Strategic Information System - Essay Example

? Information Systems Supervisor] Developing an information system can be a challenging task when requirements of a stakeholder are not clear. In such a situation, the development team can either make use of socio-technical approach or an agile approach. The following paper compares the two approaches and discusses their relative advantages and disadvantages. Information Systems Introduction: When it comes to developing an information system it is vital that the correct approach is selected after a careful analysis. These approaches tend to significantly aid in the development of the information system. These approaches can be used as a framework or as a guideline that provides steps which eventually lead to the final product. In a situation where requirements from the stakeholders continuously change the development team can make two approaches. The first is a socio-technical approach which takes into account the social and technical perspective before drawing up an information system for an organization. The second is agile methodology under which regular feedback is obtained from stakeholders to ensure that there are no mistakes being made while the system is being developed. Soft systems and socio technical approaches: Socio-technical approaches are basically approaches that help an organization take into account human and social aspects of an organization in addition to the technical matters, while developing an information system. These approaches have been used by a number of organizations in the past however, their use in recent years has steadily declined (Baxter & Sommerville, 2011). Socio-technical approaches are usually based on theories that revolve around social aspects involving individuals and the society that they are a part of. The technological part of this term does not necessarily refer to technology pertaining to materials and systems used, but rather it represents procedures that are used and knowledge that is related to those particular procedures (Baxter & Sommerville, 2011). Soft systems methodology is an approach that is used as an inquiry tool where an organization makes an inquiry into a problematic situation that is thought to exist within the real world (Checkland & Scholes, 1990). Problems can basically be categorized into two main categories hard and soft. Hard problems are problems that can be properly defined and can be solved using a technical predefined approach. Soft problems, on the other hand, are very difficult to clearly define (Clarke, 2011). Within soft problems, there is a fluctuating factor of political and human activity. Moreover, there is no exact technical approach, which a person can use to solve a soft problem. In a number of cases, technological impact on the situation is not positive and may cause even greater problems (Checkland & Scholes, 1990). Advantages and disadvantages: The idea of developing a particular information system for an organization is to address a problem that occurs within that organization. Perceptions regarding the problem are different for every stakeholder of the organization. This then divides one single problem into a number of problems that are interrelated to each other in more than one ways. Socio-technical system helps the organization by citing the definition of the organization as one of the phases towards the solution of the problem in question (Checkland & Scholes, 1990). Socio-technical approach thus helps stakeholders on focusing on the nature of the problem prior to working towards the procurement of the solution of the given problem. By clearly defining the problem, system developers would be able to address the real problem rather than forming a solution to the problem that they perceive is correct (Baxter & Sommerville, 2011). Methodologies such as soft system approach can only be used to analyze the weak points and fails to clearly specify how a system can be built using the information that is obtained from its analysis. In some cases, the problem is incorrectly defined, which eventually leads to a much more complexities than there were initially. Moreover, the implementation of soft system approach is very difficult. This is one reason why organizations feel that soft system approach is much less effective than other efficiency improving approaches (Flood & Carson, 1993). Relevant case studies: A study conducted by Bjerke (2008) at Volvo Cars Corporation study the effects of implementing soft systems methodology at one of the purchasing departments of the company. To be specific soft systems methodology was implemented to study its effects on financial reporting of Volvo’s purchasing department. The results of implementation showed that there were a number of problems with the system that was used for reporting. Through soft system methodology the researcher was also able to suggest viable solution to these problems as well. The solutions of these problems when integrated with the system that was already in place provided a more reliable and durable reporting system that ensured that there little or no mistakes were made when financial reports were compiled. This in turn improved the overall performance of the purchasing department and of Volvo Cars Corporation (Bjerke, 2008). Potential issues that may arise in the future: By assessing the prevailing trends, it seems highly plausible that these trends would most probably remain popular amongst the mass population or flourish more as time passes by. In the next five years, it is likely that the use and issues of soft systems and socio-technical approaches would depend upon the social situations that would develop with time (Cliff et al., 2008). Current trend suggests that with time more and more complex technical and social problems in society would arise, and these problems may not be easily addressed by soft systems and socio-technical approaches. For example, the merger of computer science and bioscience may increase the number of stakeholders within a particular project. With the increase in stakeholders, it is highly likely that a certain problem would have to be perceived from a greater number of points of views. This would significantly increase the complexity of the problem. The processes and approaches currently used under soft system methodology or socio-technical approaches are not equipped to handle such complex cases (Cliff et al., 2008). Agile development approaches: Agile development approaches are a set of approaches that are used to develop system solutions by using iterative development. Agile methodology is usually used in an environment where the conditions or the requirements are continuously changing. Even though there are numerous approaches to that are encompassed under agile methodology they all at the core are the same. These approaches all refine the piece of the system while it is being developed. That is feedback is provided while development of the system takes place. Continuous development of the system takes place with planning, integration and testing taking place in almost every phase of the system’s development. As mentioned above, there are a number of approaches that are encompassed within agile methodology. Lean Development, Extreme Programming and Crystal are some examples of agile methods (VersionOne, 2013). Scrum is another example of a method that is classified under the category of agile methodology. Under scrum details regarding the solution