Intro 353

INTRODUCTION TO ITM353
KEY IDEAS
Many failed systems were abandoned because
analysts tried to build wonderful systems without
understanding the organization and
stakeholders.
The primarily goal of IS is to create value for the
organization.
Software Analysis and Design jobs are among the
best MIS jobs!
Software investment must be considered like any
investment enablement of benefit must be
significantly greater than cost over the lifetime
KEY IDEAS
The systems analyst is a key person analyzing
the business, identifying opportunities for
improvement, and designing information systems
to implement these ideas.
It is important to understand and develop
through practice the skills needed to successfully
acquire, design and perhaps implement new
information systems.
SOME (DEPRESSING) EXAMPLES
Project
First/Last cost
estimate ($M)
First/Last schedule
estimate (Months)
Status at
completion
PROMS
(royalty collection)
12/21+
22/46
Canceled, month 28
London Ambulance
1.5/6+
7/17+
Canceled, month 17
London Stock
Exchange
60-75/150
19/70
Canceled, month 36
Confirm
(travel reservations)
56/160+
45/60+
Canceled, month 48
FAA Advanced
Automation System
3700/7000+
48/96
Canceled, month 70
9/48+
Canceled, month 48
Master Net (Banking) 22/80+
SAD ANECDOTES
80% of the effort is in the last 20% of the implementation

adding people to a late project makes it more late
Requirements always change
Customers/Users never know what they want
70% of successfully acquired systems are never used or not
used to the extent expected
20% of the planned schedule is allocated for testing yet
50% is actually used
Cost, schedule, quality: pick any two
DILBERT WILL BE OUR GUIDE
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Understanding of challenges of IS acquisition, creation,

and management
Acquire working understanding of MIS concepts and
vocabulary
Learn effective means of creating, acquiring, and tailoring
IS
modeling, analysis, design, testing and maintenance
Become knowledgeable in current MIS practices, skills, and

tools
Gain hands-on experience with the acquisition of IS (your
course project)
Your Goal is to become educated, thoughtful, and

effective in MIS system analysis and design
Course Methodology
Group
Projects
Pre-class
work
Individual
quiz
Group
quiz
Class
Discussion
Q&A
In-class
Exercises
Homework
PRE-CLASS WORK
You will frequently be asked to do work outside of class
No more than is expected for any 3 unit course (about 9 hours/week)

Usually work is to prepare you for team-based learning in class
There will be challenge topics which are addressed by review

questions
These prepare you for the individual quiz, group quiz, and in-class
exercises
You know you are prepared for class when you can answer the
challenge questions with confidence
There are multiple ways to address the challenge questions:
Read the relevant sections in the textbook

Review the presentation slides (posted on the class website)
Guess (maybe you already know the answers!)
Use whichever combination works best for you!
I will not cover all topic details and challenge questions in class
There will be very few traditional lectures in this course. I find them
boring and ineffective for ITM353.
There is too much detail and everyone is coming from different
perspectives, knowledge, and experience base.
INDIVIDUAL QUIZZES
Many classes will begin with an individual or group quiz.

Based on the chapters and review questions assigned
Used to ensure you are prepared for class
If you can address the review questions with confidence, you will do
very well on the quiz
Take these seriously! Class alone will not prepare you for the
quizzes.
Quizzes will be submitted in class and not returned
There will be no make-ups.
If you miss a quiz due to an excused absence (documented

illness only), your grade will be calculated without this quiz.
For unexcused absence, 0 for that quiz.
GROUP QUIZZES
Many classes will have a group quiz
These will typically cover the same questions as the

individual quiz.
Group will collectively decide on answers. Each group
member receives the same total score.
You will be assigned to a group randomly.
Group quizzes will be graded in class then submitted.
WHY ARE WE BEING TESTED BEFORE

MATERIAL IS DISCUSSED IN CLASS?
Traditional slide-and-doze lectures are ineffective with

