LIBBY DELAY CIS 62 CHAPTER 2

Review Question 1. What is a business case? How does a business case affect an IT project? ANSWER A business case is the justication for a project. A strong business case means that a proposal will add substantial value to the organization and support our strategic plan.

Discussion Topic Directives from top management often trigger IT projects. Suppose that the vice president of marketing tells you to write a program to create mailing labels for a one-time advertising promotion. As the IT manager, you know that the labels can be prepared more efficiently by simply exporting the data to a word processing program with a mail merge feature. How would you handle this situation? ANSWER I would set up a training workshop with those who would be participating in the creation of the mailing labels and teach them to do the mail merge on Word. There is no reason to write a new program- the perfect program for the project already exists.

Project 1. Use the Internet to nd an example of a corporate mission statement. ANSWER Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the

world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is dening the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.1

http://investor.apple.com/faq.cfm?FaqSetID=6 1

LIBBY DELAY CIS 62 CHAPTER 2

Case Study New Century Health Clinic Assignments 1. Dr. Jones has arranged an introductory meeting between the associates of New Century Health Clinic and you to determine if mutual interest exists in pursuing the project. What should the associates try to learn about you? What should you try to learn in this meeting? Answer: During this introductory meeting, I need to nd out exactly what it is they are looking for. This will allow me to establish what kind of interface, features, and enhancements are necessary. I will need to see a ow chart of how data is currently being led and processed in order to create databases that are intuitive for the staff. NCHC staff should also get to know me and feel comfortable working with me. They should ask questions about what kind of work I have done in the past and feel condent in my qualications. 2. Does the proposed system present a strong business case? Why or why not? Answer: Yes, I believe that the proposed system presents a strong business case. Switching their manual system to a digital system will make vast improvements in their accuracy, efficiency, and time management. 3. For each type of feasibility, prepare at least two questions that will help you reach a feasibility determination.

Answer: Operational Feasibility: 1. How can the digital system be reective of the manual system used in the past? 2. How can the digital system be programmed to not only meet current demands, but those of future growth? Technical Feasibility: 1. What resources (hardware/ software/ network) does NCHC currently have, and what is the budget for purchasing additional resources? 2. Who will be in charge of regular maintenance for the system from NCHC, because it would be most efficient if we built with their capabilities in mind. Economic Feasibility: 1. Do the expected pros of the system outweigh the costs of ownership? 2. Is the project feasible within the connes of the budget, and are our expectations aligned? Schedule Feasibility: 1. What is the timeframe, and what are the repercussions of going off schedule? 2. What type of project management database will we be using to control and monitor the project?

LIBBY DELAY CIS 62 CHAPTER 2

4. You begin the preliminary investigation. What information is needed? From whom will you obtain it? What techniques will you use in your fact-nding? Answer: I need to know how business is currently conducted by interviewing and shadowing those currently involved in operations that will soon be handled with new technology. Consulting the org chart, I would follow the system from start to nish, making a plan for how the proposed system will improve the current manual way of doing things. A user survey would also be helpful, and a survey of current programs that the staff is comfortable working with.