CH 14

Introduction to Information
Technology
2nd Edition
Turban, Rainer & Potter
© 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Chapter 14:
Information Systems Development
Prepared by:
Roberta M. Roth, Ph.D.
University of Northern Iowa
Introduction to Information Technology, 2nd Edition

14-1
Chapter Preview
 In this chapter, we will study:
 Planning process for IS application
development
 The process of developing systems as
outlined in the SDLC
 Alternatives to the SDLC and why they are
useful
 Ways to obtain applications from outside
the organization
 Methods that are useful in developing
Internet/intranet applications
14-2
Information Systems Planning
Process
Organizati Business
on Mission Assessmen
t
Organizati Current Information
on Technology
Strategic Architecture
PlanIS Strategic Plan
New Information Technology

Architecture
IS Operational Plan
IS Development Projects
14-3
IS Strategic Plan
Objectives
Align with the organization’s strategic
plan
Provide for an IT architecture that
enables users, applications, and
databases to be seamlessly networked
and integrated
Allocate IS development resources
efficiently among competing projects,
so the projects can be completed on
time, within budget, and have required
functionality
Issues - efficiency; effectiveness;
14-4
IS Operational Plan
 Mission - the mission of the IS function
 IS environment - the summary of the information
needs of the functional areas and of the organization as a
whole
 Objectives - the IS function’s current best estimate of
its goals
 Constraints - technological, financial, and personnel
limitations on the IS function
 Long-term systems need - a summary of the
processes needed by a company and the IS projects
selected to support them and reach organizational goals
 Short-range plan - an inventory of current projects,
and a detailed plan of projects to be developed or
continued during the current year

14-5
Information Systems Development
Terms
 SDLC - the development method used by
most organizations today for large, complex
systems
 Systems Analysts - IS professionals who
specialize in analyzing and designing
information systems
 Programmers - IS professionals who modify
existing computer programs or write new
computer programs to satisfy user
requirements
 Technical Specialists - experts in a certain
type of technology, such as databases or
telecommunications, who help create
information systems
14-6
The Traditional SDLC
(1) Systems An eight-stage
Investigation
(2) Systems systems
Analysis development life
(3) Systems
Design cycle (SDLC)
(4)
Programming
(5) Testing
(6)
Implementation
(7) Operation
(8)
Maintenance
Go Back to a previous Stage or Stop
14-7
Phases in SDLC
 System Investigation
 Feasibility study determines the probability of success
of proposed system’s development project. Includes
…
• Technical feasibility (will we be able to build the
system?)
• Economic feasibility (how much will it cost to build the
system and how much will it benefit us?)
• Behavioral feasibility (if we build the system, will it be
accepted and used?)
 Systems Analysis
 Examines the business problem(s) that the
organization plans to solve with information systems
 Determines what the new system must do by
examining:
• Strengths and weaknesses of the existing system
• Functions that the new systems must have to solve the
business problem(s)
14-8
•
Phases in SDLC (continued)
 Systems Design
 Describes how the system will fulfill the user
requirements
 Develop both logical design and physical design
 Output => technical design or system specification…
• system outputs, inputs, and user interfaces
• hardware, software, databases, telecommunications,
personnel, and procedures
• how these components are integrated
 Programming
 the translation of the design specifications into
computer code
 structured programming techniques improve the
logical flow of the program by decomposing the
computer code into modules
14-9
Phases in SDLC (continued)
 Testing
 Checks to see if the computer code will produce the
expected and desired results under certain conditions
 Implementation
 The process of converting from the old system to the
new system
 Four major conversion strategies
• Parallel conversion: the old and new systems
operate simultaneously for a period of time
• Direct conversion: the old system is cut off and the
new systems is turned on at a certain point in time
• Pilot conversion: introduces the new system in one
part of the organization
• Phased conversion: introduces components of the
new system in stages
14-10
SDLC Phases
Operation
the new system will operate for a
period of time, until it no longer meets
its objectives
Maintenance (simultaneous with
Operation)
debugging the programs
updating the system to accommodate
changes in business conditions
adding new functionality to the system
14-11
Alternatives to the SDLC
 Prototyping
 Starts with only a general idea of user requirements,
and develops models of the system ‘until it’s right’
 Advantages:
 Speeds up the development approach
 Gives the users the opportunity to clarify their
information requirements
 Useful in the development of decision support
systems and executive information systems
 Disadvantages:
 Replaces the systematic analysis and design stages
of the SDLC - quality may be sacrificed
 Can result in an excess of iterations

14-12
 Joint Application Design (JAD)
 A group-based method for collecting user
requirements and creating staged designs
 Advantages:
 Saves time
 Greater support for, and acceptance of new systems
 Produces higher quality systems
 Easier implementation
 Lower training costs
 Disadvantages:
 Very difficult to get all users to JAD meetings
 All the problems that may be caused by any group
process