ITM353 material
We are using the team-based learning approach to
education
Each student is responsible for coming prepared for class and

participating in group exercises
You are developing conceptual and interaction skills that are
critical for your future success
The class materials (e.g. textbook) are high quality
Thorough coverage of key issues; minimum of fluff

Covering what is already in the textbook is a waste of our
valuable time together
This approach helps you develop good self-study skills that

are essential in a highly competitive business environment
You will not get many lectures in your jobs, but you will be
expected to learn many things on your own.
IN-CLASS EXERCISES
Usually we will have one or more in-class exercises
May be individual or group

You may be asked to bring your laptops for some exercises, and
you will need them for the individual quizzes
The exercise(s) will always be based on the material for the
challenge questions from the previous class
Exercises give you an opportunity to apply or experience

something
I am here to help you. Exercises are NOT exams.

Usually we will aim to complete exercises in class, but they
may be assigned to be completed outside of class or in the next
class.
Missed in-class exercises cannot be made-up.
Excused absences will result in an adjusted grade calculation,

0 otherwise.
HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS
We will be unable to do more than introduce

many of the methods and concepts while in class.
To
get more in-depth experience with these, there will

be several assignments to be worked on outside of
class.
These may be individual or group depending on

the assignment.
All of your in-class and homework assignments
will contribute to the group project.
IN-CLASS PRESENTATIONS
Each student must make an in-class research
presentation on a topic that will be assigned to
you.
The purpose of this is twofold:
2.
to give you the opportunity to do some in-depth

research on a systems analysis and design topic
to educate the rest of the class on this topic.
Think about the costs and benefits of the technique.
1.
You should treat this task as if you were asked by

your manager to investigate a topic and make a
recommendation on whether that technique
should be adopted as a standard practice in your
workplace.
So think critically!
GROUP PROJECT
You will be assigned to a team to analyze, design,
and implement a complex information system.
You will be expected to directly apply the concepts
from the class to this project.
This is the most important feature of this class.
Example:
http://thecookieladyhawaii.com/
I will assign you to teams by next week. You will

need to start thinking about a topic immediately.
I can provide some if you are stuck
MY JOB
You may be surprised to know that my job is not to

teach you facts and skills. This is an upper level
course, it is NOT a training course.
I am here to challenge you and help guide you

though these challenges
You are here to learn some different ways of thinking

about systems analysis and design, and project
management
Its up to you to learn and make it fun, interesting, and

worthwhile
This class will be MIND NUMBINGLY BORING if

you are passive and expect to be taught the
material. Its up to you to:
Ask questions
Bring in your own experience and thoughts
Criticize the material, the textbook, me, etc
Always ask yourself how might this apply?
Be adventurous; be willing to be wrong
TOPIC 0: WHAT IS SAD?
Systems (software):
Analysis
Collection of interrelated processes or applications that

address a particular need(s)
Literally to pull apart and examine but for us it means
to clearly understand what a systems purpose and the
quality(s) to which it is expected to do it
Design
The specification of how a system will do what is

intended and choices made for this
The key to success is to understand and manage different stakeholder needs
DISCUSSION: WHAT IS MIS?

What do MIS people do?
What kind of positions available?
Skills?
Principles and practices?
EXAMPLE MIS SAD JOBS

Business Analyst
Systems Analyst
Infrastructure Analyst
Change Management Analyst
Project Manager
Software Developer
System Architect
Maintenance Manager
Quality Assurance Specialist
SKILLS EXAMPLES
Technical communication
Documenting
Testing and debugging
Modeling
Programming
Team management
Managerial / organizational
Business case analysis
Decision analysis
Process management
Interface design
Graphic design
Interview / survey design
TOOLS/TECHNIQUES EXAMPLES
MS Visio
.NET
SQL
Excel
MS Project
UML
CMS (Content Management Systems)
Prototyping tools
TOPIC 0: WHAT SAD TOPICS ARE

PRIORITY?
We only have one semester to study SAD!
Too many topics, so must prioritize and focus on

the key areas.
Q: How shall we determine what to focus on?

