Critical Analysis of Major Problems - Essay Example

Mid Term 2 13 March, Problem I Steve Smith is a restaurant owner who wants to spend his $10,000 to modernize his restaurant by adapting it moreclosely to the preferences of his repeat customers. Keeping track of his customers’ likes and dislikes. Information such as where they like to sit, what they like to eat, when they normally arrive at the restaurant are all items of interest to him, since he believes that in this way he can better serve his customers. Steve has asked you to develop a system for him that will help make his customers happy while increasing his business. You have heard what Steve had to say about his customers. There are certainly more preferences that he can keep track of. Develop a problem definition for Steve, as discussed in the Session Five lecture notes and readings. The problem definition for Steve would consist of a list of the problems which he wants to address. In this case it the behavior of the customers and their preferences. He needs to keep track of the customer’s behavior, what they order, what they like, type of customers that walk in and the timings at which they prefer to be served. The objective for Steve in this case is to get as much information as possible about the customers so he can match his service to their requirements. The objective in this case is the enhancement of services based on customer needs. The issue is important for Steve since he is spending on his business to make it better. At present the most critical objectives are to gather relevant and accurate information regarding customer behavior and interpreting it so that the quality of service can be improved based on customer needs. Problem II A. Please label each question as either closed question or open-ended question. 1. How many personal computers do you have in this department? ( Closed Question) 2. How is this task performed?   (Open-ended Question) 3. Why do you perform the task that way?  (Open-ended question) 4. How many hours of training does a clerk receive?  ( Closed Question) 5. How many customers ordered products from the Web site last month? (Closed Question)  6. What are users saying about the new system?  (Open-ended Question) 7. How are the checks reconciled?   (Open-ended Question) 8. What added features would you like to have in the new billing system? (Open-ended Question)  9. Is the calculation procedure described in the manual?  (Closed Question) 10. Is there anything else you can tell me about this topic?  (Open-ended Question) 11. Do you review the reports before they are sent out?  (Closed Question) B. You are going to interview the local manager of LDI, a national tire retailer, who has asked you to work as a system analyst on a management information system to provide inventory information. Here are five questions you wrote to prepare for the meeting: 1. Describe key decisions you are responsible for. 2. How well do your employees accept changes in the system? 3. Is the current system providing you with enough information to help you make decisions? 4. Do you have any problems with your current system? 5. What kind of output would you like to see?  What type of format is preferred? Order your questions in (1) a pyramid structure, (2) a funnel structure, and (3) a diamond-shaped structure (1) Pyramid Structure 1. Describe key decisions you are responsible for. 2. What kind of output would you like to see?  What type of format is preferred? 3. How well do your employees accept changes in the system? 4. Is the current system providing you with enough information to help you make decisions? 5. Do you have any problems with your current system? (2) Funnel Structure 1. Do you have any problems with your current system? 2. Is the current system providing you with enough information to help you make decisions? 3. How well do your employees accept changes in the system? 4. What kind of output would you like to see?  What type of format is preferred? 5. Describe key decisions you are responsible for. (3) Diamond Shaped Structure 1. Do you have any problems with your current system? 2. What kind of output would you like to see?  What type of format is preferred? 3. How well do your employees accept changes in the system? 4. Is the current system providing you with enough information to help you make decisions? 5. Describe key decisions you are responsible for. C. You are a project manager at L & D Inc., specialized in information technology and network engineering. One of your junior systems analyst came to you for an advice of a technology to capture user information requirements. He described to you that he had talked with his client several times in the past week to define user information requirements. Each time he thought he had captured user information requirements, they’ve already changed. Finally, he thinks his clients do not even know what they want for their system. Give your junior systems analyst an advice of a technology that he could use to capture user information requirements and explain to him how this technology can help him to better define users’ information requirements. The junior systems analyst requires information software which can carefully capture client information in an organized manner so that it can be referred to for future client requirements. Such software in this case would be one that categorizes information from different clients. In order to keep clients on track and to serve as a form of guidance, the technology used can be one which sorts out the needs and requirements of the customers and then links those needs with the possible solutions. The questions for determining the requirements need to be arranged in a manner which allows the clients to state their general requirements initially and then followed by questions which help them identify the specifications which they want. In using such an arrangement the clients will be guided through the information collection process and at the same time will become clear on what they want. Once their requirements are