IOM433 Creative Information Systems Analysis and Design

Fall 2009 M/W 2-3:50

HOH302 (Labs meet in HOH415)

Faculty: Ann Majchrzak

Phone: 213-740-4023

Email:

Office: Bridge 307B

Office Hours: Mondays 4-5:30 or by appointment

Course Description & Goal

Requirements for an Information System (IS) describe in precise terms what the IS will and won’t do for an organization and system users. Requirements are needed whether the IS is being developed in-house, purchased, or outsourced. It is never easy to figure out what’s the best set of requirements that will be of the most help to the organization and system users. There are many factors to consider in identifying these requirements: competitive business pressures, technology opportunities, business process improvement opportunities, risks in existing systems, and user suggestions. No single information source knows about all of these factors. Moreover, information may change over the time during which the requirements were collected, or since the IS was installed. Finally, the information rarely points to one specific solution; there are always many possible solutions. What is needed is a Systems Analyst who coordinates, facilitates, communicates, translates, searches, does detective work, encourages, engages, and most importantly creatively iterates with stakeholders and information sources to help craft a solution that seems to fit best with all the information gathered. A Systems Analyst is a broker between business managers, system users, and software developers. An Analyst is the spokesperson for the user, the voice of reason for the business manager, the customer liaison for the software developer. Systems Analysts are not a single job title. They may also be called Business Process Analyst, Risk Management Analyst, Change Management Professional, Project Coordinator, or Jr. Project Manager. Learning to be a translator and broker between business and technology will also serve you well as an entrepreneur, or in a financial, marketing, or consulting career as these careers become increasingly dependent on well-designed and executed information systems.

The course will teach you the modeling tools to integrate information on these various requirements drivers into a coherent business case or blue print of a future software application, and a specifications package that frames the use of software in the organization. The course will also help you manage the development and deployment ofinformation systems by identifying and managing risks early through the use of:

  • agile and iterative development techniques, and
  • Unified Modeling Language (UML).

There are no prerequisites

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

-Communicate in precise modeling language business-relevant Information Systems requirements to both business managers and software developers

-Develop business cases for convincing managers of the need for information systems

-Identify who to include in the Requirements Gathering process and how to keep them involved to ensure their initial and continued buy-in

-Avoid scope creep and other classic IS development risks

Text:

Readings posted on Blackboard

The Business Analyst’s Handbook by Howard Podeswa 2009. Course Technology Publishing. ISBN 978-1-59863-565-2 (called HDBK)

Seven Steps to mastering Business Analysis. By Barbara Carkenord. J.Ross Publishing 2009. ISBN: 978-1-60427-007-5 (called 7STEPS)

Assessment

Midterm: 20%

Final: 40%

Group Term Project: 30% :

Complete a Vision Document (described in HDBK p280-282) and Business Requirements Document (described in HDBK p241-260) for ANY organization of your choosing. If you have difficulty finding a real organization, you may use the made-up PRU case posted on Blackboard. The solution you propose is of your own choosing: the more creative and greater the business value, the more the points.

