Information Systems - is an essential part of industrial engineering and is essential for you, who will be pursuing a career in engineering after graduation.
The purpose of this Module is to equip students with knowledge of what an analyst does and how emerging information systems fit into organisations.
It will help the student use his engineering knowledge and skills to design an information system in a systematic and structured manner. It emphasizes the use of systematic and structured methodologies during each step of the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC).
During the course of this module students will discover the details of the analysis process including the analysis of data flows and making structured and semi-structured decisions.
Students will become familiar with the designing and implementation of accurate data entry procedures, and well-structured input forms and screens.
To design an information system requires a searching and inquisitive mind but most of all it requires integrity and objectivity.
Assignment 1
Question 1
Appraise the roles of a systems analyst.
Defend the personal qualities that are helpful to the systems analyst?
Argue the seven phases of the systems development life cycle (SDLC).
Evaluate the use of CASE tools?
Question 2
Neil is a decision maker for Pepe's Atlantic Sausage Company. Because there are several suppliers of ingredients and their prices fluctuate, he has come up with several different formulations for the various sausages that he makes, depending on the availability of particular ingredients from particular suppliers. He then orders ingredients accordingly twice a week. Even though he cannot predict when ingredients will become available at a particular price, his ordering of supplies can be considered routine.
a) On what level of management is Neil working? Explain in a paragraph.
b) What attributes of his job would have to change before you would categorize him as working on a different level of management? Argue them.
Alice in the human resources department at the Cho Manufacturing plant is constantly being asked by employees how much is taken out of their paycheques for insurance, taxes, medical, mandatory retirement, and voluntary retirement. "It takes up to a few hours every day," says Alice.
She would like a Web system that would allow employees to use a secure logon to view the information. Alice wants the system to interface with health and dental insurance companies to obtain the amount remaining in the employee's account for the year. She would also like to obtain retirement amounts saved along with investment results. Alice has a high regard for privacy and wants the system to have employees register and give permission to obtain financial amounts from the dental insurance and retirement companies.
a. Write up a use case scenario representing the activities of the employee benefit system.(Look at the example in your textbook).
Question 3
SoftWear Silhouettes is a rapidly growing mail-order house specializing in all-cotton clothing. Management would like to expand sales to the Web with the creation of an ecommerce site. The company has two full-time system analysts and one programmer. Company offices are located in a small, isolated New England town, and the employees who handle the traditional mail-order business have little computer training.
Considering the company's situation, draw up a list of software attributes that SoftWear Silhouettes should emphasize in its choice of software to create a website and integrate the mail-order business with business from the website.
Would you recommend COTS software, custom software, or outsourcing to a SaaS? State your choice and defend it in a paragraph.
Argue the variables that contributed to your response in 3.2.
Appraise the five criteria for systems project selection.
Question 4
The following is the first interview report filed by one of your systems analysis team members: "In my opinion, the interview went very well. The subject allowed me to talk with him for an hour and a half. He told me the whole history of the business, which was very interesting. The subject also mentioned that things have not changed all that much since he has been with the firm, which is about 16 years. We are meeting again soon to finish the interview, because we did not have time to go into the questions I prepared."
a. In two paragraphs, critique the interview report. What critical information is missing?
b. What information is extraneous to the interview report?
c. If what is reported actually occurred, what three suggestions do you have to help your teammate conduct a better interview next time?
"Here's the main policy manual we've put together over the years for system users," says Al Bookbinder, as he blows the dust off the manual and hands it to you. Al is a document keeper for the systems department of Prechter and Gumbel, a large manufacturer of health and beauty aids. "Everything any user of any part of the system needs to know is in what I call the Blue Book. I mean it's chock-a-block with policies. It's so big, I'm the only one with a complete copy. It costs too much to reproduce it." You thank Al and take the manual with you. When you read through it, you are astonished at what it contains. Most pages begin with a message such as: "This page supersedes page 23.1 in manual Vol. II. Discard previous inserts; do not use."
a. List your observations about the frequency of use of the Blue Book.
b. How user friendly are the updates in the manual? Write a sentence explaining your answer.
c. Write a paragraph commenting on the wisdom of having all-important policies for all systems users in one book.
d. Suggest a solution that incorporates the use of online policy manuals for some users.
