ITM700 Course Information
Fall 2006
Preliminary Information
August 2006
Course Coordinator: Prof. Kenneth A. Grant
It is never too soon to start planning for ITM700/800!
Important Information and answers to some frequently asked questions are given below. Additional information about ITM700 will be posted on this link as it becomes available. Note: The courses of Study for both ITM700 and 800 are being revised and will be made available to you in Blackboard at the start of the semester.
In the first week of classes, all day class students should attend the common ITM700 lecture (details will be announced on Blackboard). Regardless of the section that may be shown on your timetable, you will not be allocated to a section and professor until AFTER the first lecture. We need to know, either in advance (details below) or at the end of that lecture, the members of your group. (Should you not have formed a group by then, there will be time allowed in that lecture to meet others in a similar situation.)
Night Class ITM700 students should attend the first lecture on the night for which their section has been scheduled -- which is in the first week of term. Note: this will also be a combined lecture. (details will be announced on Blackboard)
Pre-Register your Group
To make this process easier to administer, if your group is already formed, you can REGISTER your group with Professor Grant now. Do this by sending an e-mail (from your Ryerson email account) to , with the following information:
Subject line: Register ITM700 Group -- Fall 2006
Name, student number and Ryerson matrix e-mail account for ALL group members
Whether Day or Night class
Name of your company, if known
Name and address of your contact at your company, if known
FAQs
How Many People Should be in a Group?
The maximum group size is 6. There are NO exceptions. Do not ask if you can work in a group of 7 people, this is not allowed. Groups of 5 are permissible. A group of 4 is too small.
How Should I Pick Group Members?
The teams that have worked together best and had the easiest time managing their workloads were those that formed in their third year and started working in August to contract with a company. So, you should start thinking about this project right now and begin putting together your team.
Remember that you need to work with your team members for eight months, and that your individual final grade is somewhat dependent on the overall team performance. Select your team members carefully, to create a team of compatible individuals with complementary skill sets and shared expectations regarding grades.
You need to be able to start working at the beginning of September. Waiting until November to start your report will not work for this project.
What if I'm in a Different Section than the Rest of My Group?
There will be multiple sections of ITM700 taught this fall. It is your responsibility to ensure that all members of your group are registered for the same class time. It is not necessary for everyone to be in the same section but all group members must be scheduled to attend class on the same day at the same time. It is not possible for some group members to be in the night section and some in the day section.
I failed one of the prerequisites, can I take it again at the same time as ITM700?
No. You need to complete all your prerequisites before starting ITM700. You must wait and may enroll in ITM700 in the Winter semester if you have not currently passed all the prerequisite subjects. You will be dropped from the course if you have not passed all the prerequisites.
This is not just an administrative issue. We expect all students to be at the 4th year level and closing in on graduation. You will be surprised at the need to draw on prior course knowledge in ITM700/800!
What Companies Can We Study?
You can study a for-profit or not-for-profit/charitable organization. In order for a company to be acceptable for this project it must:
• Have its headquarters located in Canada. If it is a subsidiary of an international firm, it must have the equivalent of a Canadian corporate staff.
• Have at least 30 employees (including full-time, part-time or volunteer staff).
• Be willing to commit to working with you for the next eight months (do not underestimate this!).
• Be willing to share confidential information with you and give you access to the right people. All group members, your professor and the company, will sign a confidentiality agreement so that the company knows you will not leak sensitive information.
• Be open to using information technology to improve its operations. The company does not have to be technologically advanced; however, working with a firm that does not even have a PC installed will cause you a lot of problems next semester in ITM 800.
• Be specifically approved by your instructor. Generally, companies should not have been studied for ITM700/800 within the last three years, but there are exceptions. (A list of companies studied has been posted on the ITM website)
By the time class starts, we also hope to publish a small “brochure” that may help you in recruiting your client company.
What Do We Do in the 700 Project?
This project is designed to enable your group to apply the concepts discussed in class and contained in the course materials to an actual company operating today in Canada. To accomplish this, you must gain a thorough understanding of the company that you are studying, as well as the industry in which it operates. A solid analysis of the use of information systems in both the industry and your company is another requirement. A recommendation for a business process and/or information system to automate or improve will be the end result of this project.
Your final report will contain the following:
1. Industry Profile, including:
· Size, structure, dominant companies, financial performance over time
· Representative competitive strategies
· Importance of information technology to the industry
2. Company Profile, including:
· Competitive strategy statement
· Market and financial performance
· Significance of information systems
· Strengths and weakness
3. Information Systems Profile, including:
· Significance of information systems and telecommunications
· Fit with company competitive strategy
· Strengths and weaknesses of information systems
· Initial recommendations for improving information systems
4. Conclusions and Recommendations
What About the ITM800 Project?
The main component of this course will be a feasibility study, which is a continuation of the group project begun in ITM700. These projects must have an information technology component; this component could include hardware and software design, LANs, telecommunications, expert systems, multimedia, or any other technology which you think is required to address the particular business opportunity or problem you are studying. You will actually start the ITM800 project in Week 13 of ITM700. Your final report will contain the following:
1. Results of Systems Study, including:
· A description of the focus business process, application portfolio and supporting information systems
· An assessment of current system
2. Systems Design, including:
· User functional requirements
· Business process redesign
· Information systems specifications
· Evaluation criteria
3. Feasibility Analysis of Proposed Solutions, including:
· Vendor profiles
· Technical, operational and economical feasibility
· Risk assessment
4. Comparative analysis of Vendor Solutions and the Recommended Solution
5. Implementation Plan, including:
· Installation and conversion
· Acceptance testing
· Training
· Documentation
As you likely know from the rumour mill, ITM700/800 will be the most challenging courses you will take. You have to meet a high academic standard and work in a group on a very time-challenged project for a real client. Howcver, when you finish, not only will you have stories to tell for many years to come, you will have applied in practice what you have been learning for the last few years. You will have a document you can show to prospective employers (subject to your confidentiality agreement) and something of significance to talk about in your job interviews. So expect to work hard but recognise this is really your first step into the working world of IT.
Good Luck!
Ken Grant