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Systems Analysis

Lecture 13

Post-Implementation

Training

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Lecture Objectives

• Describe the work of the Analyst at the end of the Implementation Phase

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The Work of the Analyst

• At post implementation the analyst usually interviews users, and examines all reports, system logs and screen displays

• The analyst also conducts interviews and observations

• This ensures that the new system is effective and accepted

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Example User Evaluation Form

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Final Report to Management

• At the end of the post implementation evaluation, then the final report to management is prepared

• It contains a recap of all system Development costs and schedules

• It contains planned modifications and improvements

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Completion

• The end of project management report marks the end of Systems development work

• By this stage the system has been developed, tested, evaluated and installed

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What comes next?

The next phase involves:

• Operation

• Maintenance

• Support

• Security

• begins when the system becomes operational

• continues until the end of the system’s useful life

• carries the biggest cost

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User Expectations

The main questions at this stage:

• Does the system fulfill the expectations of the user?’

• ‘Does it fulfill the business objectives?’

• Is it secure?

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User Support Activities

• Users need training

– When the new system is first introduced

– When they themselves are new employees

– If significant changes in the system arise

– To support other users (e.g. Help Desk)

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Training is both Initial and Continuous

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User Training Packages

• The purpose of training packages is to show users how to do their jobs

• Computerised training packages are often available

• The analyst and designer must also produce user manuals

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User Support

• Users need not just initial training, but also ongoing user support

This can be done via a Help Desk, by technical staff, Information centres etc…

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Help Desk

These are often used provide a range of supporting activities – for example

– Show a user how to create a data query or produce a report

– Resolve network or access problems

– Demonstrate an advanced feature of the software

– Help recover lost data

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The Help Desk

1. Is a valuable link between IT staff and users

2. Is a central contact point for IT maintenance activities

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On line chat support – This is interactive support in the form of on line chat

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Blackboard – virtual classroom allows for discussion about topics with other students or staff

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Maintaining the System

“Systems must be maintained and improved continuously to meet changing business demands and users constantly require assistance”Quotation: Shelley Cashman Ch 10

• Evaluate maintainability of the system

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Maintenance Phase

The economic life of a system is determined by the operation, support and security phase of the SDLC – we have

• Operational costs

• Maintenance activities

• Maintenance expenses

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Cost of operating an information system

Operational costs (green) are relatively constant

Maintenance costs (purple) vary over time

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Maintenance Types

• Corrective – to fix errors

• Adaptive – adds new facilities and enhancements

• Perfective – improves efficiency

• Preventative – reduces the possibility of system failure

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Information systems maintenance depends upon type and age of the system

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Managing System SupportRequires a maintenance team

including:

• Systems Administrator

• Systems Analyst

• Programmer Analyst

• Applications programmer

• Systems programmer

• Database programmer

• Applications programmer

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SAGE attempt to advance the status of system administration and develop professional guidelines

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Managing System Support

Maintenance requests involve a number of steps….

Firstly a maintenance request, then the initial determination, the review committee, the actual maintenance, formal review and finally notification of user.

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Although the procedure varies from company to company, the chart shows a typical process for handling maintenance requests

Shelly et al p. 518

Start

User sends maintenance request to system administrator

Req. justifiable?

Req. immediate attention?

Rejected?

Req. under prescribed cost

limit?

System administratorassigns maintenance tasks

and monitors the work

System administrator advises systems review committee and affected users of the status and outcome

Systems review committee assesses request and

assigns priority or rejects

End

Yes

No

No No

No

Yes Yes

Yes

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Managing System Performance

• System performance affects users who rely on it to do their jobs

• To support business operations the IT Department monitors performance of the system

• They use a technique called Benchmark testing

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Benchmark Testing

• Benchmarking is a set of standard tests on one system to compare its capacity and performance with other systems

• One example of this is given by Benchmark Factory (on line)

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Benchmark Factory software provides a variety of tests

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System Maintenance Tools

• Many CASE tools include system evaluation and maintenance features

• We can also use Spreadsheets to calculate trends and perform a ‘what if analysis’

• Presentation software can be used to display the results in the form of graphs and illustrations

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Security is a vital part of any computer system

System Security

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Back-up and Disaster Recovery

It would be foolish not to back up data and take steps to recover from a disaster resulting from loss of data

Suggested activity:

Find out about tools and techniques of Disaster recovery

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System Obsolescence

EXAMPLE

• Forty years ago, punch cards represented the state-of-the-art in data management

• As technology evolved, punch cards quickly became obsolete

• To maintain a competitive edge, companies must use the newest, most efficient IT available, and obsolescence should never come as a surprise

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Example of Punch Card

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In Conclusion

• The future will bring continuous change

• Change itself is neither good, nor bad

• The issues are how people and organisations deal with the changes

• These changes can also be opportunities