System Design

Chapter 6
Design Strategy, System Input &
User Interface, File and Databases
System Design
Chapter 6
PART I: Design Strategy
Outcome
 Describe different sources of software
 Learn to assemble the various pieces of an
alternative design strategy
 Learn how to generate at least three
alternative design strategies
 Discuss selecting the best design strategy
using both qualitative and quantitative
methods
Design Strategy
 Two basic steps
1. Generate a comprehensive set of alternative design
strategies
2. Select the one design strategy that is most likely to result in
the desired information system
 Process
 Divide requirements into different sets of capabilities
 Determine different potential implementation environments
that could be used to deliver the different sets of
capabilities
 Propose different ways to source or acquire the various
sets of capabilities for the different implementation
environments
Design Strategy
 Deliverables
1. At least three substantially different system
design strategies for building the replacement
information system
2. A design strategy judged most likely to lead to the
most desirable information system
3. A Baseline Project Plan (BPP) for turning the
most likely design strategy into a working
information system
Generating Alternative Design
Strategies
 Best to generate three alternatives
 Low-end
 Provides all required functionality users demand with a
system that is minimally different from the current system
 High-end
 Solves problem in question and provides many extra
features users desire
 Midrange
 Compromise of features of high-end alternative with
frugality of low-end alternative
Issues to Consider in Generating
Alternatives
 Outsourcing
 The practice of turning over responsibility of some to all of
an organization’s information systems applications and
operations to an outside firm
 Can provide a cost effective solution

 Sources of Software
 Hardware manufacturers
 Packaged software producers
 Custom software producers
 Enterprise solution software
 Application Service Providers
 In-house development
Criteria for Choosing
Off-the-Shelf Software
 Cost
 In-House versus purchased
 Functionality
 Mandatory, essential and desired features
 Vendor Support
 Installation
 Training
 Technical Support
 Viability of Vendor
Criteria for Choosing
Off-the-Shelf Software
 Flexibility
 Ease of customization
 Documentation
 User documentation
 Technical documentation
 Response Time
 Ease of Installation
Hardware and Software Issues
 Existing Platform New Hardware and
 Lower costs System Software
 Information system staff  Some software
is familiar with operation components will only run
and maintenance on new platform
 Increased odds of  Developing system for
successfully integrating new platform gives
system with existing organization opportunity
applications to upgrade technology
 No added costs of holdings
converting old systems  New requirements may
to new platform or allow organization to
transferring data radically change its
computing operations
Implementation and Organizational
Issues.
 Implementation Issues
 Technical and social aspects of implementation need to
be addressed
 Training
 Disruption of work
 Organizational Issues
 Overall cost and availability of funding
 Management support
 User acceptance
Updating the Baseline Project Plan
(BPP)
 The Baseline Project Plan (BPP) was
developed during project initiation and
planning
 Baseline Project Plan (BPP) can be used as
an outline of a status report at analysis phase
 Schedule will be updated to reflect actual
activities and durations
 An oral presentation of project status is
typically made at this phase
Summary
 Sources of Software
 Identifying requirements and constraints
 Generating alternative design strategies
 Selecting the best design strategy
 Updating a Baseline Project Plan (BPP)
 Selecting the best design strategy for Internet
applications