INFO 380 Information Systems Analysis and Management

1. INFO 380Information Systems Analysis and Management Instructor: Greg Hay TA: Yuan Lin

2. Agenda: Session 2 • Announcements • Context of Systems Analysis and Design • Business Drivers • Breaking In to IT • Communicating/Team Effectiveness • Organization of Project Teams • Client Selection?

3. Announcements • Homework topic this week is posted • Next week: What topic did you find new or interesting? • Go beyond basic definitions; why should I care? • Impress me in 1000 words (remember to cite sources!) • Slides posted on class website • Look under notes for each session on calendar

4. Announcements • Labs are back on! • iSchool Administration is requiring lab ‘facetime’ • Each lab will be meeting at regular scheduled time • 12:30 – 2:20 (MGH 430) • Section A: Mondays • Section B: Wednesdays • Project Groups • Need to join a team, see me after class • IT is wrought with re-organizations (and re-org rumors)

5. Thoughts/Questions?

6. Systems Analysis: Context • Context of Systems Analysis and Design

7. Systems Analysis and Design • Information System • An arrangement of: • People • Data • Processes • Information technology • All interact to collect, process, store and provide as output information needed to support an organization

8. Systems Analysis and Design • Example Systems • Transaction Processing System (TPS) • Management Information System (MIS) • Decision Support System (DSS) • Expert System • Communications and Collaboration System • Office Automation System

9. Organization as System • Inputs:the physical objects and information into the organization • Outputs: the physical objects and information from the organization • Processes:Transformation (work) Processes (Work) Inputs Outputs

10. Raw Materials Component and Modules Financial Capital Physical Assets Technologies Based on: Intellectual Capital (human, org., soc.) Products Services Inputs Processes (Work) Outputs Entrepreneurial Capital Transforming Inputs into Outputs Tools Information Systems

11. Systems Supplier Product Design Production Sales Delivery Service Customer

12. Work • Definition • Routine, “core competencies” of the organization • Embedded Practice • Social reinforcement • Hard to change • Almost always rich in tacit knowledge • Examples • UW: educating students or research • Microsoft: developing commercial software

13. Business Process • Definition • related group of activities that use people, information and other resources to create value • Examples • Gates Foundation: Grant-Giving\funding initiatives

14. Scope • Definition • specific set of sub-processes and activities included in a business process • Example • scope of producing a textbook • Writing • Revising • Designing the layout • Printing

15. Focus for Information Systems • Process • Activities (including management) that carry out the mission of the business • Knowledge • Raw material used to create useful information • Result of consuming information in controlled manner • Communication • How system interfaces with users and other information systems

16. Information Management • Remember: ‘Organize or Die’ • Human learning based on organizing & analyzing • Those that were effective at building systems survived • Systems analysis is the process of continually re-evaluating our organizational processes: • What do we need to do to ‘get better’ or adapt? • What are competitive pressures that will impact our ability to survive?

17. Thoughts/Questions?

18. Business Drivers • Globalization of the Economy • Electronic Commerce and Business • Security and Privacy • Collaboration and Partnership • Knowledge Asset Management • Continuous Improvement and Total Quality Management • Business Process Redesign

19. Business Drivers • TEST QUESTION!!

20. Globalization of the Economy • Global Economy brings • New and expanded international markets • New international competitors • Impact on information systems • Many business cultures, languages, currency exchange rates • Require consolidation of international data • Demand for players who can communicate effectively in different languages

21. Electronic Commerce and Business • E-Commerce: • Buying/selling of goods and services over Internet • Primarily B2C = Business to consumer • E-Business: • Internet to conduct/support day-to-day business • Primarily B2B = Business to business • Examples of each?

