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Chapter 14 1

Chapter 14
Building Information Systems
Information Technology For Management 4
th
Edition
Turban, McLean, Wetherbe
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Chapter 14 2
Chapter Objectives
Explain the concept of a systems development life cycle
(SDLC).
Compare and contrast prototyping, rapid application
development (RAD), joint application design (JAD), object-
oriented (OO) development, extreme programming (XP), and
traditional SDLC approaches to systems development.
Describe the contributions of component-based development
and Web services to building information systems.
Evaluate alternatives (including the adoption of utility
computing) to in-house systems development.
Discuss the major strategies, methods, and tools for building
e-commerce applications.
Identify advantages and disadvantages of CASE tools.
Describe alternative approaches to software process quality
improvement.

Chapter 14 3
Systems Development Life Cycle
Provides a comprehensive formal framework for designing and
developing systems for the effective and efficient processing of
information. There is no universal, standardized version of the
SDLC however a typical eight stage model is shown below.
SDLC: Formal and disciplined approach to systems development
Note that the stages overlap: One stage
may start before the previous stage ends.
This is in contrast to the traditional
waterfall method, in which the work flows
through all the tasks in one stage before
going on to the next stage. Also note that
the processes can go backward more than
one stage.
Chapter 14 4
SDLC - Stages
1. Stage 1: Project initiation. Projects often start when a
manager has a problem or sees an opportunity.
2. Stage 2: Systems Analysis And Feasibility Studies consists of
two phases of analysis: systems analysis and feasibility
studies.
Systems analysis is the phase that develops a thorough
understanding of the existing organization, its operation, and
the situation that is causing a problem. Systems analysis
methods include:
observation
review of documents
interviews
performance measurement.
Chapter 14 5
SDLC Stages Continued
Feasibility studies calculate the probability of success of the
proposed solution and include:
Technology.
Economics.
Organizational factors
Legal, ethical, and other constraints.
3. Stage 3: Logical Analysis And Design emphasizes the design
of system from the users point of view. It identifies
information requirements and specifies operations such as
input, output, processing and storage. To represent logical
processes and data relationships modeling tools such as
data flow diagrams and entity-relationship diagrams can be
used. The logical design is followed by a physical design.
Chapter 14 6
SDLC Stages Continued
4. Stage 4: Development or Acquisition the actual development
or acquisition of the system.
IS personnel use the specifications to purchase the hardware
and software required for the system.
Programmers write code for parts of the system.
Technical writers develop documentation and training
materials.
IS personnel test the system
Users test prior to the actual implementation.
5. Stage 5: Implementation is an important stage; the system
can fail here even if it has all the specified functionality.
Users need training
Forms need to be ordered
Help desk needs to be created
Chapter 14 7
SDLC Stages Continued
5. Stage 5: Implementation - continued
Also requires a conversion from a previous system.
Conversion approaches include:
Parallel conversion: The old and new systems operate
concurrently for a test period, and then the old system is
discontinued.
Direct cutover: The old system is turned off, and the new
system is turned on.
Pilot conversion: The new system is implemented in a subset of
locations (for example, some of the branches in a large banking
chain) and is extended to remaining locations over time.
Phased conversion: Large systems often are built from distinct
modules. If the modules were originally designed to be relatively
independent, it may be possible to replace the modules one at a
time.
6. Stage 6: Operation. Post production environment.
Chapter 14 8
SDLC Stages Continued
7. Stage 7: Post-Audit Evaluation reviews the stages and
processes to determine best practice methods.
8. Stage 8: Maintenance. Every system needs two regular
types of maintenance:
Fixing of bugs
Regular system updating
Therefore it is important that the design and development
stages produce systems that are easy to maintain and are
flexible enough to handle future expansion, upgrading and
capacity increases.
Chapter 14 9
Alternatives to SDLC methodologies
Some alternatives:
Prototyping
Joint application design (JAD)
Rapid application development (RAD)
Object-oriented development (OO)
Extreme Programming (XP)
Component-based development
The traditional SDLC approach works best on projects in which
users have a clear idea about their requirements. Projects that
require major changes in existing processes, through
reengineering or development of new processes or those that
build upon inter-organizational and international systems using
Web technologies indicate a need for alternatives or supplements
to conventional SDLC methodologies.
Chapter 14 10
Alternatives - continued
Prototyping (evolutionary development): Instead of spending
a lot of time producing very detailed specifications, the
developers find out only generally what the users want. The
developers do not develop the complete system all at once.
Instead they quickly create a prototype, which either contains
portions of the system of most interest to the users, or is a small-
scale working model of the entire system. After reviewing the
prototype with the users, the developers refine and extend it.
This process is continued until the final specifications.
Joint application design (JAD) is a group-based method for
collecting user requirements and creating system designs. It is
used within the systems analysis and design stages of the SDLC.
Unlike the traditional SDLC, where the analysts interview
individual users of the new information system to understand
their needs JAD has a meeting in which all users meet
simultaneously with analysts. During the meeting, all users jointly
define and agree upon systems requirements.
Chapter 14 11
Alternatives - continued
Rapid application development (RAD) methodologies and
tools make it possible to develop systems faster, especially
systems where the user interface is an important component.
GUI development environment: the ability to create many
aspects of an application by drag-and-drop operations.
Reusable components: a library of common, standard
objects such as buttons and dialog boxes.
Code generator. After the developer drags-and-drops the
standard objects into the design, the package automatically
writes computer programs to implement the reports, input
screens, buttons, dialog boxes, and so forth.
Programming language: such as BASIC, Object Pascal, or C.
Chapter 14 12
Alternatives continued
Object-oriented development (OO) is a fundamentally different
view of computer systems than that found in traditional SDLC
approaches. It begins not with the task to be performed, but with the
aspects of the real world that must be modeled to perform that task.
Extreme programming (XP) is a discipline of software development
based on values of simplicity, communication, and feedback. XP
teams use a simple form of planning and tracking to decide what
should be done next. Focused on business value, the team produces
the software in a series of small, fully integrated releases that pass all
the tests the customer has specified.
Chapter 14 13
Alternatives Component Based Development
Component-based development is the evolution beyond objects.
They are self-contained packages of functionality that have clearly
defined, open interfaces that offer high-level application services.
These business objects provide major chunks of application
functionality (e.g., pre-programmed workow, transaction
processing, and user event notification) that can be connected
together to create complete business applications.
Chapter 14 14
Alternatives Web Services
Web services are based on a family of key protocols
XML Language. Extensible Markup Language
SOAP. Simple Object Access Protocol
WSDL. The Web Services Description Language
UDDI. Universal Description, Discovery and Integration
Security protocols (SAML, XKMS, )
A major application of Web services is systems integration, one of
the major activities performed in systems development. The
concept of components is based on the idea of gluing them
together. Applications need to be integrated with databases and
with other applications, users need to interface with data
warehouses, business partner applications and databases must
communicate, etc.
Chapter 14 15
System Development Alternatives
End-User Development: Let users build their own
systems
Outsourcing: Outsource the entire systems development
process
Purchasing: (The make-or-buy decision) Let users use off-
the-shelf software packages.
Utility computing, consists of a virtualized pool of self-
managing IT resources (computing power and storage
capacity) that can be dynamically allocated for any
application
Many organizations are using approaches that shift the
construction of systems from their information systems
department to others.
Chapter 14 16
System Development Alternatives
The buy decision
Chapter 14 17
E-Business Application Development
There are several options for developing e-business (e-biz)
applications:
Buying an existing package can be cost-effective and
timesaving in comparison to in-house application development.
Leasing is advantageous over buying in those cases where
extensive maintenance is required, or where the cost of buying
is very high.
Develop in-house.
Build from scratch.
Build from components.
Enterprise application integration
The diversity of e-business models and applications, which vary
in size from a small store to a global exchange, requires a variety
of development methodologies and approaches.
Chapter 14 18
Finally - Plan the Project
List the Activities, Events & Milestones that make up the Project.
1. Installing a new Business System
Order signed
Cabling installed
Equipment delivered
2. Data conversion
3. End-user training

