Lecture 1: Project Initiation

 A Project is a sequence of unique, complex, and connected activities having one goal or purpose and that must be completed by a specific time, within budget, and according to specification. ( p. 65)

 Information systems are crucial to modern business  Key to success is thorough systems analysis and design  Systems analyst is a key individual in these activities

 Business problem solver  Practical knowledge ▪ Computers ▪ Computer programming  Understands business problems  Uses logical method for solving problems

Research problem Verify benefits outweigh costs Develop solutions Recommend best solution Define solution Implement solution Monitor results

 Information systems  Collection of interrelated components that collect, process, store, and provide as output the information needed to complete business tasks  Super systems  Large systems that can be divided into sub systems  Example, system for the 2009 Canada Games  Functional decomposition  Dividing a system into components based on subsystems that in turn are further divided into subsystems (based on the Use Case Diagrams)

Types of Information Systems

System Boundary vs. Automation Boundary

Information Systems and Component Parts

 Technical knowledge and skills  Computer hardware, software, databases, and related devices  Tools to help develop analysis or design specifications  Techniques for completing specific development activities  Business knowledge and skills  Organizational structure  Functional work processes

 People knowledge and skills  Communication  Teams  Ethics and integrity

 Information system configurations encountered will range from PC to large mainframe systems  Job titles of the systems analyst vary greatly  Places of employment vary from small businesses to large corporations

 Overview  In 1978, began supplying winter sports clothes in Park City, Utah  Expansion into direct mail-order sales  By late 1990s, RMO had become a large, regional sports clothing distributor  Today, over $100 million in annual sales  Mail-order is key revenue at $70 million

RMO Organizational Structure

RMO Locations

 Headed by Mac Preston, an assistant vice president  50 employees in department  Mac is in process of implementing strategic IS plan  Eventually, John Blankens will assume leadership of IS Department if Mac’s plan succeeds

IS Department Staffing

 Most IS staff and technology located in data center at Park City  Mainframe-based system supports primary business functions  Central office functions, distribution centers, and manufacturing centers supported with LANs  Dial-up capability to mainframe

 Retail store systems  Point-of-sale and batch inventory update  Office systems  LAN with office software and  Merchandising/Distribution  Mainframe application with COBOL/CICS, IBM DB2 and VSAM developed in-house

 Mail order  COBOL application developed in-house  Phone order  Access system developed in-house  Human resources  Mainframe-based application developed in-house

 Accounting/Finance  Mainframe package from leading vendor implemented 10 years earlier

 Strategic thrust  Build more direct customer contact  Improve service  Expand beyond Western states  Expand phone-order capability  Add direct customer access via the Internet

RMO Application Architecture Plan

 Move business applications to client-server architecture; use mainframe for database  Move toward conducting business on the Internet  Anticipate eventual move toward intranet solutions

 Accounting/Finance  Purchase client-server package  Human resources  Purchase intranet package to maximize employee access to appropriate information  Customer support system  Order-processing and fulfillment for phone, mail, and direct customer access

 Inventory management system  Integrate with customer support  Retail store systems  Integrate store management systems with inventory systems

 First: Customer support system  Second: Inventory management system  Third: Retail store systems with inventory management  Fourth: Human resources and accounting/finance

 Customer support system  Order entry  Customer service/catalog  Order tracking  Shipping  Back orders  Returns  Sales analysis

 Inventory management system  Vendor management  Manufacturing requirements planning  Normal volume ordering and reordering  Emergency out-of-stock ordering  Cost tracking  Aging of inventory stock  Turnover analysis  Warehouse goods tracking

 Long-term information systems strategic plan (top-down)  Department managers or process managers (bottom-up)  Response to outside forces  Legislative changes  Market forces  Competition

 Strategic thrust to build more direct customer contact  Customer support system development  Barbara Halifax - project manager  Steven Deerfield - systems analyst  Support all types of customer services ▪ Ordering, returns, on-line catalog, et cetera

 Each team is to decompose the super system necessary to run the Canada Games 2009 into major systems based on category. For example, Volunteer System  Then you are to further decompose each of those systems into subsystems. For example, uniforms, Identification, staffing.  Note: The team that present the most complete decomposition will receive 2 bonus marks for the semester. This winner will be decided by the classes’ evaluation.