Jon Frankel's blog

The final will take place on Wednesday May 22 at 8am in Snowden (see Wiser for all details on your finals). You are allowed to bring in one 8.5×11 study sheet (both sides, typed or handwritten ) with whatever notes/details will help you. The final is cumulative on the whole Baltzan book – chapters 1-9, the appendices – AND will have a question related to our guest speaker last week. Here are the possible essay questions from Chapter 9 – see earlier study guides for questions from earlier chapters.

Describe the seven phases of the systems development life cycle.
Explain project management and the role the triple constraints play when managing a project.
Explain the three different types of outsourcing along with their benefits and challenges.

Sorry for the delay in posting this
1. Hot site
2. “Five 9s” availability
3. All of these
4. Ewaste
5. All of these
6. Quantity
7. Consistency
8. Construction companies
9. Database
10. Entity
11. Structured query language
12. Primary key
13. Combine strategic information
14. All of these
15. Data-mining tools
16. Business intelligence
17. Wide area network (WAN)
18. Transmission control protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP)
19. Domain name system (DNS)
20. Bluetooth
21. All of these
22. Global positioning systems
23. Packet-switching
24. Refers to the geometric arrangement …
25. Table
26. Cloud
27. Bandwidth
28. Scalability
29. Server
30. Entity-relationship
31. Transactional
32. Geographic
33. Protocol
34. Database
35. Warehouse

So why is IT project management so hard?
IT Department – Personnel are a varied cast of characters
- Databases – Database Analysts (DBA) – $100K
- Networking – Network Analysts – $80K
- Programmers – $60K
- Analysts – $80K
- CIO – The boss – $150K

Triple Constraint “Time, Cost, Scope”
- Fast, cheap or good. Maybe even 2 of these

Diseconomies of scale – Big projects just get more complex, not more efficient
Brookes Law – Adding resources to a late project just makes it later.

Project Management is “the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to meet project requirements” * MORE COMPLEX IN IS * than other areas

Offshoring, outsourcing –
While this has huge $ savings, only if it’s done well does this work.
Could potentially change SDLC if done right

Finish up with video about how IBM went through SDLC to develop O/S for PCs

2nd quiz results – Avg 35.4/50
(much better – still didn’t beat my other class)

40+ (33) – A
30-39 (32) – B
20-29 (18) – C
<20 (3) < C

For presentations, get yourself in a group by Monday May 5. Update the following document by moving your name into the 2nd column:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AhePvLgrVxsYdGdqWXN6MGJyd1l1bTBTdUQwUFNyWlE&usp=sharing

If you’re not in a group by May 5, I will assign you to one.

The subject of your presention is either a technical company (Microsoft, Google, Dell, etc), or current issue related to Information Systems (i.e. CCTV cameras used to capture Boston Bombers, Legislation to have an Internet sales tax). For more ideas, check out the latest edition of Wired magazine which has a great 20 year retrospective on technology.

If you’d like to present in class on Monday May 13 (for bonus credit) let me know via email by Friday May 10.

All presentations, even if you present in class, are due by email on Wednesday May 15 (last day of class).

Software Development
- Really about problem solving.
- For example, a student who is way behind on her Access work.

Problem: You are behind in your access work! (often need to evaluate whether it is really a problem? How big of a problem?)

Solutions:
- 1 – Start the work!
- 2 – Give it up – not do the work
- 3 – Talk to professor
- 4 – Get help – tutoring center!
- 5 – Phone a friend (but don’t copy!)

Plan:
- Pick a solution! She chooses #4, and starts down that path
- Get their work done!

Result:
- Get an A in the class

Just like what we do with Information Systems; “methodology” that we use is called:
Systems Development Life Cycle “SDLC” Fig 9.1. 5 (some books combine steps 4-6) or 7 step process.

1 -Planning – What are goals, how big is the problem?
2 -Analysis – Understand & document existing systems, and detailing out problems.
3 -Design – Figure out new system option**S*** and choose one
4 -Development – Make changes, or buying/cloud new software. Evaluating which is best
5 -Testing – Alpha, Beta – Does it work?
6 -Implementation – Turning it on. Very complex! Also called Conversion
– “plunge” – Out with old, in with new. Very risky, but advantage is it works
– “Parallel” – Both systems running in parallel. Short term cost, but way reduces risk
– “Pilot” – Certain people get the new.
7 – Evaluation – Did it solve the problem

After each phase – evaluate the project! Does it make sense financially? Does it make sense schedule-wise?

