INTRODUCTION TO ITM353

KEY IDEAS

Many failed systems were abandoned because analysts tried to build wonderful systems without understanding the organization and stakeholders.

The primarily goal of IS is to create value for the organization.

Software Analysis and Design jobs are among the best MIS jobs!

Software investment must be considered like any investment – enablement of benefit must be significantly greater than cost over the lifetime

KEY IDEAS The systems analyst is a key person

analyzing the business, identifying opportunities for improvement, and designing information systems to implement these ideas.

It is important to understand and develop through practice the skills needed to successfully acquire, design and perhaps implement new information systems.

SOME (DEPRESSING) EXAMPLES

Project First/Last cost estimate ($M)

First/Last schedule estimate (Months)

Status at completion

PROMS

(royalty collection)

12/21+ 22/46 Canceled, month 28

London Ambulance 1.5/6+ 7/17+ Canceled, month 17

London Stock Exchange

60-75/150 19/70 Canceled, month 36

Confirm

(travel reservations)

56/160+ 45/60+ Canceled, month 48

FAA Advanced Automation System

3700/7000+ 48/96 Canceled, month 70

Master Net (Banking)

22/80+ 9/48+ Canceled, month 48

SAD ANECDOTES

80% of the effort is in the last 20% of the implementation

“adding people to a late project makes it more late” “Requirements always change…” “Customers/Users never know what they want” “70% of successfully acquired systems are never used

or not used to the extent expected” “20% of the planned schedule is allocated for testing

yet 50% is actually used” “Cost, schedule, quality: pick any two”

DILBERT WILL BE OUR GUIDE…

LEARNING OBJECTIVES Understanding of challenges of IS acquisition,

creation, and management Acquire working understanding of MIS concepts and

vocabulary Learn effective means of creating, acquiring, and

tailoring IS modeling, analysis, design, testing and maintenance

Become knowledgeable in current MIS practices, skills, and tools

Gain hands-on experience with the acquisition of IS (your course project)

Your Goal is to become educated, thoughtful, and effective in MIS system analysis and design

Pre-classwork

Individualquiz

Groupquiz

In-classExercises

Homework

GroupProjects

ClassDiscussion

Q&A

Course Methodology

PRE-CLASS WORK You will frequently be asked to do work outside of class

No more than is expected for any 3 unit course (about 9 hours/week)

Usually work is to prepare you for team-based learning in class

There will be “challenge topics” which are addressed by review questions These prepare you for the individual quiz, group quiz, and in-

class exercises You know you are prepared for class when you can answer the

challenge questions with confidence There are multiple ways to address the challenge questions:

Read the relevant sections in the textbook Review the presentation slides (posted on the class website) Guess (maybe you already know the answers!)

Use whichever combination works best for you!

I will not cover all topic details and challenge questions in class There will be very few traditional lectures in this course. I find

them boring and ineffective for ITM353. There is too much detail and everyone is coming from different

perspectives, knowledge, and experience base.

INDIVIDUAL QUIZZES

Many classes will begin with an individual or group quiz. Based on the chapters and review questions assigned Used to ensure you are prepared for class

If you can address the review questions with confidence, you will do very well on the quiz

Take these seriously! Class alone will not prepare you for the quizzes.

Quizzes will be submitted in class and not returned

There will be no make-ups. If you miss a quiz due to an excused absence

(documented illness only), your grade will be calculated without this quiz. For unexcused absence, 0 for that quiz.

GROUP QUIZZES

Many classes will have a group quiz These will typically cover the same questions as

the individual quiz. Group will collectively decide on answers. Each

group member receives the same total score. You will be assigned to a group randomly. Group quizzes will be graded in class then

submitted.

WHY ARE WE BEING TESTED BEFORE MATERIAL IS DISCUSSED IN CLASS? Traditional “slide-and-doze” lectures are ineffective

with ITM353 material We are using the “team-based learning” approach to

education Each student is responsible for coming prepared for class

and participating in group exercises You are developing conceptual and interaction skills that

are critical for your future success The class materials (e.g. textbook) are high quality

Thorough coverage of key issues; minimum of “fluff” Covering what is already in the textbook is a waste of our

valuable time together This approach helps you develop good self-study skills

that are essential in a highly competitive business environment You will not get many lectures in your jobs, but you will

be expected to learn many things on your own.

IN-CLASS EXERCISES

Usually we will have one or more in-class exercises May be individual or group You may be asked to bring your laptops for some

exercises, and you will need them for the individual quizzes

The exercise(s) will always be based on the material for the challenge questions from the previous class

Exercises give you an opportunity to apply or experience something I am here to help you. Exercises are NOT exams. Usually we will aim to complete exercises in class, but

they may be assigned to be completed outside of class or in the next class.

