Introduction to Information
Technology
2nd Edition
Turban, Rainer & Potter
© 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Chapter 14:
Information Systems Development
Prepared by:
Roberta M. Roth, Ph.D.
University of Northern Iowa
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Chapter Preview
In this chapter, we will study:
Planning process for IS application
development
The process of developing systems as
outlined in the SDLC
Alternatives to the SDLC and why they are
useful
Ways to obtain applications from outside
the organization
Methods that are useful in developing
Internet/intranet applications
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Information Systems Planning
Process
Organizati Business
on Mission Assessmen
t
Organizati Current Information
on Technology
Strategic Architecture
PlanIS Strategic Plan
New Information Technology
Architecture
IS Operational Plan
IS Development Projects
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IS Strategic Plan
Objectives
Align with the organization’s strategic
plan
Provide for an IT architecture that
enables users, applications, and
databases to be seamlessly networked
and integrated
Allocate IS development resources
efficiently among competing projects,
so the projects can be completed on
time, within budget, and have required
functionality
Issues - efficiency; effectiveness;
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IS Operational Plan
Mission - the mission of the IS function
IS environment - the summary of the information
needs of the functional areas and of the organization as a
whole
Objectives - the IS function’s current best estimate of
its goals
Constraints - technological, financial, and personnel
limitations on the IS function
Long-term systems need - a summary of the
processes needed by a company and the IS projects
selected to support them and reach organizational goals
Short-range plan - an inventory of current projects,
and a detailed plan of projects to be developed or
continued during the current year
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Information Systems Development
Terms
SDLC - the development method used by
most organizations today for large, complex
systems
Systems Analysts - IS professionals who
specialize in analyzing and designing
information systems
Programmers - IS professionals who modify
existing computer programs or write new
computer programs to satisfy user
requirements
Technical Specialists - experts in a certain
type of technology, such as databases or
telecommunications, who help create
information systems
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The Traditional SDLC
(1) Systems An eight-stage
Investigation
(2) Systems systems
Analysis development life
(3) Systems
Design cycle (SDLC)
(4)
Programming
(5) Testing
(6)
Implementation
(7) Operation
(8)
Maintenance
Go Back to a previous Stage or Stop
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Phases in SDLC
System Investigation
Feasibility study determines the probability of success
of proposed system’s development project. Includes
…
• Technical feasibility (will we be able to build the
system?)
• Economic feasibility (how much will it cost to build the
system and how much will it benefit us?)
• Behavioral feasibility (if we build the system, will it be
accepted and used?)
Systems Analysis
Examines the business problem(s) that the
organization plans to solve with information systems
Determines what the new system must do by
examining:
• Strengths and weaknesses of the existing system
• Functions that the new systems must have to solve the
business problem(s)
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Phases in SDLC (continued)
Systems Design
Describes how the system will fulfill the user
requirements
Develop both logical design and physical design
Output => technical design or system specification…
• system outputs, inputs, and user interfaces
• hardware, software, databases, telecommunications,
personnel, and procedures
• how these components are integrated
Programming
the translation of the design specifications into
computer code
structured programming techniques improve the
logical flow of the program by decomposing the
computer code into modules
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Phases in SDLC (continued)
Testing
Checks to see if the computer code will produce the
expected and desired results under certain conditions
Implementation
The process of converting from the old system to the
new system
Four major conversion strategies
• Parallel conversion: the old and new systems
operate simultaneously for a period of time
• Direct conversion: the old system is cut off and the
new systems is turned on at a certain point in time
• Pilot conversion: introduces the new system in one
part of the organization
• Phased conversion: introduces components of the
new system in stages
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SDLC Phases
Operation
the new system will operate for a
period of time, until it no longer meets
its objectives
Maintenance (simultaneous with
Operation)
debugging the programs
updating the system to accommodate
changes in business conditions
adding new functionality to the system
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Alternatives to the SDLC
Prototyping
Starts with only a general idea of user requirements,
and develops models of the system ‘until it’s right’
Advantages:
Speeds up the development approach
Gives the users the opportunity to clarify their
information requirements
Useful in the development of decision support
systems and executive information systems
Disadvantages:
Replaces the systematic analysis and design stages
of the SDLC - quality may be sacrificed
Can result in an excess of iterations
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Alternatives to the SDLC
Joint Application Design (JAD)
A group-based method for collecting user
requirements and creating staged designs
Advantages:
Saves time
Greater support for, and acceptance of new systems
