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Modern Systems Analysis and Design Third Edition. Chapter 11 Selecting the Best Alternative Design Strategy. 11. 1. Selecting the Best Alternative Design Strategy. Two basic steps Generate a comprehensive set of alternative design strategies
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Modern Systems Analysisand DesignThird Edition Chapter 11 Selecting the Best Alternative Design Strategy 11.1
Selecting the Best Alternative Design Strategy • Two basic steps • Generate a comprehensive set of alternative design strategies • Select the one design strategy that is most likely to result in the desired information system • Process • Divide requirements into different sets of capabilities • Enumerate different potential implementation environments that could be used to deliver the different sets of capabilities • Propose different ways to source or acquire the various sets of capabilities for the different implementation environments 11.2
Selecting the Best Alternative Design Strategy • Deliverables • At least three substantially different system design strategies for building the replacement information system • A design strategy judged most likely to lead to the most desirable information system • A Baseline Project Plan (BPP) for turning the most likely design strategy into a working information system 11.3
Generating Alternative Design Strategies • Best to generate three alternatives • Low-end • Provides all required functionality users demand with a system that is minimally different from the current system • High-end • Solves problem in question and provides many extra features users desire • Midrange • Compromise of features of high-end alternative with frugality of low-end alternative 11.4
Drawing Bounds on Alternative Designs • Minimum Requirements • Mandatory features versus desired features • Forms of features • Data • Outputs • Analyses • User expectations on accessibility,response time and turnaround time 11.5
Drawing Bounds on Alternative Designs • Constraints on System Development • Date when system is needed • Financial and human resources • Elements of the system that cannot change • Legal and contractual considerations • Dynamics of the problem 11.6
Issues to Consider in Generating Alternatives • Outsourcing • The practice of turning over responsibility of some to all of an organization’s information systems applications and operations to an outside firm • Can provide a cost effective solution 11.7
Issues to Consider in Generating Alternatives • Sources of Software • Hardware manufacturers • Packaged software producers • Custom software producers • Enterprise solution software • Application Service Providers • In-house development 11.8
Criteria for Choosing Off-the-Shelf Software • Cost • In-House versus purchased • Functionality • Mandatory, essential and desired features • Vendor Support • Installation • Training • Technical Support • Viability of Vendor 11.10
Criteria for Choosing Off-the-Shelf Software • Flexibility • Ease of customization • Documentation • User documentation • Technical documentation • Response Time • Ease of Installation 11.11
Validating Purchased Software Information • Information from vendor • Request for proposal • A document provided to vendors to ask them to propose hardware and system software that will meet the requirements of your new system • Software evaluation period • Customer references from vendor • Independent software testing service • Trade publications 11.12
Hardware and Software Issues Existing Platform • Lower costs • Information system staff is familiar with operation and maintenance • Increased odds of successfully integrating system with existing applications • No added costs of converting old systems to new platform or transferring data New Hardware and System Software • Some software components will only run on new platform • Developing system for new platform gives organization opportunity to upgrade technology holdings • New requirements may allow organization to radically change its computing operations 11.13
Implementation and Organizational Issues • Implementation Issues • Technical and social aspects of implementation need to be addressed • Training • Disruption of work • Organizational Issues • Overall cost and availability of funding • Management support • User acceptance 11.14
Hoosier Burger’s New Inventory Control System • Replacement for existing system • Figure 11-2 ranks system requirements and constraints • Figure 11-3 shows steps of current system • When proposing alternatives, the requirements and constraints must be considered 11.15
Hoosier Burger’s New Inventory Control System • Figure 11-4 lists 3 alternatives • Alternative A is a low-end proposal • Alternative C is a high-end proposal • Alternative B is a midrange proposal 11.16
Hoosier Burger’s New Inventory Control System • Selecting the most likely alternative • Weighted approach can be used to compare the three alternatives • Figure 11-5 shows a weighted approach for Hoosier Burger • Left hand side of table contains decision criteria • Constants and requirements • Weights are arrived at by discussion with analysis team, users and managers • Each requirement and constraint is ranked • 1 indicates that the alternative does not match the request well or that it violates the constraint • 5 indicates that the alternative meets or exceeds requirements or clearly abides by the constraint 11.17
Hoosier Burger’s New Inventory Control System • Selecting the most likely alternative • According to the weights used, alternative C appears to be the best choice 11.18
Updating the Baseline Project Plan (BPP) • The Baseline Project Plan (BPP) was developed during project initiation and planning • Baseline Project Plan (BPP) can be used as an outline of a status report at analysis phase • Schedule will be updated to reflect actual activities and durations • An oral presentation of project status is typically made at this phase 11.19
Internet Development: Selecting the Best Alternative Design Strategy • Pine Valley Furniture WebStore • Requirements and constraints were compiled by consultant and team (see Table 11-8) 11.20
Internet Development: Selecting the Best Alternative Design Strategy • Proposed system is a scalable, three-tier approach • Scalable • The ability to seamlessly upgrade the system through either hardware upgrades, software upgrades or both • Three-tier • Web Server • Provides connection to the internet and presentation of HTML page • Applications Server • Middle layer of software and hardware that lies between Web server and corporate network • Corporate network • Existing organizational computing infrastructure 11.21