INFO415 Term Project Deliverable 1

1. INFO415 Term ProjectDeliverable 1

2. Term Project • ‘Real-life’ systems analysis situation • By far, the most important aspect of this course • Answer the WHY and WHAT questions • In INFO425 answer the HOW question • Four deliverables: • Project scope document (10%) • Requirements definition document (15%) • Requirements modeling document (15%) • Project Presentation (5%)

3. Term Project – Deliverable 1 Overview • This presentation outlines: • Term project deliverable 1, due October 18 by 5PM. • Process for getting started and for gathering input for the deliverable • Please note: • The information you need to complete this deliverable will be covered in the next 2 weeks.

4. Scoping Document Overview • The scoping document is used to: • Describe WHY we are doing the project • Places boundaries (scope) around what the proposed solution will do AND what the project team will do for the client. • Assesses the FEASIBILITY of doing the project • Deliverable: • Organizational Background • Business Problem • System Capabilities • Feasibility assessment • We are assuming a predictive (rather than adaptive) approach for the project….gather all requirements up front.

5. Deliverable • Scoping Document • A Word document • 11 point Arial font • Double spaced – 1.25 inch margin top and bottom. 1 inch left and right. • Appendix: • Meeting Agenda(s) • Meeting Notes

6. Good Document Layout • Cover page • TOC page • Introduction to document (tell them what you are going to tell them) • Section headings/subheadings • Introduction should start on page 1!

7. Grading • Document structure and grammar (20%) • Cover page • Section headings • Is there an introduction to the document AND an introduction to each section of the document? • Is there: active tense, good sentence structure, grammar and punctuation, clarity and lack of repetition? • Content (80%) • Organizational Background: 10% • Problem statement: 25% • Project Scope: System Context and Capabilities 25% • Feasibility: 10% • Agendas and notes 10%

8. Background: Organization • Provide: • Brief history • Business they are in – what do they do • Revenue, number of employees, any other measure of size

9. Background: Sponsor • Provide an overview of the responsibilities of your sponsor • Who does he/she work for • What area of the organization does he/she manage • Who works with/for the sponsor • Provide an organization chart, if available (optional, but useful) • Clearly identify what part(s) of the organization are related to the project you will carry out

10. Background: Current Information Systems • Provide a summary of information systems that are related to the project you are looking at • Remember that Information Systems do not need to be automated • For any automated systems, list the software (packages, custom developed programs) and hardware that is in place.

11. Problem/Opportunity Area • Two parts: • Project description: Overview of problems/opportunities your sponsor would like you to look at (business not technical). This section should clearly identify WHY we are doing this project and the business benefits from the project. • See page 88 in your text for an example • Detailed analysis (drill down) of problems to be addressed by your project.

12. Problem/Opportunity Drill Down • Based on the high-level problem opportunity area, drill down to identify specific problems and opportunities • Use the following matrix to do drill down • List a minimum of 6 - 8 problems/opportunities (more would be good)

13. Brief statement of problem, opportunity, directive Brief statement of impact Priority Anticipated Benefits (costs avoided, revenues enhanced, customer satisfaction increased) Staff is unaware of what books they have in terms of (author, titles and quantity) Time consuming process to determine if they have a particular book. Cannot respond to customer inquiries in a timely manner. H Increase In customer satisfaction leading to increased revenues. More efficient use of employee’s work hours. More knowledgeable purchases by organization. (i.e. don’t purchase a book if you already have multiple copies), this leads to cost savings. Cannot keep track of daily sales and purchases Staff coming in on the next shift has to walk around the store and look for any new books or notice any books that have been sold. (Nearly impossible). H Less frustration for staff and customers. Staff could determine what the best sellers are and place those books strategically within the store for marketing purposes. Having books in strategic location may increase sales thereby increasing revenues. Problem/Opportunity Drill Down: Example

14. Store owner has to do manual accounting Could be error in calculation, missed and redundant data L Store owner could focus less on accounting and more on other aspects of the organization (e.g. marketing the books). Customers tend to move books around the store rather than placing them back in the proper location Staff cannot find books because they are not where they are supposed to be Not within scope If books were not moved around, staff could find certain books more easily, resulting in better customer service. Too many books in inventory. Books are piled on the floor. Difficult for a customer to make a selection because the number of books is overwhelming. Difficult for employees to find a book. M Reducing the number of books could make locating and selecting books easier. Books not sold after a certain time could be removed and replaced by better selling books. Books that are not selling represent an opportunity cost for Bookends. Problem/Opportunity Drill Down: Example

15. Project Scope: System Capabilities • This section puts the boundaries around your project. Provide: • Specify, at a high level, what the system will need to do to address the problem area….the CAPABILITIES the system must possess • Specify what the system WILL NOT DO, if appropriate (in order to ensure that the ‘boundaries’ of the proposed system are clear. • Draw a context diagram for your proposed system • Inputs and outputs • External actors

16. Feasibility Assessment • Cultural, Resource, Schedule and Technical • NOT economic • In your own words, describe what each area is (see your text or other sources) • Attempt to assess the feasibility of your project for each category • You can read about Feasibility in Chapter 9

17. Process • You must meet with me prior to contacting / meeting with your project sponsor – contact me to set up a meeting. • Set up a face to face meeting with the sponsor – suggest 1 hour to start. • Prepare an agenda and a set of questions (this presentation should help you) • Send the questions to the sponsor well in advance of the meeting • Use the agenda and questions to guide the meeting • One team member should run the meeting, the others should document (scribe). • Once first meeting is completed and you have analyzed the results, determine if you need another meeting to gather required information • If so, follow the meeting process steps outlined above

18. Interviews • Interviews are a fact-finding technique whereby the systems analysts collect information from individuals • Advantages • Can motivate interviewee to respond frankly • Can probe and ask follow up questions that allow analyst to get to root of problem or essence of requirement • Can adapt interview as required • Interpret non-verbal communication • Disadvantages • Time consuming • Analyst interpersonal skills a key to success • May require multiple iterations

19. Interview Checklist • Before • Set the objective for interview, specifically • Review any available reports, spreadsheets or queries • Develop a set of questions for the interview • Create an agenda with objectives and questions • Send agenda to interviewee in advance of the session • During the session: • Put interviewee at ease; build rapport • Be on time • Ask probing questions, probe for details; understand the ‘why’

20. Interview Checklist • During the session (cont): • Take good notes • Follow your set of questions / agenda • After • Review notes, update for completeness and accuracy • Transfer requirements to a repository (e.g., a spreadsheet) • Send notes to interviewee, request feedback, thank for time