Infrastructure Requirements for Applications and Systems - Case Study Example

Introduction The purpose of this report is of issues of Business Management System (BMS) developing for the UK "Driving and Vehicle Licensing Agency" (DVLA). The Agency issues, manages, and records matters connected with UK driving licenses, as well as handles queries from drivers and potential drivers. BMS is supposed to improve DVLA's operation by reducing costs while maintaining or improving standards of service. Expectations and Implications of Implementing the Business Management System Business Management System (BMS) is assigned to help manage all the critical operational processes within the organization. BMS is supposed to be distributed and high-performance information system, which operates with huge data levels and allows simultaneous work of hundreds users. That's why special attention must be paid to hardware vendors, because even the most qualities software occurs to be low productive when it runs on outmoded facilities. Also it worth to pay attention to the software platform and database engine, for the large distributed systems relational database (such as Oracle) is used. Quick and wide range telecommunications should be used to hasten data exchange between parts of the BMS, such as optical fiber, satellite communications, 3G networks for mobile user of the system, etc. Usage of the most current technologies raises quality of service and reduces modernization costs in future. System reliability and survivorship are also very important issues. There are a lot of technologies developed for ascending of IT system reliability: backup servers and channels, RAID massive, caching and compression of data, etc. (Jones, 1986) It is important to choose competent software vendor or developers company for creating the software part of BMS. On selection of software provider it is necessary to gather information, on what sort of software it is specialized in, how many completed projects it has and if the customers are satisfied with the product of the company. (Brooks, 1995) It is also impossible not to admit importance of human factor during use of information system (Maslow, 1999). BMS must have comfortable and easy-to-understand user interface, so as novices in company could quickly to know about the system. Only simultaneous taking into consideration of all these factors allows creating really usable and productive information system, which will satisfy DVLA's requirements for the licensing information system. Possible benefits from the BMS for the organization: Elimination of Costly, Inflexible Legacy Systems Improved Work Processes Increase in Access to Data for Business Decision Making Upgrade of Information Technology Infrastructure Increased Control of Work Processes by Staff Reduced Paper Documents Greater Accuracy of Information with Detailed Content Improved Cost Control Increase in Customer Response Time Improved Monitoring and Quicker Resolution of Queries Quick Response to Business Operations and Market Conditions Improved Competitive Advantage Improved Supply-Demand Link with Locations and Branches World Wide Unified Customer Database Improved International Operations Improved Information Access and Management Throughout the Organization Information Entered Once into System Provides Functionality to Interact with other Modules The critical success factors of the BMS are: Clear forming of goals Effective and creative work of management Competent recourse management Keeping project time and recourses frames Understanding of consequences of the system implementation Involving staff in implementation process Also paying more attention to communications with the stakeholders is important for implementation of the Business Management System. The success of a project can be highly influenced by the support or otherwise of key stakeholders. A more iterative process, with more effective-working relationships between stakeholders allows compromise to be based on a more objective understanding by everyone. This process requires that managers and staff have both application and software expertise, remain focused on the delivery of a usable system (rather than on blindly enforcing standards and contract terms), and be willing to allow the IT department to make a profit with good performance. Supply Chain Management in the BMS allows improving communications with the customers, while simultaneously forming tighter relationships with the vendors. It helps to improve order fulfilment processes across the supply chain. As a result, many of the unnecessary and lengthy delays prevalent in today's fulfilment process are virtually eliminated. It is now possible to efficiently promise, plan, source and fulfil one customer order at a time across your entire supply chain. The BMS should be designed as is a collection of modules/components integrated together while utilizing one database typically used primarily by medium to large manufacturing organizations with multiple sites located worldwide. Connecting to one database allows users from all departments of the organization located anywhere in the world to attain the necessary information to carry out their responsibilities. This integration approach offers improved operational processes and streamlined information to the fingertips of anyone with the security rights to access it. Paper documents are reduced or eliminated as online documents travel throughout the system to the appropriate department for updating and forwarding. Transactions pass through the system automatically updating several modules/components in real-time to provide timely and accurate data for users to access and share from any location in the world. The three-tiered Client/Server model should be used for BMS. In a three-tiered approach, the client talks to a "middleware" (application) server that then talks to a backend database server. A significant advantage of the three-tiered model is that the business processing is done on a centrally controlled machine. This provides for increased security and in some case makes it possible to change the business processing logic in the middleware without making changes to the client. Three-tiered architectures also provide better scalability and significant performance advantages for more complex applications. (MIT IS 2000, 2005) BMS includes one high-productive backend relational database server (maybe Oracle) and a "middleware" server in each office, so number