14-13
 Rapid Application Development (RAD)
 A method that can combine JAD, prototyping,
and integrated CASE tools, to rapidly produce
a high-quality system
 Advantages:
 Active involvement of users in the development
process
 Speeds the development process
 Reduces development costs
 Can create applications that are easier to maintain and
modify
 Disadvantages:
 May result in systems with limited functionality and
adaptability for change
14-14
 Integrated Computer-Assisted Software
Engineering (ICASE) Tools
 Automate many of the tasks in the SDLC
 Advantages:
 Produces systems with a longer effective operational
life
 Speeds up the development process and result in
systems that are more flexible and adaptable to
changing business conditions
 Results in excellent documentation
 Disadvantages:
 More expensive to build and maintain initial system
 Requires more extensive and accurate definition of
user needs and requirements
 Difficult to customize and may be difficult to use with
existing systems
14-15
 Object-Oriented Development
 A fundamentally different view of computer systems
 Advantages:
 Reduces the complexity of systems development and
leads to systems that are easier and quicker to build
an maintain
 Improves programmers’ productivity and quality
 More flexible
 Allows systems analysts to think as users do about the
system
 Ideal for developing Web applications
 Depicts the system in user terms, increasing
understanding of what the new system does and how
it meets its objectives
 Disadvantages
 Runs more slowly
 Need
& Potterto retrain the programmers in OO methodology
14-16
Turban, Rainer
Development Outside the IS
Department
End User Development
 Users perform ad hoc programming to solve
business problems
 Factors that drive the trends toward
increased end-user computing and end-user
development
• More powerful, inexpensive desktop hardware
• Increasingly diverse software capabilities
• Increasingly computer literate population
• Backlog of IS projects
• Apparent cost savings
 End-users (usually) don’t produce adequate
documentation or perform adequate testing
 Security may be breached
14-17
Department
External Acquisition of Prewritten
Software
 Factors to consider during make-or-buy
decision
• On-time
• On-budget
• Full functionality
• User acceptance
• Favorable costs-to-benefits ratio
• Low maintenance
• Scalability
• Integration with other systems
• Minimal negative cross-impacts
• Reusability

14-18
Department
Application Service Providers (ASPs)
 Software obtained via subscription
 Software resides on ASP’s systems
 Software is accessed via Web or VPN
 Subscriber does not have to host software on
existing computer systems
 Updates and bug fixes are provided by the
ASP
 ASP can provide help-desk support

14-19
 Outsourcing Department
 Using third parties to provide some or all
functions and services of the IT department
 IT may not be a core competency of the firm;
better to hire outside specialists
 Advantages:
 Outsourcer can obtain hardware capabilities
less expensively due to economies of scale
 Outsourcer can hire needed technical staff
 Outsourcer specializes in providing computer
services
 Ability to expense outsourcing fees provides
tax benefits

14-20
OutsourcingDepartment
(continued)
 Disadvantages:
 Economies of scale may be of limited value
 Staffing depends on outsourcers needs, not
client’s
 Lack of familiarity with business/industry
 Contract problems
 Internal cost reduction opportunities could
eliminate the advantage of outsourcers
 Guidelines:
 Write short-period contracts or have
flexibility since business needs are dynamic
 Use of subcontractors should be controlled
 Use selective outsourcing only for those
functions where it makes sense
14-21
Building Internet & Intranet
Applications
 Much future development will likely be Web
pages due to their simplicity and ease of
development
 SDLC probably not followed due to simplified
Web development
 A Strategy for Internet/Intranet Development
 Identify the objectives for organizational Web site(s)
and pages
 Include infrastructure requirements as well as
security and legal issues in plans
 Obtain/assign necessary personnel and provide
oversight
14-22
 Identify and prioritize potential projects
Building Internet & Intranet
Applications
JAVA - A Promising Tool
Important programming language for
putting extra features into Web pages
An object-oriented language designed
for implementation on networks
Includes numerous security features
to prevent downloaded programs from
damaging files or creating other
problems on the receiving computer

14-23
Chapter Summary
 IS Strategic and Operational Plans derive from
the organization’s strategic plan and current
IT architecture
 The SDLC provides a basic framework for the
process of development information system
applications
 There are several alternatives to the SDLC,
including prototyping and RAD
 IS applications can also be obtained outside
the IS organization, including end user
development, package purchases, ASPs, and
outsourcing
 Development for Internet/intranet applications
generally follows prototyping process
14-24
Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction
or translation of this work beyond that permitted in Section 117 of the 1976
United Stated Copyright Act without the express written permission of the
copyright owner is unlawful. Request for further information should be
addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. The
purchaser may make back-up copies for his/her own use only and not for
distribution or resale. The Publisher assumes no responsibility for errors,
omissions, or damages, caused by the use of these programs or from the
use of the information herein.

14-25

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CH 14

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Introduction to Information

Introduction to Information Technology, 2nd Edition

New Information Technology

Introduction to Information Technology, 2nd Edition

Introduction to Information Technology, 2nd Edition

Introduction to Information Technology, 2nd Edition

Introduction to Information Technology, 2nd Edition

Introduction to Information Technology, 2nd Edition

Introduction to Information Technology, 2nd Edition

Introduction to Information Technology, 2nd Edition

Introduction to Information Technology, 2nd Edition

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