1. OMIS 351: Information Systems in Organizations
Professor: Chuck Downing
Course meets M/W (11:00-12:15) in the Auditorium, BH 200, during Fall 2018.
View the syllabus on BlackBoard or ChuckDowning.com. Also on our class web site:
1) Select a 4 digit code.
2) Enter your preferred address.
3) Answer background questions on the Web.
4) Register your seat.
Sign up for group.

2. Technology: GROWING IMPORTANCE
All modern managerial disciplines have been impacted by technology.
Tech knowledge has become a key differentiator for a job seeker.
With computing getting cheaper and faster, it is being used everywhere.

3. What is the future of E-Commerce and Technology?
“Tech Wreck”, “Dot Bombs”, etc.???!!!!

4. Check out previous patterns of Speculation, Bust,
and Re-growth …

5. Check the pattern for canals, electricity, automobiles, radio, etc….
WOAAA!!! Pets.com doesn’t have a good
business model!! Sell, sell, SELL!!!!
Oooh, cool innovation… buy, buy, BUY!!!
Ah, the innovation really WAS good. Slow, rational build out. The “Golden Age”.
about 30 years
Time

6. “But speculative bubbles, it's worth remembering, have accompanied everything truly "new" in U.S. economic history, from canal mania in the 1830s to the radio craze of the 1920s. Investors invariably got burned for letting their exuberance get ahead of reality (who knew that 500 automobile startups would be too many?). But when the smoke cleared, the basis of a new economy was left standing: railroad tracks that would help create a national mass market; telegraph lines that would facilitate the rise of modern big business; electricity grids that would revolutionize manufacturing and extend the working day. "To think that the new economy is over," futurist Alvin Toffler argues, "is like somebody in London in 1830 saying the entire industrial revolution is over because some textile manufacturers in Manchester went broke." In other words, the Internet is like these Victorian technologies: a general-purpose infrastructure that can make all economic activities more efficient, as well as wholly new ones possible.” -- Business 2.0 Quote

7. What is the future of E-Commerce and Technology?
“Tech Wreck”, “Dot Bombs”, etc.???!!!!

8. …right now: The “HI-TECH Act”
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of was signed by President Obama on February 17,
The Act includes the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act).
The purpose of the HITECH Act is to promote the use of health information technology with a goal of utilization of an electronic health record for each person in the United States by (Guess what? It’s 2018).

9. Starting in 2015, hospitals and doctors were subject to financial penalties under Medicare if they were not using electronic health records.
Doctors who did not adopt an EHR by 2015 are being penalized 1% of Medicare payments, increasing to 3% over 3 years.
In order to receive the EHR stimulus money, the HITECH act requires doctors to show "meaningful use" of an EHR system.

10. You, too, can invent “sliced bread”!!!!
Video:
What this means: You see an application for technology to a business problem.
You don’t have to invent the technology or implement it.
You have to understand how it works and its promise.

12. Managing in the Information Age
Information Age - What is it?
In Contrast to: Computer Age.
Damaging fascination
Easy to understand 1

13. Movement Into Information Age
Exciting and frightening
Nearly all theories and constructs currently used developed since 1976 2

14. Examples: Things to Watch For
E-Commerce flipping business models upside down.
Telecommunications Revolution.
Loan processing: 7 days to 15 minutes.
Frootloops every Wednesday.
etc., etc.
YOU have to be ready to deal with this! 3

15. Technical
Specialists 4

16. Senior
Management 5

17. Who’s more valuable to the business?
Senior
Management
Technical
Specialists 6

18. Goal of IS in OMIS (351 starts it all off!):
Senior
Management
Technical
Specialists
YOU 7

19. SYSTEM
INPUT
PROCESS
OUTPUT
FEEDBACK

20. ENVIRONMENT FUNCTIONS OF AN INFORMATION SYSTEM Customers Suppliers
INPUT
OUTPUT
PROCESS
FEEDBACK
INFORMATION SYSTEM
ENVIRONMENT
Customers Suppliers
Regulatory Stockholders Competitors
Agencies
ORGANIZATION

21. Got Tech?
Finance: No other industry impacts financial markets more than tech.
Accounting: Want to be a good auditor? Find out where the numbers came from.
Marketing: Internet advertising, multi-channel marketing, data mining, and customer-relationship management - modern marketing is all about tech.
Operations: Want to propose workable process improvements? You'll need to understand tech to do it.

22. The Course
·        Vocabulary. It is impossible to have a conversation, understand, develop or manage anything, if basic terminology is not understood. There are many acronyms and concepts in the field of Information Systems, and discussions of these terms permeate the course.
·        Managerial Relevance. It is useless to have a vocabulary without an understanding of each term's importance and relevance. Information Systems terms and concepts discussed are placed into their appropriate business context(s), and management frameworks are demonstrated that lead to strategies which will create competitive advantage.
·        “Hands on” Development Skills. Html, Excel, Access and SAP are skills that you will learn.

