1.1 Introduction: concepts and overview of systems development IMS Information Systems Development Practices

1.2 IMS Information Systems Development Practices  Lecturer:Dr Peta Darke phone: office:Room S7.13, level 7, 26 Sir John Monash Drive, Caulfield East  Unit web page:  Tutorials:NO TUTORIALS IN WEEK 1

1.3  Concept and role of a systems development methodology  Approaches to systems development  The role of the systems analyst/developer  Evaluate and compare methodologies  The organisational context Information systems development practice

1.4 The systems development process The systems development lifecycle (SDLC):  Planning (Feasibility)  Systems analysis  System design  Implementation  Maintenance

1.5 Information system  " A system which assembles, stores, processes and delivers information relevant to an organisation (or to society) in such a way that the information is accessible and useful to those who wish to use it, including managers, staff, clients and citizens. An information system is a human activity (social) system which may or may not involve the use of computer systems" Buckingham et al. (1987) (in Avison & Fitzgerald 2003, p. 19)

1.6  types of information systems:  transaction processing systems  decision support systems  expert systems  executive information systems  geographical information systems  E-commerce systems  multi-media systems  differences in:  users  size, scope  complexity, certainty, familiarity Information systems

1.7 Need to understand the organisational context:  organisational culture:  "the system of shared beliefs and values that develops within an organisation and guides the behaviour of its members" Schermerhorn et al (1994)  organisational structure, functions, procedures  organisational management styles and policies Information systems involve people and organisations, not just technology Information systems

1.8 human, technological, organisational  early on, technology was new, costly, and so technological failure was more likely  failure of information system implementations now more likely due to human or organisational problems: e.g. lack of planning, poor project management, poor training, inadequate change management, poor development methods and techniques, inadequate requirements identification and specification Dimensions of information systems

1.9  early computer system application development focused on the technology and on programming and technical skills rather than user and business needs  systems developers were technically trained and skilled, and used rule-of-thumb and personal experience  as computer use became more widespread:  a backlog of computer application requests developed  existing applications increasingly required changes  the changes made tended to have unexpected and undesirable effects. the evolution of information systems development methodologies

1.10 the evolution of information systems development methodologies early 1960s: no formalised methodologies  basic data processing tasks  batch processing, unsophisticated technology  operational level, individual applications  implementation by programmers  maintenance / change problems  poor documentation  lack of standards, quality control

1.11  the need for analysis and design activities and personnel in the development of information systems  the need for more integrated information systems rather than piecemeal, one-off solutions  the desirability of an accepted, standardised approach to development the evolution of information systems development methodologies

1.12 information systems development methodology  “A collection of procedures, techniques, tools and documentation aids which will help the systems developers in their efforts to implement a new information system. A methodology will consist of phases, themselves consisting of sub-phases, which will guide the systems developers in their choice of the techniques that might be appropriate at each stage of the project and also help them plan, manage, control and evaluate information systems projects” Avison and Fitzgerald (2003) p 20

1.13 information systems development methodologies Avison and Fitzgerald (1995):  a methodology must have a “philosophy”: -the nature of information systems -the nature of the developers’ role(s) -the nature of the development process e.g.what is the “best” system?:  the system which is the cheapest to run  the system which allows automation of most of the business processes  the system which is most acceptable to end users

1.14  the developers’ role: e.g.the technical expert? the facilitator? the management change agent? the collaborative agent?  the development process: e.g.experts build a technical solution to clearly defined problems (a series of products) using prescribed tasks, objective view, controlled process; OR a social process, build a human activity system, multiple, subjective views, complex and ill- structured problems, socio-organisational context information systems development methodologies

1.15  Advantages of using a SDM:  Systematic approach to development  Maintainable, well-documented systems  Improved quality control and standards  Focus for training  Facilitates project management  Consistency across projects  Consistency across information systems  Learning and experience in use Improved product and process systems development methodologies (SDMs)

1.16  Traditional “waterfall” SDLC approach: feasibility study, system investigation, systems analysis, systems design, implementation, review and maintenance (NCC in the UK 1970s) a problem exists which can be solved by computerisation  Advantages: systematic, phases, documentation, standards, techniques  Adequate response at first the evolution of information systems development methodologies

1.17 the evolution of information systems development methodologies  changing role of information systems:  increasing complexity, size  technological developments  changing business environment: global economy, increasing competition, market shifts  support for less structured activities  strategic business role of information technology  non-operational level users

1.18 the evolution of information systems development methodologies  criticisms of the traditional approach:  user dissatisfaction: focus on technical aspects  lack of creative design  piecemeal computerisation of applications  emphasis on procedures and processes  emphasis on "how"  management and strategic needs ignored  inflexibility  low productivity (application backlog)

1.19 the evolution of information systems development methodologies structured approaches of the 1970s:  structured programming top-down design, "black box", basic logic constructs  structured design top-down, design guidelines, incremental testing  structured analysis functional decomposition, data flow diagrams, separation of logical and physical views

1.20 the evolution of information systems development methodologies data-oriented methodologies of the 1970s and 1980s:  database technology, 4GLs, data analysis and data design  data management: “data is a corporate resource”  need for integration of applications e.g. Information Engineering (James Martin) strategic role of data independence of data

1.21 the evolution of information systems development methodologies strategic planning approaches (mid 1970s and 1980s):  to align information systems development with business strategy  to exploit information technology for strategic advantage  to plan for IT and information systems development: -identify business plans and goals, strategies, CSFs -evaluate current situation -develop information technology architecture: -information architecture -applications architecture -technical architecture

1.22 the evolution of information systems development methodologies the 1980s: information systems development  prototyping  CASE tools and development environments  large database systems and 4GLs  decentralisation  user participation  end user computing  soft systems approaches

1.23 the evolution of information systems development methodologies the 1990s: information systems development  object-oriented approaches  reusability in analysis and design activities  outsourcing  enterprise planning systems (ERP)  business process re-engineering  data warehouses  the Internet and intranets and extranets  multimedia

1.24 Impact of change and new information technology  effects of change: -reactions to change -different procedures, work flows, skills -different organisational structures  management of change: -planning for change, impact assessment -incremental or radical change -guiding the change process  evaluation of change: -measuring the achievement of goals -assessing the results/impact -identifying constructive modifications

1.25 System development methodologies  sources of methodologies: theory and practice -academic or research institutions -general usage -methodology vendors  structure of methodologies -tightly-knit, prescriptive framework -flexible but integrated collection of techniques -a loose framework

1.26 key problems for information systems development quality -systems development project failures -poor quality information systems productivity -larger, more complex systems -increasingly sophisticated technology -development backlog

1.27 References  Prescribed text: Avison, D.E. & Fitzgerald, G. (2003). Information Systems Development: Methodologies, Techniques and Tools. (3rd ed), McGraw-Hill, London. Chapters 1, 2, 6.5