STAGE 3

Before you begin work on this assignment, be sure you have read the Case Study and reviewed the feedback received on your Stage 1 and 2 assignments.

Overview

As the business analyst in the CIO’s department of Maryland Technology Consulting (MTC), your next task in developing your Business Analysis and System Recommendation (BA&SR) Report is to develop a set of requirements for the hiring system.

Assignment – BA&SR Section III. Requirements

The first step is to review any feedback from previous stages to help improve the effectiveness of your overall report and then add the new section to your report. Only content for Stage 3 will be graded for this submission. Part of the grading criteria for Stage 4 includes evaluating if the document is a very effective and cohesive assemblage of the four sections, is well formatted and flows smoothly from one section to the next. For this assignment, you will add Section III of the Business Analysis and System Recommendation (BA&SR) Report to your Sections I and II. In this section you will identify requirements for the new hiring system. This analysis leads into Section IV. System Recommendation of the BA&SR (Stage 4 assignment) that will analyze a proposed IT solution to ensure it meets MTC’s organizational strategy and fulfills its operational needs.

Using the case study, assignment instructions, Content readings, and external research, develop your Section III. Requirements. The case study tells you that the executives and employees at Maryland Technology Consultants (MTC) have identified a need for an effective and efficient applicant tracking or hiring system. As you review the case study, use the assignment instructions to take notes to assist in your analysis. In particular, look for information in the interviews to provide stakeholder interests and needs.

Use the outline format, headings and tables provided and follow all formatting instructions below.

III. Requirements

A. Stakeholder Interests – Review the interest or objectives for the new hiring system for each stakeholder listed below based on his or her organizational role and case study information. Consider how the technology will improve how his/her job is done; that is, identify what each of the stakeholders needs the hiring system to do. Then to complete the table below, use information from the stakeholder interviews and identify one significant challenge or problem for each stakeholder related to the current hiring process (not their future expectations). Then explain how a system could address their problems. Do not define what that position does in the organization. (Provide an introductory sentence for this section, copy the table below and complete the two columns with 1-2 complete sentences for each role in each column.)

B. Defining Requirements – The next step is to identify the essential requirements for the information system. In addition to the stakeholder interests identified above, review the Case Study, especially the interviews, highlighting any statements that tell what the person expects or needs the system to do. User requirements express specifically what the user needs the system to do. This can be in terms of tasks the users need to perform, data they need to input, what the system might do with that data input, and output required. System performance requirements express how the system will perform in several performance areas and security. As a member of the CIO’s organization, you will use your professional knowledge to Identify 5 User Requirements (including one specifically related to reporting) and 5 System Performance Requirements (including 2 security-related requirements). Refer to Week 5 content on requirements; security requirements are covered in Week 6. Additional research can expand your knowledge of these areas.

Once you have identified the 10 requirements, evaluate each one using the criteria below and create 10 well-written requirements statements for the new hiring system.

The requirement statement:

·

Is a complete sentence, with a subject (system) and predicate (intended result, action or condition).

· Identifies only one requirement; does not include the words “and,” “also,” “with,” and “or.”

· For User Requirements, states
what
tasks the system will support or perform.

· For System Performance Requirements, states
how
the system will perform.

· Includes a measure or metric that can be used to determine whether the requirement is met (time or quantity), where appropriate.

· Is stated in positive terms and uses “must” (not “shall,” “may” or “should”); “the system must xxxx” not “the system must not xxx”.

· Avoids the use of terms that cannot be defined and measured, such as “approximately,” “robust,” “user friendly,” etc.

· Is achievable and realistic; avoids terms such as “100% uptime,” or “no failures”.

For a full requirements document, there will be many requirement statements; you only need to provide the number of requirements identified for each category. Do not provide generic statements but relate to the needs of MTC to improve its hiring process.

(Provide an introductory sentence, copy the table, and complete the Requirements Statement and Stakeholder columns. No additional information should be entered into the first column, Requirement ID.)

(Security-replace this with a specific security requirement)

Formatting Your Assignment

Consider your audience – you are writing in the role of an MTC business analyst and your audience is MTC and your boss, the CIO. Don’t discuss MTC as if the reader has no knowledge of the organization. Use third person consistently throughout the report. In third person, the writer avoids the pronouns I, we, my, and ours. The third person is used to make the writing more objective by taking the individual, the “self,” out of the writing. This method is very helpful for effective business writing, a form in which facts, not opinion, drive the tone of the text. Writing in the third person allows the writer to come across as unbiased and thus more informed.

· In Stage 3, you are preparing the third part of a 4-stage report. Use the structure, headings, and outline format provided here for your report. Use the numbering/lettering in the assignment instructions as shown below.

III. Requirements

A. Stakeholder Interests

B. Defining Requirements

· Begin with Sections I and II, considering any feedback received, and add to it Section III.

· Write a short concise paper: Use the recommendations provided in each area for length of response. It’s important to value quality over quantity. Section III should not exceed 3 pages.

· Content areas should be double spaced; table entries should be single-spaced.

· To
copy a table
: Move your cursor to the table, then click on the small box that appears at the upper left corner of the table to highlight the table; right click and COPY the table; put the cursor in your paper where you want the table and right click and PASTE the table.

· Ensure that each of the tables is preceded by an introductory sentence that explains what is contained in the table, so the reader understands why the table has been included.

· Continue to use the title page created in Stage 1 that includes: The title of report, company name, your name, Course and Section Number, and date of this submission.

·

Use at least two resources with APA formatted citation and reference for this Stage 3 assignment. Use at least one external reference and one from the course content. Course content should be from the class reading content, not the assignment instructions or case study itself. For information on APA format, refer to Content>Course Resources>Writing Resources.

· Add the references required for this assignment to the Reference Page. Additional research in the next stage will be added to this as you build the report. The final document should contain all references from all stages appropriately formatted and alphabetized.

· Running headers are not required for this report.

· Compare your work to the Grading Rubric below to be sure you have met content and quality criteria.

· Submit your paper as a Word document, or a document that can be read in Word. Keep tables in Word format – do not paste in graphics.

· Your submission should include
your last name first in the filename: Lastname_firstname_Stage_3

GRADING RUBRIC:

Criteria

90-100%

Far Above Standards

80-89%

Above Standards

70-79%

Meets Standards

60-69%

Below Standards

< 60% Well Below Standards Possible Points Stakeholder Interests Identification of specific stakeholder problems (interests and objectives for improving the hiring process) and how a technology system could address. Generally, 0-3 points per role. Both quantity and quality evaluated. 22-24 Points Problems and how a technology solution will address are correctly and clearly described and fully explained using a sophisticated level of writing. 20-21 Points Problems and how a technology solution will address are clearly described and explained using an effective level of writing. 17-19 Points Problems and how a technology solution will address are described and explained. 15-16 Points Problems and how a technology solution will address are not clearly described and explained; and/or lacks effective presentation of information 0-14 Points Content missing or extremely incomplete, did not reflect the assignment instructions, showed little or no originality, demonstrated little effort, is not supported with information from the Case Study; and/or is not original work for this class section. 24 User Requirements 5 user requirements (1 addresses reporting) Generally, 0-5 points each. Both quantity and quality evaluated. 23-25 Points Correctly identified, written and sourced; clearly derived from the Case Study; demonstrates sophisticated analysis. 20-22 Points Identified, written and sourced correctly; requirements are derived from the Case Study; demonstrates effective analysis. 17-19 Points Identified and sourced; requirements are related to the Case Study. 15-16 Points Fewer than 5 requirements are identified and sourced; and/or information provided is not correct; and/or requirements are not all related to the Case Study. 0-14 Points Content missing or extremely incomplete, did not reflect the assignment instructions, showed little or no originality, demonstrated little effort, is not supported with information from the Case Study; and/or is not original work for this class section. 25 Performance Requirements 3 performance requirements and 2 system security requirements Generally, 0-5 points each. Both quantity and quality evaluated. 23-25 Points Correctly identified, written and sourced; clearly derived from the Case Study; demonstrates sophisticated analysis. 20-22 Points Identified, written and sourced correctly; requirements are derived from the Case Study; demonstrates effective analysis. 17-19 Points Identified and sourced; requirements are related to the Case Study. 15-16 Points Fewer than 5 requirements are identified and sourced; and/or information provided is not correct; and/or requirements are not all related to the Case Study. 0-14 Points Content missing or extremely incomplete, did not reflect the assignment instructions, showed little or no originality, demonstrated little effort, is not supported with information from the Case Study; and/or is not original work for this class section. 25 Research Two or more sources--one source from within the IFSM 300 course content and one external (other than the course materials) 9-10 Points Required resources are incorporated and used effectively. Sources used are relevant and timely and contribute strongly to the analysis. References are appropriately incorporated and cited using APA style. 8.5 Points At least two sources are incorporated and are relevant and somewhat support the analysis. References are appropriately incorporated and cited using APA style. 7.5 Points Only one resource is used and properly incorporated and/or reference(s) lack correct APA style. 6.5 Points A source may be used, but is not properly incorporated or used, and/or is not effective or appropriate; and/or does not follow APA style for references and citations. 0-5 Points No course content or external research incorporated; or reference listed is not cited within the text. 10 Format Uses outline format provided; includes Title Page and Reference Page 14-16 Points Very well organized and easy to read. Very few or no errors in sentence structure, grammar, and spelling; double-spaced, written in third person and presented in a professional format. 12-13 Points Effective organization; has few errors in sentence structure, grammar, and spelling; double-spaced, written in third person and presented in a professional format. 11 Points Some organization; may have some errors in sentence structure, grammar and spelling. Report is double spaced and written in third person. 10 Points Not well organized, and/or contains several grammar and/or spelling errors; and/or is not double-spaced and written in third person. 0-9 Points Extremely poorly written, has many grammar and/or spelling errors, or does not convey the information. 16 TOTAL Points Possible 100

Stage 3: Requirements 03/17/2020 6

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Requirements

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Requirements

What Are Requirements?

For purposes of this class, we will focus on what the end user needs or expects the system to do. These

needs and expectations are documented as requirements for the system. They fall into two general

categories: user requirements (sometimes referred to as functional requirements) and system

performance requirements (sometimes referred to non-functional requirements).

1. User Requirements describe the tasks the user needs the system to perform, such as:

What data the system is expected to collect.

What the system is expected to do with the data that is input.

What the system is expected to provide as output (reports, results, etc.).

Some example user requirements for an online shopping site might be:

The system must calculate the total of all items in the online or website shopping cart.

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The system must display to the user similar items that the online shopper may be interested in.

The system must require the user to provide a shipping address.

The system must automatically fill in the State portion of the shipping address based on the zip

code entered by the user.

The system must provide the user with a report of all purchases made via the website.

2. System Performance Requirements are sometimes referred to as system quality attributes, since they

define how the system is designed, how it will perform when used, and what the user experience will be

(Microsoft, 2009).

They describe how the system will perform, or its quality, in areas such as:

Usability—The ability for new users to quickly adapt to the software, including how easy the system

is to use and how help is provided for the users

Scalability—The ability of the system to accommodate additional users and/or additional

records/transactions

Availability—The amount or periods of time the system is to be operational and useable

Reliability—The ability of the system to create and maintain the data correctly

Maintainability—The ability of the system to be easily maintained, corrected and updated

Performance—The ability of the system to meet time or volume requirements (respond to user

inquiry, update a database, or handle the workload)

Portability—The ability of the system to run/operate on a variety of end-user devices or with

multiple operating systems

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Interoperability—The ability of the system to interact with other existing or legacy systems

System performance requirements also describe security requirements for the system and data, such as:

Protection of the system from malicious or accidental actions

Protection of data as it is transmitted and when it is stored

User authentication; prevention of unauthorized access

Authorization of users to perform specific functions; prevention of unauthorized changes to data

Data backup and recovery

Some examples of system performance requirements are:

The system must encrypt the user’s payment information when it is transmitted.

