Summary Conclusions Information System Development Projects example essay topic

Introduction & Overview of the Company Marks and Spencers is a large UK based retailer with 683 branches in 2 continents. Following the deregulation of the UK financial sector in the mid eighties the company decided to use its experience, capital, and brand power to branch into the lucrative financial services industry offering personal loans, life insurance & pensions, and savings & investments services such as Unit Trusts and ISAs through the company Marks and Spencers Financial Services. Financial Services is now one of the fastest expanding areas of Marks & Spencers, MSFS employs more than 1,400 staff at its purpose built headquarters in Chester, and has dedicated financial services areas in 70 M&S stores across the country. The Information Systems department has 50 employees who come from analysis, design, & programming backgrounds, much of which has been gained with Marks & Spencers plc. The majority of these employees are based in the Chester head office, and systems are developed 'in-house'. IS projects under development include the introduction of Individual Savings Accounts, with other likely future projects including telephone banking, credit cards, and auto / property insurance.

The fact that MSFS has entered the Financial Services Sector comparatively recently and with a established IS knowledge base from the parent company has meant that existing information systems have been well developed in terms of technology and are compliant with the latest industry regulations. Therefore there is little or no need for redevelopment of existing systems in the short to medium term, and the ISD focus is almost exclusively on new market areas requiring Information Systems that can be started from scratch. The main exceptions to this are the possibility of introducing data warehousing to tap the potential of both MSFS' and the parent company's client database to better target MSFS customers, and the need to adapt existing systems for the introduction of the Euro, projects which will involve redesign of existing data stores and software. The company has grown very quickly, and IS projects have consequently grown considerably as can be seen by the size of the IT department. While there are still small to medium sized projects, some that are currently being considered will be on quite a large scale with several senior analysts working on each project. These projects are anticipated to require an IT department expansion of 50% over the next two years.

Although MSFS' IS projects share certain common characteristics in terms of their requirements, such as the need for a common ISD structure across projects, they vary considerably in size and strategic importance, with future developments looking likely expand those differences. Overview and Evaluation of the Methods Framework for Method Evaluation To relate the methods evaluated to ISD Marks & Spencers Financial Services' needs, the following framework for assessing strengths and weaknesses of the ISD methods outlined below has been adopted: ? Scope How much of the project life cycle the methods cover (see fig. 1).? Structure The 'Structuredness' of the methods? CASE Support for the Method The quality and breadth of software support for the methods 3 Possible Methods for Information Systems Development? Information Engineering Information Engineering is a extensive, holistic methodology that concerns itself with the overall corporate objectives of information systems placing emphasis on the fact that information systems should be designed to help meet the requirements of the corporate plan.

It does not look solely at individual ISD projects in the organisation as SSADM and SSM do, rather it considers the strategic position of information and information systems in the organisation before considering what the IT requirements are and how such systems should be implemented. Due to the cost and time involved in incorporating it as an ISD methodology, IE is usually adopted in large organisations (over 5000 employees) with IS departments of 100 or more. IE highlights the importance of users in the development life cycle by encouraging Rapid Application Development (RAD, the use of software to prototype graphical user interfaces to clarify what the system will look like to users, receive their input, and provide visible evidence of the progress of the project), and by relying heavily on diagramming techniques to encourage user involvement. It also uses structured and user workshops to confirm understanding and ensure quality.

A big part of the cost of adopting IE is often justified by the eventual payback it provides in terms of automatic generation of programme code, database structures, and screen definitions through CASE software which has been developed along side IE from its conception and offer a full compliment of tools. This can be quite beneficial, however it requires a rigid adherence to the methodology which is only practical on large scale projects.? SSADM (Structured Systems Analysis and Design Methodology) Structured Systems Analysis and Design Method (SSADM) is an analysis and design method originally developed by Learmonth & Burch ett Management Systems in 1981 for the government's Central Computing & Telecommunications Agency (CCTA) to facilitate correct definition and monitoring of information systems. It provides a complete framework for capturing and analyzing requirements and specifying a system design.

SSADM has traditionally been implemented to introduce a disciplined 'engineering' approach companies believe will eventually improve the quality of the systems they produce as it is an ideal methodology for meeting the need to create well documented, analysed, and structured systems. That intensity of engineering like discipline can mean high implementation costs and lengthy development periods that often do cost companies business advantages such as competitiveness and the ability to respond quickly to the market. However, due to changes in versions 4.2 & 4.3 of the methodology, made to reflect the importance of user interaction in systems development, SSADM is now a more flexible and adaptable method, in that its features can be selected and used individually or together according to the problem situation. It includes a set of product specifications and associated procedures for undertaking the development of IT systems to support business needs, a step away from its public sector routes. The method also includes a series of supporting guidelines for customizing the method to reflect different development environments. It is strictly a information system development methodology, having no project management capabilities, but it makes allowances for incorporation into project management environments, the most direct link being with PRINCE (PRojects IN Controlled Environments, also developed by the CCTA).

A negative aspect of SSADM is that although its structure and thoroughness provide in depth management information, information management, documentation, and control of the project as it develops, they can also have a negative effect on ISD. In such an rigid development environment users can lose sight of the reason for its use in favour of following the method blindly in the belief that it will create the system required without focusing on the objectives behind employing it in the first place. CASE support for SSADM is quite extensive, ranging from diagramming and documentation support to software that creates a central data repository for the project which allows diagrams to be checked for consistency and can produce other database operations automatically upon design completion. This automation is one of the key advantages of CASE in SSADM as it can significantly reduce cost, especially maintenance, and improve software quality. In addition, it helps to speed up the development process (thereby increasing employee productivity), and make the structured techniques pr acti cal. Soft Systems / Multiview SSADM Information Engineering Business Strategy Planning Information Strategy Planning Feasibility Study System Analysis & Design Coding and Testing System Integration Implementation Figure 1?

