Week 1
Discussion1
Building a System
Selecting
Software Why is it important to use systems analysis and design methodologies
when building a system? Why not just build the system in whatever way seems to
be “quick and easy”? What value is provided by using an “engineering” approach?
Also, Give a specific example of an organization (not one listed in the book)
that does a good job of this and why. Respond to at least two of your
classmates’ postings.
Review
the criteria for selecting off-the-shelf software presented in this chapter.
Use your experience and imagination and describe other criteria that are, or
might be used to select off-the-shelf software in the real world. For each new
criterion, explain how its use might be functional (i.e., it is useful to use
this criterion…), dysfunctional, or both. Respond to at least two of your
classmates’ postings.
Week 2
Managing Projects
Take
a tour of FastTrack Schedule 9’s top features. See how you can use the leading
easy-to-use project management software for planning, tracking, and visualizing
project goals on a Mac or PC.
For
your discussion question, explain how three features of the FastTrack Schedule
9’s features will help you manage information systems projects. Be specific in
relating the feature to the systems tasks you would want to achieve with it.
Respond to at least two of your classmates’ postings.
Cost-Benefit Analysis
Imagine
that you are interviewing for a job when the interviewer asks you which
cost-benefit analysis technique is best for assessing a project’s economic
feasibility. What would your response be? Respond to at least two of your
classmates’ postings.
Week 3
Business
Processes
When
conducting a business process re-engineering study, what should you look for
when trying to identify business processes for change? Why? Give a specific
example. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ postings.
Disruptive
Technologies
What
are disruptive technologies and how do they enable organizations to change
their business processes radically? Give a specific example. Respond to at
least two of your classmates’ postings.
Week 4
Diagramming
Tools
Discuss the
importance of diagramming tools for process modeling. Without such tools, what
would analysts do to model diagrams? Respond to at least two of your
classmates’ postings.
System
Development Approaches
Select one of
the system development approaches (structured, information, engineering, and
object-oriented) and give an example of a business process or problem that
would use that approach. Provide supporting rationale. Respond to at least two
of your classmates’ postings.
Week 5
Alternative
Solutions
How
do analysts generate alternative solutions to information systems problems?
Respond to at least two of your classmates’ postings.
Evaluation
of Learning
List
three things you learned from this class and how you will apply them. In addition,
list three things you learned from your learning community of peer learners and
the instructor. Respond to at least two of your classmates’ postings