23. Vocabulary
Terms are defined well in the Gallaugher book. If you would like another version, try “
You should be prepared each session to discuss / ask questions about terms and concepts you do not understand.
Terms and concepts will appear on the seven quizzes.

24. Managerial Relevance
We will demonstrate where terms fit in a business context.
We will complete virtual case exercises and indicate which type of system is which.
We will discuss the relative competitive advantage of different types of systems.

25. “Hands on” Development Skills
We will build systems, using html, Microsoft Word, Access and Excel, throughout the semester. We will also be introduced to SAP.
You will complete “hands on” virtual case assignments.

26. Other Administrative Stuff
Who am I?
Who are you?
Groups

27. Class Contract No exceptions.
Working Technology is your responsibility.
You might not receive an response.

28. No exceptions.
Explanation: Class policies outlined in the syllabus, the web page and in class are structured to be fair and lenient for you, but also so that the instructor and the TA(s) are not put in a position to judge which excuses are “good enough”. Please manage your semester within those policies. Please do not tell us why you missed class, missed a quiz, did not do an assignment, etc. Students involved in official NIU activities who notify the instructor of the schedule of those activities at the beginning of the semester (e.g., athletes) must use all available drops, etc., first, and will be given make up opportunities beyond that. Other than that, all students are treated the same and we will NOT give you special consideration.

29. Working Technology is your responsibility.
NIUResponse Explanation: In your business career, you will be expected to keep your own technology working. If you lose your web-enabled device, don’t bring it to class, it runs out of batteries, or anything else which prevents you from answering that day’s response questions, you won’t get the points for that day. Period.
Software Explanation: If your laptop freezes, certain software required for class does not function properly on your computer, etc., use the Barsema Hall computer labs.

30. You might not receive an email response.
Explanation: No s will be answered containing questions which are already answered on our web site. If you ask “Can I bring a doctor’s note to excuse me from class?”, “I forgot my clicker for the last class… how can I get my points back?”, “What if my group member isn’t doing any work?”, etc., you will simply not receive a response. Dr. Downing and his TA(s) are diligent as far as responding to s, but if you are asking questions (“What’s the TA’s address?”) whose answers are easily available on our web page, we will simply delete your .

31. What if you see a “slicing-bread” opportunity?
Managing technology projects and implementation: The “Systems Development Life Cycle” or SDLC.
What is the SDLC? A set of steps, or things you need to think about, when moving from the idea stage to the reality stage.

32. The Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
Systems development life cycle (SDLC) – the overall process for developing information systems from planning and analysis through implementation and maintenance
CLASSROOM EXERCISE
Around SDLC
Break your students into groups and have them correlate the SDLC to building a house.
This activity helps students understand the different types of activities that occur during each phase of the systems development life cycle
Have your students present their answers to the entire class

33. The Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
Does system make sense?
Feasibility. Scheduling.
Convert from old
system to new system.
Fix, maintain, and
improve system.
How can system solve
business problem?
LAYPERSON language.
Class Activity: Break your students into groups and have them correlate the SDLC to building a house.
This activity helps students understand the different types of activities that occur during each phase of the systems development life cycle
Have your students present their answers to the entire class
How can system solve
business problem?
TECHIE language.
Test the system.
3 times the time and
resources of
programming!!
Build the system.

34. The Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
Planning phase – involves establishing a high-level plan of the intended project and determining project goals
Analysis phase – involves analyzing end-user business requirements and refining project goals into defined functions and operations of the intended system
Business requirement – detailed set of business requests that the system must meet in order to be successful
The SDLC and its associated phases are discussed in detail in the Systems Development Business Plug-In
CLASSROOM EXERCISE
Space Needle Exercise
Break your students into groups and give them equal materials from a Tinker Toy set, a Zome set, or a product of your choice. Give them each the following instructions and observe the groups as they build their prototypes.
Review the IM for details on the project

35. PLANNING: Assess Project Feasibility
Feasibility study – determines if the proposed solution is feasible and achievable from a financial, technical, and organizational standpoint
Different types of feasibility studies
Economic feasibility study
Operational feasibility study
Technical feasibility study
Schedule feasibility study
Legal and contractual feasibility study
Economic feasibility study – (cost-benefit analysis) – identifies the financial benefits and costs associated with the systems development project
Operational feasibility study – examines the likelihood that the project will attain its desired objectives
Technical feasibility study – determines the organization’s ability to build and integrate the proposed system
Schedule feasibility study – assesses the likelihood that all potential time frames and completion dates will be met
Legal and contractual feasibility study – examines all potential legal and contractual ramifications of the proposed system
Which type of feasibility study would be appropriate for each of the following:
Implementation of a new payroll system
Implementation of a new CRM system
Implementation of a new module to an existing CRM system
Implementation of a new ERP system
Implementation of a additional functionality to an existing KM system