of "middleware" servers equals to the number of DVLA offices. Communications between database server and "middleware" servers are provided via Internet using tunneled TCP-IP channels. This technology provides high level of security and reliability and at the same time it allows to use widely spread Internet connections. There are following entities are used for DVLA's licensing work: applicant, application, exams, processing state, driving license, payment, document, office and employee. BMS uses Fifth Normal Form (5NF) for its database structure. It means that all entries in it are scalar-valued; all non-key attributes are functionally dependent on the entire primary key; none of its attributes is a fact about another non-key field; it does not represent two or more independent many-to-many relationships and its information content cannot be reconstructed from several tables containing fewer attributes. (Janert, 2003) A normalized DB schema avoids certain anomalies when inserting, updating, or deleting data and, therefore, helps to keep consistent data in the database. The major items of information are stored in appropriate tables, and every of these tables have a primary key. Implementation of Business Management System must raise the DVLA's service quality and accelerate order process. With BMS all the necessary for the company's work information become more accessible, because all data are entered in the system once and are stored in one place. User and Implementation Requirements There are different kinds of users of licensing information from the DVLA, and Business Management System (BMS) must provide proper piece of information for every kind of BMS user. Anyway, the database must provide opportunities for retrieving, inserting, updating and deleting of data, execute SQL queries and stored procedures, give appropriate types of reports and perform other operations with data. But all the wide range of operations with data is not needed for every database user. That's why there is notion of ''role'' as some definite set of permissions and abilities, which are available for the user obtaining the role. For example, user with role Administrator has permissions to do everything with database data and even to change database structure; and user with role Guest can only see the public data, such as addresses of DVLA's offices and employees' emails. Operational booking staff obtains role Staff and can perform primitive operations with data: scan the application documents and put them to database, input applicant's name, address and other data to database, retrieve current application's processing status on customer's demand, account given out licenses, etc. These operations are called primitive not because they are simple (it's not easy to scan 200 documents in a day!), but because due to these operations database is built like a house from bricks. On the contrary to staff, managers perform composite activities using information entered to database. Managers receive different reports, build graphs and diagrams and make up daily, monthly and year summary tables to control license processing with staff. For example, Head of License Application Reception Department at the end of every day makes a report of quantity of application received from applicants, controls what share of applications is processed, who of the clerk is more productive, makes a age/profession/sex of applicants analytical report and do some forecast for the next day on basis of gathered data. The highest level of information usage is top management. Top managers use data and reports made by middle managers and compile it to complex aggregate documents, such as financial plan for a year, balance sheet, tax report, calculation of resource requirements, etc. Of course, every role (Clerk, Manager, Top Manager) needs special user interface, because user interface for input data for the new application is not suitable for making up financial plan. Thus BMS must provide proper user interface for every user role. The smooth flow of real demand down the supply chain without the intervention of inventory planners is also a current difficulty. This requires a return to gross requirements planning (a simple explosion of bills of material uncorrupted by batch sizes, safety stocks, lead times, stock records etc.) for indicative long term demands and pull systems for short term demands. In this environment "Tact" time has meaning. If this is combined with the need to process single piece flow rather than batches it is hard to define a role for the BMS system. However there is a need to pass this uncorrupted demand data down the supply chain via exploded bills of material in a timely way. This certainly overcomes the deterministic (dictated by the bill of material) demand communication problem but does not resolve the problem of forecasting probabilistic requirements from the end consumer. However Agile Manufacturing has the potential to alleviate this problem by reducing the horizon needed for forecasting because lead-times will be shorter. There are obvious difficulties here: Inventory planners and manufacturing managers who prefer a quiet life by holding stock and Work in Process just in case. This is based on a real concern of course that problems do arise, stock needs to be built to cover local disruptions in the supply chain such unsynchronised holidays and there is still uncertainty in the supply chain. The vested interests of the computer software suppliers who are selling functionality (or complexity) Although some standards exist for electronic data communication the lack of standards for inter-organisation and inter-ERP software are still issues, even though software is becoming available. According to Royce, the risks of disruption and failure may occur because of following reasons: Poor requirements definition Inadequate software project management Lack of integrated product teams Ineffective subcontractor management Lack of consistent attention to process Too little attention to software architecture Poorly defined, inadequately controlled interfaces Software upgrades to fix hardware deficiencies Focus on innovation rather than cost and risk Limited or no tailoring of standards Taking into consideration these reasons I would suggest to the Arbor group the following recommendations: Exploit innovative practices (such as iterative development, architecture-first processes and prototyping) Plan to use modern technologies at the beginning