1. 1 CHAPTER 6 Decision Support Systems Development

2. introduction n The physical design of a successful DSS must follow a logical design, which in turn must be guided by the decision- making process. In particular, designers should ask the n same fundamental questions like © 2005 Prentice Hall, Decision Support Systems and Intelligent Systems, 7th Edition, Turban, Aronson, and Liang 6-2

3. n Who needs the DSS? n What advantages does the user expect by using the DSS? n When will the DSS be used? n Where does this system fit into the general business process? n Why is a DSS needed? n How will the DSS be used? © 2005 Prentice Hall, Decision Support Systems and Intelligent Systems, 7th Edition, Turban, Aronson, and Liang 6-3

4. 4 Decision Support System Development n How to develop a DSS n DSS must usually be custom tailored Decision Support Systems and Intelligent Systems, Efraim Turban and Jay E. Aronson, 6th edition Copyright 2001, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ

5. 5 System Development Issues n System development life cycle (SDLC) n Prototyping n Forming the development team n Complex process n Technical issues n Behavioral issues n Different approaches Decision Support Systems and Intelligent Systems, Efraim Turban and Jay E. Aronson, 6th edition Copyright 2001, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ

6. 6 Traditional Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) (Waterfall) Design Implementation Analysis Need Planning System Decision Support Systems and Intelligent Systems, Efraim Turban and Jay E. Aronson, 6th edition Copyright 2001, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ

7. 7 Planning Why Build the System? Minor StepDeliverable 1. Identify business valueSystem request 2. Analyze feasibilityFeasibility study 3. Develop work planWork plan 4. Staff projectStaffing plan, Project charter 5. Control and direct projectProject management tools CASE tool Standards list Project binders / files Risk assessment Decision Support Systems and Intelligent Systems, Efraim Turban and Jay E. Aronson, 6th edition Copyright 2001, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ

8. 8 Analysis Who, What, When, Where? Minor StepDeliverable 6. Analyze problemAnalysis plan 7. Gather informationInformation 8. Model process(es)Process model 9. Model dataData model Decision Support Systems and Intelligent Systems, Efraim Turban and Jay E. Aronson, 6th edition Copyright 2001, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ

9. 9 Design How Will the System Work? Minor StepDeliverable 10. Design physical systemDesign plan 11. Design architectureArchitecture design, Infrastructure design 12. Design interfaceInterface design 13. Design database and filesData storage design 14. Design program(s)Program design Decision Support Systems and Intelligent Systems, Efraim Turban and Jay E. Aronson, 6th edition Copyright 2001, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ

10. 10 Implementation System Delivery Minor StepDeliverable 15. ConstructionTest plan, Programs, Documentation 16. InstallationConversion plan, Training plan Decision Support Systems and Intelligent Systems, Efraim Turban and Jay E. Aronson, 6th edition Copyright 2001, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ

11. 11 Common Implementation Headaches (DSS in Focus 6.4) n No project team or management support n Hazy purpose; no defined schedule; ballooning scope n Unclear aspects of make vs. buy decisions n Few project integrations are functional out of the box n Qualitative benefits n No user buy in n Poor project management skills n No accountability / no responsibility Decision Support Systems and Intelligent Systems, Efraim Turban and Jay E. Aronson, 6th edition Copyright 2001, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ

12. 12 Project Management (PM) n Team leader must have good PM skills n Major reason for IS development failures-bad PM skills n Only 26% of all projects surveyed (23,000) in 1998 succeeded n 28% failed, 46% challenged n Lower success rates for large companies n Better PM skills needed Decision Support Systems and Intelligent Systems, Efraim Turban and Jay E. Aronson, 6th edition Copyright 2001, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ

13. 13 Skills for Project Managers n Technology and business knowledge n Judgment n Negotiation n Good communication n Organization Decision Support Systems and Intelligent Systems, Efraim Turban and Jay E. Aronson, 6th edition Copyright 2001, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ

14. 14 Implementation Failures (DW Example) n No user involvement n No clear objectives stated early n No real executive sponsorship n (More in DSS in Focus 6.5) –No pre-launch objectives or metrics –Many major systems projects underway –CEO sets budgets and deadlines before project team was on board –No insider presence in DW project team –Source data availability unconfirmed at the outset –No user demand for sophisticated data analysis (users don’t know?) –No routine meetings of executive sponsors and project manager –No initial involvement of business managers –Pilot project failure –Executive sponsorship crucial. –Clear understanding of business objectives –Invest in ongoing management of project –When all else fails, cut and run!

15. 15 Alternative Development Methodologies n Parallel development n Rapid application development (RAD) methodologies –Phased development –Prototyping –Throwaway prototyping Decision Support Systems and Intelligent Systems, Efraim Turban and Jay E. Aronson, 6th edition Copyright 2001, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ

16. 16 Parallel Development n Multiple copies of design and implementation phases n To develop separate subsystems n All come together in a single implementation phase Decision Support Systems and Intelligent Systems, Efraim Turban and Jay E. Aronson, 6th edition Copyright 2001, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ

17. 17 Phased Development n Break system up into versions developed sequentially n Each version has more functionality n Evolves into a final system n Users gain functionality quickly n But initial systems are incomplete Decision Support Systems and Intelligent Systems, Efraim Turban and Jay E. Aronson, 6th edition Copyright 2001, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ

18. 18 Prototyping n Performing analysis, design, and implementation phases concurrently, and repeatedly n Users see system functionality quickly and provide feedback n Decision maker learns about problem n But can lose gains in repetition Decision Support Systems and Intelligent Systems, Efraim Turban and Jay E. Aronson, 6th edition Copyright 2001, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ

19. 19 Prototyping (Figure 6.3) Design Implementation Analysis Need Planning Prototype System Prototype Not OK Prototype OK Decision Support Systems and Intelligent Systems, Efraim Turban and Jay E. Aronson, 6th edition Copyright 2001, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ

20. 20 Throwaway Prototyping n Like prototyping and SDLC n Analysis phase is thorough n Design prototypes assist in understanding the system n Example: can use Excel, then Visual Basic n (Figure 6.4) Decision Support Systems and Intelligent Systems, Efraim Turban and Jay E. Aronson, 6th edition Copyright 2001, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ

21. 21 Throwaway Prototyping (Figure 6.4) Design Implementation Analysis Need Planning Design Prototype System Design Prototype Not OK Design Implementation Decision Support Systems and Intelligent Systems, Efraim Turban and Jay E. Aronson, 6th edition Copyright 2001, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ

22. 22 Prototyping for DSS Development n Problems are semistructured or unstructured n Managers and developers may not completely understand problem n Use prototyping Decision Support Systems and Intelligent Systems, Efraim Turban and Jay E. Aronson, 6th edition Copyright 2001, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ

23. 23 Prototyping Terms n Iterative design n Evolutionary development n Middle-out process n Adaptive design n Incremental design Decision Support Systems and Intelligent Systems, Efraim Turban and Jay E. Aronson, 6th edition Copyright 2001, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ

24. 24 Why Prototyping? n Users and managers involved in every phase and iteration n Learning is part of design n Prototyping bypasses the information requirement definition (step 7) n Short interval between iterations n Initial prototype must be low cost Decision Support Systems and Intelligent Systems, Efraim Turban and Jay E. Aronson, 6th edition Copyright 2001, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ

25. 25 Advantages of Prototyping n Short development time n Short user reaction time n Improved user understanding n Low cost Decision Support Systems and Intelligent Systems, Efraim Turban and Jay E. Aronson, 6th edition Copyright 2001, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ

26. 26 Disadvantages of Prototyping Gains may be lost in n Thorough understanding IS’s benefits and costs n Detailed description of information needs n Easy to maintain IS design n Well-tested IS n Well-prepared users Decision Support Systems and Intelligent Systems, Efraim Turban and Jay E. Aronson, 6th edition Copyright 2001, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ

27. 27 DSS Technology Levels and Tools n Three Levels of DSS Technology –Specific DSS [the application] –DSS integrated tools (generators) [Excel] –DSS primary tools [programming languages] n Plus –DSS integrated tools n Now all with Web hooks and easy GUI interfaces n Relationships among the three levels (Figure 6.5) Decision Support Systems and Intelligent Systems, Efraim Turban and Jay E. Aronson, 6th edition Copyright 2001, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ

28. 28 DSS Technology Levels (Figure 6.5) Specific DSS DSS Generators (Spreadsheets, …) DSS Tools (Languages, …) Decision Support Systems and Intelligent Systems, Efraim Turban and Jay E. Aronson, 6th edition Copyright 2001, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ

29. 29 DSS Development Platforms n General-purpose programming language n Fourth-generation language (4GL) n OLAP with a data warehouse or large database n DSS integrated development tool (generator, engine) n Domain-specific DSS generator n Use the CASE methodology n Integrate several of the above Decision Support Systems and Intelligent Systems, Efraim Turban and Jay E. Aronson, 6th edition Copyright 2001, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ

30. 30 Team-Developed DSS n Substantial effort n Extensive planning and organization n Some generic activities n Group of people to build and to manage it Size depends on –Effort –Tools Decision Support Systems and Intelligent Systems, Efraim Turban and Jay E. Aronson, 6th edition Copyright 2001, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ

31. 31 Organizational Placement of the DSS Development Group 1.Information services (IS) department 2.Highly placed executive staff group 3.Finance or other functional area 4.Industrial engineering department 5.Management science group 6.Information center group Decision Support Systems and Intelligent Systems, Efraim Turban and Jay E. Aronson, 6th edition Copyright 2001, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ

32. 32 End-User-Developed Systems n Personal computers n Computer communication networks n PC-mainframe communication n Friendly development software n Reduced cost of software and hardware n Increased capabilities of personal computers n Enterprise-wide computing n Easy accessibility to data and models n Client/server architecture n Now OLAP Balance Decision Support Systems and Intelligent Systems, Efraim Turban and Jay E. Aronson, 6th edition Copyright 2001, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ

33. 33 User-Developed DSS Advantages 1.Short delivery time 2.Eliminate extensive and formal user requirements specifications 3.Reduce some DSS implementation problems 4.Low cost Decision Support Systems and Intelligent Systems, Efraim Turban and Jay E. Aronson, 6th edition Copyright 2001, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ

34. 34 User-Developed DSS Risks 1.Poor Quality 2.Quality Risks –Substandard or inappropriate tools and facilities –Development process risks –Data management risks 3.Increased Security Risks 4.Problems from Lack of Documentation and Maintenance Procedures Decision Support Systems and Intelligent Systems, Efraim Turban and Jay E. Aronson, 6th edition Copyright 2001, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ

35. 35 DSS Research Directions and The DSS of the Future n More AI n Faster, more powerful computers n The Web - interfaces and DB and model access n More and better GSS n ERM/ERP n Knowledge management n Better GUI n Better telecommunications n More research on theories n More research on methods Decision Support Systems and Intelligent Systems, Efraim Turban and Jay E. Aronson, 6th edition Copyright 2001, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ

36. 36 Summary n DSS are complex and their development can be too n SDLC n Prototyping n DSS technologies n DSS teams or individuals n End user computing n Tool and generator selection can be tricky n DSS research continues Decision Support Systems and Intelligent Systems, Efraim Turban and Jay E. Aronson, 6th edition Copyright 2001, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