Produces higher quality systems
Easier implementation
Lower training costs
Disadvantages:
Very difficult to get all users to JAD meetings
All the problems that may be caused by any group
process
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Alternatives to the SDLC
Rapid Application Development (RAD)
A method that can combine JAD, prototyping,
and integrated CASE tools, to rapidly produce
a high-quality system
Advantages:
Active involvement of users in the development
process
Speeds the development process
Reduces development costs
Can create applications that are easier to maintain and
modify
Disadvantages:
May result in systems with limited functionality and
adaptability for change
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Alternatives to the SDLC
Integrated Computer-Assisted Software
Engineering (ICASE) Tools
Automate many of the tasks in the SDLC
Advantages:
Produces systems with a longer effective operational
life
Speeds up the development process and result in
systems that are more flexible and adaptable to
changing business conditions
Results in excellent documentation
Disadvantages:
More expensive to build and maintain initial system
Requires more extensive and accurate definition of
user needs and requirements
Difficult to customize and may be difficult to use with
existing systems
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Alternatives to the SDLC
Object-Oriented Development
A fundamentally different view of computer systems
Advantages:
Reduces the complexity of systems development and
leads to systems that are easier and quicker to build
an maintain
Improves programmers’ productivity and quality
More flexible
Allows systems analysts to think as users do about the
system
Ideal for developing Web applications
Depicts the system in user terms, increasing
understanding of what the new system does and how
it meets its objectives
Disadvantages
Runs more slowly
Need
& Potterto retrain the programmers in OO methodology
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Development Outside the IS
Department
End User Development
Users perform ad hoc programming to solve
business problems
Factors that drive the trends toward
increased end-user computing and end-user
development
• More powerful, inexpensive desktop hardware
• Increasingly diverse software capabilities
• Increasingly computer literate population
• Backlog of IS projects
• Apparent cost savings
End-users (usually) don’t produce adequate
documentation or perform adequate testing
Security may be breached
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Development Outside the IS
Department
External Acquisition of Prewritten
Software
Factors to consider during make-or-buy
decision
• On-time
• On-budget
• Full functionality
• User acceptance
• Favorable costs-to-benefits ratio
• Low maintenance
• Scalability
• Integration with other systems
• Minimal negative cross-impacts
• Reusability
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Development Outside the IS
Department
Application Service Providers (ASPs)
Software obtained via subscription
Software resides on ASP’s systems
Software is accessed via Web or VPN
Subscriber does not have to host software on
existing computer systems
Updates and bug fixes are provided by the
ASP
ASP can provide help-desk support
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Development Outside the IS
Outsourcing Department
Using third parties to provide some or all
functions and services of the IT department
IT may not be a core competency of the firm;
better to hire outside specialists
Advantages:
Outsourcer can obtain hardware capabilities
less expensively due to economies of scale
Outsourcer can hire needed technical staff
Outsourcer specializes in providing computer
services
Ability to expense outsourcing fees provides
tax benefits
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Development Outside the IS
OutsourcingDepartment
(continued)
Disadvantages:
Economies of scale may be of limited value
Staffing depends on outsourcers needs, not
client’s
Lack of familiarity with business/industry
Contract problems
Internal cost reduction opportunities could
eliminate the advantage of outsourcers
Guidelines:
Write short-period contracts or have
flexibility since business needs are dynamic
Use of subcontractors should be controlled
Use selective outsourcing only for those
functions where it makes sense
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Building Internet & Intranet
Applications
Much future development will likely be Web
pages due to their simplicity and ease of
development
SDLC probably not followed due to simplified
Web development
A Strategy for Internet/Intranet Development
Identify the objectives for organizational Web site(s)
and pages
Include infrastructure requirements as well as
security and legal issues in plans
Obtain/assign necessary personnel and provide
oversight
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Identify and prioritize potential projects
© 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Building Internet & Intranet
Applications
JAVA - A Promising Tool
Important programming language for
putting extra features into Web pages
An object-oriented language designed
for implementation on networks
Includes numerous security features
to prevent downloaded programs from
damaging files or creating other
problems on the receiving computer
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Chapter Summary
IS Strategic and Operational Plans derive from
the organization’s strategic plan and current
IT architecture
The SDLC provides a basic framework for the
process of development information system
applications
There are several alternatives to the SDLC,
including prototyping and RAD
IS applications can also be obtained outside
the IS organization, including end user
development, package purchases, ASPs, and
outsourcing
Development for Internet/intranet applications
generally follows prototyping process
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