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d. Suppose the company decides the prototype system is not practical, abandons it, and
takes some other approach to solving its information problem. Does that mean
prototyping is not a valid systems development approach? Explain your answer.
Just because the prototype system is not used does not mean prototyping is not a useful
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©2018 Pearson Education, Inc.
Accounting Information Systems
21.8 Norcom, a division of a large manufacturer, needed a new distribution and customer service
system. The project was estimated to take 18 months and cost $5 million. The project team
consisted of 20 business and IT staff members. After two years, the CIO was fired, and the
company hired a CIO with expertise in saving troubled projects. The new CIO said three
grave errors were committed.
1. IT picked the wrong software using a very naïve request for proposal process.
2. IT did not formulate a project plan.
3. No one “owned” the project. The IT staff assumed the users owned the project, the users
believed the IT staff owned it, and management believed the vendor owned it.
The CIO developed a 2,000-line plan to rescue the project. Three months later, the system
failed, even with IT staff and consultants working on it day and night. The failed system was
to have been the company’s preeminent system, but it could not even process customer orders
correctly, resulting in complaints about late shipments and receiving the wrong goods.
After three years and $4 million, the new CIO polled the staff anonymously. Only two said the
project could be saved, and they had staked their careers on the project. The message that the
project was not worth saving was very hard for the CIO to give. It was likewise hard for the
division president to receive it; he could not accept the idea of killing a project that cost so
much money. He finally accepted the decision and all the ramifications involved, including
corporate IT taking control of all IT operations at his division.
a. List the primary components of an RFP.
Detailed system specifications, with a clear distinction between mandatory and desired
requirements.
a. Identify possible components or deficiencies in Norcom’s RFP that could have led the
new CIO to claim that it was naïve or insufficient.
b. Identify possible approaches Norcom could have used to evaluate RFP responses.
Norcom could have requested help with the RFP process and the necessary documents
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©2018 Pearson Education, Inc.
Accounting Information Systems
21.9 Quickfix is rapidly losing business, and management wants to redesign its computer repair
processes and procedures to decrease costs and increase customer service. Currently, a
customer needing help calls one of five regional service centers. A customer service
representative records the relevant customer information, finds the closest qualified
technician, and calls the technician’s cell phone to see whether the repair fits into his or her
schedule. If not, the representative finds the next closest technician. When a technician is
located, customer repair information is provided over the phone. The technician calls the
customer and arranges to pick up the computer and replace it with a loaner. Making these
arrangements takes one to two days and sometimes more if technicians are not available or do
not promptly return calls.
If a broken computer cannot be quickly repaired, it is sent to a repair depot. These repairs
take another four to seven days. If problems arise, it can take up to two weeks for an item to
be repaired. When a customer calls to see whether the computer is ready, the service
representative calls the technician to find out the status and calls the customer back. The
repair process usually takes five phone calls between the customer, the service representative,
and the technician.
There are several problems with this process that have led to a significant drop in business:
(1) it is time-consuming; (2) it is inconvenient for a customer to have a computer removed, a
new one installed, and then the old one reinstalled; and (3) service representatives do not have
immediate access to information about items being repaired. Quickfix decides to use BPM
principles to redesign its business processes.
a. Identify the repair processes that occur and decide which should be redesigned.
1. Customer calls Quickfix requesting service.
b. Describe how the repair process can be redesigned to solve the three problems
identified.
Design a new information system with the following features.
A single, centralized database that stores all the data about customers, technicians, and
Software is available that automates the customer service process. The principles in the
The hardware needed to run the software and access the database mentioned above.
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©2018 Pearson Education, Inc.
Accounting Information Systems
The repair process could be redesigned in many different ways. Some ideas are:
In addition to phone requests for service, Quickfix could design their new system to
When a repair request is received, a customer service representative enters the necessary
The system uses the customer’s address to search the list of authorized technicians
If the technician is unable to perform the work on a timely basis, he responds
To repair computers faster, technicians could use specially equipped trucks equipped with
Each repair truck could be equipped with a global positioning systems (GPS) technology
The GPS could also be used to facilitate emergency orders. The system could locate the
Technicians carry notebook computers with built-in radio frequency and cellular phone
Each morning the technicians logon to the Customer Service Center and retrieve their
schedule for the day. Their schedule is organized and prepared by the computer at the
If the computer cannot be repaired at the customer’s site by the technician, the customer
service representative enters this into the system and picks up the computer. The
Since repair time will be greatly decreased, there will be many fewer phone calls asking
about the status of the repair. For those who do call, the centralized information system
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©2018 Pearson Education, Inc.
Accounting Information Systems
c. What benefits can be achieved by redesigning the repair process?
Increased customer service and satisfaction because most computers are repaired
A significant improvement in communication speed due to the centralized system and the
Reduced costs from closing regional centers, service representatives having to do less
Increased revenues from technicians being able make more service calls in any given day
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©2018 Pearson Education, Inc.
Accounting Information Systems
SUGGESTED ANSWERS TO THE CASES
21-1 Wong Engineering Corp (WEC) operates in 25 states and three countries. WEC faced a
crucial decision: choosing network software that would maximize functionality,
manageability, and end-user acceptance of the system. WEC developed and followed a
four-step approach:
Step 1. Develop evaluation criteria. WEC organized a committee that interviewed users and
developed the following evaluation criteria:
Ease of use
Ease of network management and administration
WEC organized the criteria into the following four categories and prioritized them.
Criteria vital to short-term and long-term business goals were given a 5. “Wish list”
criteria were weighted a 3. Inapplicable criteria were given a 1.
1. Business criteria: overall business, economic, and competitive issues
Step 2. Define the operating environment. Several data-gathering techniques were used to
Step 3. Identify operating alternatives. Using the criteria from step 1, committee members
evaluated each package and then compared notes during a roundtable discussion.
Step 4. Test the software. The highest-scoring products were tested, and the product that fit
a. Discuss the committee’s role in the selection process. How should committee members
be selected? What are the pros and cons of using a committee to make the selection?
The evaluation committee selected a network operating system and other software to support
the organization’s distributed structure. They developed and followed a four-step approach:
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Accounting Information Systems
A committee with qualified people from all affected areas has the following advantages:
Encourages planning. An effective team effort requires planning to ensure the
Produces better results. Organizing a cross-functional team to select an operating
Facilitates acceptance of the results. Behavioral problems are minimized using a
b. What data-gathering techniques could WEC use to assess user needs? To select a
vendor?
Interviews with users
Surveys or questionnaires
Observations of business activities.
What data-gathering techniques could WEC use to select a vendor?
Library research
c. What is the benefit of analyzing the operating environment before selecting the
software?
It is difficult to select the proper software if you do not know how it is to be used and what
What data-gathering techniques help a company understand the operating
environment?
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Accounting Information Systems
d. In selecting a system using the point-scoring method, how should the committee resolve
scoring disputes? List at least two methods.
e. Should a purchase decision be made on the point-scoring process alone? What other
procedure(s) should the committee employ in making the final selection?
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