Waterfall Model – each step depends on the prior one.
Fig 9.6 – Costs to fix mistakes rises exponentially. So find problems early
- Do prototyping to try things out.

Costs of systems development
- Always (!!) come in late & over budget.
- Why – often new technologies, Business needs may change, New tech comes along – obsolete tech may already be in process
- Lots of govt failures are documented – companies don’t publicize them, but they happen all the time.

The next quiz will be on Monday April 22. The quiz will be shorter than last time – I promise. It will cover chapters 5-8 AND Appendices B & C. It will consist of 25 Multiple Choice questions, 10 Fill in the blanks and 3 (of 4) short essay questions. If you can answer the following questions, you WILL do well on this quiz. Be sure to check out the online site (http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0073376868/student_view0/) for online quizzes – I will only test you on material that we covered in class.

Explain MIS infrastructure and some ways it ensures continuous business operations.
Identify the environmental impacts associated with MIS.
Describe a database, a database management system, and how they are different that spreadsheets.
Define a data warehouse, and provide a few reasons they can make a manager more effective.
Explain the different wireless network categories.
Identify the benefits of a connected world.
Compare LANs and WANs
Explain topology and the different types found in networks.
Identify the different physical media types found in networks.
How is the focus of CRM systems different than SCM and ERP systems.
Why are SCM systems so hard to implement

Note – Final moved to Snowden Auditorium (Wheatley)

Supply chain systems must integrate across different companies, time zones
- API Application Program Interfaces – Fancy way of saying this is how systems talk to each other.
- EAI Enterprise Application Integration – Another fancy way of saying the same.
- Old days, this was done using Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)
Pots123040420130100032.12
SKU Date Qty Price
- Now, using XML – Extensible Markup Language (looks like HTML)
Bottom Line – Complex!

Just In Time systems – (JIT) – Dell Computers
- Very successful at making Computers (and other products) very efficiently BUT need very accurate inventory availability. Which means great SCM systems are required.

In SCM, money flows “up” (opposite of product)

ERP System – First cross functional systems that were written (1970s), big companies did this like SAP – Big Company, with big $$$ systems. Focus more on the product, than the customer although it has all elements we’ve been talking about (accounting, production, materials, H/R, etc…)

Future – All these types of systems really overlap now. Personally, I think the future is really in cloud computing, not at companies/systems like SAP.

Last industry to computerize is healthcare. Why? Privacy, security, complexity. But Electronic Health records are coming, courtesy of $47B from govt (that’s $150 for each American). Still only at 35% though (vs banks, airlines, retail which are all pretty much at 100%)

A little perspective to start us off:
Age of the earth?? 4 Billion
What happened the first 1 billion? Nothing 2d billion? Nothing
About 500 Million years ago – Cambrian Age – Life!
250M to 65M years ago – Jurassic Park (3D coming out!).
100,000 BC – Homo Sapiens, but don’t know much about first 90K years
10,000 BC – First Known History because Agriculture invented –> writing down history
1700s, 1800s – Industrial Age
– Cotton Gin, Printing Press – Other cool inventions, transportation systems.
1950s –> Information Age (1957 in USA) when information became the key tool.
Payroll, G/L, Accounting – Single systems developed but they were “Silos” – stand alone
1970s – Developing Enterprise Level System that were integrated

Umass Systems -
- Email, Wiser, Blackboard, H/R, Phone, Lab Reservations, Financial, Website, etc.
- Some automatically updated, some manual
- Need INTEGRATION of all these systems so we don’t land up with silos.
- Some of the systems are “LEGACY” – Older system that you want to keep around. How to integrate?

3 basic types of systems we will be discussing:
- Customer Relationship Management
- Supply Chain Systems
- Enterprise Resource Planning

CRM – Think of products you are loyal to.
Me – Sony Ericcson Phones, Apple
Others – T-Mobile, Fire&Ice, Lids, Google, Nike, Dunkin DOnuts, Johnny Cupcake, Shake Shack
WHY?
- You know the product. Quality.
- They’re giving you a deal
- Convenience

CRM focuses on the end user, rather than the product – Promote loyalty, retention, & ultimately profitability.

