Strategic Information Systems - Assignment Example

Name : xxxxxxxxxxx Institution : xxxxxxxxxxx Title : Strategic I.S. Tutor : xxxxxxxxxxx Course : xxxxxxxxxxx @2010 Qn. 1 a) Potential problems and disadvantages of introducing an automated testing tool Automated testing tools has always easened the work of testing, with lots of advantages to the organization, however it has some setbacks that may make an organization choose the manual testing over it, some of the demerits include the fact that it demands proficiency to be able to create and maintain it, run it and also to customize the scripts according to the requirements of the test .It also has problems with maintenance where it requires high maintenance from the experts. Incase of large automation suite then the maintenance cost will be very high. Automation errors are a major setback here since if they go undetected, they will give false testing, also considering that they are always hard to detect, and they may only be detected after the damage to the test has been done, mostly through the launching and falling over of the software. Every management often need a cost effective method of testing, automated testing has proved so expensive due to the licensed tools for testing,expartriates involved,maintainance cost of play-back, as well as the initial cost for starting the test. Other problems include training of the staff on using the technology, much time needed for its implementation, susceptibility to damage, slow test throughput, need for debugging, sensitivity of GUI which may lead to replacement of scripts, inability to gauge the usability of materials, lack of human insight as well as its probability of producing results that are conflicting (Dustin,2000). b) In undertaking the automated test, the following steps are necessary i) Plan step This is the most crucial step since the changes are geared to bring better output results. The goals and targets have to be determined, various methods of achieving the goals are compared to get the best results, then the revision or designing of the components is done for better outcomes, finally, education, and training is then considered. Expected output has to be the primary focus while accuracy is paramount. ii) The Do, Check and Act steps include: The Do, Check and Act processes are employed after the planning has been done, they involve Do: the next step from planning is implementing the automated test plan on a small -scale in order to gauge the performance. Check: After this the results are compared with the expected results to see if any small difference exists. The checking is carried out to prove whether the new idea is actually working .it is also useful in the study of the processes that were selected, this information is then taken to other decision makers for further approval. Act: the differences have to be critically analyzed for the establishment of their causes since they come from a step or more steps of the P-D-C-A cycle. Where to use changes resulting in improvement should be determined. Incase the four stages don’t crate the need for improvement then the scope for application of the steps should be refined until the plan involving improvement is attained. Finally, with satisfactory result, the automated testing findings can be used for further developments (Fewster, 1999 ). Qn. 2 a) The advantages of CMMI include It has a detailed coverage of the product life cycle compared to using other products that improve product alone. The CMMI product incorporates several lessons learnt while developing, maintaining and also using the source models from which their development occurred hence being able to address the CMM and SECM software problems effectively. It enables the users to choose model representation that fits their business objectives perfectly. Its flexibility promotes continuous and staged approaches of improving processes . CMMI also allows for the elimination of barriers existing in various organizational parts which are not taken in to consideration by other models of process improvement. Disadvantages of CMMI It does not aid in discovery incase of emergency situations. It can’t tell how to reach the goals. Instead of process improvement, the organization may focus on the next level. Advantages of Tick IT include: Leads to Improved product quality. High efficiency in the processes involved. It has a reduction in the cost of failures. There is also an increase in the employee satisfaction. There is also lower staff turnover. Disadvantages of Tick IT include: It is associated with high cost of: Correcting defects. Time and budget overruns. Maintenance. High costs due to poor hardware quality 2 b. i) Suitability-it is an essential functionality characteristic which determines the appropriateness of the software functions (Savenkov, 2008). Fault tolerance-this is used to rate the capability of withstanding and recovering from environmental failure, or component. Operability-it indicates the ability for ease of use of the software by a user from in an environment. Time behaviour-involves the duration of response for a thru put (transaction rate). Stability-it involves a system’s change sensitivity, hence indicating the negative implications of system changes. Adaptability-it characterizes the system’s change capability to specifications or environments that are new. Suitability- the appropriateness of the method is considered, it has to be able to be used effectively. For example legitimate website tests for reliability and functionality. Fault tolerance-considerations on the software ability overcome failures from components and the environment is done. It tests product recoverability and service hence it deals with usability and functionality Operability-the