Jon Frankel's blog

This material is NOT in the book, so….it won’t be on the final. But it is important!!

SDLC (Systems Development Life Cycle)

Planning – Identify the problem & Objectives
Analysis – How does existing system work
Design – What are the possible solutionSSSS? Brainstorming – NO BAD IDEAS
Development – Fix it. Rent/Buy/Build (** BIG LESSON FOR THE TERM – Don’t Build!! **)
Testing – Make sure that the fix worked (Beta Testing, System TEsting)
Implementation/Conversion – Turn this on & Training. Most complex step out there
Maintenance & Evaluation – Any further problems?

Waterfall (one step depends on the other)
Iterative (Go back to the start and do it all again)

Story of how IBM bought it’s O/S from Microsoft, who bought (or Stole) it from SCP.

Other options – SCRUM, Paired Programming –

Failures in Software Development – All the time. Only hear about gov’t projects….

Planning vs Implementation – At some point, you gotta do the work

Poor Planning – Often because of poor Management in terms of expectations & time frame

Triple Constraint – Good, Fast or Cheap
Brooks Law – Adding resources to a later project makes it later – Particularly for software

Prototypes – Saves money in the long term.

Outsourcing / Offshoring / Contracting – Great thing if done right….comes down to project management

First an apology – I thought there’d be more in these chapters. A lot of tech that is discussed went nowhwere, but that’s how it goes when trying to predict the future!

Having said that, we talked about some cool technology (Amazon Drones, Brain Computer Interfaces, Augumented reality) and some stuff that went nowhere (Metaverse, NFTs). Lots of neat videos to back up these products

Check Trends.google.com – great way of predicting what MAY become a hot tech.

We also talked about the theories of blockchain as kind of a public spreadsheet, that accounts for all ownership and changes. It is “immutable” and includes “Proof of Work”. The biggest application of blockchain (so far) is bitcoin, which tracks a new currency. I want to stress that a “blockchain investment” is an oxymoron – blockchain is very speculative, and it’s price is extremely volatile. Then again, we assign value to wierd things in our world – 300 year old paintings and shiny metals – so what do I know???

Shorter lecture today and I did not take attendance

3 weeks left to semester!

• Last week of Connect this week (double assignment)
• Code assignment also do this weekend, any Adaptive Learning catch up
• Tues 4/30 – Getting into groups – be here!!
• Thurs 5/1 – Will do final review here.
• Tues 5/7 – No class
• Thurs 5/16 – Final Exam

Quiz 2 – (and pickup Quiz 1 if you never got it)

Average = 32.6/40

36+ –> A
30+ –> B
22+ –> C
<22 –> <C

Artificial Intelligence

Self Driving Cars

• + Will be better than humans
• + Will be able to learn & react better than humans
• + Trucks will drive themselves at night, relieving traffic 1
• + Simulations enable better (cheaper learning)
• – Jobs lost
• – Privacy change
• – More expensive (especially initially)
• – Security to hackers
• – Liability

Supervised vs Unsupervised (where you tell it rules vs it figures them out)

Watson – True Machine Learning (vs Deep Blue Expert System)

AlphaGo – Computer to win GO, a very complicated game with unsupervisting traingin

Issues – Bias, Trust

The quiz will take place on Tuesday April 9 in regular classroom, (Thursday April 11 in blue lab for those celebrating Eid al-Fitr) . It will consist of 10 multiple choice questions, 10 check all that apply questions and 4 of 5 short answer questions. The short answer questions will come from this list, and if you can answer all these questions, you will do fine on the multiple choice as well. Check connect (recharge the adaptive learning) for sample multiple choice questions and see the updated Highlights from the book.

