Information Systems homework

Information Systems homework
The Assignment
You are required to develop an information system prototype that helps to automate data flows and information products for some sort of information-handling process. It can be for an organization, a small business, or some personal need. You are NOT required to develop an entire suite of operational systems for a business or organization; rather you are asked to choose one specific information-handling process to automate. You may develop a prototype to support some business process at a family business, or one to automate some information management aspect of a fraternity/sorority or social club (e.g. membership participation in service events). Further, you may develop a prototype system that demonstrates some sort of analytical technique you have learned in another course. As this is an individual assignment, it can be a fairly simple project – part of the assignment is to develop what the project is/will be.
An Information System Prototype
What you will build is an information system prototype. You should discuss the information systems that might be required to conduct business for your chosen organization (or an individual information processing need), or use one of the scenarios provided below. In the written report (submitted as a PowerPoint slide deck) below you are required to discuss how the system you built fits within whatever overall systems environment you’ve chosen. For an organizatonal system, it should fit with the needs and systems of the organizaton. If for an individual, the same. The IS must be sufficient to support the application or process you have chosen, but at minimum it should be of a level of rigor that suggests university-level business education. If you are not sure if you have chosen a system with enough complexity, or conversely one with too much complexity, try to sketch out the system then check with your instructor to confirm your choice. You should do such a thing (i.e. sketch out what you intend to do) anyway – it’s part of good development practice and it’s part of the assignment.
Specific Requirements for the New Information System Prototype
· Your prototype should include some system that automates or supports data/information processing, or something that could be used by an individual to make a fairly complex decision. You may use either of the two applications you have been provided with in class (i.e. Access for building a database, or Excel for some sort of analytical task). However, you may also use any other system or tool that is available (e.g. MySQL or some Web development package).
· Your system should be appropriately documented. In the case of databases, this means metadata and field/table descriptions, and a data model. For other applications, this means written documentation describing the purpose and function of what you have built. Regardless of what type of system you build, there should be the appropriate use of context and decomposition diagrams (don’t worry – we learn about these in the class).
· Your system should have a level of completeness that enables it to function well enough to be evaluated as to its performance. If you are doing a database, this means data in the tables, along with queries and reports that draw upon multiple tables. For an Excel assignment, it should be able to process data to arrive at a conclusion to a problem, and appropriately rigorous analytics (i.e. don’t just use the “sum” function).
· Your system should be sufficiently rigorous to represent university-level work. For those building databases, this can be represented by a data model that resolves at least one M:N relationship, and with queries that draw on multiple tables along with calculations/averages, etc. For a spreadsheet, more sophisticated analyses such as regressions, or NPV would be appropriate.
Please note: The system you build and submit should represent original work products, developed by you FOR THIS CLASS. You should NOT make use of systems submitted previous semesters by other students, or for systems that have previously been developed for other applications, nor for other classes. You may use other system examples (e.g. provided by MS Access or your instructor) for inspiration and ideas, but this is a learning experience and you will only be given credit for original work. Evidence that the system submitted is not original work will be grounds for academic misconduct charges, in addition to any appropriate grade sanction imposed by your instructor.
Above are minimum standards that must be accomplished. You may add additional functionality to enhance the system, or additional analysis of the business case for your system (e.g. a cost-benefit analysis). This will help your overall grade and make up for problems, but is not a replacement for completing the above requirements.
Write a Written Report (to be submitted as a Power Point Slide Deck)
You are a consultant to an individual or group responsible for the process you have chosen to automate (either one of the scenarios described below, or a process of your own choosing). You are required to report that specify what you have accomplished in terms of the process your system will automate, what improvements you will accomplish by automating this process, and whether or not the system prototype you built actually achieved these things. The report should be written to the owner of the business process from you, in the form of a Power Point Slide Deck (A title slide plus 20 slides or so should do nicely). This should be a management report – not a technical report. For example, you do not need to describe the details of how to execute a query or produce a report. You should describe what can be done and show examples of what you’ve accomplished, such as sample reports and queries.
Specific requirements for the written report slide deck:
· Title Slide
· Executive Summary – An Executive Summary is a summary of the entire report (in a slide deck it would be an agenda slide). It is not a table of contents. It does not describe what is in the report. It summarizes the substance of the report. It should be prepared after the entire report is complete, and should be edited carefully to be as concise and yet informative as possible. If the term “executive summary” throws you, another term for Executive Summary is Abstract.
