LIS1510 Library and Archives Automation Issues System selection and installation

1. LIS1510Library and Archives Automation IssuesSystem selection and installation Andy Dawson School of Library, Archive & Information Studies, UCL(University of Malta 2008) Andy Dawson

2. What we will be looking at today • Rounding off from yesterday – lifecycle design, implementation and maintenance phases • Feasibility studies • Defining Operational Requirements • System selection • Identifying options • Initial review • Shortlisting • Reviewing systems in detail • Methods for comparison • Pitfalls to avoid

3. What we will be looking at today • Planning the installation phase • Physical installation considerations • People considerations • Data entry/conversion • Testing • Training and Documentation • Changeover • …and maybe some discussion at the end!

4. The design phase • After analysis comes design! • Likely to be outside our expertise • Construction of the proposed system • Logical design & Physical design • Transformation of the requirements specification

5. Implementation • In system terms: • Create the physical system • Code • In our terms, managing: • Physical installation • Changeover concerns • Training • Startup

6. Maintenance • “and that’s only the start...” • Importance of maintenance • Corrective • Perfective • Adaptive

7. “That’s all very well, but...” • We now understand the development lifecycle in theory… • …but what do we do in real life? • What steps do we take? • How do we put the theory into practice?

8. Establishing needs and objectives • Methods: • Questionnaires,Interviews,Observation • Important to identify VIEWS and OPINIONS as well as facts! • Get sufficient information. • Establish the real problems • Symptoms and causes • Be aware of real-world constraints

9. The feasibility study • Helps us decide where to focus our efforts • A study to ascertain the feasibility of a new system (!) • A study to justify the NEED for a new system and clarify potential SOLUTIONS • General terms of reference: DEFINITION. • Gives management a basis for decisions

10. Approaches • Formal vs informal • Objective vs subjective • Logical vs intuitive • Must include cost estimates • Links to analysis

11. Report to management • Short description of present system • Problems with present system • Possible solutions • Outline costs of solutions • Likely benefits • Work required to identify solution • Implementation information • Implications

12. The Operational Requirement • The next stage! • Builds on the FS • FULL systems specification for the selected option • Major basis for selection

13. The Operational Requirement • “The statement issued to the supplier giving details of a project against which they are invited to submit proposals. It is an important document which must enable the supplier to determine whether or not he should invest effort in competing for business”. (CCTA) • Of use to the supplier as well as to you! • A statement of your NEEDS

14. What’s in it? • A description of FUNCTIONS • WHAT is to be done • Levels of need • Must-haves • Should-haves • Nice-to-haves

15. What functions? • Technical requirements • Other factors: • links to existing systems • data conversion • timetables • cost limits

16. System selection - Basic principles • Gain a full understanding of the REAL NEEDS OF THE USERS OF THE SYSTEM • Don’t be technology led - do you need automation to meet this need? • Specify your requirements formally • Only then go to selection

17. The basic steps • Specify requirements • Gather information on possibles • Shortlist • Select

18. Specifying requirements • Feasibility study identifies direction • Analysis and models help to understand system and needs • Focus on WHAT not HOW • Operational Requirement specifies parameters

19. Identifying suppliers • Limited market? • Bespoke/DIY? • Key players fairly obvious • Directories • Shows

20. Initial invitations • Don’t prejudge • Gathering information on possibles • Literature • Word of mouth • Websites • The Invitation to Tender

21. Shortlisting • Use of the OR • Approaches • Formal vs informal • Objective vs subjective • Logical vs intuitive • Must include cost estimates

22. Detailed System evaluation • Using the OR (again) • Importance of accurate specification • Subjective vs Objective • Qualitative vs Quantitative • Multiplicity of view • Yours • Others

23. Criteria for evaluation • Functionality • Performance • Hardware requirements • Integration & modularity • Customisation • Multi-use & networking • Support & upgrading • Price

24. Evaluation at a supplier demonstration • Be a sceptic • Have a checklist • Salespeople will be salespeople • Competence and willingness? • See what you want • See, don’t hear • Interrupt handling

25. Evaluation at a supplier demonstration • Operational conditions? • Functional blindness • Interface and integration • Configurability/parameterisation • Origins

26. Onsite visits & demonstrations • Supplier selection and representation • Double up! • Match your needs if possible • The embarrassment factor • Who’s at fault? • Follow the workflow • Keep an open mind • Use the user groups

27. Final selection • The OR again • Feelings and “facts” • Paralysis by analysis

28. Coffee break!

29. Importance of planning the installation phase • As ever - planning brings • control • efficiency • helps us get it right first time • Preparation practicalities • Preventing errors • Isolating problems

30. What does Installation cover? • For us vs for systems people • H/W & S/W vs S/W only • Preparation issues • Physical area • Cabling • Testing • Delivery • Security

31. Change management • People are part of our systems! • Resistance to change • Damage done by resistance • short term • long term • The S-curve view

32. Change management • Importance of communication & people skills • Need to: • Manage the process • Raise awareness of benefits • Prepare expectations • Support • Bring people on board • Engender commitment and ownership

33. Never forget at the end of the day: • People make the system work! • Consider and manage expectations of • Staff • Users • Don’t expect people to change overnight

34. Data loading/conversion • A major consideration! • cost • time • Problems • Accuracy • Retro conversion • Archival data/systems • Criticality of current data

35. Data loading/conversion • Conversion vs loading • Use of Bureaux • Split systems and cutoffs

36. Commissioning and Testing • Importance of testing • Difficulties of testing • Levels of testing • Unit testing • Integration testing • System testing • performance/volume testing • Acceptance testing

37. Commissioning • Takes place after installation • Checks for discrepancies between accepted and delivered system • More testing! • “Live” commissioning • benefits • drawbacks

38. Fixing the bugs • Bugs vs design failures • Replication • Importance of documentation • Prioritisation of fixes

39. User training • Importance of training • Need for clear definition • Need for reasonable timescale • Who should train? • When? • Training and learning • Support for learning

40. Documentation • Importance of good documentation • Problems with documentation • Development • Accuracy • Useability • Reference vs training documentation • Generic vs local documentation • Online and hardcopy

41. Changeover • Direct changeover • High-risk, high-return option • “clean break” • Need for contingency • Parallel running • Expensive • Benefits: • validation • security

42. Changeover • Phased installation • Functional • Geographic • Beneficial compromise? • Core systems earlier • Easier learning curve • Spreads cost • But not always possible!

43. That’s it for today… • Tomorrow: • Systems Management • Digitisation and Optical systems • Any questions? • Anything anyone wants to discuss?