The system must require a retinal scan for login purposes.

The system must be capable of handling 5,000,000 transactions per hour.

The system must operate using Motorola handheld scanners.

The system must be able to accept financial data directly from the company’s financial system.

To differentiate between user and system performance requirements, the business analyst determines

whether each requirement describes a task that the system must perform (user requirement) or

describes system quality or security (system performance requirement).

How Are the Requirements Used?

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Requirements can be used to develop a system from scratch, in which case many detailed requirements

for every step of every process need to be clearly laid out. For example, if an accounting system is to be

developed, the developers will need to incorporate all the financial and legal aspects of the process.

They will need to know exactly how each accounting function is to be performed in order to program

the system to carry out the function.

However, if the intent is to acquire a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) accounting system or to use a

software-as-a-service (SaaS) system, then the requirements may be stated at a much higher level, such

as: “the system must implement the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP)” or “the system

must produce a monthly expense statement.” In these cases, the end user is not so concerned about

each step in performing those functions, as long as the system provides them.

Once the requirements are listed, they can be used to:

Develop a system and test it to be sure it meets the requirements

Identify one or more COTS or SaaS systems that appear to meet the requirements

Test the COTS or SaaS systems to determine which one meets the most requirements and select

one for use

Identify requirements that are not met that may need be added to the system or may require a

separate or additional system(s) or processes to be implemented

According to Mitre (2018) requirements “can be tested, verified, and/or validated, and are unique,

complete, unambiguous, consistent, and obtainable, and [can be traced] to original business and mission

needs.”

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Documented requirements can be traced through an entire system development and implementation

process. For example:

They form the need for a system and define its scope (all the functions that are to be included).

They form the basis for estimating the time and cost of developing or acquiring the system.

They are used to develop the system.

They are used to negotiate any requirements changes that are proposed by helping to determine

how significant the change is.

They are used to develop test cases to test the system to see if it functions as needed.

They are used when modifications or enhancements are proposed to ensure that the new change

does not unintentionally replace previous functionality, and that the new requirement fits within

the scope of the system’s overall functionality.

They are used to test a modified system to ensure all previous functions, as well as the new

functions, perform as needed.

References

Microsoft. (2009). Microsoft application architecture guide, 2009. Retrieved

from https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/msp-n-p/ee658094(v=pandp.10)

Mitre. (2018). Systems Engineering Guide—Analyzing and Defining Requirements. Retrieved from

https://www.mitre.org/publications/systems-engineering-guide/se-lifecycle-building-

blocks/requirements-engineering/analyzing-and-defining-requirements

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© 2022 University of Maryland Global Campus

All links to external sites were verified at the time of publication. UMGC is not responsible for the validity or integrity of information located

at external sites.

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Developing Requirements for an IT System

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Developing Requirements for an IT System

Where Do the Requirements Come From?

Let’s assume that someone in the organization identifies one or more problems with the way a process is

working. Whether the current process is supported by an IT system or not, the analyst might ask people

with different roles in the process two questions:

What problems are you having in performing the task today?

How do you see an IT system helping to improve things?

These questions should elicit a variety of responses from multiple perspectives. The executives might

answer with how the organizational strategies and objectives could be better supported with an IT

system. Managers may answer the questions with how an IT system would help them manage the

people and processes better. Front-line employees will likely focus on their tasks and which steps could

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be done more easily and quickly if they had a system. The analyst will use information gathered during

the process analysis phase to help stakeholders identify and clarify what the system needs to do for

them.

If there is organizational agreement that a new system is probably needed, then a determination should

be made as to whether a system will need to be developed or if a pre-built commercial off-the-shelf

(COTS) solution might work. This would include answering the following types of questions:

For what major functions or tasks is the user seeking an IT solution?

Is there any part of that task that is likely to be unique to this organization?

Would it be possible to find a COTS solution, since those are already created, are ready to be used,

and are often much less costly to implement?

If the organization does not employ any significantly unique functions to accomplish a standard business

process, then it is likely that a COTS solution exists that could meet the needs. The determination of

whether a system is to be built or bought drives the level of detail needed in the requirements. Many

more requirements with much more detail are needed for building a system than for buying one.

Regardless of whether a system is to be built or bought, the next step is to identify the high level user

requirements (or “functional” requirements). This is done by interviewing the expected users of the

system. Users very often know some of what they need the system to do, but are unable to list all the

functions they need. One way the analyst elicits the requirements is by asking a variety of users at

different levels of the organization and with different responsibilities how the processes are currently

being done and what it is that the current system or process does or does not do efficiently. The

manager’s perspective and needs are quite different from the front-line employee trying to perform

specific tasks, and the executive’s perspectives and needs are unique to that level of the organization.

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After a series of interviews, the analyst can categorize and document the requirements that are

emerging. Some of these will likely be at a very high level (e.g., “I need annual financial reports”) to very

low-level detailed items (e.g., “the zip code must include all 9 digits”). For an accounting system, the

high-level requirements might include “the system must implement the Generally Accepted Accounting

Principles (GAAP)” or “the system must produce a monthly expense statement,” along with many other

functions identified by the users. One of the biggest challenges for the analyst is to differentiate

between a “must have” (essential) requirement and a “nice to have” feature. When requirements are

collected and documented they are often put into these two categories. The analyst asks the end user to

determine whether each requirement is a “must have” or a “nice to have” item, and documents

accordingly.

Some users may identify requirements that they believe the system must perform, but that the analyst

does not believe should be part of the specification for the system in question. At this point in the

process, all of the requirements identified by any of the participants should be listed. Eventually, the full

list of requirements will be reviewed, modified as necessary and approved by the system “owner” and

major stakeholders. During that part of the process, final determinations will be made about which

requirements are essential, which are “nice to have,” and which should be eliminated. The list of essential

requirements will be used to identify whether there are COTS products available that should be

considered; “nice to have” requirements will be used to compare solutions that meet the essential

requirements. In a system development environment, the essential requirements will be used to

determine the scope of the project. It is often easier and less costly to include “nice to have” items in

systems being developed in-house, but the overall cost of developing and maintaining IT systems must

be considered in making that decision. In the systems development life cycle (SDLC) analysis phase, the

project sponsor signs off on the requirements document. In later SDLC phases, the requirements are

used to design, develop, and test the system.

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A separate set of system performance (system quality and security) requirements comes from the

combination of end user needs as well as technical specifications developed by the IT department. The

answers, again, are elicited via interviews with expected system users and managers. Below are example

questions that the analyst might ask to develop system performance requirements in each of the system

quality and security categories:

Usability—Do you want the system user to have access to an online help manual? Do you want the

user to be able to access context-specific help while entering each data field on the screen?

Scalability—How many users and how many records/transactions do you need the system to be

able to accommodate? How much might those increase over time?

Availability—Are there any time blocks where access to the system is not needed (e.g., no one

would use the system between midnight to 4 a.m. daily)?

Reliability—Can you provide examples of tasks where the system needs to create and maintain

accurate/correct

data?

Maintainability—Are system security updates applied within 24 hours? (While end users are

affected by the maintainability of the system, it is usually up to the IT department to determine

whether the process used accommodates changes as needed and whether updates are made in a

timely manner.)

Portability—What devices do you want the users of the system to be able to use? Is it likely that

they would use a smartphone, tablet, etc., to either query or use the system?

Interoperability—Are there any systems with which the new system will need to directly exchange

data?

Security—This is another area where users are affected, but need assistance from technical

specialists to determine the requirements. The analyst might ask: How sensitive is the data? Are

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there any regulations concerning protecting the type of data in this system (personally identifiable

information, health care or other data protected by law, etc.)? Do you want users to be restricted as

to what they can do with the system or what data they can access? Should this be based on their

role in the organization? How often does the data change? How long could you continue to operate

if the system were unavailable?

The User’s Role—Identifying Requirements

As discussed above, it is the responsibility of the system users to identify the need for a solution to a

problem or to identify processes that could be improved and performed more effectively or efficiently.

The user is familiar with the business process to be accomplished and with how it is currently

performed, and can identify any issues that exist. Previous work completed on process analysis is an

important precursor to defining requirements. It is not unusual for the business person to look around

and find potential IT solutions to their problems, and some want to jump immediately into acquiring a

specific solution. However, without a set of requirements that has been approved by the organization, a

solution that fits one set of problems may not fit the needs of other users of the system.

The Analyst’s Role—Documenting Requirements

One of the business analyst’s biggest challenges is to get the users to identify their requirements rather

than focus on a specific solution. The analyst conducts interviews and observes the process as it exists

and documents the process. Using the process analysis work done previously and by asking the types of

questions discussed above, the analyst gathers the requirements for the new or updated IT system and

begins to document them.

How Are Requirements Statements Written?

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There are a number of “rules” for writing requirements statements. These rules help to ensure that the

requirements can be clearly understood and that it is possible to determine whether or not the new

system meets each of the requirements. Poorly written requirements lead to misunderstanding and

misinterpretation and can lead to a system that does not do what the users need it to do.

The analyst uses the list of requirements that the users identified and rewrites each requirement to meet

the criteria listed below.

Each requirement statement:

Either describes a task that the user needs the system to perform, or states a system

performance expectation.

Identifies only one requirement; avoids the words “and,” “also,” “with,” and “or.”

Is a complete sentence, with a subject (usually “the system”) and predicate (intended result, action

or condition).

Uses “must” (not “may” or “should” or “will” or “shall”); written as “The system must….”

Is generally stated in positive terms (i.e., “the system must xxxx” vs. “the system must not xxx”);

however, there are times when “must not” is the more appropriate way to express the requirement.

Is measurable; includes a measure or metric that can be used to determine whether the

requirement is met (e.g., time or quantity), where appropriate; avoids the use of terms that cannot

be defined and measured, such as “approximately,” “robust,” “user friendly,” etc.

Is achievable and realistic; avoids terms such as “100% uptime,” or “no failures.”

Is complete; it can stand alone and be understood.

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Must be testable; that is, there must be some way to test the system to determine whether the

requirement is met.

Below are some examples of poorly written and well-written requirements, with explanations of what is

wrong with the poorly written requirements statements.

Poorly Written Requirement What Is Wrong Well-Written Requirement

Users must have access to their

personal data, which will be

transmitted in a secure manner.

Two requirements (in this case, one

user and one system performance)

are expressed; each statement
should express only one

requirement.

1. The system must provide a

user with access to their

personal data.

2. The system must transmit
personal data in a secure

manner.

The system must calculate the total

of all items in the online or website

shopping cart and display the total
to the user.

Two requirements are expressed;

each statement should express only

one requirement.

1. The system must calculate the

total of all items in the online

or website shopping cart.

2. The system must display the
total of all items in the online

or website shopping cart to

the user.

Report must be provided within 5

seconds of the user clicking on

“submit.”

Not a complete sentence; and

should be stated as “The system

must…”

The system must provide the report

within 5 seconds of the user clicking

on “submit.”

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Poorly Written Requirement What Is Wrong Well-Written Requirement

The system should require the user

to

provide a shipping address.

