufficient
budgets
Some Alternatives to
Building Systems Yourself
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What is outsourcing and what are
Application Service Providers?
• Outsourcing is the process of hiring another
organization to perform a service
• The outsourced vendor can be domestic or
international
– Offshoring is when vendor is overseas
(e.g., China, India, and Russia)
• Application service providers (ASPs) are a
special form of outsourcing
Outsourcing
• An easy way to gain expertise
• Concern cost reductions
• To reduce development risk
Application Service Providers
• Usually Software as a Service (SaaS)
• ASP agreement
– Organization contracts with a vendor to “rent”
applications from the vendor company on a feefor-service basis
• Vendor maintains the system at its own web
location and the client organization accesses
the application on the vendor’s website
• Payments
– Monthly or yearly
– Based on number of employees or “users”
Sources
• Most of the slides are adapted from COMM 226
Business Technology Management by David M.
Kroenke, Andrew Gemino, Peter Tingling, and Earl H.
McKinney, Jr. 2nd Custom Edition for Concordia
University (2014) published by Pearson Canada.
ISBN 13: 978-1-269-96956-7
• Other sources are noted on the slides themselves
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