Chapter 06 – Systems Development: Phases, Tools, and Techniques
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• This is the first slide in a series which discusses the outsourcing
process
• We present the outsourcing process by comparing it to the traditional
SDLC
• This slide presents Figure 6.11 on page 180
• It graphically illustrates the outsourcing process
• This slide introduces the concept of a request for proposal (RFP)
• IT describes the role of an RFP
• This slide introduces the concept of a service level agreement (SLA)
• An SLA is the contractual agreement between the organization and
• This slide presents the 3 major geopolitical outsourcing options
o Onshore
Chapter 06 – Systems Development: Phases, Tools, and Techniques
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• This slide lists the major countries that are providing outsourcing
services
• This slide presents the major advantages of outsourcing
• This slide presents the major disadvantages of outsourcing
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Chapter 06 – Systems Development: Phases, Tools, and Techniques
CLOSING CASES
CLOSING CASE STUDY ONE (p. 186)
THE GOOD-ENOUGH TECHNOLOGY ECONOMY
In this first closing case study, your students will read about a new IT-enabled economy, that of
QUESTIONS
1. As we alluded to, the outrageous transformation taking place in the camera and film
industries is being caused by good-enough products, specifically digital cameras and phone-
embedded cameras. Read the Outrageous Industry Transformation cases at the beginning
of chapters 2 through 8. Which corrections are being caused by good-enough technology
products?
DISCUSSION
• Chapter 1 – Cell phones – definitely good-enough products that continue to evolve
• Chapter 2 – self-service travel sites – definitely good-enough products that continue to
evolve
2. What does all this mean for systems development? In the good-enough technology
economy, which will organizations come to rely on more heavily: insourcing, selfsourcing, or
outsourcing? Can organizations afford to use the traditional SDLC and completely gather
requirements before proceeding with development? For what systems can organizations
still use the traditional SDLC?
DISCUSSION
• The good-enough technology economy will definitely change the landscape of systems
development.
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3. How is this notion of getting things out the door quickly and then using market feedback for
product improvement similar to the concept of prototyping? What are the disadvantages of
using such an approach to the release of products that aren’t perfect?
DISCUSSION
• This is very much aligned with prototyping.
4. Can manufacturers of automobiles use the concepts of the good-enough technology
economy to produce automobiles? What features of an automobile must be perfect (or
very close to it)? What features of an automobile can simple be “good enough?”
DISCUSSION
• Some features of automobiles can be produced according to the characteristics of the
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CLOSING CASE STUDY TWO (p. 187)
TABLETS TAKE THEIR PLACE IN THE PC MARKET
The proliferation of tablet PCs is changing the systems development process. Tablets represent
a new platform on which systems run, and the interface is different, to say the least.
QUESTIONS
1. Computers, using some AI techniques like those we discussed in Chapter 4, can learn. In the
classroom while a child is using a tablet PC to learn the basics of addition, how can software
be developed to aid in the learning process? Does this mean that teachers are no longer
needed for some subjects? Are teachers needed in earlier grades while computer-based
training can take over in later grades? Why or why not?
DISCUSSION
• No doubt, software can aid in the learning process.
2. End-user systems, like those that allow patrons to order meals on an iPad, must be “idiot
proof.” (We apologize for the crudeness of that term.) That is, systems must be usable
without training and created in such a way, for example, that a patron at one table can’t
accidentally change the order of a patron at another table. What does this mean for
systems development? Can complex and complicated end-user systems be developed and
deployed on tablet PCs so that people can use the systems without training and without
intervention by a knowledgeable person such as a waiter or waitress?
DISCUSSION
• Good class discussion.
3. What security issues are involved in allowing people to pay with tablet PCs? Does this
payment process make it easier for someone to steal your credit card information? Are you
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comfortable using a restaurant-supplied technology to enter your credit card information?
Why or why not?
DISCUSSION
• Financial issues – like paying via tablet PC – are always big issues. Now, financial
4. What will happen to offshore outsourcing for software development? Can outsourcing
firms in India and China for example be expected to develop software systems for use in
U.S. schools? Can those same firms be expected to develop systems that meet FAA rules
and restrictions?
DISCUSSION
• Outsourcing is here and here to stay.
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Chapter 06 – Systems Development: Phases, Tools, and Techniques
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SHORT-ANSWER QUESTIONS (p. 189)
1. What are the three primary groups of people who undertake the systems development
process?
2. What is the systems development life cycle?
3. What are scope creep and feature creep?
4. How do the four implementation methods differ?
ANSWER: Parallel implementation uses both the old and new systems until the new
5. What is component-based development?
6. How are component-based development and a service-oriented architecture related?
7. Why do organizations prototype?
8. What are the advantages of selfsourcing?
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9. What is the difference between a selling prototype and a proof–of–concept prototype?