Think hotels (they know you & your habits) and systems they have vs airlines (they don’t)

Red Sox (Happy Opening day!) – Last week before they opened the season 4-2 on the road:
– Weren’t making playoffs
– Owners just care about selling seats
– Loyal fans of Red Sox Nation were not happy

What to do to build loyalty back:
– Hotdogs are 2 for 1, Beers are $5
– Discounts – Give away tix based on past sales
– Offer STH seats/memorobilia first
– Meet & Greet with players
– Play on field last October after season ended

How to measure customers:
Recency, Frequency, Monetary (RFM) Analysis
115 – Cheap, but come frequently
– Give person a deal / high quality so maybe they’d be “up-sold”.
– Would you like fries with that, Customer who bought this, also bought..
151 – Came back recently after absence, $ alot
– Quickly Expiring coupon – get him to come back soon
551 – Old customer but spends alot
– What happened? And fix it.

Data goes from questions like
“What is our inventory?” –> “What do our customers want”
“Who are our customers” -> “who should our customers be” & “Who is at risk for leaving”

Good CRM Figures out way to properly contact customers (Frequency, Method)

——-

Supply Chain – How it works

Product goes down the chain:

Raw Materials or Other Suppliers (Other companies)
Manufacturer (Champion)
Distributor (Expert at importing, shipping)
Distribution Center (Walmart)
Retailer (walmart)
Customer (you)

Today, a relatively techie lecture on how data gets from your browser to the Internet and back.

Browser (Firefox, IE, Safari, Chrome) – First contact with Internet
Over Cat-5 wires or wireless to a Router, then to Modem, the via Coax or Cat-5 to your ISP.
Coaxial Cable (RCN, Comcast) – shared pipe down your street so throughput not always at max
Phone Wire (DSL from Verizon) or Fiber (FiOS from Verizon – not always available in your town)
Then onto the Internet. Data is broken up into Packets and sent via TCP/IP

TCP/IP – A protocol (“a set of rules”) for sending data from one node to another. Invented in 1960s. Scaled incredibly well. BB&N (Cambridge, MA & California). @ invented too.
Referred to as a Packet Switching Network, rather than a Circuit based network (like the phones)

Heart of TCP/IP is that each node has an Internet Address of the form:
127.23.45.192 – 4 part number, each 0-255 -> 4 Billion possibilities (not enough! New IPV6 will fix)

Domain Name System (DNS) – Big whitepages that turns Domains into IP Address. When I register a Domain, it gets a unique IP address. “Whois” cross references domain into IP address, and who owns it.

In an office, nodes are connected to each other to form LAN (Local area network) and WAN (Wide area network). Definition as to distance is not specific, so think of WAN as big enough area that I can’t control the wires (like connecting UMass Boston to Dartmouth or Amherst).

Topology – How things are physically connected
– Star, Ring, Bus and Wireless (or Hybrid of all of them)

Doing the more technical stuff on Wednesday (from chapter, Appendix)

Of all MIS areas, the networking infrastructed changes the fastest!

How has it changed from our/business perspective
Always on, always connected (even 3G computers), which means:

- Providers? Gone from singlue service (AT&T – phones, Time Warner – Cable, AOL – Getting online
–> One company provides all three services, and even cell phone too.
- Narrowband —> Broadband (Speed, Always on)
- Shared Resources – Computer, Phone, Printer (All in one units) & Software/Data resources
- Phones (Cell phones) drastically different than past generation.
- Security has become much bigger deal – “WEP” (wireless security protocol)
- Travel, business has changed. Working from home possible, but it is also 24×7

Applications – Some specific examples of how we are using networking:
GPS – tells me where I am based on satellite (Geosynchronous orbit 22 Miles up)
GIS – “Geographic Information Systems” – (what we really mean when we say GPS)
– Adding in a map, traffic overlay,restaurants, bike routes, business mapping delivery routes, millions of possibilities

Mobile Business (M-Business) – Ebay! Bidding at last minute means I can be on the road.
- More and more apps developed for 3rd place (wherever people are working)

VoIP – Voice over Internet Protocol (Skype, Vocalocity, Vonage) – cheaper, new capabilities
- Phones are portable (remember – business need multiple phones, cell phone won’t work)
- Voicemail -> Email with speech to text / audio recording
- Call groups – Controls which phones ring
- More capabilities with forwarding

What’s the future? According to FCC chairman (WSJ 3/6/13), 4G service will help US create jobs and right now we are ahead of most of the world (unlike earlier mobile technologies)

Some Techie details – more coming next time:
Different wireless technologies based on different frequency – tradeoff of data transmission rate vs distance (check this out: http://visiblelightcomm.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/spectrum.png)
- RFID (credit card, fastlane, passport), Bluetooth, WiFi, Cellular, WiMax, Walkie Talkie, Satellite (increasing distance)

Cellular History – 1G (analog), 2G (digital), 3G (Higher speed Data), 4G (WiFi equivalent)