SSM (Soft Systems / Multiview) In contrast to Information Engineering and SSADM, Soft Systems is an abstract, conceptual ISD philosophy that concentrates on the human aspects of a problem area and concerns itself less with taking a structured approach to systems analysis & design and defining a computerized solution to the problem. In projects in which objectives are unclear, a Soft Systems approach tries to model all the aspects of a problem situation including issues, problems, and conflicts. As opposed to SSADM and IE, it does not accept that there is a single 'truth's tate (i.e. there is only one correct definition of a system), instead focusing on 'interpreting's systems, thus accepting the possibility of many correct 'interpretations', or realities, of a system. In itself Soft Systems does not attempt to solve concrete IS demands, and has little use in structured IT environments, being more useful in gaining a general understanding of problem areas in an organisation. To enable the Soft Systems philosophy to be implemented in a 'real world' environment, the Multiview ISD methodology was developed to provide a structure for creating solutions that involve Information Technology by applying SS philosophy to 5 more traditional development stages - human activity analysis, information analysis, socio-technical analysis & design, interface design, and technical design - however it remains less structurally thorough as other methodologies, which has limited its application to small to medium size projects Due to its unstructured nature, CASE support for SSM is less developed, as the method does not lend itself to the kind of diagramming, and documenting that CASE provides. Recommendations and Justifications Recommendations and justifications have been based on the following criteria: ?

Relevance of Method to MSFS Information Systems Development needs? The methods's structure in relation to the Structure of IS projects in MSFS? MSFS' ISD Software (CASE) Tools Requirements To recommend a method, a clear distinction needs to be made between IS project management and Information Systems Development in MSFS. The company has a very effective project management team skilled in using PM methods that have proved themselves both in Marks & Spencers plc and MSFS, accurately ensuring that strategic objectives are kept in sight during ISD projects. IS complexity in the organisation is increasing considerably, and ISD methods adopted will need to be comprehensive in nature to cope with it, but incorporating a methodology such as IE that considers strategic business interests and every aspect of IS projects from conception to completion including time and resource management would be both unnecessarily expensive, and counterproductive as it could interfere with existing project management methods. However, as ISD become more complex, the less structured tools and techniques currently used to develop systems will increasingly fail to cope.

To meet the need to break these projects down into plausible and coherent steps, a more rigorous, comprehensive method will have to be used. SSADM is suitable in this capacity, and would fit in well MSFS needs for the following reasons: SSADM clearly divides ISD into clearly defined, well structured stages that can be used by project managers to set milestones and to efficiently allocate resources and divide labour more cost effectively by banding tasks into skills areas (i.e. analysis, design, coding, and testing), all of which have different remuneration rates in the company. It also provides a 'common language' for ISD project teams, which will free projects from dependency on its original team members and make them accessible to all. As Marks & Spencers Financial Services expands its client base to include more governmental and public sector organisations, consideration needs to be given to the recognition given to any method adopted. MSFS already has links to organisations of this type, such as the Metropolitan Police, that have either already set or are in the process of setting guidelines on what requirements suppliers must meet. These guidelines influence the eventual choice of method considerably.

In addition, the parent company has a tradition for quality that will need to be reflected by the method adopted by MSFS, both reasons to introduce a government standard method. In addition, an increasing number of organisations of the type with which M&S deals regularly are requiring ISO certification of the companies that they do business with. SSADM would provide MSFS with a firm framework for achieving ISO recognition. The importance of this kind of recognition in today's business environment can be seen reflected in the comparatively large number of financial organisations that are adopting more formal approaches to Information Systems Development, the majority of whom cite ISO compliance as on of the reasons for adopting a formal methodology.

After software houses, financial organisations are the second largest adopters of formal methodologies in the UK, of which SSADM is the most used To fully realise SSADM's potential in the organisation, it will need CASE and prototyping software support. SSADM Version 4.3 encourages an interactive, workstation environment that would be enhanced by the use of CASE tools as MSFS ISD projects are generally 'green field', (i.e. not based upon intensive, IT based, restructuring of legacy systems which are carried out by the IT department with little external input). Developing these new systems will involve a lot of input from non IT professionals, such as Financial Services Department experts in the target business areas and the Legal Department, who will need a framework that they can use to define their requirements. Also, because of the pace at which the company and the financial services sector as a whole moves, Information Systems need to be developed implemented 'right first time' in a very short period of time, another argument for CASE. Both of these facts argue the case for CASE software use (such as Select SSADM Professional) and the use of software such as Visual Basic to prototype end-user systems, both products are compatible with existing hardware platforms in MSFS, relatively cheap, easy to use and greatly improve communication between end-users, analysts & developers, and senior management.

Summary / Conclusions Information System Development Projects will need a common framework and principles, and SSADM can provide them, but the specific methods, techniques, investigation, documentation, & analyses, and their structure and formality, must be tailored to the business situation and culture. MSFS is a dynamic competitor in the sector, and while we do have a reputation for quality, becoming bogged down in the implementation of a methodology for its own sake would only have a detrimental effect on business. MSFS' most important IS resource is its experienced project managers, IS managers, analysts and developers. IS projects will vary, and it is their ability to recognise the needs of each, a process which requires the experience, understanding, flexibility and creativity that they bring, that will ultimately, given the right tools, ensure successful information systems development.

Any methodology adopted to be used within MSFS' PM environment needs to ensure that organisational goals remain the objective of implementing information systems. It is with that in mind that any decision for methodology adoption should be taken. Isolated tactical incorporation of ISD methods for IT and planning will no longer meet our organisational needs, but within the framework we already use for projects, SSADM's functionality will meet MSFS' future ISD challenges..