AIS Development Strategies
Purchase Software
◼ Canned software is written by
software development companies and is sold on the open market to a broad range
of users with similar requirements.
◼ Turnkey systems are a
combination of software and hardware sold as a package. The vendor installs the
entire system and user needs only to “turn the key”.
◼The Internet has given companies
a new way to acquire software:
◼Application service providers
(ASPs) host Web-based software on their computers and deliver the software to
their clients over the Internet.
◼Companies that buy rather than
develop AIS software still go through the systems development life cycle
(SDLC).
The Systems Acquisition Process
Development by In-House IS Department
◼ Most often, organizations
develop their own custom software, because canned software that fit their
specific needs is not available.
◼ Developing custom software is
difficult and error-prone.
◼ It also consumes a great deal
of time and resources.
Custom Software Development by an Outside Company
When contracting with an outside organization, a company
should maintain control over the development process. Some guidelines:
•Carefully select a developer
•Sign a contract
•Plan and monitor each step
•Maintain effective communication
•Control all costs
End-User-Developed Software
◼ End-user computing (EUC) is the
hands-on development, use, and control of computer-based information systems by
users.
◼ With the advent of inexpensive
PCs and powerful, inexpensive software, users began developing their own systems
to create and store data, access and download company data, and share data and
computer resources in networks.
◼ Examples of end user
development uses:
• Retrieving information from company databases to produce
simple reports or to answer one-time queries
• Performing “what if” sensitivity or statistical analyses
• Developing applications using prewritten software (spreadsheet
or database system)
• Preparing schedules and lists, such as depreciation schedules,
accounts receivable aging, and loan amortizations
Benefits of End-User-Developed Software
Benefits of End-User Computing
User creation, control, and implementation
Systems that meet user needs
Timeliness
Freeing up IS resources
Versatility and ease of use
Risks of End-User Computing
Logic and development errors Inadequately
tested applications Inefficient
systems Poorly
controlled and documented systems
Systems incompatibility
Duplication of systems
Increased costs
Outsource the System
◼ What is outsourcing?
▪ It is hiring an outside company to handle all or part of
an organization’s data processing activities.
◼ In a mainframe outsourcing
agreement, the outsourcers buy their client’s computers and hire all or most of
the client’s employees.
Benefits of Outsourcing
A business and information solution
Asset utilization
Access to greater expertise and
more advanced technology
Lower costs
Improved development time
Elimination of peaks and valleys usage
Facilitation of downsizing
Risks of Outsourcing
Inflexibility
Loss of control of system and/or data
Reduced competitive advantage
Locked-in system
Unfulfilled goals
Possibility of poor service
Business Processes Reengineering
◼ What is business process
reengineering (BPR)?
◼ It is the thorough analysis and
complete redesign of business process and information systems to achieve
performance improvements.
◼ It is a process that challenges
traditional organizational values and cultures associated with
underperformance.
◼ BPR reduces a company to its
essential business processes and focuses on why they are done rather than on
the details of how they are done.
◼ It completely reshapes
organizational work practices and information flows to take advantage of
technological advancements.
Principles of Reengineering
◼ What are the seven principles
of business processing reengineering?
1. Organize around outcomes, not tasks.
2. Require those who use the output to perform the process.
3. Require those who produce information to process it.
4. Centralize and disperse data.
5. Integrate parallel activities
6. Empower workers, use built-in controls, and flatten the
organization chart.
7. Capture data once, at its source.
Challenges Faced by Reengineering Efforts
What are some of the obstacles to reengineering
efforts?
✔Tradition ✔Resistance
✔Time requirements ✔Risk
✔Lack of management support ✔Skepticism
✔Retraining ✔Controls
Prototyping
◼ What is prototyping?
– an approach to systems design in which a simplified
working model of a system is developed.
◼ A prototype, or “first draft,”
is quickly and inexpensively built and provided to users for testing.
◼ What four steps are involved in
developing a prototype?
1. Identify basic systems requirements.
2. Develop an initial prototype that meets the agreed-on requirements.
3. Users identify changes, developers make changes, and the system
is turned over to the user.
4. Use the system approved by the users.
Benefits of Prototyping
Advantages of Prototyping
Better definition of user needs
Higher user involvement and satisfaction
Faster development time
Fewer errors
More opportunity for changes
Less costly
Disadvantages of Prototyping
Significant user time
Less efficient use of system resources
Incomplete systems development
Inadequately tested and
documented systems
Negative behavioral reactions
Unending development
Computer-Aided Software Engineering (CASE)
◼ CASE is an integrated package
of computer-based tools that automate important aspects of the software
development process.
◼ CASE tools are used to plan,
analyze, design, program, and maintain an information system.
◼ They are also used to enhance
the efforts of managers, users, and programmers in understanding information
needs.
◼ CASE tools do not replace
skilled designers; instead they provide a host of self-integrated tools that
give developers effective support for all SDLC phases.
◼ CASE software typically has
tools for strategic planning, project and system management, database design,
screen and report layout, and automatic code generation.
Advantages of CASE Technology
Improved productivity
Improved program quality
Cost savings
Improved control procedures
Simplified documentation
Disadvantages of CASE Technology
Incompatibility
Cost
Unmet expectations