CCT 355: E-Business Technologies

1. CCT 355: E-Business Technologies Class 10: Past and Future: A consideration of legacy systems, and Final Project/Exam Considerations

2. Final Project (repeated) • Identify a real organization that you have real contact with • Identify business information systems needs (as defined in this course – do *not* only suggest simple e-commerce solutions, web design/marketing solutions, etc. - the former no one hires consultants for, the latter is interesting, but not this course.) • Think people, process, context as well as technology

3. People • Who are the main stakeholders in this organization? What are their skills/interests? Are they likely to be champions of change? Resisters? Helpers? Bystanders? • Who are major customers/clients of organization? Allied partners? Main competitors? • Are they likely to be champions of change? Helpers? Resisters? Bystanders?

4. Process • What does this organization do? • What might it like to do with more resources/time/technology support, etc.? • What can it do better? (e.g., are there processes that can be made more efficient through information systems change?) • What should it probably *not* do?

5. Context • What are larger contextual, regulatory, macroeconomic, strategic, etc. factors influencing this organization at present? • Are there changes in these factors that might post medium- to long-term challenges or opportunities?

6. Then think technology! • What information systems improvements can you identify (based on what you’ve learned about the organization!) • What resource implications are involved in implementing these solutions? • Feel free to offer a range of options – sometimes there are cheap to expensive options, less to more powerful, etc. • Feel free to critique and note limitations of your options • Make sure proposed solutions a) meet the organization’s profile and needs and b) are feasible given organizational financial, human, time resource constraints • Implementation not required – but should be implementable.

7. Use either BMG or Change Management Simulation! • Which one? Depends on context • Small organization where most people are on board for change – no need to analyze through change management simulation material • BMG can apply to most situations

8. Final Exam • Check exam schedule for time/location – presently Thurs. Dec 20th 1-3pm, RAWC • Some MC questions (15-20 questions, no trick questions, but no easy ones!) • Definition questions based on terminology presentations • Integrated case study • If you understand content, you should be fine – if you just memorize it, less so. • Understanding = applying to new context as it arises – so study accordingly

9. Looking to future… • Mobile access/m-commerce – and design constraints and considerations for continuous/mobile computing • Enterprise 2.0 – integrating best of social web in enterprise applications • Cloud computing/freemium options (and their limitations!) • Open-source options challenging established tools

10. …without forgetting the past! • “legacy” systems – systems that have been up and active for years (even decades!) • Why do organizations hang on to legacy systems? • *Not* enough to dismiss these systems as irrelevant • Remember change management simulation – all sorts of real, perceived, smart and less than smart reasons for resistance

11. Integrating legacy systems • Some are essential – can’t be thrown out without significant impact on operational success in short-term • Middleware – integrates old systems into new, but can be kludgy and awkward • Transition strategies for legacy system – short-, middle- and long-term • Training/support for what (inevitably) goes wrong

12. Example: SLATE2 • SLATE 1 issues – Web 1.0ish (lots of publishing, not much co-creating/sharing), tech-centered infrastructure, formal training vs. experimentation, “support” • SLATE 2 – more social, more awareness of end user issues, range of training options • Slow transition – over a year • Still issues based on legacy practices, organizational culture – e.g., reception in the arts

13. Example: UT/Sheridan email • Both moved to Outlook recently from previous webmail/email services • Glitches in transition, training… • Lesson: don’t assume people read update emails! • Questions on timing – Sheridan did this last month (!) – August would have been far better!

14. Summary: Simple, Complicated and Complex Problems • Technology is surprisingly easy – it works or it doesn’t, and when it doesn’t it’s usually a simple or complicated problem • Simple problems – Problem has identifiable roots, easy to diagnose and relatively simple/obvious solutions (example?) • Complicated problems – Problem may have cascading cause/effect relations, can be hard to discern, multiple-step solutions – but still ultimately solvable (example? • Many problems in technology/information systems are complex – interweaving web of causes/effects over short and long term, may require more emotional and political negotiation than technical, fundamentally unsolvable (but with better/worse resolutions)