device should be developed and checked to ensure they work easily .it may test ease of adaptation to user profile and also easy of access to web page.it deals with Functionality, Usability and Efficiency Time behaviour-the rate for transacting data and also response is considered, hence the efficiency has to be looked at for example, direct delivery of products, and it tests for efficiency and usability. Stability -the side effects due to changing of a given system as well as the sensitivity of the system is considered. It might test for secure and reliable transactions hence testing functionality and reliability. Adaptability-the systems should be checked if they are able to change in new environments hence it is considered in terms of reliability. It may test ease of navigation thereby testing functionality and reliability. Qn. 3. a) Handling and use of laptops and other portable devices during journeys and outside the office environment Data storage-data storage should be in removable hard discs and not on laptops. They should also be encrypted to avoid future loss and access to data by unauthorized people (McGarry, 2002). Policy on the use of USB is very important since it can store much data, however it should have password to deny strangers access to data. Use of DVDs and CDs-they should be avoided since they can be easily copied. Laptop and data security should be considered when in an insecure or a new place. Procedures to maximize the protection of the organization’s data, to minimize the risk of data or a laptop being stolen or lost Policies on telework security and controls should be well planned considering that the place outside organization is a deadly threat. Encryption of data could be used in place of data storage on remote clients since it has the benefits of detecting changes in the file as well as confidential. Policy of the telework security formulated should define the requirements of remote access and telework. The devices of the telework clients should be secured from the probable risks and also regular maintenance of their security should be paramount. Remote access servers should be secured effectively as well as configured to deter remote connections from being used for attacks on various network resources. Servers should be kept patched and also the network should have a single entry point (Fenton, 1998). Accountability of employees in integrity and also confidentiality of data should also be reinforced. Data should be stored mostly on removable hard drives so data could be easily restored incase of loss or destruction of PC. Emails should not be used for data transfer. USB devices of storage that require password should be used. CDs and DVDs should be avoided since it is easier to copy or even loose them. The laptops that are used should have password protection to prevent access to the data incase of loss or theft of the laptop or PC. Qn. 4. a) The risks associated with the online trading and possible counter measures Online trading has greatly taken root in the world trade. However there are risks involved including: Loss investment in securities incase lack of consideration to the method applied occurs. The principles of investment, risk tolerance and goals have to be well understood. Internet traffic may also be high hence making it difficult for account access as well as order transmission. Advice and tips on stock offered in the bulletin boards or even chat rooms can be misleading hence need to be scrutinized and carefully considered . Online trading could distort the goals of the investor due to impulsive over trading with no considerations on the risk tolerance. Over trading has results of increased cost of trading, may lead to poor investment performance and also may lead to tax complications. b) The membership of the Business Continuity Planning team Due to the need for detailed and effective continuity plan which entails the accuracy in the organization’s report, inclusion of various experienced and skilled intellectuals with technical skills, leadership characters, and who have positive attitude has been paramount. They include: Team leaders Supporting team members. Business process team members. Technical team members. (c) The content of the Business Continuity Plan The contents of the business continuity plan include Analysis This consists of threat analysis, impact analysis, and also impact scenarios which lead to its plan requirement documentation. Impact analysis-leads to separation of critical and non-critical functions of the organization. Threat analysis-After definition of the recovery requirements, potential threats are documented in order to get specific recovery steps. Definition of impact scenarios-this is done after the definition of potential threats and involves the planning of disaster with both small and wide-reaching consequences. Recovery requirement documentation-After the analysis is done, documentation of the requirements of the business plan and the technical plan is done. Solution design Its objective is to crime up with a solution for disaster discovery which is cost effective and fulfilling the requirements of minimum application and application data expectations and the time set for the availability of data (Dimattia, 2001). Implementation The design elements identified by the solution design phase are executed. The testing of the work package may also be done. Testing may include application testing and process test. Maintenance It involves confirming in the information in the manual, technical solutions’ testing and testing the organization recovery procedures that have been documented. Testing and updating of Information Due to changes in organization, the business plan manual should also change in order to be