36. Analysis: Examining Business Processes
Business process - a standardized set of activities that accomplish a specific task, such as processing a customer’s order
Business processes transform a set of inputs into a set of outputs (goods or services) for another person or process by using people and tools
Waiting in line at a grocery store is a great example of the need for process improvement
In this case, the “process” is called checkout, and the purpose is to pay for and bag groceries
The process begins when a customer steps into line and ends when the customer receives the receipt and leaves the store
This simple example describes a customer checkout process
Can you name other business process?
Developing new products
Building a new home
Ordering clothes from mail-order companies
Requesting new telephone service from a telephone company
Administering Social Security payments

37. Business Process Improvement
Continuous process improvement - attempts to understand and measure the current process, and make performance improvements accordingly
Business process reengineering (BPR) – “Blows away” the current processes, enables new ones. More radical change.
Can you name an organization, product, or service that does not require any improvement?
This would be a perfect organization – does not exist
Is continuous process improvement a one-time event?
No, it is continuous

38. Business Process Improvement
Two types of BPI:
Business Process Automation (BPA)- leaves the process alone (stays mostly the same), makes it more efficient, often using technology.
Business process reengineering (BPR) – “Blows away” the current processes, enables new ones. More radical change.
Can you name an organization, product, or service that does not require any improvement?
This would be a perfect organization – does not exist
Is continuous process improvement a one-time event?
No, it is continuous

39. Business Process Design
Business process modeling (or mapping) - the activity of creating a detailed flow chart or process map of a work process showing its inputs, tasks, and activities, in a structured sequence
Business process model - a graphic description of a process, showing the sequence of process tasks, which is developed for a specific
As-Is process model
To-Be process model
Why is it important to diagram the As-Is process prior to diagramming the To-Be process?
It is important to understand the entire process from end-to-end before determining how to fix the process
What is the difference between the As-Is and To-Be process
As-Is process model - represents the current state of the operation that has been mapped, without any specific improvements or changes to existing processes
To-Be process model - shows the results of applying change improvement opportunities to the current (As-Is) process model

40. Business Process Design
Ask your students if they can think of any other processes that have been reengineered
Pumping gas (pay at the pump)
Auto checkout at the grocery store
Bar codes

41. Example: Ford - BEFORE and After
Purchase
Order
Purchasing
Vendor
Receiving
Goods
Receiving
Document
Copy of
Purchase
Order
Payment
Invoice
Accounts
Payable
500 AP employees! Most time
spent on mismatches.

42. Example: Ford - Before and AFTER
Purchase
Order
Purchasing
Vendor
Receiving
Goods
Payment
“Don’t send
us invoices”
Accounts
Payable
Database
75% reduction in head count.

43. The Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
Design phase – involves describing the desired features and operations of the system including screen layouts, business rules, process diagrams, pseudo code, and other documentation
Development phase – involves taking all of the detailed design documents from the design phase and transforming them into the actual system
The SDLC and its associated phases are discussed in detail in the Business Plug-In Systems Development
CLASSROOM EXERCISE
Campus of the Future
A $61 million dorm development project at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa is being called an example of "the future of residence halls" at a local gathering of national higher education officials.
As the demolition of Frear Hall began yesterday on the UH-Manoa campus, plans for its replacement received praise from some members of the Association of College and University Housing Officers, made up of campus housing officials from across the nation, for its sustainable and student-friendly design.
For the rest of the article follow this link:

44. The Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
Testing phase – involves bringing all the project pieces together into a special testing environment to test for errors, bugs, and interoperability and verify that the system meets all of the business requirements defined in the analysis phase
Implementation phase – involves placing the system into production so users can begin to perform actual business operations with the system
The SDLC and its associated phases are discussed in detail in the Business Plug-In Systems Development

45. The Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
Maintenance phase – involves performing changes, corrections, additions, and upgrades to ensure the system continues to meet the business goals
The SDLC and its associated phases are discussed in detail in the Business Plug-In Systems Development

46. Regardless of your major, you will be involved in Steps 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7
Technology is a huge part of business and our world in general.
You can’t “not like computers” anymore and survive.
Minimally, you need to understand technology and its consequences for business and life.
That’s true even if you outsource!

47. What’s “outsourcing”?
Generally that means your organization is not able/willing to complete steps 3 and 4.
You STILL will be involved in 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7.
Even if your hire a consultancy you can’t escape completely!!

48. Outsourcing Reasons companies outsource Tom Friedman on the Daily Show
(takes a while to load). 

49. Sourcing’s New Surge - Offshoring
Offshore outsourcing – using organizations from developing countries to write code and develop systems
According to Forrester Research, nearly half of all businesses use offshore providers, and two-thirds plan to send work overseas in the near future
Numerous countries have substantially well-trained IT professional and clerical staff who have lower salary expectations compared to their U.S. counterparts