Comprehensive Summary of Information Systems Strategy and Development Methods Course by John Krogstie

1. Today: Course Summary John Krogstie, IDI

2. Summary of the entire course • Three major, interrelated parts: P & S book Last part last exercise H book IS strategy H book UML Dist Exercises Lecture notes IS Dev methods H book (ch 1-3) Notes about ERP Lecture notes Exercise 1 P&S book Available technology

3. IS Strategy – what should have been learnt? • The importance of IS stategy • Challenges of modern organizations • Competition, increased effeciency • Organizations must HAVE a strategy, and • Ensure that IS projects are in line with the strategy • Understanding basic strategy frameworks • The IS strategy triangle • Eras of information usage • 5 competitive forces, value chain (Porter)

4. IS Strategy (cont.) • How IT and the use of information has evolved • And how it is affecting the organization, e.g. • Flatter org. structures, network org., T-form org. • New org.types, e.g., virtual corporations, strategic alliances, co-opetition • Effect on management • How IT changes the nature of work • New types of jobs, new patterns of collaboration • Evaluation, compensation, rewarding, hiring • Telecommuting: advantages and disadvantages • Gaining acceptance for IT-induced change

5. IS Strategy, cont. • IT and changing business processes • Silo vs process perspective • TQM vs BPR • Enterprise systems and application packages vs process change • Funding of IT • Funding of IT Department • Valuing of IT Investments • Monitoring of IT Performance • Knowledge management • Why manage knowledge? • Knowledge as competitive advantage • And forces driving this development • Knowledge taxonomies • Knowledge management processes • Types of KM projects (and difference from IT projects)

6. IS Strategy and the exam • Should be able to • Explain basic concepts and frameworks • Write discussion essays • Similar to discussion questions after each chapter • Based on (shorter) case descriptions • Ability to relate concrete case to textbook concepts, trends, principles, frameworks • Write critical assessments of suggested answers to such questions

7. Available technology – what should be learnt? • Understanding different types of information systems and applications often found • Traditional IS applications • Types and purpose • Problems / challenges with these • Novel types of applications / packages • ERP, EAI, corporate portals • Data warehouses • Workflow, collaboration support software • B2B and B2C integration • More detailed insight: only ERP • E.g., functionality, architecture, configuration

8. Available technology and the exam • Should be able to • Explain / distinguish between different types of applications • Given a problem (case description), discuss what type(s) of application might fit • For ERP, • Explain the purpose of ERP • Explain the basic functionality and architecture of package solutions (e.g., SAP R/3) • Explain how development method and requirements analysis will be different for ERP vs traditional custom-development projects • Discuss pros and cons of ERP, typical pitfalls and issues to consider when buying or adapting • Given a case description, discuss whether ERP is a good solution or not

9. IS development methods – what should be learnt? • Modelling: • Languages: • Data Flow Diagrams • + connection to ER diagrams • Process descriptions (e.g., decision tables) • UML activity diagrams • Understand • Concepts and notation • When to use the languages, how to use them • Ability to make models • Ability to review models • Various review techniques • Syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic quality

10. IS dev., cont. • Requirements elicitation & specification • Various elicitation techniques • Interview, workshop: how to do them • Others: what they are • Which are good in which situations? • Different levels of requirements: • Goal level, domain level, product level, design level • Task & Support tables vs use cases • Which levels are appropriate for what project types? • Non-functional requirements • Importance and challenges of NF reqs • Taxonomies (different types of NF reqs) • Security requirements • Interoperability requirements

11. IS development and the exam, possible Q’s • Make models / requirements • From natural language case description • Translate from one representation to another • Evaluate a model or some textual requirements • Wrt syntactic / semantic / pragmatic quality • And guidelines for the particular format • Given a NL case description • Suggest use of reqs elicitation techniques • Given a project context • Or evaluate a given suggestion • Or evaluate an interview / workshop performance given transcript of a dialogue

12. What can this knowledge be used for? • Future work • The course covers basics for IS consultants • But need to learn more • On the job, or from future courses • Future courses • More about IS development methodology • TDT4250 Modelling of IS • TDT4290 Customer-driven project • TDT4235 Software quality and process improvement • More about available technology • TDT4245 Collaboration technology • TDT4215 Document management and text mining • TDT4210 Healthcare informatics • More about strategy • Ind-econ. courses?

13. The exam itself • 4 hours written, Friday 2 June • No multiple choice questions • Allowed to bring • Simple calculator (but no real need) • The Hawryszkiewycz book • Not allowed to bring • Any other books or papers • Precise reading list can be found on the course web page • Do you want a ”questions” meeting? (and when?)