Missed in-class exercises cannot be made-up. Excused absences will result in an adjusted grade

calculation, 0 otherwise.

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS

We will be unable to do more than introduce many of the methods and concepts while in class. To get more in-depth experience with these,

there will be several assignments to be worked on outside of class.

These may be individual or group depending on the assignment.

All of your in-class and homework assignments will contribute to the group project.

IN-CLASS PRESENTATIONS

Each student must make an in-class research presentation on a topic that will be assigned to you. 

The purpose of this is twofold: 1. to give you the opportunity to do some in-depth

research on a systems analysis and design topic

2. to educate the rest of the class on this topic.  You should treat this task as if you were

asked by your manager to investigate a topic and make a recommendation on whether that technique should be adopted as a standard practice in your workplace. 

So think critically!  Think about the costs and benefits of the

technique.

GROUP PROJECT

You will be assigned to a team to analyze, design, and implement a complex information system.

You will be expected to directly apply the concepts from the class to this project.

This is the most important feature of this class.

Example: http://thecookieladyhawaii.com/

I will assign you to teams by next week. You will need to start thinking about a topic immediately. I can provide some if you are stuck…

MY JOB You may be surprised to know that my job is

not to “teach” you facts and skills. This is an upper level course, it is NOT a “training” course. You are here to learn some different ways of thinking

about systems analysis and design, and project management

I am here to challenge you and help guide you though these challenges It’s up to you to learn and make it fun, interesting,

and worthwhile This class will be MIND NUMBINGLY BORING if

you are passive and expect to “be taught” the material. It’s up to you to:

Ask questions Bring in your own experience and thoughts Criticize the material, the textbook, me, etc… Always ask yourself “how might this apply?” Be adventurous; be willing to be wrong

TOPIC 0: WHAT IS SAD? Systems (software):

Collection of interrelated processes or applications that address a particular need(s)

Analysis Literally “to pull apart and examine” but for us it

means to clearly understand “what” a system’s purpose and the quality(s) to which it is expected to do it

Design The specification of “how” a system will do what is

intended and choices made for this

The key to success is to understand and manage different stakeholder needs

DISCUSSION: WHAT IS MIS?

What do MIS people do? What kind of positions available? Skills? Principles and practices?

EXAMPLE MIS – SAD JOBS Business Analyst Systems Analyst Infrastructure Analyst Change Management Analyst Project Manager Software Developer System Architect Maintenance Manager Quality Assurance Specialist

SKILLS EXAMPLES Technical communication Documenting Testing and debugging Modeling Programming Team management Managerial / organizational Business case analysis Decision analysis Process management Interface design Graphic design Interview / survey design

TOOLS/TECHNIQUES EXAMPLES

MS Visio .NET SQL Excel MS Project UML CMS (Content Management Systems) Prototyping tools …

TOPIC 0: WHAT SAD TOPICS ARE PRIORITY?

We only have one semester to study SAD! Too many topics, so must prioritize and focus

on the key areas.

Q: How shall we determine what to focus on?

A: We will interview MIS professionals to help us determine priorities, needed skills, and important tools/techniques

ASSIGNMENT #1: SAD AND MIS Your task is to interview an “MIS professional”

about SAD topics. “What should a successful MIS person know?”http://itm-vm.shidler.hawaii.edu/itm353/asst1.htm The “secret code” is:

ITM*353

Your reports will be aggregated in class to develop a consensus on which class topics we will focus on this semester!

I have provided a list of SAD topics, an example report, and a briefing for interviewees

** NOT MUCH TIME TO COMPLETE THIS **

PROTOCOL Select an MIS professional to work with (first

come first choice!) The person must be “cleared” by me in advance

Contact the professional by email or phone to establish a “real-time” mode of communication

(phone, in-person, web-conference, etc.) NO EMAIL-ONLY

Set up an interview time If you have trouble making contact, see me

immediately Perform the interview using the guidelines

provided Thank the professional for their time

Have your professional send me the report from their email account

NEXT FEW CLASSES: INTRODUCTION TO THE SDLC

Preparation for next classRead Chapter 1 in the book for next week

Yes, read it! You will have a quiz on it.Essential pages are listed in the scheduleDo the review questions indicated (the quiz will be based on these)

Note: You will need a laptop for many classes; be prepared to bring one. I will try to warn you in advance when laptops will be needed.