5.1) AIS Selection & Development Strategies Part 1 Flashcards
What are the steps in software selection? (4)
1) Initiation and planning
2) Requirements and gathering
3) Vendor evaluation
4) Vendor selection
What is SDLC?
The system development life cycle
What are the steps in SDLC?
1) Requirement analysis
2) Design
3) Implementation
4) Testing
5) Evolution
How does the SDLC ‘derisk’ the software selection process? (6)
1) Efficient planning
2) Risk management
3) Resource allocation
4) Quality Assurance
5) Incremental Development
6) Knowledge Transfer
What does is the ‘efficient planning’ step entail?
The SDLC enables organizations to plan the AIS implementation process meticulously. By defining project scope, objectives, and requirements upfront, organizations can minimize the risk of scope creep and avoid unnecessary expenses associated with changes in project scope.
What does the ‘risk management’ step entail?
Through careful analysis and risk assessment at each stage of the SDLC, organizations can identify potential risks and develop mitigation strategies to address them. This proactive approach helps prevent costly errors and
delays during the AIS implementation process.
What does the ‘resource allocation’ step entail?
The SDLC facilitates effective resource allocation by outlining the roles and responsibilities of project
team members and estimating resource requirements for each phase of the implementation process. By allocating
resources efficiently, organizations can optimize project costs and ensure that resources are utilized effectively.
What does the ‘quality assurance’ step entail?
The SDLC emphasizes quality assurance measures, such as testing and validation, to ensure that the
AIS meets predefined standards and requirements. By detecting and resolving issues early in the development process,
organizations can avoid costly rework and reduce the likelihood of post-implementation failures.
What does the ‘incremental development’ step entail?
Adopting an incremental approach to AIS implementation, such as the Agile methodology within the SDLC framework, allows organizations to deliver functionality in small, iterative increments. This approach enables stakeholders to provide feedback throughout the development process, leading to more accurate requirements and reducing the risk of costly rework
What does the ‘knowledge transfer’ step entail?
The SDLC facilitates knowledge transfer by documenting the development process, system
architecture, and operational procedures. This documentation ensures that organizational knowledge is preserved and can
be transferred to new team members or stakeholders, reducing the cost of training and onboarding
What are some AIS selection and development considerations? (4)
- Once organizations realize the need to implement a new system for workflow efficiency, they decide whether to purchase new software or develop the system in-house
- Purchasing new software requires organizations to select the relevant system to avoid losses caused by
software failures. - Should they decide to develop it in-house, organizations must identify systems development methodologies that would enable them to create
software that will deliver on the business processes. - The software improves efficiency for accounting processes. But they may be costly or take a long to
implement
True or false, the cost of software failure globally is large
True
What are some examples of IT spending?
- SA Gov IT spend 2021/2022: R21.4b
- City of Cape Town to spend R100m on AI tech for curbing gang violence
How do organizations select and purchase AIS? (5)
- Stage 1: Requirements and Research
- Stage 2: System/Vendor Comparison
- Stage 3: Technical Validation
- Stage 4: Due Diligence
- Stage 5: Implement Solution
What is stage 1: Requirements and research? (3)
– Identify existing processes that need to be automated i.e. finance, procurement, HR etc.
– List the criteria that you are looking for in a system/vendor
– Send out a request for comment (RFQ) or proposal (RFP)
What is step 2: system/vendor comparison?
Shortlist suitable systems and vendors i.e. SAP, Oracle, Peoplesoft, Sage, IQMS, Syspro, and Acumatic
What is stage 4: ‘Due dilegence’? (2)
- Evaluate the capabilities and costs of the proposed solutions against your company’s requirements.
- Either send out a Tender or contract with a top selected company.
What is stage 3: ‘technical validation’?
– Evaluate your shortlist (top 3 systems/vendors) in terms of your criteria, i.e. demos, proof of
concept etc
What is stage 5: ‘Implement Solution’?
– Implementation of the solution by the chosen vendor.
What is an example of the AIS selection criteria? (7)
Explain why organizations may consider outsourcing their AIS
development (2)
- Outsourcing is hiring an outside
company to handle all or part of an
organization’s data-processing
activities - An organization can outsource the
entire IT function, a particular
service such as an AIS, a segment
of its business, a particular
function, or just PC support
What are the advantages of outsourcing? (7)
- Allows companies to concentrate on core competencies
- Asset utilization
- Access to greater expertise and better technology
- Lower costs by standardizing user applications and splitting development and maintenance costs between projects
- Less development time
- Elimination of peaks-and-valleys usage
- Facilitates downsizing
What are the disavantages of outsourcing? (7)
- Inflexible
- Loss of control
- Reduced competitive advantage
- Locked-in system
- Unfulfilled goals
- Poor service
- Increased risk
What is developing a software in-house?
- Developing the software in- house means that you plan to build the AIS and control the design, development,
and program coding of the AIS.
Compare the advantages and disadvantages of developing in-house
Advantges:
* Provides a significant
competitive advantage
* Can be customized to suit your
business.
Disadvantages:
* Requires significant amounts of
time
* Complexity of the system
* Poor requirements defined
* Insufficient planning
* Inadequate communication and
cooperation
* Lack of qualified staff
* Poor top management support
* Re-inventing the wheel