ASSIGNMENT TWO
Question 1
C. N. Itall has been a systems analyst for Tun-L-Vision Corporation for many years. When he came on board as part of the systems analysis team and suggested prototyping as part of the SDLC for a current project, C. N. said, "Sure, but you can't pay any attention to what users say. They have no idea what they want. I'll prototype, but I'm not ‘observing' any users."
As tactfully as possible, so as not to upset C. N. Itall, make a list of the reasons that support the importance of observing user reactions, suggestions, and innovations in the prototyping process.
In a paragraph, describe what might happen if part of a system is prototyped and no user feedback about it is incorporated into the successive system.
Question 2
Argue the eight specific categories that each entry in the data dictionary should contain. Briefly give the definition of each category. (8)
Discuss are the two building blocks of structured English?
Argue five conventions that should be followed when using structured English.
Appraise what the concept of structural things includes.
Question 3
"I don't need to see it very often, but when I do, I have to be able to get at it quickly. I think we lost the last contract because the information I needed was buried in a stack of paper on someone's desk somewhere," says Luke Alover, an architect describing the company's problems to one of the analysts assigned to the new systems project. "What I need is instant information about how much a building of that square footage cost the last time we bid it; what the basic materials such as steel, glass, and concrete now cost from our three top suppliers; who our likely competition on this type of building might be; and who comprises the committee that will be making the final decision on who gets the bid. Right now, though, it's in a hundred reports somewhere. I have to look all over for it."
Given the limited details you have here, write a paragraph to suggest an output method for Luke's use that will solve some of his current problems. In a second paragraph, explain your reasons for choosing the output method you did. (Hint: be sure to relate output method to output content in your answer.)
Luke's current thinking is that no paper record of the output discussed needs to be kept. In a paragraph, discuss what factors should be weighed before displayed output is used to the exclusion of printed reports.
Make a list of five to seven questions concerning the output's function in the organization that you would ask Luke and others before deciding to do away with any printed reports currently being used.
3.4. Argue the factors that the analyst must consider when choosing an output technology.
Question 4
Speedy Spuds is a fast-food restaurant offering all kinds of potatoes. The manager has a 30-second rule for serving customers. Servers at the counter say they could achieve that rule if the form they must fill out and give to the kitchen crew were simplified. The information from the completed form is keyed into the computer system at the end of the day, when the data entry person needs to enter the kind of potato purchased, additional toppings purchased, the quantity, and the price charged. The current form is difficult for servers to scan and fill out quickly.
Design and draw a form (you choose the size, but be sensible) that lists possible potatoes and toppings in a manner that is easy for counter servers and kitchen crew to scan, and can also be used as input for the inventory/reorder system that is on the extranet connecting Speedy Spuds and Idaho potato growers. (Hint: remember to observe all the guidelines for good form design.)
Design and draw a representation of a display screen that can be used by the servers and clerks to fill in the information captured on the form.
Given the following file of renters
|
Record
Number
|
Last Name
|
Apartment
Number
|
Rent
|
Lease
Expires
|
|
41
|
Warkentin
|
02
|
550
|
4/30
|
|
42
|
Buffington
|
204
|
600
|
4/30
|
|
43
|
Schuldt
|
103
|
550
|
4/30
|
|
44
|
Tang
|
209
|
600
|
5/31
|
|
45
|
Cho
|
203
|
550
|
5/31
|
|
46
|
Yoo
|
203
|
550
|
6/30
|
|
47
|
Pyle
|
101
|
500
|
6/30
|
1. Show an example of projection.
2. Show an example of selection.
3. Show two different examples of sorting rows.
4. Show an example of calculating totals.