CIS 321—IS Analysis & Design

CIS 321—IS Analysis & Design Chapter 3: The Analyst as a Project Manager

Overview • To be a good systems analyst, you also need to be a good project ____________. • IS projects are initiated for three major reasons: • respond to a strategic opportunity • resolve an operational problem • conform to a directive (e.g., from the government) • This chapter discusses the activities of the project planning phase of the SDLC • define the _______ of the project • perform a cost-benefit analysis • develop a project ___________

System Development Success • Project management: • organizing and directing other people to achieve a planned result within a predetermined schedule and budget • System development project success statistics: • 32% cancelled before completed • 50% cost double the original budget • 42% had limited scope or functionality • 28% were considered successful • System development success factors: • clear requirements • user involvement • upper management support • detailed project plans • realistic schedules

Project Players • Client • person or group that funds the project • __________ committee • clients or key executives who direct the project • Users • people who will use the system • Project manager • has overall responsibility for project success • Project team leader • manages the team members • Project team member • performs the day-to-day project tasks

Areas of Project Management 1 • Project scope • define/control functions included in the system and work to be performed • Project schedule • build and monitor a detailed schedule with milestones • Project cost • perform cost-benefit analysis, develop and monitor budget • Project quality • establish plan to ensure quality at every phase

Areas of Project Management 2 • Project ________ resources • select/hire team members, train, motivate • Project ______________ • keep all stakeholders, users, and team members informed • Project risk • identify potential risks and develop plans to reduce these risks • Project procurement • develop RFPs, evaluate bids, write contracts, monitor vendor performance • See Appendix A for more details (optional)

The SDLC Project Planning Phase • Define the __________ • Produce the project schedule • Confirm project ___________ • Staff the project • _________ the project

Defining the Problem • Develop a system ______ document • Identify the business needs • Define the business benefits (in $) • Identify the expected capabilities of the new system • A proof of concept _________ can be constructed • A context diagram can be developed • a high-level ______ • helps to define scope • in OOSD, this is called a use case diagram • COCOMO: counting function points to determine cost

Producing the Project Schedule 1 • Definitions • SDLC—consists of five phases • phase—group of related activities • activity—group of related tasks • task—smallest unit of work to be identified and scheduled • ______ breakdown structure (WBS) • hierarchy of phases, activities, and tasks for scheduling • built from scratch, standards-based, or analogy-based

Producing the Project Schedule 2 • Scheduling charts best produced with tools • PERT/CPM Chart • Project Evaluation and Review Technique • _______ Path Method • a graphical view of the WBS • best for developing a schedule • the critical path is the longest path through the chart • Gantt chart • a bar chart showing all tasks with _____ on the horizontal axis • best for showing actual project progress

Confirming Project Feasibility 1 • Identify risks of failure • Economic feasibility • cost/benefit analysis • development costs—to get the system up and running • operational costs—to operate the system • financial benefits—decreased costs and increased revenues • financial calculations • net present value (NPV), based on discounted cash flows • payback period (breakeven point) • return on investment (ROI) • See examples for RMO, pp. 95-97 • __________ benefits and costs

Confirming Project Feasibility 2 • Organizational and cultural feasibility • computer phobia, shifting political power, loss of jobs • Technological feasibility • company doesn’t possess the technological skills • Schedule feasibility • schedules are estimates • ___________ completion date • Resource feasibility • potential loss of key resources • If all areas cannot be successfully addressed, STOP!

Staffing and Launching the Project • Staffing • develop a resource plan based on the schedule • identify and request specific technical staff • identify and request specific user staff • organize the team into workgroups • conduct training and team-building exercises • Launch • final go-ahead from the Oversight Committee (funding) • formal ______________ from top management

CIS 321—IS Analysis & Design