1) Describe how a local area network (LAN) might be used in a typical library.
2) Explain what happens when an Internet user enters a webpage URL (web address, such as Wikipedia.org) into a browser, to enable the user to view the webpage.
3) What are the drawbacks of cloud computing?
4) Explain the connection between user-generated content and e-commerce site marketing.
5) Discuss the impact of e-commerce on the global economy.
6) What are the advantages of mobile commerce to businesses and consumers? What are the disadvantages, again to both businesses and consumers? Draw a comparative table or make lists to clarify your answer.
7) Explain why simply developing or establishing standards for ethical computer use is not enough to encourage ethical behavior in the workplace.
8) Discuss various common types of spyware.
9) Why might on-premises business management systems be better suited to large organizations than small ones?
10) Explain how a cloud-based business management system differs from a basic or general-purpose cloud storage service, such as Google Drive or Dropbox.
11) A large, online retailer is having difficulty holding on to its warehouse workers, who tend to quit after just 6 to 8 months. Explain which types of human resource management systems could help the company address this problem of high employee turnover.
12) A human resources manager at a nationwide service firm is asked by a department manager to generate a report based on data stored in the firm’s employee evaluation system. The report is to contain confidential information about an individual employee’s performance. The department manager has had plenty of experience working with this employee over a period of several years, so why would she need a written report generated by an information system? Give a detailed explanation of the purpose and value of such a report.
13) Using examples, explain the risks companies face when needed supplies and inventory are overstocked. In contrast, what happens when businesses are understocked? What solutions are available, and what factors do managers need to consider in choosing among options for these solutions?
14) Imagine the world of inventory management without universal product codes (UPCs) and radio frequency identification (RFID). Using one example or several, describe the business challenges in such a world, and explain how UPCs and RIFD would solve the problems you are putting forth.
15) What is the significance of Gantt charts to project management?
16) What is the benefit to using a Gantt chart to provide a visual of dates and times for when different parts of a project are scheduled to begin and end instead of just using a written list of beginning and end dates.
17) Explain how customer relationship management (CRM) systems support the use of a lead generation or acquisition funnel.
18) Describe the main two steps in precisely targeting a market segment and how a CRM can help businesses with each.
19) Explain the importance of CRM systems to an organization’s relationship with its customers.
20) Explain the concept of “share of customer.” Use Amazon’s strategy to illustrate your explanation.
21) Describe the greatest risk involved with storing customer data and the steps organizations who employ a CRM system can take to protect that data.
22) Explain how cloud-based enterprise resources planning (ERP) systems work and why they may be preferable to on-premise systems.
23) Explain why it makes sense for a national retail chain with both physical locations and an online store to use an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system.
24) Your organization currently uses separate ERP and CRM database systems. It is thinking of moving to a new vendor that would integrate the ERP and CRM into one system but is concerned about the time it will take to train employees how to use a new system as well as the cost of purchasing a new system. Describe how you will convince the head of operations that a combined system would save both time and money in the future.
25) Explain how a flowchart might be used to guide milestones in a project.
26) How do flowcharts help keep communications clear between project managers and stakeholders?
27) What are some of the risks with using a Monte Carlo simulation?
28) What are the benefits to using a Monte Carlo simulation before providing cost and completion information to a client?

Next quiz Tuesday April 9th – 10 Mult Choice, 10 Choose all that apply, NO fill-in-blank
4 of 5 short essay. Will post study guide and go over it on Thursday
For those celebrating Eid al-Fitr you can take quiz Thursday April 11th in Lab
– If Eid al-Fitr ends up occursing on Thursday, you can take it on Tuesday April 16th

Reminder – Final Thursday May 16th

Customer Relationship Management – Focus on customer, think Apple

• Keep existing customer! Because acquiring new ones is expensive. (5x more)
• RFM Analysis
• Recency, Frequency, Money – Break down into quinti;es (5 groups) and rank them
  115 – Upsell, Do you want fries with that, disocunt/coupon/etc
  511 – Don’t lose this customer – find out what happened
  –> Keep exisitng customers. “Share of customers” “Share of wallet”
• Acquire new customers – Social media, Search, ads, referrals
  –> Boston Red Sox – Promotions.
• Market Segementation – Who subscribes to ESPN, NESN, Hockey Fan
• Nurture them – Surveys, Social Media, Watch trends
  Track everything
• Demographics, Transactions, Qualitative – What are their values

Enterprise Resource Planning –

• Focused more on the products – Think Amazon.
• Consider how many products they stock, from lots of suppliers and they
  get them to you very efficiently
• Think how their distribution changed – UPS/USPS to 3rd party to Delivery trucks
• What is the key to making this happen? The DBMS is the heart of a good ERP system
• Cross enterprise systems – they are expensive
• Integrated across all areas (Inventory, HR, Accounting, Payroll, Transaction)

Project Management

• Finish Late, Cost more, less benefits. Repeated studies show this across industries.
• Why? Rushed planning!
• Not enough people (Stakeholders) in project, Resource Management, Project are linked
• Projects should have SMART goals – Think of teaching more business in MSIS110
  S – Specific objectives
  M – Measuarable
  A – Attainable
  R – Realistic
  T – Time Frame

Phases of a Project
Initiation – Requirement, Costs, Timelines, Stakeholders
Planning Phase – GANTT charts, Supplies, Labor, Permits Timeline
Execution Phase – Actually doing the project. Allow for contingencies! Communication.
Closure Phase – How did it go?