Chapter 14 19
MANAGERIAL ISSUES
Importance. Some general and functional managers believe that system
development is a technical topic that should be of interest only to technical people.
This is certainly not the case. Appropriate construction of systems is necessary for
their success. Functional managers must participate in the development process and
should understand all the phases. They must also participate in the make-or-buy
decisions and software selection decisions. Inappropriate development methodologies
can result in the systems failure.
Building interorganizational and international information systems.
Building systems that connect two or more organizations, or one organization that
operates in different countries, can be very complicated. You need to carefully plan for
such systems, considering different requirements and cultures. In addition to planning,
the analysis, design, and other phases of system development must take into account
the information needs of the various parties. One of the major problems with
international systems is that what is ethical or legal in one country may be unethical or
illegal in another.
Ethical and legal issues. Developing systems across organizations and countries
could result in problems in any phase of system development. A special difficulty exists
with Internet-related projects, where legislation is still evolving.
Chapter 14 20
MANAGERIAL ISSUES Continued
User involvement. The direct and indirect users of a system are likely to be the
most knowledgeable individuals concerning requirements and which alternatives will be
the most effective. Users are also the most affected by a new information system. IS
analysts and designers, on the other hand, are likely to be the most knowledgeable
individuals concerning technical and data-management issues as well as the most
experienced in arriving at viable systems solutions. The right mixture of user
involvement and information systems expertise is crucial.
Traditional approaches vs. prototyping. The traditional development
approach stresses detailed, lockstep development with established decision points.
Prototyping stresses flexible development based on actual use of partially functional
systems. Experience has shown that the traditional approach can be better for low-risk,
environmentally stable, and technology-simple situations; prototyping is often better
under the opposite conditions.
Tool use by developers. Development tools and techniques can ensure that
developers consider all necessary factors and standardize development, documentation,
and testing. Forcing their use, on the other hand, may unnecessarily constrain
innovation, development efficiency, and personnel productivity.
Chapter 14 21
MANAGERIAL ISSUES Continued
Quality assurance vs. schedules. Quality counts in the short term and the long
term, but it can lengthen development and increase developmental costs. Trying to
meet tight development schedules can induce poor quality with even worse schedule,
cost, and morale problems.
Behavior problems. People use information systems and often become quite used
to how existing systems work. They may react to new systems in unexpected ways,
making even the best technically designed systems useless. Changes brought about by
information systems need to be managed effectively. Of special interest is the issue of
motivating programmers to increase their productivity by learning new tools and reusing
preprogrammed modules.
Perpetual development. Information systems are designed to meet organizational
needs. When they dont accurately meet these needs, or these needs change,
information systems need to be redeveloped. Developing a system can be a major
expense, but perpetually developing a system to maintain its usefulness is usually a
much more expensive.
Risk level. Building information systems involves risk. Systems may not be completed,
completed too late, or require more resources then planned. The risk is large in
enterprise systems.

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