10. What is the role of a service level agreement (SLA) in outsourcing?
11. What are the three geopolitical forms of outsourcing?
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Chapter 06 – Systems Development: Phases, Tools, and Techniques
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ASSIGNMENTS & EXERCISES (p. 190)
1. REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL A request for proposal (RFP) is a formal document that describes
in detail your logical requirements for a proposed system and invites outsourcing
organizations to submit bids for its development. Research the Web and find three RFP
examples. Briefly explain in a one-page document what each RFP has in common and how
each RFP is different.
DISCUSSION
2. MAKING THE WHO DECISION Complete the table below by answering yes, no, or maybe in
the columns of insource, selfsource, and outsource for each systems development condition
listed on the left. We’ve completed the first condition for you.
INSOURCE
SELFSOURCE
OUTSOURCE
Yes
Maybe
No
No
Maybe
Yes
Yes
Maybe
Maybe
Maybe
Yes
No
No
No
Maybe
Yes
Yes
Maybe
No
Maybe
Yes
Maybe
DISCUSSION
3. YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES DURING EACH STEP IN THE SDLC During insourcing, your have
many responsibilities because you’re a business process expert, liaison to the customer,
quality control analyst, and manager of other people. According to which step of the SDLC
you’re in, your responsibilities may increase or decrease. In the table below, determine the
extent to which you participate in each SDLC step according to your four responsibilities.
For each row you should number the SDLC steps 1 through 7, with a 1 indentifying the step
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in which your responsibility is the greatest and a 7 identifying the step in which your
responsibility is the least.
SDLC STEP
PLANNING
ANALYSIS
DESIGN
DEVELOPMENT
TESTING
IMPLEMENTATION
MAINTENANCE
Business
Process
1
DISCUSSION
• This is a tough one, especially for the interior numbers of 3, 4, and 5. At the exterior,
4. CONSTRUCTION AND THE SDLC The systems development life cycle is often compared to
the activities in the construction industry. Fill in the following chart listing some of the
activities performed in building a house and how they relate to the different SDLC steps.
SDLC
Activities for Building a Home
Planning
Saving money for the home
Analysis
Thinking about number of family members and bathrooms needed
Design
Is the garage on the left side or right side of the house
Development
Actual construction – painting, laying tile, etc
Testing
Construction walk-through (i.e., Do the toilets flush?)
Implementation
Moving in
Maintenance
Fixing all the things that go wrong
DISCUSSION
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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (p. 191)
1. Why is it important to develop a logical model of a proposed system before generating a
technical architecture? What potential problems would arise if you didn’t develop a
logical model and went straight to developing the technical design?
DISCUSSION
If you jumped straight into development without understanding the logical model, you
2. If you view systems development as a question-and-answer session, another question you
could ask is, “Why do organizations develop IT systems?” Consider what you believe to be
the five most important reasons organizations develop IT systems. How do these reasons
relate to topics in the first five chapters of this book?
DISCUSSION
Student answers to this question will vary. The reason why organizations develop IT
systems vary and many of the reasons are directly related to the first five chapters of this
3. Your company has just decided to implement a new financial system. Your company’s
financial needs are almost the same as all of the other companies in your industry. Would
you recommend that your company purchase an existing system or build a custom
system? Would you recommend your company to use end-user development or
outsource the new system?
DISCUSSION
If the company needs are the same as all of the other companies in the same industry,
4. There are seven phases in the systems development life cycle. Which one do you think is
the hardest? Which one do you think is the easiest? Which one do you think is the most
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important? Which one do you think is the least important? If you had to skip one of the
phases which one would it be and why?
DISCUSSION
All of the phases are difficult and each one is just as important as the next. The student
5. You are talking with another student who is complaining about having to learn about the
systems development life cycle because he or she is not going to work in an IT
department. Would you agree with this student? What would you say to this student to
try to convince them that learning about the systems development life cycle is relative no
matter where he or she works.
DISCUSSION
6. A company typically has many systems it wants to build, but unfortunately it doesn’t
usually have the resources to build all of the systems. How does a company decide which
systems to build?
7. People often think that a system is complete once it is implemented. Is this true? What
happens after a system is implemented? What can you do to ensure the system continues
to meet the knowledge workers needs?
Chapter 06 – Systems Development: Phases, Tools, and Techniques
INDUSTRY & GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES
INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE – Green Systems Development (p. 166)
• This is a good perspective as it looks toward going green with technology.
GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE – Mercedes-Benz: Built-to-Order Trucks from Built-to-Order Software
(p. 169)
• Mercedes-Benz outsourced to CAS Software AG the development of software to allow users
to provide specifications for custom-built trucks.
INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE – Crowdsourcing Systems Development to Change the World (p. 178)
• Crowdsourcing is a consistent theme throughout the book.
INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVE – Weighing the Pros and Cons of Outsourcing (p. 183)
• This perspective is about The Neat Company, which outsourced some of its work to a China–
based company.