22. Electronic Commerce and Business • Types of E-Commerce and E-Business: • Marketing of corporate image, products, and services • Impact on information systems • Most new systems designed for Internet architecture • Browser-based applications diminish client O/S

23. Security and Privacy • Security • Business continuation planning • Digital assets must be safe from misuse or corruption • Privacy • Consumer privacy demands during e-commerce • Government requirements • Impact on information systems • Need to incorporate stringent security and privacy controls

24. Collaboration and Partnership • Organizations seek to join organizational departments and functions • Organizations collaborate with outside business partners and even competitors • Impact on information systems • Need to provide secure, external access • Data passed between different information systems

25. Knowledge Asset Management • Data • raw facts about people, places, events, and things that are of importance in an organization • Information • data that has been processed or reorganized into a more meaningful form for someone

26. Knowledge Asset Management • Knowledge • data and information that is further refined based on the facts, truths, beliefs, judgments, experiences, and expertise of the recipient • Knowledge Asset Management • Recognizes that data, information, and knowledge are critical business resources

27. Continuous Improvement and Total Quality Management Business Processes – Tasks that respond to business events (e.g., an order). Business processes are the work, procedures, and rules required to complete the business tasks, independent of any information technology used to automate or support them. Continuous process improvement (CPI) – The continuous monitoring of business processes to effect small but measurable improvements in cost reduction and value added. Total quality management (TQM) – a comprehensive approach to facilitating quality improvements and management within a business.

28. Business Process Redesign Business process redesign (BPR) is the study, analysis, and redesign of fundamental business processes to reduce costs and/or improve value added to the business. • More substantial changes\improvements than CPI • Usually complemented by CPI

29. Stakeholders • Throughout any organization • System Owners • Users • Customers • Suppliers and Partners • Information Workers • Knowledge Workers • Administrators • Product Planners • Project Managers • System Designers • Process Engineers • User Experience Professionals • System Builders • Trainers and User Support • Others

30. System Development Process • Definition • A set of activities, methods, best practices, deliverables and automated tools that stakeholders use to develop and maintain information systems and software.

31. Analysis Feasibility Describe Existing Sys. Describe New System Design Implementation Build System Convert Main. & Evaluation Audit and Main. Feedback Loop System Development Process

32. System Development Process

33. Thoughts/Questions?

34. Problem Statement • What is a problem statement?

35. Problem Statement • Why do we create a problem statement?

36. Problem Statement • Why do we create a problem statement? • How problem is stated often determines solution • Effective problem statements fuel creativity • Chewing on a problem statement lessens the opportunity to miss the obvious or commit to a course of action that won’t work

37. Problem Statement • What makes a good problem statement?

38. Problem Statement • What makes a good problem statement? • Articulates what we need to focus on solving • Identifies customer(s) • Summarizes customers’ view of the problem • States when the customer(s) need a solution • Defines scope of the problem solution • time • money • resources

39. Problem Statement • Needs to be complete • Who • Where • What • When • Why

40. Problem Statement • Not a manifesto! • Needs to be concise • 2 or 3 sentences is fine • 150 - 250 words is ideal

41. Problem Statement • Why do we create a problem statement?

42. Problem Statement • Why do we create a problem statement? • Comes back to communication; to be effective, everyone needs to understand the problem together, with a common understanding. • Sometimes thousands of people are issued the same problem statement: • Microsoft: developers to focus on ‘secure code’

43. Problem Statement • For class projects: in ~3 pages • Identify a set of challenges the organization faces • Pain points • Opportunities • Strategies • Associate within context of information system(s) • Information • Processes • Organization

44. Questions?

45. Team Effectiveness • What makes a ‘good team’?

46. Team Effectiveness • What makes a good teammate?

47. Team Effectiveness • What makes a good teammate? • Putting the success of team or project first • Holding each other accountable • Sacrificing for the better good

48. Team Effectiveness • My thoughts • ‘Allegiance to the data’ • At some point, responsibilities to the mission are more important than friendships

49. Team Effectiveness • My thoughts • Understand everyone’s role • Coach • Referee

50. Team Effectiveness • My thoughts • Have a mantra • I am not going to be the chump • Nothing hits the floor • I got your back • Scars and shrapnel