Participation and Preparation: 10%

Outline

# / Date / Topic / Topic details / Homework due at beginning of class / Reading due by class date
1 / M 8/24 / Overview of class
2 / W 8/26 / What is a BA?
+
Vic Muglia, Kaiser Permanente IT Manager / SHs they work with; IT apps they develop/purchase
Exercise: 1) share strengths and weaknesses
2) Take apart system at USC – what are Bas likely to do with it? / Profile posted on Blackboard with: Name & email, Which specific syllabus topics you have background in (i.e., took a course on, worked in), Previous work experience, Desired career, Hobbies, Times and location available to meet for projects / 1)7STEPS: Ch 1
2)Forrester BA Report
3) Forrester: Business-oriented BA
4) Optional BA Assessment
3 / M
8/31 / Overview of BA Steps / Revisit skills / 1)HDBK Ch 1
2) 7STEPS Ch 7
4 / W 9/2 / Business Case / Scoping w/ context diagram / Identify business risk & context diagram for a social networking application in a company. How fit with other systems? / 1)7STEPS Ch 3
2)HDBK Ch 2 (thro’ p56)
3) Social Network Business Cases
5 / W 9/9 / Stakeholder Analysis / Who are possible SHs, +/-. Importance, What do about it / Conduct Stakeholder analysis of Voice Biometrics Case / 1)HDBK p57-59, p280-282
2)Voice Biometrics Case
3)7STEPS: Ch 2
6 / M
9/14 / Erik Krogh / Guest Speaker: Erik Krogh. Stories from the “war zone”: How to design Information Systems that Work
7 / W 9/16 / Business Impact Analysis and BPM / As-is analysis, reasons for BPM / Describe the BIA in the BPO Case / 1)HDBK Ch 2, p60-62,68-72,231, Ch 4 thro p. 141
2)7STEPS p232-235,237-240,Ch 4, 328-332
3)BPO Case
8 / M 9/21 / Identifying risks / Org & Techn risks / Create a risk table for risks that Hard Rock Café met in implementing CRM / 1)HDBK P63-65,233-235,278
2)Hard Rock Café Case
9 / W 9/23 / Business Rules / Ex bus rules for Hard Rock Café Case; how use business rules / What are business rules for Hard Rock Café Case / 7STEPS: p220-228-229
10 / M 9/28 / BPI / BPI vs BPR, Gap analysis / Describe the BPI in the Shared Services Case / 1)7STEPS: p.261-265
2)Goal-Based BPM
3)Shared Services Case
11 / W 9/30 / The Future of BPM / Guest Speaker: Clarence Cudanes / “Predicts 2009”
12 / M 10/5 / Meet in HOH415 for lab on BPM Simulation / Bring Advanced Goal Analysis from Blackboard
Post 3 organizations you might want to help with a BA Analysis / Modeling Capabilities of WebSphere Business Modeler
13 / W 10/7 / Review for midterm
Begin project / Finalize team for BA Analysis
14 / M 10/
12 / Midterm
15 / W
10/
14 / Use Case Diagramming - primary / Actors, etc. / What are the primary use cases and actors in Reality Case / 1)7STEPS: 240-245
2) Reality Case
3) HDBK: p115, 142-145, p219-226, 262-266,
16 / M 10/
19 / Use Case Diagramming – secondary
Use Case Descriptions / Exercise: Reality Case, order pizza, ATM / What are the secondary use cases in Reality case / HDBK: p72-75
17 / W 10/
17 / Other UML Diagrams: Object, sequence, state machine, packets / HDBK: p198-215
18 / M 10/
26 / Meet in HOH415. Rational Rose Lab / Re read Reality Use Case and Maintain Personal Planner Use Case
19 / W
10/
28 / Requirements / Furps
Functional and NF / 1)HDBK p79-86, 179-180, 231
2)7STEPS: Ch6 thro’p228, 254-256, 265-272
20 / M 11/2 / Requirements Elicitation / JAD / HDBK p86-92
21 / W 11/4 / Requirements Management / 1)7STEPS p66-67, 250-251
2)HDBK: p189-192, 283-287, p228-230
22 / M 11/
9 / Prototyping / 1)7STEPS: p245-249
23 / W 11/
11 / Putting it all together: Business Requirements Document / Draft Vision Documentdue (HDBK p280-282) for team project / HDBK: Ch6,p241-261
24 / M 11/
16 / Testing / Diff types of tests / 1)HDBK p235-239,287-288
2)7STEPS: 190199
25 / W
11/
18 / Examples of use of UML in the real world / Guest Speaker: Tim Bohn, IBM Rational
26 / M
11/
23 / Managing implementation / Construction, milestones, conversion, Nestle’s case / 7STEPS: p239-240
27 / W 11/
25 / Meet with me in groups to discuss progress
28 / M 11/
30 / Methodology, self-evaluating your value / 7STEPS Ch 5 & 7
29 / W
12/2 / Review for final & Discuss Final Project
Fri Dec 11th 2pm / Final & final project due

Class Participation:

Attendance does not constitute participation. A “C” grade participation is achieved by just saying something. Only comments that demonstrate ALL of the following constitute exceptional participation worthy of an A: understanding of the reading material, having done the homework, pose new questions/issues/ideas to consider, non-repetitive, contributes to others’ learning, bringing new, relevant, and interesting material to the class on the topic of discussion, distinguishes between opinions and facts, and demonstrates ability to apply, analyze, and synthesize course material. You must be in attendance the whole class to receive a participation point; tardiness to class forfeits the participation grade for that class.

Homework:

Homework is essential to your ability to do well in this class – in terms of discussion as well as written work. The homework assignments help you to get practice with the material prior to the final project. However, I will not monitor your homework since the results of excellent preparation will be demonstrated in your midterm and final. I am happy to review each and every homework assignment you do. All homework is to be prepared in order to participate in the class discussion.

Marshall School of Business

Standards of Professional Behavior

The Marshall School of Business is preparing students for professional behavior in business contexts. Therefore, in addition to abiding by the principles of academic honesty contained in SCampus, the following behaviors are not permitted during academic sessions

-Laptops and internet usage (unless stated by professor)

-Cell phones, iPods, and any electronic device

-Videotaping faculty lectures due to copyright infringement

-Any activities that harm a participative sharing environment including:

  • Lack of attendance
  • Arriving late (late arrivals with a 3-min grace period will be marked as absent)
  • Leaving early
  • Lack of preparedness
  • Entering/exiting room while the class is in session
  • Sleeping in class
  • Inattentive behavior (such as reading)
  • Classroom verbalizations that discourage others from contributing (including excessive complaining, talking for too long, simply offering your own view without building on others’ views, using language that others in the class are likely to not understand without explaining it)
  • Lack of presence when the class is engaged in group activities

If ONE OR MORE of any of these behaviors are observed in 4 sessions, the final grade will be lowered by a ½ grade (an A will become an A-).

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