Management Question

Week 5

Do we need a new system? What tasks should it perform? Who would use it? Where would it be housed? These are questions that a company must answer before purchasing an IT system. Without these answers, what kind of risks would the company run into if they tried to use a newly purchased IT system?

This week we will discuss how companies answer these types of questions. You will learn about how information systems are developed and how organizations decide whether to develop their systems in-house or to outsource the systems development. To begin, you will learn about the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC), a widely accepted framework for the design and development of IT systems. Before a system can be developed, we have to know what it is supposed to do. The tasks a system must perform or support are referred to as the requirements. It is also important to define how the system is expected to perform to deliver value to the users and to protect the data it houses. All of these lead to a decision as to whether the organization should build, buy, or outsource its IT solution. In addition to the “what, how, and why” of systems, it is helpful to have an understanding of the roles that people play (i.e., “who” is involved).

By the end of Week 5, you will be able to:

• identify the phases of the systems development life cycle (SDLC)
• recognize well-written requirements statements
• identify the attributes of system quality
• identify the benefits and risks of building, buying, and outsourcing IT solutions
• identify the different roles that people play in the design, development, and use of information systems

This week you will complete the following: (Located in the attachments)

• Read Information Systems Development
• Read Requirements
• Read Developing Requirements for an IT System
• Read Build, Buy or Outsource
• Read The People in Information Systems

Analyze organizational processes to identify functional requirements (This part is not required but posted as a reference for the responses)

This week’s discussion topic focuses on functional requirements that need to be clearly written so that the people who are developing the system or evaluating a system for use can discern whether the functional requirements are met or not.

The functional requirements statement:

• Is a complete sentence, with a subject (system) and predicate (intended result, action or condition)
• Identifies only one requirement; does not include the words “and,” “also,” “with,” and “or.”
• For functional requirements, states what tasks the system will support or perform
• Includes a measure or metric that can be used to determine whether the functional requirement is met (time or quantity), where appropriate
• Is stated in positive terms and uses “must” (not “may” or “should”); e.g., “the system must xxxx” not “the system must not xxx”
• Avoids the use of terms that cannot be defined and measured, such as “approximately,” “robust,” “user friendly,” etc.
• Must be testable; that is, there must be some way to test the system to determine whether the requirement is met

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What is required: (Minimum 1 to 2 paragraphs per response)

Reply to four different classmate main postings. You are to critically evaluate all of the following as you reply: Each classmates initial response will be in the attachments

1. Should the process identified actually be considered a “process”? That is, does it meet the definition of “a set of specified steps to accomplish a task”? Why or why not?

2. Do the functional requirements listed support the selected process?

3. Are the functional requirements clearly stated such that system testers will be able to ascertain whether or not the requirement has been implemented?

4. Provide an example of a rewritten functional requirement that improves one of the existing user requirements in the information provided above.

Responses to initial postings should be specific and assess whether the posting accurately and sufficiently addresses the questions asked in the discussion topic and should incorporate relevant research correctly. Explain your assessment as to why the information is or is not correct and/or complete, providing correct information to enhance the discussion.