2. Lecture 1: Project Initiation

3.  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)

4.  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

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

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

7.  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)

8. Types of Information Systems

10. System Boundary vs. Automation Boundary

11. Information Systems and Component Parts

12.  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

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

14.  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

15.  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

16. RMO Organizational Structure

17. RMO Locations

18.  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

19. IS Department Staffing

20.  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

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

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

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

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

25. RMO Application Architecture Plan

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

27.  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

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

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

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

31.  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

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

33.  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

34.  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.