Question

1. Explain which of the conversion methods would be suitable for the following. Justify your choice:

a) Upgrading the software for an Automatic Banking Machine (ABM/ATM)

b) Adding a new inventory system along with new computerized cash registers in a supermarket

c) Implementing a student course management system in a university

2. List four reasons why your participation as a user of an information system is critical during the systems development life cycle, linking the concepts of user involvement and change management in a software implementation project.

3. Why is it so important to understand how a business process works when trying to develop a new information system?

Answer 1

1. Although the conversation methods are missing, answering rest of the questions:-

2.            Participation as a user of an information system is critical during the systems development life cycle because:

• Customer experience and customer interface run parallel. Hence ease of use of the system is as important as understanding of the related information system
• User can contribute to increased productivity and enhanced decision-making by correctly analysing and interpreting gap analysis/ root causes to any kind of bottlenecks
• User can determine the critical success factors for the system to be developed
• Highly customized information systems, example where high enterprise data security and specific technical support or some very peculiar tasks need to be carried out, is highly dependent on end-user’s requirements

3.            Reasons to understand how a business process works:

• business process operations are highly dependent on how good the design the technical architecture required to support the system is
• all the Reports, programs, and databases to be used in business process for various applications are modeled during the design phase of an information system
• any improvements expected in business process in any context, depend on how information system is designed to achieve its goals
• information system serves as backbone to any business process, example Amazon, eBay, Airbnb are highly dependent on how effectively their technological processes and systems function to drive consistent revenue
• all functions in overall business process like inventory management, cash flow receivables and payables, order delivery, payment process by customers, reverse logistic operations, daily human resource operations etc. all are dependent to work on time with right efficiency on a good information system and team supporting it
• it has become a tool for competitive advantage in today’s cut throat competition
• information system is critical to operational excellence and vice versa