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Chapter 3 - Determining Feasibility and Managing Analysis and Design Activities

  1. Project Fundamentals
  2. Project Initiation
  3. Problems within the Organization
    To Identify Problems Look for These Specific Signs:
    Check output against performance criteria
    • Too many errors
    • Work completed slowly
    • Work done incorrectly
    • Work done incompletely
    • Work not done at all
    Observe behaviour of employees
    • High absenteeism
    • High job dissatisfaction
    • High job turnover
    Listen to external feedback from:
    Vendors
    Customers
    Suppliers
    • Complaints
    • Suggestions for improvements
    • Loss of sales
    • Lower sales
  4. Opportunities for Improvement
    1. Speeding up a process.
    2. Streamlining a process through the elimination of unnecessary or duplicated steps.
    3. Combining processes.
    4. Reducing errors in input through changes of forms and display screens.
    5. Reducing redundant output.
    6. Improving integration of systems and subsystems.
    7. Improving worker satisfaction with the system.
    8. Improving ease of customer, supplier, and vendor interaction with the system.
  5. Selection of Projects
    Criteria for Selection of Systems Projects
    • Backing from Management
    • Appropriate timing of project commitment
    • Possibility of improving attainment of organizational goals
    • Practical in terms of resources for systems analyst and organization
    • Project is worthwhile compared to other ways organization could invest resources
  6. Determining Feasibility
    FEASIBILITY Means That the Proposed Project:
    • Helps the organization attain overall objectives
    • Is possible to accomplish with present organizational resources in the following three areas:
      • Technical Feasibility

          Add on to present system
          Technology available to meet users' needs
      • Economic Feasibility

          Systems analysts' time
          Cost of systems study
          Cost of employees' time for study
          Estimated cost of hardware
          Cost of packaged software/software development
      • Operationsal Feasibility

          Whether the system will operate when installed
          Whether the system will be used
    • Defining Objectives
      1. Reducing errors and improving the accuracy of data input.
      2. Reducing the cost of the system output by streamlining and eliminating duplicate or unnecessary reports.
      3. Integrating business subsystems.
      4. Upgrading customer services to gain a competitive edge.
      5. Speeding up input.
      6. Shortening data-processing time.
      7. Automating manual procedures to improve them in some way (reduce errors, increase speed or accuracy, cut down on employee time required, etc.).
    • Determining Resources
      • Technical Feasibility
      • Economic Feasibility
      • Operational Feasibility
    • Judging Feasibility
  7. Activity Planning and Control
    • Estimating Time Required
      Beginning to plan a project by breaking it into three major activities
      Analysis Data Gathering
      Data Flow and Decision Analysis
      Proposal Preparation
      Design Data Entry Design
      Input Design
      Output Design
      Data Organization
      Implementation Implementation
      Evaluation

      Refining the planning and scheduling ofo analysis activities by adding detailed tasks and establishing the time required to complete these tasks.
      Detailed Activity Weeks
      Required
      Data Gathering Conduct Interviews
      Administer Questionnaires
      Read Company Reports
      Introduce Prototype
      Observe Reaction to Prototype
      3
      4
      4
      5
      3
      Data Flow and Decision Analysis Analyze Data Flow 8
      Proposal Preparation Perform Cost/Benefit Analysis
      Prepare Proposal
      Present Proposal
      3
      2
      2

    • Using Gantt Charts for Project Scheduling
    • Using PERT (Program Evalutation and Review Techniques) Charts [see Fig. 3.9]
  8. Computer-based Project Scheduling [Microsoft Project]
  9. Managing Analysis and Design Activities
    • Communication Strategies for Managing Teams
    • Setting Project Productivity Goals
    • Motivating Project Team Members
    • Avoiding Project Failures


Transparencies


Exercises: (due - noon Sept. 8, 1998)
e-mail to summers_wayne@ColumbusState.edu your answers to the following problems: pg.72-3: 1, 4, 5

turn in on Sept. 8th a solution to Group Project #1 (this may be completed in a small group of 3 to 4 students)
Explore the MRE HyperCase company and e-mail the answers to the questions on page 72[This can be done in a group of 2-3]


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