Management Information Systems, 10e

  

Management

Information Systems,

10/e

Raymond McLeod Jr. and George P. Schell

  © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e 1

Chapter 7 Systems Development

  © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e 2

  

Learning Objectives

Recognize the systems approach as the

  ►

basic framework for solving problems of all

kinds.

  Know how to apply the systems approach to ► solving systems problems.

  

Understand that the systems development

► life cycle (SDLC) is a methodology – a recommended way to develop systems.

  © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e 3

  Learning Objectives (Cont’d)

Be familiar with the main SDLC approaches – the

  ► traditional waterfall cycle, prototyping, rapid application development, phased development, and business process redesign.

  

Know the basics of modeling processes with data

► flow diagrams and use cases.

  Understand how systems development projects ► are managed in a top-down fashion.

  Be familiar with the basic processes of estimating ► project cost.

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  The Systems Approach

John Dewey identified three series of judgments

  ► involved in adequately resolving a controversy:  Recognize the controversy.

   Weigh alternative claims.

   Form a judgment.

  During the late 1960s/early 1970s, interest in ► systematic problem solving strengthened.

  Systems approach

  —a series of problem-solving steps that ensure the problem is first understood, alternative solutions are considered, and the © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e selected solution works. 5 Series of Steps Preparation effort prepares the problem solver

  ► by providing a systems orientation.

  

 Business areas, level of management, resource flows

Definition effort consists of identifying the

  ►

problem to be solved and then understanding it.

  Solution effort involves identifying alternative ► solutions, evaluating them, selecting the one that appears best, implementing that solution, and following up to ensure that the problem is solved.

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Figure 7.1 Phases and Steps of Systems Approach

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Figure 7.2 Each Business Area Is a System

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  Definition Effort Terminology Problem trigger is a signal that things are

  ► going better or worse than planned.

  

Symptom is a condition that is produced

► by the problem and is usually more obvious than the root cause of the problem.

  Problem is a condition or event that is ► harmful or potentially or beneficial or potentially beneficial to the firm.

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Figure 7.3 Each Part of the System Is Analyzed in Sequence

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  • –the mental process of a single manager.

  © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e 11 Select the Best Solution

  ► Analysis –a systematic evaluation of options.

Judgment

  ►

  ►

Bargaining –negotiations between several

managers.

  © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e 12 Systems Development Life Cycle

  ► Methodology is a recommended way of doing something.

  ► Systems development life cycle (SDLC) is an application of the systems approach to the development of an information system.

  ► Traditional SDLC stages are:

   Planning

   Analysis  Design 

  Implementation

   Use

Figure 7.4 The Circular Pattern of the System Life Cycle

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  Prototyping Prototype is a version of a potential

  ► system that provides the developers and future users with an idea of how the system in its completed form will function.

  Prototyping is the process of producing a ► prototype.

  Best suited for small systems –reflecting the  prototyping influence.

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  © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e 15 Evolutionary Prototype

  ► Evolutionary prototype is continually refined

until it contains all of the functionality that users

require of the new system. The steps involved are:

   Identify user needs.

   Develop prototype.

  ► Integrated application developer

  ► Prototyping toolkit  Determine if the prototype is acceptable.

   Use the prototype.

Figure 7.5 Development of an Evolutionary Prototype

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Requirements Prototype

Requirements prototype is developed as a way

  ►

to define the functional requirements of the new

system when users are unable to articulate exactly what they want. Begin with the Evolutionary Prototype steps, then the next steps are:

   Code the new system;  Test the new system;

   Determine if the new system is acceptable;  Put the new system into production.

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Figure 7.6 Development of a Requirements Prototype

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  Attraction of Prototyping Communications between the developer and user

  ► are improved.

  The developer can do a better job of determining ► the users’ needs.

  The user plays a more active role in system ► development.

  

The developers and the user spend less time and

► effort developing the system.

  

Implementation is much easier because the user

© 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e knows what to expect. 19

  

Potential Pitfalls of Prototyping

The haste to deliver the prototype may produce

  ► shortcuts in problem definition, alternative evaluation, and documentation. The shortcut produces a “quick & dirty” effort.

  The user may get overly excited about the ► prototype, leading to unrealistic expectations regarding the production system.

  Evolutionary prototypes may not be very efficient.

  ► The computer-human interface provided by certain

  ► prototyping tools may not reflect good design techniques.

  © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e 20

  Rapid Application Development

Rapid Application Development (RAD) is a

  ► term coined by James Martin. It refers to a development life cycle intended to produce systems quickly without sacrificing quality.

  Information engineering (IE) is the name that ►

  Martin gives to his overall approach to system development, which treats it as a firm-wide activity.

  Enterprise is used to describe the entire firm.

  ►  Essential to RAD is management, people, methodologies, and tools.

   © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e Best suited for large systems. 21

Figure 7.7 Rapid Application Development Is an Integral Part of Information Engineering

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  © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e 23 Phased Development

  ► Phased development is an approach for developing information systems that consists of six stages:

   Preliminary investigation

   Analysis

   Design

   Preliminary construction  Final construction

   System test

   Installation.

   Best suited for systems of all sizes.

Figure 7.8 The Stages of the Phased Development Methodology

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  © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e 25 Module Phases

  ► System is subdivided into major modules such as:

   Report writer;  Database;  Web interface.