A: We will interview MIS professionals to help
us determine priorities, needed skills, and
important tools/techniques
ASSIGNMENT #1: SAD AND MIS
Your task is to interview an MIS professional

about SAD topics. What should a successful MIS
person know?
http://itm-vm.shidler.hawaii.edu/itm353/asst1.htm
The secret code is:

ITM*353
Your reports will be aggregated in class to develop

a consensus on which class topics we will focus on
this semester!
I have provided a list of SAD topics, an example
report, and a briefing for interviewees
** NOT MUCH TIME TO COMPLETE THIS **
PROTOCOL
Select an MIS professional to work with (first

come first choice!)
The person must be cleared by me in advance
Contact the professional by email or phone to
establish a real-time mode of communication (phone,

in-person, web-conference, etc.) NO EMAIL-ONLY
Set up an interview time
If you have trouble making contact, see me
immediately
Perform the interview using the guidelines

provided
Thank the professional for their time
Have your professional send me the report from

their email account
NEXT FEW CLASSES:

INTRODUCTION TO THE SDLC
Preparation
Read
for next class
Chapter 1 in the book for next week
Yes, read it! You will have a quiz on it.

Essential pages are listed in the schedule
Do the review questions indicated (the quiz will
be based on these)
Note:
You will need a laptop for many

classes; be prepared to bring one. I will
try to warn you in advance when
laptops will be needed.

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INTRODUCTION TO ITM353

SOME (DEPRESSING) EXAMPLES

Master Net (Banking) 22/80+

80% of the effort is in the last 20% of the implementation

DILBERT WILL BE OUR GUIDE

Understanding of challenges of IS acquisition, creation,

modeling, analysis, design, testing and maintenance

Become knowledgeable in current MIS practices, skills, and

Your Goal is to become educated, thoughtful, and

You will frequently be asked to do work outside of class

No more than is expected for any 3 unit course (about 9 hours/week)

There will be challenge topics which are addressed by review

Read the relevant sections in the textbook

Use whichever combination works best for you!

Many classes will begin with an individual or group quiz.

There will be no make-ups.

If you miss a quiz due to an excused absence (documented

Many classes will have a group quiz

These will typically cover the same questions as the

WHY ARE WE BEING TESTED BEFORE

Traditional slide-and-doze lectures are ineffective with

Each student is responsible for coming prepared for class and

The class materials (e.g. textbook) are high quality

Thorough coverage of key issues; minimum of fluff

This approach helps you develop good self-study skills that

Usually we will have one or more in-class exercises

May be individual or group

Exercises give you an opportunity to apply or experience

I am here to help you. Exercises are NOT exams.

Missed in-class exercises cannot be made-up.

Excused absences will result in an adjusted grade calculation,

We will be unable to do more than introduce

get more in-depth experience with these, there will

These may be individual or group depending on

to give you the opportunity to do some in-depth

Think about the costs and benefits of the technique.

You should treat this task as if you were asked by

I will assign you to teams by next week. You will

You may be surprised to know that my job is not to

I am here to challenge you and help guide you

You are here to learn some different ways of thinking

Its up to you to learn and make it fun, interesting, and

This class will be MIND NUMBINGLY BORING if

TOPIC 0: WHAT IS SAD?

Collection of interrelated processes or applications that

The specification of how a system will do what is

The key to success is to understand and manage different stakeholder needs

DISCUSSION: WHAT IS MIS?

EXAMPLE MIS SAD JOBS

TOPIC 0: WHAT SAD TOPICS ARE

We only have one semester to study SAD!

Too many topics, so must prioritize and focus on

Q: How shall we determine what to focus on?

ASSIGNMENT #1: SAD AND MIS

Your task is to interview an MIS professional

The secret code is:

Your reports will be aggregated in class to develop

Select an MIS professional to work with (first