Scribd
Upload
10 views14 pages

Chapter 02

The document discusses the complexities and challenges in Information Systems (IS) development, highlighting the main players: end-users, owners, and developers. It identifies various problems that can arise during and after project delivery, including quality and productivity issues, and emphasizes the importance of stakeholder analysis to address ethical concerns. The lecture aims to provide insights into the origins of these problems and how they can impact all stakeholders involved.

Uploaded by

unstable da
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
10 views14 pages

Chapter 02

The document discusses the complexities and challenges in Information Systems (IS) development, highlighting the main players: end-users, owners, and developers. It identifies various problems that can arise during and after project delivery, including quality and productivity issues, and emphasizes the importance of stakeholder analysis to address ethical concerns. The lecture aims to provide insights into the origins of these problems and how they can impact all stakeholders involved.

Uploaded by

unstable da
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 14

Problems in Information

Systems Development

Based on Chapter 2 of Bennett, McRobb


and Farmer:
Object Oriented Systems Analysis and
Design Using UML, (2nd Edition), McGraw
Hill, 2002.
03/12/2001 © Bennett, McRobb and Farmer 2002 1
In This Lecture You Will
Learn:
 The main players in an IS project
 The problems in IS development
 The underlying causes of these
problems
 How the stakeholder concept helps
identify ethical issues in IS
development
 The costs of problems and ethical
issues
06 January 2002 © Bennett, McRobb and Farmer 2002 2
The Main Players
 Three main types of player are
involved in an IS development
project:
– Those who will benefit from the system’s
outputs, directly or indirectly (end-users)
– Those who commission the project, pay
for it or have the power to halt it
(owners or sponsors)
– Those who will produce the software
(developers)
06 January 2002 © Bennett, McRobb and Farmer 2002 3
What Do We Mean by
Problem?
 An IS project may fail before
delivery.
– The Taurus project was cancelled
 An IS may fail after delivery.
– The LAS system was withdrawn after
implementation
 An IS may be continue to be used,
despite causing problems to its
users, its owners or its developers.
06 January 2002 © Bennett, McRobb and Farmer 2002 4
End-user View
 End-users may directly operate the
software, or may be more remote, e.g. a
manager who receives printed reports
 Typical concerns include:
– A system that is promised but not delivered
– A system that is difficult to use
– A system that doesn’t meet its users’ needs

06 January 2002 © Bennett, McRobb and Farmer 2002 5


Owner View
 Owners care about meeting
business needs and about value for
money
 Typical concerns include:
– Projects that overspend their budget
(may no longer have a net benefit)
– Systems that are delivered too late
– Badly managed projects
– Systems that are rendered irrelevant
by events
06 January 2002 © Bennett, McRobb and Farmer 2002 6
Developer View
 IS developers sometimes have a
difficult time
– Budget and time constraints often
conflict with doing the job properly
– Users and owners may not know how
to ask for what they really want
– Technologies, development
approaches and business needs all
constantly change
06 January 2002 © Bennett, McRobb and Farmer 2002 7
Why Things Go Wrong
 Whether a system is delivered or
not, many things can go wrong
 Flynn (1998) categorizes the main
causes as:
– Quality problems
– Productivity problems

06 January 2002 © Bennett, McRobb and Farmer 2002 8


Quality Problems
 The wrong problem is addressed
– Failure to align the project with business
strategy
 Wider influences are neglected
– Project team or business managers don’t
take account of the system environment
 Incorrect analysis of requirements
– Poor skills or not enough time allowed
 Project undertaken for wrong reason
– Technology pull or political push
06 January 2002 © Bennett, McRobb and Farmer 2002 9
Productivity Problems
 Users change their minds
 External events
– E.g. introduction of the Euro
 Implementation not feasible
– May not be known at start of the
project
 Poor project control
– Inexperienced management or political
difficulties
06 January 2002 © Bennett, McRobb and Farmer 2002 10
Ethics Issues and
Stakeholder Problems
 Some IS may affect people far beyond
obvious users and owners of the system
– Cellphone companies collect data about
subscribers’ calls and physical movements
– This data can be passed to police and many
other government agencies
– Do you know what data is stored about
you? Who by? And what it is used for?

06 January 2002 © Bennett, McRobb and Farmer 2002 11


Stakeholder Analysis
 This approach tries to identify
everyone affected by a proposed IS
– Who are the stakeholders?
– How does the system affect each
group?
– What are their legitimate concerns?
– Are there any legal implications, e.g.
Data Protection Act in the UK?
06 January 2002 © Bennett, McRobb and Farmer 2002 12
Summary
In this lecture you have learned
about:
 The main players in an IS project,
and how they perceive the potential
problems
 The origins of the main types of
problem
 How stakeholder analysis can help
identify ethical impacts of an IS
06 January 2002 © Bennett, McRobb and Farmer 2002 13
References
 Flynn (1998)
(For full bibliographic details, see Bennett,
McRobb and Farmer)
See also www.ccsr.cse.dmu.ac.uk

06 January 2002 © Bennett, McRobb and Farmer 2002 14

You might also like