  ►

Number of modules varies with the system

from one to a dozen or so.

  ► Stages are performed separately for each module.

Figure 7.9 Analysis, Design, and Preliminary

  

Construction are Performed on Each System Module

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  Business Process Redesign Reengineering or Business process redesign

  ► (BPR) is the process of reworking the systems.

  Systems include both those that process the firm’s data  and those that perform basic functions such as drilling for oil.

  BPR affects the firm’s IT operations in two ways: ►

   Aids in the redesign of old information systems ( legacy systems);

   Applies to the redesign of information systems to support major operations.

  Usually initiated at strategic management level © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e27

Figure 7.10 Top-Down Initiation of BPR Projects

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Strategic Initiation of BPR

Reverse engineering is the process of analyzing

  ► an existing system to:

   Identify its elements and their interrelationships;

   Create documentation at a higher level of abstraction than currently exists.

  Functionality is the job that it performs.

  ► Reengineering is the complete redesign of a

  ► system with the objective of changing its functionality.

  Forward engineering is given to the process of ► following the SDLC in the normal manner while © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e engaging in BPR. 29

  © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e 30 BPR Components

  ► BPR components can be applied separately or in combination.

  ►

Functional quality is a measure of what

the system does.

  ► Technical quality is a measure of how well it does it.

Figure 7.11 BPR Component Selection Is Based on

  

Both Functional and Technical Quality

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Methodologies in Perspective

Traditional SDLC is an application of the

  ► systems approach to the problem of system development; contains all elements.

  

Prototyping is an abbreviated form focusing on

► the definition and satisfaction of user needs.

  RAD is an alternative approach to the design and ► implementation phases of SDLC.

  Phased development uses traditional SDLC and ► applies it in a modular fashion.

  © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e 32

  

System Development Tools

was first done with .

  Process modeling flowcharts

  ►

   ISO standards

   Use of 20+ symbols Data flow diagrams (DFD) is a graphic

  ►

representation of a system that uses four symbol

shapes to illustrate how data flows through interconnected processes.

  DFDs are excellent for modeling processes at a ► summary level.

  © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e 33

  Data Flow Diagram Symbols Terminator describes an environmental element, such as

  ► a person, organization, or another system.

  

Environmental elements exist outside the boundary of the

system.

  

Process is something than transforms input into output.

  ► Data flow consists of a group of logically related data

  ► elements that travel from one point or process to another; can and . diverge converge Data storage is a repository of data.

  ► Connector contains the number of the process that

  ► provides the data flow.

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Figure 7.12 A DFD of a Sales Commission System

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  © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e 36 Leveled Data Flow Diagrams

  ► Leveled DFDs is used to describe the hierarchy of diagrams, ranging from context to lowest-level n diagram.

  ► Figure 0 diagram identifies the major processes of a system.

   Use additional DFDs to achieve documentation at both a more summarized and a more detailed level.

  ► Context diagram is a diagram that documents the system at a more summarized level.

   Positions the system in an environmental context.

  ► Figure n diagram is a diagram that provides more detail.

   n represents the # of processes on the next higher level.

   Documents a single process of a DFD in greater detail

Figure 7.13 A Context Diagram of a Sales Commission System

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Figure 7.14 A Figure 4 Diagram of a Sales Commission System

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Use Cases

Use case is a narrative description in an outline

  ►

form of the dialog that occurs between a primary

and secondary system.

  

Continuous narrative format with each action

► numbered sequentially.

  Ping-pong format consists of two narratives and ►

the numbering indicates how the tasks alternate

between the primary and secondary systems.

  Alternative events are actions that are not ► normally expected to occur; alphabetic letters are appended to step numbers.

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Figure 7.15 A Use Case

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Figure 7.16 Use Case Guidelines

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  Project Management Steering committee is a committee with the

  ► purpose of providing ongoing guidance, direction, and control of all systems projects.

  

MIS steering committee purpose is directing

► the use of the firm’s computing resources.

   It establishes policies.

   It provides fiscal control.

   It resolves conflict.

  © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e 42

Figure 7.17 Managers of a System Life Cycle Arranged in a Hierarchy

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  Project Leadership Project team includes all of the persons

  ► who participate in the development of an information system.

  

Team leader (project leader) provides

direction throughout the life of the project.

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Project Management Mechanism

Basis for project management is the project plan.

  ► Gantt chart is a horizontal bar chart that includes

  ► a bar for each task to be performed; bars arranged in time sequence.

  Network diagram (

CPM diagram, PERT

  ► ) is a drawing that identifies activities and chart links them with arrows to show the sequence in which they are to be performed.

  Narrative reports are in the form of weekly written ►

reports by project leader, communicates project

information to MIS steering committee.

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Figure 7.18 A Gantt Chart

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Figure 7.19 A Network Diagram

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  © 2007 by Prentice Hall Management Information Systems, 10/e 48 Project Cost Estimating

  ► Cost-estimating inputs

   Work breakdown structure (WBS)  Resource requirements, resource rates  Activity duration estimates  Historical information

  ► Cost-estimating tools and techniques

   Bottom-up estimating

   Computerized tools  Mathematical models

  ► Cost-estimating outputs

   Supporting details

   Cost-management plan

Table 7.1 Components of Cost- Estimating Process

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Table 7.2 Example of Project Cost

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