relevant .after the verification of the data accuracy, evaluation of the plan’s efficiency and also contact data accuracy. Testing and verification of technical solutions For continuous maintainance, the specialized technical deployments’ functionality check is carried out, like data verification and check on the operability of the hardware. Testing and verification of organization recovery procedures Due to over time work changes, the previous recovery procedures may no longer be effective hence checks include whether the documentation of work processes for critical functions are present. Test failure treatment Since there is relationship between the impact step and the test and maintenance step, the results from testing should be re-analyzed. Qn. 5 a) The implications of teleworking from the perspective of the management of the organization Teleworking has been viewed by many organizations as a necessity, some of its implications to the organization include: Savings The organizations that use teleworking have experienced savings in the areas of premises, labour and also office heads .The telework methods also reduce the total office occupancy. Incase of flexible working, the costs due to labour relocation are avoided. Motivational improvement Due to the independent work style developed by the employer, the employees feel they are trusted hence they get more motivation which leads to more output. Retention of skill Even though the family might move, a worker in a teleworking company will still be doing their job i.e the work will still be done as opposed to the non-teleworking company where the work is not done. The worker might also be unemployed. The work can also be done part-time by an employee on leave (Kugelmass, 1995). Flexibility of the organization Incase restructuring or even reorganization takes place, employees will still work without interruption with the personal lives. There is also limited transport need hence skills and experiences can be reached easily. Better customer service There is ease of extension of customer services above the normal time without overtime pay concerns and also working and travelling during unsocial hours is eliminated. Resilience With teleworking, there is resilience to external disruptions to the work like natural disasters, transport strikes and bad weather. (b) The implications of teleworking from the perspective of the potential teleworkers for the organization Teleworkig has really transformed the working condition of employees in that there is: Efficiency This is a primary motivation since the workers have higher work output using a little time and at a reduced cost hence the employees compare it to a relaxed lifestyle. Increased job opportunities: This is because the distance is very insignificance in the work. Decreased family life interruptions Since teleworking is effective and with flexible programmes for work, there is reduction of relocations due to job changes. Creation of balance between family life and work Even though more time might be invested in the work, the family responsibilities like attending to children, shopping and also house chores can be managed with ease. Community participation Incase the teleworkers are based in rural areas, they can participate in communal activities like school chairing, youth organization leadership and also being a secretary of a society, promptly, without having to travel for the functions, as in the case of non-teleworking. Flexibility of working hours The employees always work at their most creative and lively time since they are not condemned by the routine fixed working time and timetable as in non teleworking. Negative implications include perceived work control-loss, information loss and also challenges from new management. The negative implications involve professional and social contact reduction, difficulty in team work, and technological insecurity. (c) The actions that management could take and the features available Some of the ways of overcoming teleworking problems include: To overcome mistrusts, the management culture should embrace teleworking in all its levels. The typing pool mentality has to be stopped. Career fears can be overcome by the maintenance of regular communication with the manager and other workers.Thesystems for measurement which are performance based offer some solutions. To overcome career jealousy, explanations on the reasons for or against their selection for telework should be paramount. The employees should be made to realize that teleworking benefits are worked for, not given. It is important for the organization to maintain a uniform standard of selection. Security issues are easy to solve and therefore must be attended to by offering security trainings for the employees. Addressing social needs is also important; some solutions for these include instant messaging, telephone and also the email. The telecommuters should be self-directed. There should be also a specific office space t home. The IT structure may also be changed in favour of the organization. Bibliography Dimattia, S., 2001, Planning for Continuity, Library Journal, 32-34. McGarry, J.D.., 2002, Practical Software Measurement, Addison-Wesley. Fenton, N., 1998, Software Metrics: A rigorous approach 2 ed., Chapman & Hall, London. Kugelmass, J., 1995, Telecommuting: A Manager's Guide to Flexible Work Arrangements. Lexington Books. Fewster, M., & Graham, D., 1999, Software Test Automation. ACM Press/Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA. Savenkov, R., 2008, How to Become a Software Tester. Roman Savenkov Consulting, New York. Dustin, E., 2000, Automated Software Testing : Introduction, management and performance, Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA. Read More