of the project, not to recall about them when the project structure is determined Invest more in IT education for employees The risk management strategy occurs when there is a prevailing need for short-term effects. In this case a manager is viewed as successful or not on the basis of only short term objectives. This creates an environment where the company lurches from one short-term initiative to another, often without finishing the first, which leads to rapid deterioration of the initiative and ultimate failure. The risk management strategy factors are: The motivation of managers to recognize the need for change without leaving it to a crisis to act as a catalyst The ability to be selective about their use and the benefits of doing it The ability to select an appropriate technique which is competitively relevant A commitment to the philosophy and underlying principles implied in that technique, such that a real zealot exists within the organisation to champion the implementation The ability to implement the technique properly and keep it simple The patience to see the implementation through and not do too many things at once. Human Factor in the Business Management System The most critical and uncertain factor in implementing an information system is human factor. The staff often is disappointed with innovations and feel useless after implementing new software, because they cannot find a proper place for themselves in a new environment. Also people can feel discomfort knowing that all their actions and errors in the system are logged Difficulties in the information system's implementation can be consequences of human's fear not to manage with the new software. The human factor causes a mistake in implementing a business system, when it is purchased and installed without really, fully knowing what it is they need and what it's going to take and without studying the whole issue: what impact is this system going to have on the users, the user desktop, the network, traffic on the network, and is all this configured for all of that. (Bernard, 2003) To exercise in change management, Bernard suggests answering the following questions: What business processes will have to be changed in order to accommodate the new system How will users react Do they know why the system is being change What are the key infrastructure components that will have to integrated to make the new system work As M. Donovan mentioned, an ERP implementation failure is when an ERP system is never really implemented and, as a result, would have to be categorized as an outright failure. Yet, failures are a matter of degree. Often the new software is running on the computer and people use the system for various tasks but do not fully take advantage of the new system. There are three main reasons for this: First, inaccuracies in data records and sales and operations planning problems are widely prevalent causes for poor ERP system output. Poorly educated and untrained users are another reason for failure. People must know who, what, how, when and why to be effective ERP users. The third reason for failure is when management applies just ERP information technology as the solution to correct fundamental flaws in underlying business processes. If you are still running business processes the same old way - you are guaranteed the same old results. Any one or a combination of these reasons means a lot of money, resources and time were wasted and there is no appreciable return on your investment. But have hope, ERP system implementation disasters are avoidable. (Donovan, 2005) It's very important to understand necessity of personnel training. People who passed a training course on the implemented ERP system are saved from fear of the new software. Training also gives this staff confidence in working with the system. To minimize the risk of project implementation connected with human factor, Bernard suggests the following order of importance: Do an information, business process and legacy system inventory so you know your starting point; Determine exactly what you want the system to do and how you are going to get that performance; Communicate the impact of the new system to all levels of the organization; and Don't skimp on the training: make sure people know how to use the new system. Conclusion There are a number of factors, to what it's necessary to pay attention when implementing an information system: expectations from the system, achievement of the organizational objectives, the critical success factors, supplier control, design and manufacture, material inventory, information flow and data management. Since the risk of project failure is very high, an accurate planning and taking into consideration all involved factors are needed. The most uncertainty in the project occurs because of human factor, that's why it's necessary to foresee implications of implementing the information system on every category of staff. Completely understanding of goals and consequences of implementation of the Business Management System will lead to the success of the project. References 1. Bernard, 2003. 'Why Implementations Fail: The Human Factor'. Jupitermedia Corporation (online). Available: http://www.cioupdate.com/insights/article.php/3293281 (2005), para.9-13 2. Boehm, Barry (1976). 'Software Engineering'. IEEE Transactions on computers. Los Alamitos, CA: IEEE Computer Society, pp.84-120. 3. Brooks, Fredrick P. 1995. 'The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering'. Reading, MA: Addison-Wessley, pp. 55-63 4. Donovan, 2005. 'Implementing ERP: No magic cure will fix all ERP ills'. CLB MEDIA INC. (online). Available: http://www.advancedmanufacturing.com/January01/implementing.htm (2005), para.4-8 5. Janert, Philipp K., 2003. 'Practical database design'. IBM (online). Available: http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/web/library/wa-dbdsgn2.html, (2005), para.44-45 6. Jones, Capers 1986. 'Programming Productivity'. NY: McGrow-Hill, pp.92-106 7. Martin, James 1991. 'Rapid Application Development'. NY: Macmillan, pp.78-112. 8. Maslow, Abraham H. 1999. 'Toward a Psychology of Being'. NY: John Wiley & Sons. 9. MIT IS. (2000). 'Infrastructure Requirements for Applications and Systems'. MIT Informational Systems (online). Available: http://web.mit.edu/ist/integration/doc/requirements.html, (2005), para.6-7 10. Taylor, David A. 1990. 'Object-oriented technology: A Manager's Guide'. Reading, MA: Addison-Wessley, pp.24-68 Read More