Avoid the use of “should”; use

“must.”

The system must require the user to

provide a shipping address.

The system must be easy to use. “Easy to use” is not measurable or

testable.

The system must provide on-screen

prompts to guide the user through

the correct steps to place an order.

The Requirements Document

Once the requirements statements are written correctly, they should be grouped into categories. The

first categorization is whether a requirement is essential or nice to have. As stated above, this is done by

asking the individual who identified it as a requirement, rather than using the analyst’s judgment. Then,

the requirements are grouped by the function or process involved so that the user community can

understand them. Using the accounting system example, the requirements might be grouped under

headings like: accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll processing, financial reports, etc. Arranging

the requirements in a sequence that follows the steps in a task is also helpful. For example, in

establishing a receivable account, there are specific steps taken; if the requirements are listed in the

order that is generally used, it allows the end user to ascertain whether the list of requirements is

complete and accurate. Each requirement statement will be assigned a unique identifier so that it can be

referred to with ease and clarity. A full requirements document or “requirements specification” may

contain many hundreds, or even thousands, of requirements. Again, more detailed requirements are

needed for systems being built in-house or under contract. In the case of selecting a COTS product, only

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the higher level essential user requirements and the system performance requirements need to be

developed. Otherwise, if too many specifics are identified, it may be impossible to find a COTS

solution.

If all this documentation of requirements seems like it is very time-consuming, it is! Identifying and

documenting the requirements is the basis upon which all further system decisions will be made, so it is

a valuable investment of time and human resources. The later in the process that requirements changes

are introduced, the more costly they become to implement. In developing a system, it would require the

developers to go back and re-do portions of the system and re-test all the possible outcomes; and,

depending on the severity and impact of the change, it may prove to be extremely costly. For COTS

solutions, a significant change to one or more essential requirements may impact which systems should

even be considered. The upfront investment in defining the requirements helps prevent downstream

costs and delays.

© 2022 University of Maryland Global Campus

All links to external sites were verified at the time of publication. UMGC is not responsible for the validity or integrity of information located

at external sites.

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Build, Buy, or Outsource

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Build, Buy, or Outsource

When an organization has determined that an IT solution is needed, there are a few questions it should

answer:

Is there a system we currently use that could be modified to address the requirements we have

identified? For example, if a new capability is needed, but it is closely related to a current system’s

function, then modifying that system would likely be the appropriate approach.

If modifying a current system seems appropriate, does the system we are using really need to be

upgraded (to a new operating system, etc.) or does it use old technology and need to be replaced as

we add the new functionality?

If there is no existing system or if a major upgrade is required, should we build a new system or

acquire one that is already built?

Build or Buy

Learning Resource

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The decision to build or buy a system has been hotly discussed for many years. Now there are many

options available for building, buying, or a combination of the two.

This is a complex decision, and using a structured approach can help relieve the uncertainty and risk

involved. According to Leeden (n.d.) and others, the organization must consider the following:

The mission and core competencies of the organization.

Whether the process under consideration itself provides a competitive advantage, or whether it is a

standard business process or generally used by the industry. For example, an organization would

probably never consider developing its own word processing software. To take that a step further,

most organizations would not want to expend the resources needed to develop their own

accounting system, especially if accounting is not their core competency.

The technology currently in use at the organization.

The organization’s IT strategy and direction for the future. Is the organization planning to rely more

on outsourced IT solutions or does it prefer to rely on in-house development and maintenance

capabilities?

How much of the system (software, hardware, network, etc.) could or should be outsourced?

The availability and capabilities of off-the-shelf software and services.

The total cost of ownership—considering all the costs associated with building, implementing, and

maintaining the system over time.

Benefits and Risks of Building a System or Application

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If an organization determines that it will build an application or an entire system, it can either do it with

in-house resources or it can outsource any or all of the components of the system: design,

development, implementation, operation, and maintenance—to include hardware, software and/or

communications.

Benefits of in-house development include:

The flexibility of designing it to do exactly what is required

The ability to make changes as and when they are needed

The ability to ensure interoperability with other applications or databases in use

The ability to ensure compliance with the organization’s enterprise IT architecture

Risks associated with in-house development include:

The time it takes to design, develop, and test an application or system may far exceed the time

when it is needed.

The costs of designing, developing, implementing, testing, and maintaining the system may

significantly exceed the costs of buying the system.

Because of the investment of time and cost, the organization incurs a long-term commitment to an

application or system.

As technology changes, the organization has to bear all the costs of upgrading hardware, software

and communications.

Benefits and Risks of Buying a System or Application

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Acquiring a pre-built Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) solution for an application or an entire system

can provide several benefits and risks to an organization.

Benefits of acquiring a COTS solution include:

The system is already built and can be tested to see if it functions as needed.

The system should have security built into it during its development; this is an area to be explored

during the evaluation and selection process.

It is ready to implement immediately. How quickly the system will be usable is determined by the

extent of any configuration or customization required.

The total cost of ownership (TCO) of the system is shared with other customers, so it could be

significantly less than the cost of building and maintaining a system in-house.

Risks associated with acquiring a COTS solution include:

The system may require changes to the business process that are unacceptable to the users.

Some requirements may not be met, in which case a determination must be made as to whether or

not the system will be implemented and what can/will be done to accommodate the unmet

requirements.

There may be an excessive number of capabilities in the system that are not needed by the

organization, but which add to the cost and complexity of the system.

The vendor may go out of business, requiring the organization to find another solution in a short

timeframe.

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Each time an organization determines that a technology solution is needed to improve productivity,

efficiency, or their strategic advantage, a build or buy decision is made. Unless the organization has

previously determined that it will use only one approach (build or buy), a structured approach to making

the decision will need to be undertaken and can yield significant benefits.

Outsourcing IT

Outsourcing of IT refers to the use of external service providers to deliver IT services. There is a wide

spectrum of services available, from outsourcing the entire IT function to simply acquiring a system built

by a vendor. The most commonly outsourced IT functions are:

Software development—to include design, programming, testing and installation

System operation and maintenance—the hardware, system software, and network used by the

organization

System support—such functions as operating the in-house network or providing help desk

functions

Combinations of any or all of the above

Outsourcing some or all of the IT functions brings similar benefits and risks as identified above for

buying a system.

The major considerations whether to outsource and which IT functions to outsource include:

The organization’s IT strategy and direction;

The capabilities and availability of the organization’s IT staff;

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The capability and availability of vendors;

The ability for a vendor to meet the organization’s requirements, especially if they are very unique;

The extent to which the organization would be “locked in” to the vendor or has the ability to move

the system in-house or to another vendor if necessary; and

The total cost of ownership (TCO) of the alternatives for the IT functions under consideration.

Benefits of outsourcing various IT functions include:

Organization’s focus on its core competencies;

Access to state-of-the-art technology;

Access to highly skilled IT specialists;

Cost savings;

Improved security—vendor has the ability to employ high levels of security, sharing the costs among

all its customers;

Flexibility—vendor staff may have a wider range of ability than internal staff; vendor staff can be

employed for a specific task and do not need to be retained afterward;

Competitiveness with larger, more sophisticated competitors (Landefeld, 2017); and

Freedom of internal IT staff to focus on key internal functions.

Risks of outsourcing IT functions include:

The cost of switching vendors may be high;

Loss of control over priorities and timing of fixes and enhancements;

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Organizational data may be under vendor control;

Vendor may go out of business causing the organization to make rapid, unexpected

accommodations;

Morale problems among internal IT employees; and

Difficulty extracting organizational data from a vendor’s system at the end of the contract period.

You will note that some of the benefits also present risks, such as data security. The vendor may be able

to provide a higher level of system security, but the organization’s data is stored on the vendor’s system.

To determine whether any or all IT functions should be outsourced, the organization must consider its

objectives, and evaluate the benefits and risks using a structured approach. Whether it outsources

functions or not, the organization is ultimately responsible for the products and services it provides to

its customers.

References

Landefeld, C. (2017, July 12). Outsourcing IT vs. in-house IT: The pros and cons of each. Retrieved from

https://www.godaddy.com/garage/outsourcing-it-vs-in-house-it-the-pros-and-cons-of-each/

Leeden, K.S. (n.d.). Build v. buy: A decision paradigm for information technology applications. Retrieved

from www.nevo.com

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at external sites.

Maryland Technology Consultants is a fictitious company created for the IFSM 300 Case Study.

MTC Case Study 11/23/2019 Ver. 1 1

Maryland Technology Consultants, Inc.

Maryland Technology Consultants (MTC) is a successful Information Technology consulting firm
that utilizes proven IT and management methodologies to achieve measurable results for its

customers. Its customer base includes small to mid-tier businesses, non-profit organizations
and governmental agencies at the local, state and federal levels. MTC feels strongly that its
success is dependent on the combination of the talent of its IT consultants in the areas of,

Business Process Consulting, IT Consulting and IT Outsourcing Consulting and their ability to

deliver truly extraordinary results to their clients.

Corporate Profile

Corporate Name: Maryland Technology Consultants, Inc.

Founded: May 2008

Headquarters: Baltimore, Maryland

Satellite Locations: Herndon, Virginia; Bethesda, Maryland

Number of Employees: 450
Total Annual Gross Revenue: $95,000,000

President and

Chief Executive Officer (CEO): Samuel Johnson

Business Areas

MTC provides consulting services in the following areas:

• Business Process Consulting – Business process redesign, process improvement, and best

practices

• IT Consulting – IT strategy, analysis, planning, system development, implementation, and

network support

• IT Outsourcing Consulting – Requirements analysis; vendor evaluation, due diligence,

selection and performance management; Service Level Agreements

Business Strategy

MTC’s business strategy is to provide extraordinary consulting services and recommendations

to its customers by employing highly skilled consultants and staying abreast of new business
concepts and technology and/or developing new business concepts and best practices of its

own.

Maryland Technology Consultants is a fictitious company created for the IFSM 300 Case Study.

MTC Case Study 11/23/2019 Ver. 1 2

Excerpt from the MTC Strategic Business Plan

While the complete strategic plan touches on many areas, below is an excerpt from MTC’s

latest Strategic Business Plan that identifies a few of MTC’s Goals.

Goal 1: Increase MTC Business Development by winning new contracts in the areas of IT

consulting.

Goal 2: Build a cadre of consultants internationally to provide remote research and analysis
support to MTC’s onsite teams in the U. S.

Goal 3: Continue to increase MTC’s ability to quickly provide high quality consultants to
awarded contracts to best serve the clients’ needs.

Goal 4: Increase MTC’s competitive advantage in the IT consulting marketplace by increasing its

reputation for having IT consultants who are highly skilled in leading edge technologies and
innovative solutions for its clients.

Current Business Environment

MTC provides consultants on-site to work with its clients, delivering a wide variety of IT-related

services. MTC obtains most of its business through competitively bidding on Requests for

Proposals issued by business, government and non-profit organizations. A small but growing

portion of its business is through referrals and follow-on contracts from satisfied clients. MTC

anticipates it will win two large contracts in the near future and is preparing proposals for

several other large projects.

MTC, as a consulting company, relies on the quality and expertise of its employees to provide

the services needed by the clients. When it is awarded a contract, the customer expects MTC

to quickly provide the consultants and begin work on the project. MTC, like other consulting

companies, cannot afford to carry a significant e number of employees that are not assigned to

contracts. Therefore, they need to determine the likelihood of winning a new contract and

ensure the appropriately skilled consultants are ready to go to work within 60 days of signing

the contract. MTC relies on its Human Resources (HR) Department to find, research, and assess

applicants so that line managers can review and select their top candidates and hire

appropriate consultants to meet their needs for current new contracts. It is very much a “just

in time” hiring situation.

The Headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland, houses approximately 350 employees. Satellite

offices have been opened in the last two years in both Herndon, Virginia and Bethesda,

Maryland to provide close proximity to existing clients. It is anticipated that new pending

contracts would add staff to all locations. The management team believes there is capacity at

all locations, as much of the consultants’ work is done on-site at the clients’ locations.

Maryland Technology Consultants is a fictitious company created for the IFSM 300 Case Study.

MTC Case Study 11/23/2019 Ver. 1 3

Strategic Direction

As a small to mid-size business (SMB), MTC recognizes that it needs to carefully plan its future

strategy. Considering the competitive environment that contains many very large IT consulting

firms, such as Hewlett-Packard (HP), Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH), and Science Applications

International Corporation (SAIC), as well as numerous smaller companies with various skill sets,

market niches, and established customer bases, MTC will be evaluating how best to position

itself for the future and recognizes that its ability to identify its core competencies, move with

agility and flexibility, and deliver consistent high quality service to its clients is critical for

continued success. MTC’s plan for growth includes growing by 7% per year over the next five

years. This would require an increase in consulting contract overall volume and an expanded

workforce. One area that is critical to a consulting company is the ability to have employees

who possess the necessary knowledge and skills to fulfill current and future contracts. Given

the intense competition in the IT consulting sector, MTC is planning to incorporate a few

consultants in other countries to provide remote research and analysis support to the on-site U.

S. teams. Since MTC has no experience in the global marketplace, the Director of HR has begun

examining international labor laws to determine where MTC should recruit and hire employees.

Challenges

Increased business creates a need to hire IT consultants more quickly. Overall, the Director of

HR is concerned that the current manual process of recruiting and hiring employees will not

allow his department to be responsive to the demands of future growth and increased hiring

requirements. There are currently two contracts that MTC expects to win very soon will require

the hiring of an additional 75 consultants very quickly. He is looking for a near-term solution

that will automate many of the manual hiring process steps and reduce the time it takes to hire

new staff. He is also looking for a solution that will allow MTC to hire employees located in

other countries around the world.

Management Direction

The management team has been discussing how to ramp up to fill the requirements of the two

new contracts and prepare the company to continue growing as additional contracts are

awarded in the future. The company has been steadily growing and thus far hiring of new

employees has been handled through a process that is largely manual. The HR Director

reported that his staff will be unable to handle the expanded hiring projections as well as

accommodate the hiring of the 75 new employees in the timeframe required. The Chief

Information Officer (CIO) then recommended that the company look for a commercial off-the-

shelf software product that can dramatically improve the hiring process and shorten the time it

takes to hire new employees. The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) wants to ensure that all

investments are in line with the corporate mission and will achieve the desired return on

investment. She will be looking for clear information that proposals have been well researched,

provide a needed capability for the organization, and can be cost-effectively implemented in a

Maryland Technology Consultants is a fictitious company created for the IFSM 300 Case Study.

MTC Case Study 11/23/2019 Ver. 1 4

relatively short period of time to reap the benefits. The CEO has asked HR to work with the CIO

to recommend a solution.

Your Task

As a business analyst assigned to HR, you have been assigned to conduct an analysis, develop a

set of system requirements, evaluate a proposed solution, and develop an implementation plan

for an IT solution (applicant tracking system hiring system) to improve the hiring process. You

have begun your analysis by conducting a series of interviews with key stakeholders to collect

information about the current hiring process and the requirements for a technology solution to

improve the hiring process. Based on your analysis and in coordination with key users you will

produce a Business Analysis and System Recommendation Report (BA&SR) as your final

deliverable.

Interviews

In the interviews you conducted with the organizational leaders, you hear the comments

recorded below.

CEO: Samuel Johnson

“While I trust my HR staff to address the nuts and bolts of the staffing processes, what is

critically important to me is that the right people can be in place to fulfill our current contracts

and additional talented staff can be quickly hired to address needs of future contracts that we

win. I can’t be out in the market soliciting new business if we can’t deliver on what we’re

selling. Our reputation is largely dependent on having knowledgeable and capable staff to

deliver the services our clients are paying for and expect from MTC.”

CFO: Evelyn Liu

“So glad we’re talking about this initiative. As CFO, obviously I’m focused on the bottom line. I

also recognize it’s necessary to invest in certain areas to ensure our viability moving forward. I

recognize that the current manual hiring process is inefficient and not cost-effective. Having

technology solutions that improve current process and enable future functionality is very

important to MTC’s success. We must consider the total cost of ownership of any technology

we adopt. MTC is run as a lean-and-mean organization and support processes must be effective

but not overbuilt. We do want to think towards the future and our strategic goals as well and

don’t want to invest in technology with a short shelf-life. Along those lines, we currently have a

timekeeping and payroll system that requires input from the hiring process to be entered to

establish new employees; and to help support our bottom line financially, any new solution

should effectively integrate with, but not replace, those systems.

Maryland Technology Consultants is a fictitious company created for the IFSM 300 Case Study.

MTC Case Study 11/23/2019 Ver. 1 5

CIO: Raj Patel

“As a member of the IT Department, you have a good understanding of our overall architecture

and strategy; however, let me emphasize a few things I want to be sure we keep in mind for this

project. Any solution needs to be compatible with our existing architecture and systems as

appropriate. Obviously, we have chosen not to maintain a large software development staff so

building a solution from the ground up does not fit our IT strategic plan. Our current strategy

has been to adopt Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions that can be deployed relatively quickly

and leverage industry best practices at a low total cost. In addition, our distributed workforce

means we are very dependent on mobile computing – this brings some challenges in term of

portability, maintenance, and solutions that present well on mobile devices. We’ve been

expanding at a rapid rate and are seeking to expand internationally so any solution will need to

be viable globally. And last, but certainly not least, MTC’s success is largely dependent on our

ability to satisfy the requirements of our clients and maintain a reputation of high credibility,

reliability and security. Any security breach of our applicants’ data could have a devastating

effect to our ability to compete for new business as well as maintain current clients. Any

technology solution adopted by MTC must contain clear security measures to control access and

protect data and allow us to use our current security for mobile links. I recognize that MTC can

no longer rely on a manual hiring process to meet these needs.”

Director of HR: Joseph Cummings

“Thanks for talking with me today. I see this effort as very important to the success of

MTC. While the recruiting staff has done an excellent job of hiring top IT consultants, the rapid

growth to date and future plans for expansion have pushed our recruiting staff, and we

recognize we can no longer meet the hiring and staffing demands with manual processes. I’m

also interested in solutions that are easy-to-use and can interface with our existing systems and

enhance processes. I’m willing to consider a basic system that can grow as MTC grows and

provide more capabilities in the future. I’m sure Sofia, our Manager of Recruiting, can provide

more specifics.”

Manager of Recruiting: Sofia Perez

“You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting to begin the process of finding a technology

solution to support our recruiting processes. In addition to myself, there are 2-3 full-time

recruiters who have been very busy keeping up with the increased hiring at MTC; and there are

no plans to increase the recruiting staff. It goes without saying that a consulting company is

dependent on having well-qualified employees to deliver to our customers. We’re in a

competitive market for IT talent and want to be able to recruit efficiently, process applicants

quickly, and move to making a job offer to the best candidate before the competition snaps

him/her up. When I talk with my colleagues in other companies, they mention applicant

tracking systems that have enabled them to reduce their hiring time by 15-20%. I’m so envious

of them and look forward to having our new solution in place before the next set of contracts

are won and we need to hire 75 (to as many as 150) staff in a 2-month period. I do not think my

Maryland Technology Consultants is a fictitious company created for the IFSM 300 Case Study.

MTC Case Study 11/23/2019 Ver. 1 6

team can handle such an increase in an efficient and effective manner. On-going growth at

MTC will continue to increase the demands to hire more consultants quickly. It really seems like

there would be a rapid return on investment in a technology solution to support and improve

the hiring process.”

Recruiters: Peter O’Neil (along with Mike Thomas and Jennifer Blackwell)

“This project should have happened 2 years ago but glad it’s finally getting some attention. As a

recruiter, I’m sort of the middleperson in this process. On one hand, we have the job applicant

who is anxious to know the status of his/her application and fit for the advertised position. It’s

important that the recruiters represent MTC well, as we want the best applicants to want to

come to work for us. Then we have the actual hiring manager in one of our business areas who

has issued the job requisition and wants to get the best applicant hired as quickly as possible.

Obviously recruiting is not the hiring manager’s full-time job, so we’re always competing for

time with other job responsibilities, so we can keep things moving as quickly as possible. They

provide us with job descriptions to meet the needs of clients and look to us to screen resumes

and only forward the best qualified applicants to them so they can quickly identify their top

candidates. Working with Tom, our administrative assistant, we need interviews to be

scheduled to accommodate everyone’s calendars. After the hiring managers make their final

selections of who they would like to hire, it is our task to get the job offers presented to the

candidates – hopefully for their acceptance. Everything is very time sensitive, and the current

process is not nearly as efficient as it could be. Applications and resumes can get lost in

interoffice mail or buried in email; and, when a hiring manager calls us, we often cannot

immediately provide the status of where an applicant is in the process. This can be very

frustrating all around. Speaking for myself and the other recruiters, I have high expectations for

this solution. We need to really be able to deliver world-class service to MTC in the recruiting

and hiring areas to meet the business goals.”

Administrative Assistant: Tom Arbuckle

“I support the recruiters in the hiring process. After the recruiters screen the resumes and select

the best candidates for a position, my job is to route those applications and resumes via

interoffice mail to the respective functional/hiring manager, receive his or her feedback on who

to interview and who should be involved in the interviews, schedule the interviews based on

availability of applicants and the interview team members, collect the feedback from the

interview team and inform the assigned recruiter of the status of each candidate who was

interviewed. In addition to preparing the job offer letter based on the recruiter’s direction, after

a job offer has been made and accepted, I coordinate the paperwork for the new hire with HR

and Payroll to ensure everything is ready to go on the first day. As you can imagine when hiring

volume is up, I’m buried in paperwork and trying to keep all the applicants and their resumes

straight, track their status in the process, and ensure everyone has what they need is very

challenging. I love my job, but want to ensure I can continue to keep on top of the increased

hiring demands and support the recruiting team effectively. Any tool that would help the

workflow and enable many steps in the process to be done electronically would be wonderful.”

Maryland Technology Consultants is a fictitious company created for the IFSM 300 Case Study.

MTC Case Study 11/23/2019 Ver. 1 7

Hiring Manager (in functional area; this person would be the supervisor of the new employee

and would likely issue the job requisition to fill a need in his/her department/team):

“While it’s a good problem to have – new business means new hires — the current method for

screening applications, scheduling interviews, identifying the best qualified applicants, and

getting a job offer to them is not working. My team is evaluated on the level of service we

provide our clients, and it is very important that we have well-qualified staff members to fulfill

our contracts. Turnover is common in the IT world and that along with new business

development, makes the need for hiring new staff critical and time-sensitive. I confess that

sometimes I’m not as responsive to HR as I should be; but although hiring new consultants for

the contracts I manage is important to successfully meet the clients’ needs, this is only one of

several areas for which I’m responsible. I look to the recruiters to stay on top of this for me. In

the ideal world, I’d like an electronic dashboard from which I can see the status of any job

openings in my area, information on all qualified candidates who have applied and where they

are in the pipeline. Electronic scheduling of interviews on my calendar would be a real time

saver. It’s important that we impress candidates with our technology and efficiency – after all

we are an IT consulting company—and using manual processes makes us look bad. And, this

system must be easy to use – I don’t have time for training or reading a 100-page user’s

manual. Just need to get my job done.”