· Introduction
· Either a description of the current system in place or the problems or opportunities that are driving the creation of this new information system. This will be done by viewing the organization as a system, and the system your group is building as one of the subsystems of that larger system. For example, you might build a system that tracks customer orders; how does your system fit in with the overall customer relationship management process?
· Objectives of the new system
· Detailed description of how you intend to run the business or function using the new information system prototype. In other words suppose it were a video rental organization. Then you would explain how the system of video rentals, video replacement, inventory tracking, video usage, and other activities would take place after the system was implemented, and where your system fits into the overall systems environment you describe above.
· System Diagrams
· Context Level Data Flow Diagram, showing the main inputs and outputs of the system.
· A Decomposition Diagram, showing the activities and subactivites of the system. For example, if one is doing a video rental organization, video check-out would be a subsystem, as would check-in. If one is doing a financial analysis, the various aspects of this should be included.
· An E-R diagram describing how the data entities you are capturing/storing/processing are related to one another.
· Write a non-technical description of each information product, stating its purpose and its function within the system. Include sample output with data. Your explanation should answer questions: What is important about this information product? Why would I want to use this information product? Who would use this product? What information will it display? Information products include ALL:
· Discussion of how your system meets the objectives stated above.
· Discussion of how your system prototype will be implemented (i.e., will you build or buy an “industrial strength” version of this prototype system, what’s the justification for the build or buy alternative chosen, how will you test the system and train the users etc.)
· Discussion of proposed future improvements that are either not appropriate at this time or are beyond your capability to design and implement.
· Optional Above are minimum standards that must be accomplished. You may add additional discussion to enhance your report. This will help your overall grade and make up for problems, but is not a replacement for completing the above requirements.
The slide deck is to be professional, i.e. it should be prepared using Power Point, contain appropriate white space, be well organized and contain appropriate headings and subheadings. Carefully check grammar, spelling, sentence structure, etc.
Deliverables
In order that you don’t put the large portion of this assignment off until the end, the deliverables will be spaced throughout the term. You may see the course syllabus for the point values.
Deliverable 1 – Statement of system purpose and function (i.e. what problem will it solve or what opportunity it will help exploit), and Data and Process models. Data and process models will include any relevant Entity-Relationship diagrams, Context diagram, Decomposition diagram and a high-level DFD.
Deliverable 2 – Initial prototype that includes any relevant menus, calculations, queries, forms and reports.
Deliverables 3-4
On the day the assignment is due, you are required to provide the following:
· Your slide deck describing your project (electronic copy).
· Your Access database (the .accdb file), Excel Spreadsheet (.xlsx file), or electronic artifact from whatever tool/package you use, with instructions for opening and reading the file.
The electronic computer files (the slides and the database) can be delivered via dropbox to the instructor.
Sample Scenarios
If you are having problems coming up with ideas for your project, you may use one of the following or build something similar. Please be advised that these are minimalist – you should research the business or organization type that you’re building a sample system for and see what sorts of things they track. You should also note that Access or Excel are not mandated for this project; if you have something you can build (a simple program or mobile app) in some development language (assuming you can adequately describe a reasonably robust business process to be implemented) that would be acceptable. If you have questions about your idea, be certain to see me in advance.
· Movie tracking system. Keep track of which of your favorite actors/actresses have appeared in which movies. You can also keep track of awards one by the actor/actress and/or movie.
· Social club activity participation. Members and activities and who participates in what. You can also keep track of good members by who actually does stuff in the organization.
· Sporting event stats tracking. Which player scores how many points/goals/runs in a given game.
· Catalog Shopping – any products – The catalog is published and sent to potential customers. Customers place orders by phone, mail, fax, or web. They pay by credit card or check. This is a lot like the sample we did in class, but this could be pretty fun for marketing majors who want to track customer recency, frequency, profitability, etc.
· Temporary employment service. You have people with skills available for work and you have clients that need the services of people with specific skills for specific periods of time.
· Pizza service. Bboth carry out and delivery.
· Video Store. Rentals and sales.
· Bookstore. Such as Books & Co. or Borders.
· Dinner and a movie. A video store that has created an information-enabled alliance with a local, non-chain pizza delivery concern (i.e. NOT Pizza Hut or Papa John’s) to offer “dinner and a movie”. Among other things, you would need to track video requests and pizza orders, generating an output to the pizza delivery concern that tells them what pizzas to prepare, where they go, and what times they should arrive.