Flowcharts – Another tool to help with schedule & communication
Diamond (decision), Rectangles (processes), Arrows (flows), Ovals (starting/end)
Different software for rthis – Powerpoint, MS-Project

Critical Path – House renovation – Permit Important to make sure project can move forward

PERT Charts – More sophisticated model than GANTT that includes critical path

Monte Carlo Simulations – Run the simulation multiple times and figure out most likely outcome

Systems that we have here at UMB

• Wiser – Registrations, pay bills, personal information, etc
  [ Operations Mangement ]
• Blackboard – Content Management System
• Communication: Email, Blogs, (Wiser)
• Dorms (access, meal plans)
• Parking garage –
• Common App –
• Website –
• H/R, Payroll

Systems Development Life Cycle – Two pieces explored here

Conversion – Turning on new systems
– New Hardware, Training, What if it doesn’t work?
– Approaches: “phased”, “pilot”, “plunge” or “parallel”
– Also A/B testing like at Amazon

Approach for buying systems
Rent +Split costs easily, cheap (ST), No repairs, more options
-paying somebody elses mortgage (LT $$), rent can go up, or you can get kicked out
SYSTEMS – Cloud solutions
Buy +LT equity, goes up in value, customize it as I like
– more expensive maintenance, harder to get out
SYSTEMS – SaaS, Off the shelf software
Build +land is cheap to buy, customized!!,
– $$$, all maintenance, codes change, can’t live there while building, contractors
–> Fall behind & go over budget.
SYSTEMS – Write it yourself, Personalized on premises

Human Resources Management(HRM) Systems

• Payroll – Lots of math
• Benefits – 403B plans, healthplans, dentals, legal, eyeglass
• Hiring – Submit resume online – 1000s of applications for smale # of jobs
• Employee Violation – all recorded in different industries
• Compensation – pay people the right amount (not too much or too little)
• PErformance reports –
• Training –
• Firing – How to do it
• Absences, Vacations –

Inventory Management Systems

• UMB – Offer multiple sections of MSIS110 – Incoming, Transfer
• Not too many, not too few.
• Amazon – Not enough inventory -> lost sales, refunds, etc.
• Amazon – Too much – Sell it cheaper or not all – lost money
• Understocking & Overstocking
• Reorder points: What are sales going to look like, Lead time is for the product.
• UPC and RFID – how have these changed the process

Health Systems
– Electronic Health Records have made patient experience much better, but has come at great cost and time for providers. One of the last industries to computerize

We will cover ERP and CRM next week (Ran out of time)
Not covering Decision Making, BPM, PRoject Management, BI – all covered elsewhere in your book

Next quiz coming up in 2 weeks on April 9th. Same format

Security & Privacy – This is an old issue dating to the founding of the USA. Interesting story about rights to search somebody’s house in 1775 and then it all changed on Sept 11. Role of Ed Snowden exposing what the NSA is doing – reminder that he broke the law and could be considered for treason.

Section 230 – What is it, and is it time to repeal this?

Ethics – Disclaimer – I’m an IT guy, so I boil it down to: “Take the high road!”

1. Setup standards. What can employees do & not do.
   Illegal – Theft, Copywright infractions, Software Piracy, Scams,
   Ethical Violations – Personal Emails, Online Gambling
2. Train Employees on what they are!
3. Monitor behaviour & review standards

Five dimensions of Ethical Behaviour
Information Rights – Privacy. (GDPR Pop-ups about cookies, data)- Obtain/Use data
Intellectual Property- Patents, Trademarks, Copyright, Trade Secrets
Control/Accountability – Who is guilty when things go wrong.
Establish Standards – Is social media allowed for examples
Quality of Life – Rights to do as you wish vs rights not to be harmed

Laws –
US – 1st amendment – Freedom of speech by Govt (NOT by private companies)
CIPA – Child internet protection act
Privacy Act of 1986 – Created before internet, but still the basis

Group Exercise:

Talk about what should the govt do – Pick one of these companies:
Facebook (meta), Google, TikTok, Amazon

• Section 230 (should they be exempt from liability)
• Age Verification
• Misinformation out there