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The People in Information Systems

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The People in Information Systems

Introduction

In previous readings, we focused on the technology behind information systems: data, hardware,

software, and networking. In Information Systems Development, we discussed business processes and

the key role they can play in the success of a business. this reading discusses the last component of an

information system: people.

People are involved in information systems in just about every way you can think of: People imagine

information systems, people develop information systems, people support information systems, and,

perhaps most important, people use information systems.

The Creators of Information Systems

Learning Resource

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The first group of people we are going to look at play a role in designing, developing, and building

information systems. These people are generally very technical and have a background in programming

and mathematics. Just about everyone who works in the creation of information systems has a minimum

of a bachelor’s degree in computer science or information systems, though that is not necessarily a

requirement. We will be looking at the process of creating information systems in more detail in the

reading, Information Systems Development.

Systems Analyst

The role of the systems analyst is to straddle the divide between identifying business needs and

imagining a new or redesigned computer-based system to fulfill those needs. This individual will work

with a person, team, or department with business requirements and identify the specific details of a

system that needs to be built. Generally, this will require the analyst to have a good understanding of

the business itself, the business processes involved, and the ability to document the processes well. The

analyst will identify the different stakeholders in the system and work to involve the appropriate

individuals in the process.

Once the requirements are determined, the analyst will begin the process of translating these

requirements into an information-systems design. A good analyst will understand what different

technological solutions will work and provide several different alternatives, based on the company’s

budgetary constraints, technology constraints, and culture. Once the solution is selected, the analyst will

create a detailed document describing the new system. This new document will require that the analyst

understand how to speak in the technical language of systems developers.

A systems analyst generally is not the one who does the actual development of the information system.

The design document created by the systems analyst provides the detail needed to create the system

and is handed off to a programmer (or team of programmers) to do the actual creation of the system. In

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some cases, however, a systems analyst may go ahead and create the system that he or she designed.

This person is sometimes referred to as a programmer-analyst.

In other cases, the system may be assembled from off-the-shelf components by a person called a

systems integrator. This is a specific type of systems analyst who understands how to get different

software packages to work with each other.

To become a systems analyst, you should have a background both in the business and in systems design.

Many analysts first worked as programmers and/or had experience in the business before becoming

systems analysts.

Programmer

Programmers spend their time writing computer code in a programming language. In the case of systems

development, programmers generally attempt to fulfill the design specifications given to them by a

systems analyst. Many different styles of programming exist: A programmer may work alone for long

stretches of time or may work in a team with other programmers. A programmer needs to be able to

understand complex processes and also the intricacies of one or more programming languages.

Generally, a programmer is very proficient in mathematics, as mathematical concepts underlie most

programming code.

Computer Engineer

Computer engineers design the computing devices that we use every day. There are many types of

computer engineers, who work on a variety of different types of devices and systems. Some of the more

prominent engineering jobs are as follows:

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Hardware engineer. A hardware engineer designs hardware components, such as microprocessors.

Many times, a hardware engineer is at the cutting edge of computing technology, creating

something brand new. Other times, the hardware engineer’s job is to engineer an existing

component to work faster or use less power. Many times, a hardware engineer’s job is to write code

to create a program that will be implemented directly on a computer chip.

Software engineer. Software engineers do not actually design devices; instead, they create new

programming languages and operating systems, working at the lowest levels of the hardware to

develop new kinds of software to run on the hardware.

Systems engineer. A systems engineer takes the components designed by other engineers and

makes them all work together. For example, to build a computer, the motherboard, processor,

memory, and hard disk all have to work together. A systems engineer has experience with many

different types of hardware and software and knows how to integrate them to create new

functionality.

Network engineer. A network engineer’s job is to understand the networking requirements of an

organization and then design a communications system to meet those needs, using the networking

hardware and software available.

There are many different types of computer engineers, and often, the job descriptions overlap. While

many may call themselves engineers based on a company job title, there is also a professional

designation of “professional engineer,” which has specific requirements behind it. In the United States,

each state has its own set of requirements for the use of this title, as do different countries around the

world. Most often, it involves a professional licensing exam.

Information-Systems Operations and Administration

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Another group of information-systems professionals are involved in the day-to-day operations and

administration of IT. These people must keep the systems running and up-to-date so that the rest of the

organization can make the most effective use of these resources.

Computer Operator

A computer operator is the person who keeps the large computers running. This person’s job is to

oversee the mainframe computers and data centers in organizations. Some of their duties include

keeping the operating systems up-to-date, ensuring available memory and disk storage, and overseeing

the physical environment of the computer. Since mainframe computers increasingly have been replaced

with servers, storage management systems, and other platforms, computer operators’ jobs have grown

broader and include working with these specialized systems.

Database Administrator

A database administrator (DBA) is the person who manages the databases for an organization. This

person creates and maintains databases that are used as part of applications or the data warehouse. The

DBA also consults with systems analysts and programmers on projects that require access to or the

creation of databases.

Help-Desk/Support Analyst

Most mid-size to large organizations have their own IT help desk. The help desk is the first line of

support for computer users in the company. Computer users who are having problems or need

information can contact the help desk for assistance. Many times, a help-desk worker is a junior-level

employee who does not necessarily know how to answer all of the questions that come his or her way.

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In these cases, help-desk analysts work with senior-level support analysts or have a computer

knowledge base at their disposal to help them investigate the problem at hand. The help desk is a great

place to break into working in IT because it exposes you to all of the different technologies within the

company. A successful help-desk analyst should have good people and communications skills, as well as

at least junior-level IT Skills.

Trainer

A computer trainer conducts classes to teach people specific computer skills. For example, if a new ERP

system is being installed in an organization, one part of the implementation process is to teach all of the

users how to use the new system. A trainer may work for a software company and be contracted to

come in to conduct classes when needed; a trainer may work for a company that offers regular training

sessions; or a trainer may be employed full time for an organization to handle all of their computer

instruction needs.

To be successful as a trainer, you need to be able to communicate technical concepts well and also have

a lot of patience!

Managing Information Systems

The management of information-systems functions is critical to the success of information systems

within the organization. Here are some of the jobs associated with the management of information

systems:

CIO

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The chief information officer (CIO) is the head of the information-systems function. This person aligns

the plans and operations of the information systems with the strategic goals of the organization. This

includes tasks such as budgeting, strategic planning, and personnel decisions for the information-

systems function. The CIO must also be the face of the IT department within the organization. This

involves working with senior leaders in all parts of the organization to ensure good communication and

planning.

Interestingly, the CIO position does not necessarily require a lot of technical expertise. While helpful, it

is more important for this person to have good management skills and understand the business. Many

organizations do not have someone with the title of CIO; instead, the head of the information-systems

function is called vice president of information systems or director of information systems.

Functional Manager

As an information-systems organization becomes larger, many of the different functions are grouped

together and led by a manager. These functional managers report to the CIO and manage the employees

specific to their function. For example, in a large organization, there is a group of systems analysts who

report to a manager of the systems-analysis function. For more insight into how this might look, see the

discussion later in this reading of how information systems are organized.

ERP Management

Organizations using an ERP require one or more individuals to manage these systems. These people

make sure that the ERP system is completely up to date, work to implement any changes to the ERP that

are needed, and consult with various user departments on needed reports or data extracts.

Project Managers

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Information-systems projects are notorious for going over budget and being delivered late. In many

cases, a failed IT project can spell doom for a company. A project manager is responsible for keeping

projects on time and on budget. This person works with the stakeholders of the project to keep the

team organized and communicates the status of the project to management. A project manager does not

have authority over the project team; instead, the project manager coordinates schedules and resources

in order to maximize the project outcomes. A project manager must be a good communicator and an

extremely organized person. A project manager should also have good people skills. Many organizations

require each of their project managers to become certified as a project management professional (PMP).

Information-Security Officer

An information-security officer is in charge of setting information-security policies for an organization,

and then overseeing the implementation of those policies. This person may have one or more people

reporting to them as part of the information-security team. As information has become a critical asset,

this position has become highly valued. The information-security officer must ensure that the

organization’s information remains secure from both internal and external threats.

Emerging Roles

As technology evolves, many new roles are becoming more common as other roles fade. For example, as

we enter the age of “big data,” we are seeing the need for more data analysts and business-intelligence

specialists. Many companies are now hiring social-media experts and mobile-technology specialists. The

increased use of cloud computing and virtual-machine technologies is breeding demand for expertise in

those areas.

Career Paths in Information Systems

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Information Systems Career

Paths

Technical and management track

examples

These job descriptions do not represent all possible jobs within an information-systems organization.

Larger organizations will have more specialized roles; smaller organizations may combine some of these

roles. Many of these roles may exist outside of a traditional information-systems organization, as we will

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discuss below.

Working with information systems can be a rewarding career choice. Whether you want to be involved

in very technical jobs (programmer, database administrator), or you want to be involved in working with

people (systems analyst, trainer), there are many different career paths available.

Many times, those in technical jobs who want career advancement find themselves in a dilemma: do

they want to continue doing technical work, where sometimes their advancement options are limited, or

do they want to become a manager of other employees and put themselves on a management career

track? In many cases, those proficient in technical skills are not gifted with managerial skills. Some

organizations, especially those that highly value their technically skilled employees, will create a

technical track that exists in parallel to the management track so that they can retain employees who are

contributing to the organization with their technical skills.

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Are Certifications Worth Pursuing?

As technology is becoming more and more important to businesses, hiring employees with

technical skills is becoming critical. But how can an organization ensure that the person they are

hiring has the necessary skills? These days, many organizations are including technical certifications

as a prerequisite for getting hired.

Certifications are designations given by a certifying body that someone has a specific level of

knowledge in a specific technology. This certifying body is often the vendor of the product itself,

though independent certifying organizations, such as CompTIA, also exist. Many of these

organizations offer certification tracks, allowing a beginning certificate as a prerequisite to getting

more advanced certificates. To get a certificate, you generally attend one or more training classes

and then take one or more certification exams. Passing the exams with a certain score will qualify

you for a certificate. In most cases, these classes and certificates are not free and, in fact, can run

into the thousands of dollars. Some examples of the certifications in highest demand include

Microsoft (software certifications), Cisco (networking), and SANS

For many working in IT (or thinking about an IT career), determining whether to pursue one or more

of these certifications is an important question. For many jobs, such as those involving networking

or security, a certificate will be required by the employer as a way to determine which potential

employees have a basic level of skill. For those who are already in an IT career, a more advanced

certificate may lead to a promotion. There are other cases, however, when experience with a

certain technology will negate the need for certification. For those wondering about the

importance of certification, the best solution is to talk to potential employers and those already

working in the field to determine the best choice.

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Organizing the Information-Systems Function

In the early years of computing, the information-systems function (generally called data processing) was

placed in the finance or accounting department of the organization. As computing became more

important, a separate information-systems function was formed, but it still was generally placed under

the CFO and considered to be an administrative function of the company. In the 1980s and 1990s, when

companies began networking internally and then linking up to the internet, the information-systems

function was combined with the telecommunications functions and designated the information

technology (IT) department. As the role of information technology continued to increase, its place in the

organization also moved up the ladder. In many organizations today, the head of IT (the CIO) reports

directly to the CEO.