· Pet Grooming Services. A billing system that keeps track of a given pet (breed, type, termperment, etc.), groomer (various employee information), services provided (e.g. nail trim, teeth cleaning, bathing, cost). Clientele is exclusively cats and dogs and each groomer works on either cats or dogs, but not both. Grooming services include, but are not limited to: manicure, shampoo, trim, specialty cut or comb out. Some pets receive all of the services at once, others only one or two services. Fees are based on type and size of animal, services and degree of styling requested.
· Promotional Products Sales. The promotional products company sells custom imprinted products that contain logos for teams, companies, schools or other organizations. The PPS company specializes in a niche of 20 products. PPS purchases the products and provides the value added service of the custom imprint or logo. They currently use approximately 30 different suppliers, some of whom supply more than one product. Some products are supplied by multiple suppliers, the choice of suppliers is then determined by ship date and cost. The customization capability, which varies by product, is limited in number of lines and characters per line (some can contain 1 line, some 2 lines of personalization). Some products also have an area for a company logo or picture. PPS has many repeat customers who often place exact replicate orders for the same imprint and product each time they phone in an order. Spelling errors is PPS’s thorniest manufacturing problem, and they must absorb the cost of products, printing and shipping (not to mention ill will) for all mislabeled items. PPS has had difficulty keeping track of orders and is experiencing problems with customers pushing the edge on timing (both phoning in last minute orders and hesitating on payments). While all of their customers eventually pay their invoices, a growing percent of their accounts receivable are outstanding more than 90 days. In addition, they have recently lost business because they were not capable of turning the orders in the time required by the customer.
· Snorkeling Tour Company. The snorkeling tour company operates in a year round warm climate and highly sought vacation destination. The STC takes reservations from individuals as well as from travel agencies for groups. Each day the tour company arranges snorkeling expeditions for a total of 100-300 people. Their fleet of 4 boats holds up to 25 snorkelers. Each boat requires the services of a captain, snorkel tour guide, and a safety scout. Crews may take up to three expeditions per day, the exact time of departure may vary slightly based on the tide schedule. Because of safety regulations, STC must track the name and contact information of every individual who takes one of their tours. While the data is gathered at time of reservation for individuals, the data gathering often comes at the last minute travel agency bookings. STC’s business is quite cyclical and seasonal. STC is having difficulty ensuring that all boats have a full load of tourists each day. Some days, the boat personnel report for work and have only a half day of tours scheduled. Other days, each tour is at 100+% capacity and the paperwork is overwhelming. STC would like to encourage more travel agencies to book group tours to help ensure full use of their fleet and personnel.
· Consignment “Shop”. The proliferation of online consumer-to-consumer auctions was the inspiration behind this company’s existence. The CS has no brick-and-mortar building. They accept items for resale, but do all of their selling on the web. Their suppliers are interested in receiving top dollar for their goods, but do not want to go through the hassle of trying to sell items themselves. The CS specializes in understanding the various online auction markets and receives both a fixed “posting” fee and a percentage of each sale. If an item does not sell, CS returns it to the supplier. Most of their suppliers are individuals, although some companies have used their services, as well. The CS has grown by leaps and bounds over the last year. Like the cobbler’s children who had no shoes, the CS is an expert in online sales but has no internal information systems for tracking items, sales or potential sales based on value estimates. When a potential supplier calls or arrives with an item, the CS must rely on face or name recognition to know if it is a new client or a repeat client. CS carries the goods for sale in a small warehouse so that it can be shipped as soon as the sale transaction is complete. Warehouse space is a premium for the CS. They must move items as soon as possible and as a listing ages, they drop the price until it reaches a minimum set by the supplier.
· Choose another business process. If none of the above have appeal, you may come up with your own project. The project may, for example, be a membership tracking system for a club or service organization. Those wishing to come up with their own project idea must obtain instructor approval in order to do this.
· You may chose any of a variety of possible applications that can readily be developed on a spreadsheet. For example, a detailed amortization statement for a home loan (using various financial functions in Excel) would be acceptable. Certainly other types of Accounting/Financial applications would be acceptable as well (see instructor if you have questions). Operations majors also would likely have applications for spreadsheet technology.
· If you have some coding skills, developing an app (possibly mobile) would be acceptable, depending on complexity.

 

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