organized it will become easier for the junior system analyst to define the users’ requirements. Problem III An analyst needs an organized method for collecting facts. Some systems analysts will frequently jump right into interviews. They believe, “Go to the people. That’s where the real facts are!” Wrong! This approach fails to recognize an important fact of life: People must complete their day-to-day jobs. You may be thinking, “But I thought you’ve been seen saying that the system is for people and that direct end user involvement in systems development is essential. Aren’t you contradicting yourselves?” A. Write a paragraph to offer your opinion on the issue described in the above statement. It is true that the systems are for people and therefore in order to get the relevant information the people have to be contacted directly. The people can provide specific information about their needs and requirement. However there is also a need to conduct a great deal of background work before going directly to the people for input. In order to obtain relevant information, the analyst needs to gather some information concerning the problem at hand. This would help them in designing the interview better so that important information is extracted. Gathering background information helps in establishing the objectives of the interview as well as identifying the correct people to interview and determining what questions to ask so that only relevant and valuable information is gathered. B. Given that you can use all seven common fact finding techniques: (1) sampling of existing documentation, forms, and databases, (2) investigation, (3) observation of the work environment, (4) questionnaires, (5) interviews, (6) prototyping, and (7) joint application design. Propose a general step-by-step strategy to discover information system requirements. A step by step strategy for determining information requirements would begin with the collection of document and information which forms the basis of the investigation. This step involves looking at the organization’s structure along with its policies and procedures as well as the process flows and other documentation which reveals the mode of functioning for the organization. In the second step, an extensive investigation would be carried out to uncover more information. In this stage there would be need to conduct extensive research about the issue at hand. In the third stage, based on the research and the conducted investigation, interviews and questionnaires can be designed to extract information which is more specific as wells as to gather more input. The nature of the problem determines how the questionnaires and the interviews will be structures. This would help in uncovering more facts and information. Prototyping can be used in the next phase to see how well the information was translated and the extent to which it meets the needs. Prototyping also helps in clearing out any problems which may have been missed out. The Joint Application Design technique can be used where there is a need for newer designs and creative idea production is needed. Problem IV Perfect Pizza wants to install a system to record orders for pizza and chicken wings. When regular customers call Perfect Pizza on the phone, they are asked their phone number. When the number is typed into a computer, the name, address, and last order date is automatically brought up on the screen. Once the order is taken, the total, including tax and delivery, is calculated. Then the order is given to the cook. A receipt is printed. Occasionally, special offers (coupons) are printed so the customer can get a discount. Drivers who make deliveries give customers a copy of the receipt and a coupon (if any). Weekly totals are kept for comparison with last year’s performance. A summary of business activities for taking an order at Perfect Pizza is as follows: a) Find and display customer record. Input is the customer number and the customer record. Output is customer information. b) Take customer order. Input is the order information (including the customer number). Output is the total amount due for the order. c) Send order to cook. Input is the customer order. Output is the cooks order. d) Print customer receipt. Input is the customer order and the customer master record. Output is the customer receipt. e) Deliver customer order. Input is the customer receipt and coupons. Output is the delivered receipt to the customer. f) Print weekly totals. Input is the customer order and the previous year’s customer order summary. Output is the weekly performance figures.  1. Draw a context-level data flow diagram for Perfect Pizza using the following items: Process name: (1) Customer order system Entities: (1) Customer; (2) Management; (3) Cook. Customer Order System 2. Explode the above context-level diagram by drawing the logical data flow diagram 0 showing all the major processes using the following items: Process names: (1) Find and display customer record (2) Take customer order (3) Send order to cook (4) Print customer receipt (5) Deliver customer order (6) Print weekly totals Data stores: (1) Customer master (2) Product file (3) Coupons (4) Sale history Entities: (1) Customer (2) Management (3) Cook Customer Order System Problem V: (50 points) In the following proposed DFD design, there are some typical errors among external entities (E), processes (P) and data stores (DS). 1. Identify and explain any errors in the above design. a. E1 to E2 is connected is an entity to entity connection. b. DS1 is connected to DS3 which is a data store to data store connection. c. DS3 to E2 is a data store to entity connection. d. P3 is a ‘black hole’ process. e. DS1 is ‘miracle’ data source. 2.Propose any design modifications, if necessary. a. The entity to entity link between E2 and E1 should be through a process. b. The DS1 and DS3 connection should also be through a process. c. The DS3 and E2 link should take place through a common process. d. The P3 process should have an output. e. The DS1 should have an input Read More