Where in the Organization Should IS Be?

Before the advent of the personal computer, the information-systems function was centralized within

organizations in order to maximize control over computing resources. When the PC began proliferating,

many departments within organizations saw it as a chance to gain some computing resources for

themselves. Some departments created an internal information-systems group, complete with systems

analysts, programmers, and even database administrators. These departmental-IS groups were dedicated

to the information needs of their own departments, providing quicker turnaround and higher levels of

service than a centralized IT department. However, having several IS groups within an organization led

to a lot of inefficiencies: there were now several people performing the same jobs in different

departments.

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This decentralization also led to company data being stored in several places all over the company. In

some organizations, a “matrix” reporting structure has developed, in which IT personnel are placed

within a department and report to both the department management and the functional management

within IS. The advantages of dedicated IS personnel for each department are weighed against the need

for more control over the strategic information resources of the company.

For many companies, these questions are resolved by the implementation of the ERP system (see the

discussion of ERP in Business Processes). Because an ERP system consolidates most corporate data back

into a single database, the implementation of an ERP system requires organizations to find “islands” of

data so that they can integrate them back into the corporate system. The ERP allows organizations to

regain control of their information and influences organizational decisions throughout the company.

Outsourcing

Many times, an organization needs a specific skill for a limited period of time. Instead of training an

existing employee or hiring someone new, it may make more sense to outsource the job. Outsourcing

can be used in many different situations within the information-systems function, such as the design and

creation of a new website or the upgrade of an ERP system. Some organizations see outsourcing as a

cost-cutting move, contracting out a whole group or department.

New Models of Organization

The integration of information technology has influenced the structure of organizations. The increased

ability to communicate and share information has led to a “flattening” of the organizational structure due

to the removal of one or more layers of management.

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Another organizational change enabled by information systems is the network-based organizational

structure. In a networked-based organizational structure, groups of employees can work somewhat

independently to accomplish a project. In a networked organization, people with the right skills are

brought together for a project and then released to work on other projects when that project is over.

These groups are somewhat informal and allow for all members of the group to maximize their

effectiveness.

Information-Systems Users—Types of Users

Besides the people who work to create, administer, and manage information systems, there is one more

extremely important group of people: the users of information systems. This group represents a very

large percentage of the people involved. If the user is not able to successfully learn and use an

information system, the system is doomed to failure.

Technology adoption user types

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One tool that can be used to understand how users will adopt a new technology comes from a 1962

study by Everett Rogers. In his book, Diffusion of Innovation, Rogers studied how farmers adopted new

technologies, and he noticed that the adoption rate started slowly and then dramatically increased once

adoption hit a certain point. He identified five specific types of technology adopters:

Innovators. Innovators are the first individuals to adopt a new technology. Innovators are willing to

take risks, are the youngest in age, have the highest social class, have great financial liquidity, are

very social, and have the closest contact with scientific sources and interaction with other

innovators. Risk tolerance has them adopting technologies that may ultimately fail. Financial

resources help absorb these failures (Rogers, 1962, p. 282).

Early adopters. The early adopters are those who adopt innovation after a technology has been

introduced and proven. These individuals have the highest degree of opinion leadership among the

other adopter categories, which means that they can influence the opinions of the largest majority.

They are typically younger in age, have higher social status, more financial liquidity, more advanced

education, and are more socially aware than later adopters. These people are more discrete in

adoption choices than innovators, and realize judicious choice of adoption will help them maintain a

central communication position (Rogers, 1962, p. 283).

Early majority. Individuals in this category adopt an innovation after a varying degree of time. This

time of adoption is significantly longer than the innovators and early adopters. This group tends to

be slower in the adoption process, has above average social status, has contact with early adopters,

and seldom holds positions of opinion leadership in a system (Rogers, 1962, p. 283).

Late majority. The late majority will adopt an innovation after the average member of the society.

These individuals approach an innovation with a high degree of skepticism, have below average

social status, very little financial liquidity, are in contact with others in the late majority and the

early majority, and show very little opinion leadership.

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Laggards. Individuals in this category are the last to adopt an innovation. Unlike those in the

previous categories, individuals in this category show no opinion leadership. These individuals

typically have an aversion to change-agents and tend to be advanced in age. Laggards typically tend

to be focused on “traditions,” have the lowest social status and the lowest financial liquidity, be

older than all other adopters, and be in contact with only family and close friends.

These five types of users can be translated into information-technology adopters as well, and provide

additional insight into how to implement new information systems within an organization. For example,

when rolling out a new system, IT may want to identify the innovators and early adopters within the

organization and work with them first, then leverage their adoption to drive the rest of the

implementation.

Summary

In this reading we have reviewed the many different categories of individuals who make up the people

component of information systems. The world of information technology is changing so fast that new

roles are being created all the time, and roles that existed for decades are being phased out.

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Study Questions

1. Describe the role of a systems analyst.

2. What are some of the different roles for a computer engineer?

3. What are the duties of a computer operator?

4. What does the CIO do?

5. Describe the job of a project manager.

6. Explain the point of having two different career paths in information systems.

7. What are the advantages and disadvantages of centralizing the IT function?

8. What impact has information technology had on the way companies are organized?

9. What are the five types of information-systems users?

10. Why would an organization outsource?

References

Rogers, E. M. (1962). Diffusion of innovations (5th ed., pp. 282-283). New York, NY: Free Press

Licenses and Attributions

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Chapter 9: The People in Information Systems

(https://www.saylor.org/site/textbooks/Information%20Systems%20for%20Business%20and%20Beyon

d ) from Information Systems for Business and Beyond by David T. Bourgeois is available under a

Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/) license.

© 2014, David T. Bourgeois. UMGC has modified this work and it is available under the original license.

© 2022 University of Maryland Global Campus

All links to external sites were verified at the time of publication. UMGC is not responsible for the validity or integrity of information located

at external sites.

https://www.saylor.org/site/textbooks/Information%20Systems%20for%20Business%20and%20Beyond

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

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Information Systems Development

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Information Systems Development

Introduction

When someone has an idea for a new function to be performed by a computer, how does that idea

become reality? If a company wants to implement a new business process and needs new hardware or

software to support it, how do they go about making it happen? In this reading, we will discuss the

different methods of taking those ideas and bringing them to reality, a process known as information

systems development.

Programming

As we learned in Software, it is created via programming. Programming is the process of creating a set

of logical instructions for a digital device to follow using a programming language. The process of

programming is sometimes called coding because the syntax of a programming language is not in a form

that everyone can understand—it is in “code.”

Learning Resource

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The process of developing good software is usually not as simple as sitting down and writing some code.

True, sometimes a programmer can quickly write a short program to solve a need. But most of the time,

the creation of software is a resource-intensive process that involves several different groups of people

in an organization. In the following sections, we are going to review several different methodologies for

software development.

Systems-Development Life Cycle

The development methodology, systems-development life cycle (SDLC), was first developed in the

1960s to manage the large software projects associated with corporate systems running on mainframes.

It is a very structured and risk-averse methodology designed to manage large projects that included

multiple programmers and systems that would have a large impact on the organization.

Various definitions of the SDLC methodology exist, but most contain the following phases.

1. Preliminary Analysis. In this phase, a review is done of the request. Is creating a solution possible?

What alternatives exist? What is currently being done about it? Is this project a good fit for our

organization? A key part of this step is a feasibility analysis, which includes an analysis of the

technical feasibility (Is it possible to create this?), the economic feasibility (Can we afford to do

this?), and the legal feasibility (Are we allowed to do this?). This step is important in determining if

the project should even get started.

2. System Analysis. In this phase, one or more system analysts work with different stakeholder groups

to determine the specific requirements for the new system. No programming is done in this step.

Instead, procedures are documented, key players are interviewed, and data requirements are

developed in order to get an overall picture of exactly what the system is supposed to do. The

result of this phase is a system-requirements document.

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3. System Design. In this phase, a designer takes the system-requirements document created in the

previous phase and develops the specific technical details required for the system. It is in this phase

that the business requirements are translated into specific technical requirements. The design for

the user interface, database, data inputs and outputs, and reporting are developed here. The result

of this phase is a system-design document. This document will have everything a programmer will

need to actually create the system.

4. Programming. The code finally gets written in the programming phase. Using the system-design

document as a guide, a programmer (or team of programmers) develop the program. The result of

this phase is an initial working program that meets the requirements laid out in the system-analysis

phase and the design developed in the system-design phase.

5. Testing. In the testing phase, the software program developed in the previous phase is put through

a series of structured tests. The first is a unit test, which tests individual parts of the code for errors

or bugs. Next is a system test, where the different components of the system are tested to ensure

that they work together properly. Finally, the user-acceptance test allows those that will be using

the software to test the system to ensure that it meets their standards. Any bugs, errors, or

problems found during testing are addressed and then tested again.

6. Implementation. Once the new system is developed and tested, it has to be implemented in the

organization. This phase includes training the users, providing documentation, and conversion from

any previous system to the new system. Implementation can take many forms, depending on the

type of system, the number and type of users, and how urgent it is that the system become

operational. These different forms of implementation are covered later in this reading.

7. Maintenance. This final phase takes place once the implementation phase is complete. In this

phase, the system has a structured support process in place: reported bugs are fixed and requests

for new features are evaluated and implemented; system updates and backups are performed on a

regular basis.

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SDLC Waterfall

Seven phases of the systems-

development life cycle

methodology

The SDLC methodology is sometimes referred to as the waterfall methodology to represent how each

step is a separate part of the process; only when one step is completed can another step begin. After

each step, an organization must decide whether to move to the next step or not. This methodology has

been criticized for being quite rigid. For example, changes to the requirements are not allowed once the

process has begun. No software is available until after the programming phase.

Again, SDLC was developed for large, structured projects. Projects using SDLC can sometimes take

months or years to complete. Because of its inflexibility and the availability of new programming

techniques and tools, many other software-development methodologies have been developed. Many of

these retain some of the underlying concepts of SDLC, but are not as rigid.

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The RAD Methodology

Rapid

application

development

methodology

Public Domain

Rapid application development (RAD) is a software-development (or systems-development)

methodology that focuses on quickly building a working model of the software, getting feedback from

users, and then using that feedback to update the working model. After several iterations of

development, a final version is developed and implemented.

The RAD methodology consists of four phases:

1. Requirements Planning. This phase is similar to the preliminary-analysis, system-analysis, and

design phases of the SDLC. In this phase, the overall requirements for the system are defined, a

team is identified, and feasibility is determined.

2. User Design. In this phase, representatives of the users work with the system analysts, designers,

and programmers to interactively create the design of the system. One technique for working with

all of these various stakeholders is the so-called JAD session. JAD is an acronym for joint

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application development. A JAD session gets all of the stakeholders together to have a structured

discussion about the design of the system. Application developers also sit in on this meeting and

observe, trying to understand the essence of the requirements.

3. Construction. In the construction phase, the application developers, working with the users, build

the next version of the system. This is an interactive process, and changes can be made as

developers are working on the program. This step is executed in parallel with the User Design step

in an iterative fashion, until an acceptable version of the product is developed.

4. Cutover. In this step, which is similar to the implementation step of the SDLC, the system goes live.

All steps required to move from the previous state to the use of the new system are completed

here.