of a problem are not stated and rather the development team is given the freedom to solve the problem as it sees fit. The scrum team comprises of three main roles a product owner, development team and Scrum master. Product owner is basically the individual whose basic responsibility is to represent all stakeholders of the business. Development team is basically responsible for delivering a product that at the end provides the customer with the promised system that helps add value to the customer’s business. The Scrum master is the individual that ensures that the team sticks to the plan and makes use Scrum in the manner that was intended (Schwaber & Sutherland, 2011). Advantages and disadvantages of agile model: Approaches within agile methodology are highly flexible that is these models easily adapt to any changes that are made within the initial requirement without much difficulty. As mentioned above regular feedback is obtained as the system is developed to refine it. This feedback is obtained by the system developers from the system’s customers and stakeholders after they complete one module of the system (Silver, 2005). Another huge advantage of agile methodology is that agile approaches can be used to meet the requirement of customers that are not sure of how the system is supposed to look like or what exact functions is the system supposed to carry out (Silver, 2005). Furthermore, since agile approaches are largely dependent upon the feedback that is received from stakeholders and customers collaboration and communication amongst the development team remains extraordinarily efficient (Silver, 2005). One of the greatest drawbacks of agile methodology is that methods implemented under agile methodology do not have a definite structure, which makes certain features of agile methodology unpredictable. For example, in a number of cases where agile methodology is used the estimated budget is exceeded, and the project fails to meet its deadlines. Moreover since agile methodology is based on collaboration and communication between individuals it becomes extremely difficult for the development team to complete the project if a team member leaves (Silver, 2005). Relevant case studies: In 2010, Cars.com one of the leading online cars shopping website recently decided to improve the organization’s delivery service by reducing the delay, provide greater value to their customers and finally significantly increase employee motivation. Using agile methodology the organization was able to shift their organization culture from project orientated to a customer orientated culture (VersionOne, 2010). Reflection on issues of socially responsible computing: In basic terms, computers are to be used by people to help organizations and excel in their pursuit of their goals. However the advancements that have been made in the world of technology have also forced experts to question the effect these advancements have on human context. Implementation of new systems must take into account these social contexts when during the design phase. When one talks about technology in a social context it encompasses a number of features such as ergonomics, crime, privacy, and other legal issues (Clarke, 2011). Of all the above issues discussed, crime is one of the most important social issues that have risen over the years. Crime using computers has become a huge threat and has crippled even some of the biggest organizations across the globe (VersionOne, 2010). Future issues related to agile: With the advancement in technology, there is a need for more stability within approaches in agile development. With large-scale projects, there would be little or no room for errors. With large budget projects being planned for the future, there is a need to develop a proper procedure that would provide an exact budget and an exact timeline during the design phase. Agile methodology would not suit large-scale future projects (Moe & Dingsoyr, 2010). Relevance of assignment and unit: This assignment allows us to understand how different approaches can be adopted in different situations. To gain a strategic advantage, while starting a project, it is important that the correct approach is made use of. Such a decision can only be used after conducting a careful analysis of the situations that present themselves. Conclusion: The above discussed methodologies and approaches are used in situations where the requirements of the project cannot be clearly defined. In the first approach discussed that is socio-technical approaches requirements are not clearly defined because there is a great deal of involvement of individuals. The second methodology that is agile methodology is usually used when the requirements of a project are changed on a regular basis, and the customer is unsure of the features that they want to include within their system. Both approaches share some common features, and they differ in a number of ways. Both methodologies have numerous advantages and disadvantages when compared to other approaches. From a future prospective, both methodologies are steadily becoming obsolete, and these methodologies are being replaced by newer better methodologies that tend to the needs of projects that are currently being developed. In comparison, organizations tend to prefer the use of agile methodology to socio-technical approaches because of two main reasons. The first reason is that socio-technical approaches are complex in their implementation and organizations usually tend hire two separate analysts that focus on technical issues and social issues separately. The second important issue is that agile method enables fluent communication amongst the developers of the system and the stakeholders, which ensures that there are less or no mistakes while the system is being developed. List of References Baxter, G. & Sommerville, I., 2011. Socio-technical systems: From design methods to systems engineering. Interacting with Computers, 23(1), pp.4-17. Bjerke, O.L., 2008. Soft Systems Methodology in action: A case study at a purchasing department. Thesis. Sweden: University of Goteborg University of Goteborg. Checkland, P. & Scholes, J., 1990. Soft systems methodology in action. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons. Clarke, M.C., 2011. Social Responsibility for Computing Professionals and Students. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 28 November 2013]. Cliff, D., Taylor, J. & O'Malley, C., 2008. Future issues in socio-technical change for UK education. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 27 November 2013]. Flood, R.L. & Carson, E.R., 1993. Dealing with Complexity: An Introduction to the Theory and Application of System Science. New York City: Springer. Maqsood, T., Finegan, A.D. & Walker, D.H.T., 2001. Five case studies applying Soft Systems Methodology to Knowledge Management. Research. Melbourne: RMIT University RMIT University. Moe, N.B. & Dingsoyr, T., 2010. Research Challenges in Large-Scale Agile Development. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 28 November 2013]. Schwaber, K. & Sutherland, J., 2011. The Scrum Guide. Research. Chicago: Scrum Guide Scrum Guide. Silver, M., 2005. Exploring Interface Design. Boston: Cengage Learning. VersionOne, 2010. VersionOne's Case Studies. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 28 November 2013]. VersionOne, 2013. Agile Development. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 27 November 2013]. Read More