As you can see, the RAD methodology is much more compressed than SDLC. Many of the SDLC steps

are combined, and the focus is on user participation and iteration. This methodology is much better

suited for smaller projects than SDLC and has the added advantage of giving users the ability to provide

feedback throughout the process. SDLC requires more documentation and attention to detail and is

well-suited to large, resource-intensive projects. RAD makes more sense for smaller projects that are

less resource-intensive and need to be developed quickly.

Agile Methodologies

Agile methodologies are a group of methodologies that utilize incremental changes with a focus on

quality and attention to detail. Each increment is released in a specified period of time (called a time

box), creating a regular release schedule with very specific objectives. While considered a separate

methodology from RAD, they share some of the same principles: iterative development, user interaction,

and ability to change. The agile methodologies are based on the “Agile Manifesto,” first released in 2001.

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The characteristics of agile methods include:

small cross-functional teams that include development-team members and users;

daily status meetings to discuss the current state of the project;

short time-frame increments (from days to one or two weeks) for each change to be completed; and

at the end of each iteration, a working project is completed to demonstrate to the stakeholders.

The goal of the agile methodologies is to provide the flexibility of an iterative approach while ensuring a

quality product.

Lean Methodology

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The Lean Methodology

Focused on developing a minimal viable

product (MVP)

The last methodology is a relatively new concept taken from the business bestseller, The Lean Startup,

by Eric Reis. In this methodology, the focus is on taking an initial idea and developing a minimum viable

product (MVP). The MVP is a working software application with just enough functionality to

demonstrate the idea behind the project. Once the MVP is developed, it is given to potential users for

review. Feedback on the MVP is generated in two forms: (1) direct observation and discussion with the

users, and (2) usage statistics gathered from the software itself. Using these two forms of feedback, the

team determines whether to continue in the same direction or rethink the core idea behind the project,

change the functions, and create a new MVP. This change in strategy is called a pivot. Several iterations

of the MVP are developed, with new functions added each time based on the feedback, until a final

product is completed.

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The biggest difference between the lean methodology and the other methodologies is that the full set of

requirements for the system are not known when the project is launched. As each iteration of the

project is released, the statistics and feedback gathered are used to determine the requirements. The

lean methodology works best in an entrepreneurial environment where a company is interested in

determining if its idea for a software application is worth developing.

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The Quality Triangle

The Quality Triangle

Three conditions of product

development

When developing software, or any sort of product or service, there exists a tension between the

developers and the different stakeholder groups, such as management, users, and investors. This

tension relates to how quickly the software can be developed (time), how much money will be

spent (cost), and how well it will be built (quality). The quality triangle is a simple concept. It states

that for any product or service being developed, you can only address two of the following: time,

cost, and quality.

So what does it mean that you can only address two of the three? It means that you cannot

complete a low-cost, high-quality project in a small amount of time. However, if you are willing or

able to spend a lot of money, then a project can be completed quickly with high-quality results

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(through hiring more good programmers). If a project’s completion date is not a priority, then it can

be completed at a lower cost with higher-quality results. Of course, these are just generalizations,

and different projects may not fit this model perfectly. But overall, this model helps us understand

the tradeoffs that we must make when we are developing new products and services.

Programming Languages

As noted earlier, software developers create software using one of several programming languages. A

programming language is an artificial language that provides a way for a programmer to create

structured code to communicate logic in a format that can be executed by the computer hardware. Over

the past few decades, many different types of programming languages have evolved to meet many

different needs. One way to characterize programming languages is by their “generation.”

Generations of Programming Languages

Early languages were specific to the type of hardware that had to be programmed; each type of

computer hardware had a different low-level programming language (in fact, even today there are

differences at the lower level, though they are now obscured by higher-level programming languages). In

these early languages, very specific instructions had to be entered line by line – a tedious process.

First-generation languages are called machine code. In machine code, programming is done by directly

setting actual ones and zeroes (the bits) in the program using binary code. Here is an example program

that adds 1234 and 4321 using machine language:

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10111001 00000000

11010010 10100001

00000100 00000000

00001110 10001011

00000000 00011110

00000000 00011110

00000000 00000010

10111001 00000000

11100001 00000011

00010000 11000011

10001001 10100011

00001110 00000100

00000010 00000000

Assembly language is the second-generation language. Assembly language gives english-like phrases to

the machine-code instructions, making it easier to program. An assembly-language program must be run

through an assembler, which converts it into machine code. Here is an example program that adds 1234

and 4321 using assembly language:

MOV CX, 1234

MOV DS: [0], CX

MOV CX, 4321

MOV AX, DS: [0]

MOV BX, DS: [2]

ADD AX, BX

MOV DS: [4], AX

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Third-generation languages are not specific to the type of hardware on which they run and are much

more like spoken languages. Most third-generation languages must be compiled, a process that converts

them into machine code. Well-known third-generation languages include BASIC, C, Pascal, and Java.

Here is an example using BASIC:

A=1234

B=4321

C=A+B

END

Fourth-generation languages are a class of programming tools that enable fast application development

using intuitive interfaces and environments. Many times, a fourth-generation language has a very

specific purpose, such as database interaction or report writing. These tools can be used by those with

very little formal training in programming and allow for the quick development of applications and/or

functionality. Examples of fourth-generation languages include Clipper, FOCUS, FoxPro, SQL, and SPSS.

Why would anyone want to program in a lower-level language when they require so much more work?

The answer is similar to why some prefer to drive stick-shift automobiles instead of automatic

transmission: control and efficiency. Lower-level languages, such as assembly language, are much more

efficient and execute much more quickly. You have finer control over the hardware as well. Sometimes, a

combination of higher- and lower-level languages are mixed together to get the best of both worlds: the

programmer will create the overall structure and interface using a higher-level language, but will use

lower-level languages for the parts of the program that are used many times or require more precision.

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The Programming Language Spectrum

Generations of program language

Compiled vs. Interpreted

Besides classifying a program language based on its generation, it can also be classified by whether it is

compiled or interpreted. As we have learned, a computer language is written in a human-readable form.

In a compiled language, the program code is translated into a machine-readable form called an

executable that can be run on the hardware. Some well-known compiled languages include C, C++, and

COBOL.

An interpreted language is one that requires a runtime program to be installed in order to execute. This

runtime program then interprets the program code line by line and runs it. Interpreted languages are

generally easier to work with, but are slower and require more system resources. Examples of popular

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interpreted languages include BASIC, PHP, PERL, and Python. The web languages of HTML and

Javascript would also be considered interpreted because they require a browser in order to run.

The Java programming language is an interesting exception to this classification, as it is actually a hybrid

of the two. A program written in Java is partially compiled to create a program that can be understood

by the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). Each type of operating system has its own JVM that must be

installed, which is what allows Java programs to run on many different types of operating systems.

Procedural vs. Object-Oriented

A procedural programming language is designed to allow a programmer to define a specific starting

point for the program and then execute sequentially. All early programming languages worked this way.

As user interfaces became more interactive and graphical, it made sense for programming languages to

evolve to allow the user to define the flow of the program. The object-oriented programming language

is set up so that the programmer defines “objects” that can take certain actions based on input from the

user. In other words, a procedural program focuses on the sequence of activities to be performed; an

object-oriented program focuses on the different items being manipulated.

For example, in a human-resources system, an “EMPLOYEE” object would be needed (see table below). If

the program needed to retrieve or set data regarding an employee, it would first create an employee

object in the program and then set or retrieve the values needed. Every object has properties, which are

descriptive fields associated with the object. In the example below, an employee object has the

properties “Name,” “Employee number,” “Birthdate,” and “Date of hire.” An object also has “methods”,

which can take actions related to the object. In the example, there are two methods. The first is

“ComputePay()”, which will return the current amount owed the employee. The second is

“ListEmployees()”, which will retrieve a list of employees who report to this employee.

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Object: EMPLOYEE

Name

Employee number

Birthdate

Date of hire

ComputePay()

ListEmployees()

What is COBOL?

If you have been around business programming very long, you may have heard about the COBOL

programming language. COBOL is a procedural, compiled language that at one time was the

primary programming language for business applications. Invented in 1959 for use on large

mainframe computers, COBOL is an abbreviation of common business-oriented language. With the

advent of more efficient programming languages, COBOL is now rarely seen outside of old, legacy

application

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Programming Tools

To write a program, a programmer needs little more than a text editor and a good idea. However, to be

productive, he or she must be able to check the syntax of the code, and, in some cases, compile the

code. To be more efficient at programming, additional tools, such as an integrated development

environment (IDE) or computer-aided software-engineering (CASE) tools, can be used.

Integrated Development Environment

For most programming languages, an IDE can be used. An IDE provides a variety of tools for the

programmer, and usually includes:

an editor for writing the program that will color-code or highlight keywords from the programming

language;

a help system that gives detailed documentation regarding the programming language;

a compiler/interpreter, which will allow the programmer to run the program;

a debugging tool, which will provide the programmer details about the execution of the program in

order to resolve problems in the code; and

a check-in/check-out mechanism, which allows for a team of programmers to work together on a

project and not write over each other’s code changes.

Probably the most popular IDE software package right now is Microsoft’s Visual Studio. Visual Studio is

the IDE for all of Microsoft’s programming languages, including Visual Basic, Visual C++, and Visual C#.

CASE Tools

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While an IDE provides several tools to assist the programmer in writing the program, the code still must

be written. CASE tools allow a designer to develop software with little or no programming. Instead, the

CASE tool writes the code for the designer. CASE tools come in many varieties, but their goal is to

generate quality code based on input created by the designer.

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Building a Website

In the early days of the World Wide Web, the creation of a website required knowing how to use

hypertext markup language (HTML). Today, most websites are built with a variety of tools, but the

final product that is transmitted to a browser is still HTML. HTML, at its simplest, is a text language

that allows you to define the different components of a web page. These definitions are handled

through the use of HTML tags, which consist of text between brackets. For example, an HTML tag

can tell the browser to show a word in italics, to link to another web page, or to insert an image. In

the example below, some text is being defined as a heading while other text is being emphasized.

Simple Hypertext Markup Language

(HTML)

HTML tags

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Simple HTML Output

Formatted text

While HTML is used to define the components of a web page, cascading style sheets (CSS) are used

to define the styles of the components on a page. The use of CSS allows the style of a website to

be set and stay consistent throughout. For example, if the designer wanted all first-level headings

(h1) to be blue and centered, he or she could set the “h1″ style to match. The following example
shows how this might look.

HTML with Cascading Style Sheets

(CSS)

Tags for first-level heading centered and in blue

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HTML with CSS output

H1 heading formatted

The combination of HTML and CSS can be used to create a wide variety of formats and designs and

has been widely adopted by the web-design community. The standards for HTML are set by a

governing body called the World Wide Web Consortium. The current version of HTML is HTML 5,

which includes new standards for video, audio, and drawing.

When developers create a website, they do not write it out manually in a text editor. Instead, they

use web design tools that generate the HTML and CSS for them. Tools such as Adobe

Dreamweaver allow the designer to create a web page that includes images and interactive

elements without writing a single line of code. However, professional web designers still need to

learn HTML and CSS in order to have full control over the web pages they are developing.

Build vs. Buy

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When an organization decides that a new software program needs to be developed, they must

determine if it makes more sense to build it themselves or to purchase it from an outside company. This

is the “build vs. buy” decision.

There are many advantages to purchasing software from an outside company. First, it is generally less

expensive to purchase a software package than to build it. Second, when a software package is

purchased, it is available much more quickly than if the package is built in-house. Software applications

can take months or years to build; a purchased package can be up and running within a month. A

purchased package has already been tested, and many of the bugs have already been worked out. It is

the role of a systems integrator to make various purchased systems and the existing systems at the

organization work together.

There are also disadvantages to purchasing software. First, the same software you are using can be used

by your competitors. If a company is trying to differentiate itself based on a business process that is in

that purchased software, it will have a hard time doing so if its competitors use the same software.

Another disadvantage to purchasing software is the process of customization. If you purchase a software

package from a vendor and then customize it, you will have to manage those customizations every time

the vendor provides an upgrade. This can become an administrative headache, to say the least.

Even if an organization determines to buy software, it still makes sense to go through many of the same

analyses that they would do if they were going to build it themselves. This is an important decision that

could have a long-term strategic impact on the organization.

Web Services

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As we saw in the Software section, the move to cloud computing has allowed software to be looked at

as a service. One option companies have these days is to license functions provided by other companies

instead of writing the code themselves. These are called web services, and they can greatly simplify the

addition of functionality to a website.

For example, suppose a company wishes to provide a map showing the location of someone who has

called their support line. By utilizing Google Maps API web services, they can build a Google Map right

into their application. Or a shoe company could make it easier for its retailers to sell shoes online by

providing a shoe-size web service that the retailers could embed right into their website.

Web services can blur the lines between “build vs. buy.” Companies can choose to build a software

application themselves, but then purchase functionality from vendors to supplement their system.

End-User Computing

In many organizations, application development is not limited to the programmers and analysts in the

information-technology department. Especially in larger organizations, other departments develop their

own department-specific applications. The people who build these are not necessarily trained in

programming or application development, but they tend to be adept with computers. A person, for

example, who is skilled in a particular software package, such as a spreadsheet or database package, may

be called upon to build smaller applications for use by his or her own department. This phenomenon is

referred to as end-user development, or end-user computing.

End-user computing can have many advantages for an organization. First, it brings the development of

applications closer to those who will use them. Because IT departments are sometimes quite

backlogged, it also provides a means to have software created more quickly. Many organizations

encourage end-user computing to reduce the strain on the IT department.

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End-user computing does have its disadvantages as well. If departments within an organization are

developing their own applications, the organization may end up with several applications that perform

similar functions, which is inefficient because it is a duplication of effort. Sometimes, these different

versions of the same application end up providing different results and bringing confusion when

departments interact. These applications are often developed by someone with little or no formal

training in programming. In these cases, the software developed can have problems that then have to be

resolved by the IT department.

End-user computing can be beneficial to an organization, but it should be managed. The IT department

should set guidelines and provide tools for the departments who want to create their own solutions.

Communication between departments will go a long way toward successful use of end-user computing.

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Building a Mobile App

In many ways, building an application for a mobile device is exactly the same as building an

application for a traditional computer. Understanding the requirements for the application,

designing the interface, working with users—all of these steps still need to be carried out.

So what’s different about building an application for a mobile device? In some ways,

mobile applications are more limited. An application running on a mobile device must be designed

to be functional on a smaller screen. Mobile applications should be designed to use fingers as the

primary pointing device. Mobile devices generally have less available memory, storage space, and

processing power.

Mobile applications also have many advantages over applications built for traditional

computers. Mobile applications have access to the functionality of the mobile device, which usually

includes features such as geolocation data, messaging, the camera, and even a gyroscope.

One of the most important questions regarding development for mobile devices is this: Do we want

to develop an app at all? A mobile app is an expensive proposition and some will only run on one

type of mobile device at a time. For example, if you create an iPhone app, users with Android

phones are out of luck. Each app takes several thousand dollars to create, so this may not be the

best use of your funds.

Many organizations are moving away from developing a specific app for a mobile device and

are instead making their websites more functional on mobile devices. Using a web-design

framework called responsive design, a website can be made highly functional no matter what type

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of device is browsing it. With a responsive website, images resize themselves based on the size of

the device’s screen, and text flows and sizes itself properly for optimal viewing.

Implementation Methodologies

Once a new system is developed (or purchased), the organization must determine the best method for

implementing it. Convincing a group of people to learn and use a new system can be a very difficult

process. Using new software, and the business processes it gives rise to, can have far-reaching effects

within the organization.

There are several different methodologies an organization can adopt to implement a new system. Four

of the most popular are listed below.

Direct cutover. In the direct-cutover implementation methodology, the organization selects a

particular date that the old system is not going to be used anymore. On that date, the users begin

using the new system, and the old system is unavailable. The advantages to using this methodology

are that it is very fast and the least expensive. However, this method is the riskiest as well. If the

new system has an operational problem or if the users are not properly prepared, it could prove

disastrous for the organization.

Pilot implementation. In this methodology, a subset of the organization (called a pilot group) starts

using the new system before the rest of the organization. This has a smaller impact on the company

and allows the support team to focus on a smaller group of individuals.

Parallel operation. With parallel operation, the old and new systems are used simultaneously for a

limited period of time. This method is the least risky because the old system is still being used while

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the new system is essentially being tested. However, this is by far the most expensive methodology

since work is duplicated and support is needed for both systems in full.

Phased implementation. In phased implementation, different functions of the new application are

used as functions from the old system are turned off. This approach allows an organization to

slowly move from one system to another.

Which of these implementation methodologies to use depends on the complexity and importance of the

old and new systems.

Change Management

As new systems are bought online and old systems are phased out, it becomes important to manage the

way change is implemented in the organization. Change should never be introduced in a vacuum. The

organization should be sure to communicate proposed changes before they happen and plan to minimize

the impact of the change that will occur after implementation. Change management is a critical

component of IT oversight.

Maintenance

Once a new system has been introduced, it enters the maintenance phase. In this phase, the system is in

production and is being used by the organization. While the system is no longer actively being

developed, changes need to be made when bugs are found or new features are requested. During the

maintenance phase, IT management must ensure that the system continues to stay aligned with

business priorities and continues to run well.

Summary

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Software development is about so much more than programming. Developing new software applications

requires several steps, from the formal SDLC process to more informal processes such as agile

programming or lean methodologies. Programming languages have evolved from very low-level

machine-specific languages to higher-level languages that allow a programmer to write software for a

wide variety of machines. Most programmers work with software development tools that provide them

with integrated components to make the software development process more efficient. For some

organizations, building their own software applications does not make the most sense; instead, they

choose to purchase software built by a third party to save development costs and speed

implementation. In end-user computing, software development happens outside the information

technology department. When implementing new software applications, there are several different

types of implementation methodologies that must be considered.

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Study Questions

1. What are the steps in the SDLC methodology?

2. What is RAD software development?

3. What makes the lean methodology unique?

4. What are three differences between second-generation and third-generation languages?

5. Why would an organization consider building its own software application if it is cheaper

to buy one?

6. What is responsive design?

7. What is the relationship between HTML and CSS in website design?

8. What is the difference between the pilot implementation methodology and the

parallel implementation methodology?

9. What is change management?

10. What are the four different implementation methodologies?

Licenses and Attributions

Chapter 10: Information Systems Development

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d ) from Information Systems for Business and Beyond by David T. Bourgeois is available under a

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Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/) license.

© 2014, David T. Bourgeois. UMGC has modified this work and it is available under the original license.

© 2022 University of Maryland Global Campus

All links to external sites were verified at the time of publication. UMGC is not responsible for the validity or integrity of information located

at external sites.

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3

MTC Hiring Process

Student name

Institution affiliation

Course

Instructor

Date

MTC Hiring Process

IT consulting firm MTC employs IT and management methodologies to give the best results to its clients, which include businesses, non-profits, and government agencies . They’re doing everything they can to stay ahead of the competition and deliver the best service possible to their consumers. The company’s purpose is to provide the finest possible service and advice to its customers in order to preserve their market value and meet the requirements of the contracts they will sign. Employees must be well-trained and capable of meeting the new MTC contract project requirements. The existing hiring resource structure is inefficient for promptly hiring the needed number of candidates. MTC routinely loses potential employees to competitors as a result of its cumbersome hiring process. Employees for MTC’s satellite offices and offshore research centres come from all over the world, thus recruiting people from all over the world is necessary.

Section I: A Brief History and Structure of the Company

Organizational Goals and Objectives

Internal systems must be IT-oriented and efficient in order to ensure that customers receive the best service possible from the firm that provides IT services.

MTC’s utilisation of technology-based internal systems will provide them an advantage over their competitors. As a result, the organisation is considering implementing a new employment strategy centred on technology. New contracts have resulted in a plethora of positions at MTC, and the company’s present manual hiring method is severely inadequate. Interoffice emails undergird the manual technique, making it inefficient and time-consuming. MTC may lose potential employees to competitors if it adopts a manual hiring technique due to the time-sensitive nature of the employment process. The system can be significantly improved if the organisation employs an IT-based hiring system. Personnel are no longer at risk of quitting MTC as a result of a new hiring process, and the company will be able to meet contractual obligations with a team of competent and well-trained personnel.

B: Competitive Advantage

In order to achieve a competitive advantage in the market, MTC plans to implement a new IT-based hiring method. MTC plans to implement a new hiring method that is flexible enough to meet the company’s present and future demands. The MTC now employs an email-based system to keep track of the entire hiring process, which is a time-consuming process. Since the hiring procedure at MTC is so sluggish, the company risks losing qualified people to its rivals in the job market. MTC can hire people in distinct domains, and the system will include all the communication between hiring managers, recruiters, and Administrative Assistants, as well as data on the applicants’ applications and other papers, on a single platform.

Section II: Process Analysis

A. The Recruiting Process:

The table shows how the new hiring technology will improve MTC’s hiring process over the manual hiring method. Every process begins with some input and ends with some output. MTC’s hiring process uses old processes as input and transforms them into new processes as output. The table below details both the current hiring process and the improved hiring process that may be acquired by using the new hiring system.

As-Is Process

Responsible MTC Position

To-Be Process – How the system Will Support and Improve the hiring process

Business Benefits of Improved Process (Align with MTC’s overall business strategy and needs.)

1. Recruiter receives application from job hunter via Postal Service Mail

Recruiter
EXAMPLE PROVIDED – (Retain text as #1 but remove this label and gray shading in your report)

System will receive application via on-line submission through MTC Employment Website and store in the applicant database within the hiring system.

A more efficient submission process decreases time needed to receive and begin processing applications. This will present a positive image to potential employees and help MTC compete for top IT talent.

2. Recruiter screens resumes to identify top candidates by matching with job requirements from job description.

Recruiter

Key words in the application will be identified and only resumes that meet the job’s requirements will be selected by the system van den (Broek et al., 2019).

Recruiters will be able to devote more time to sifting through a large number of applications as a result of this.

3. Recruiter forwards top candidates to Administrative Assistant via interoffice mail

Recruiter

The recruiters will send a list of the top candidates selected by the system based on criteria such as education and experience

Selecting the top candidates will allow MTC maintain its reputation.

4. Administrative Assistant forwards candidates’ resumes and applications to hiring manager for the position via interoffice mail.

Administrative Assistant

The administrative assistant forwards the applications from the recruiting system, and the applicants that are highly suggested will be put at the top of the list with their criteria field set to highly match to the hiring manager.

To determine if an applicant meets the requirements of the job ad and the MTC, the hiring manager will have access to all of the applicant’s documentation and information through the portal.

5. Hiring Manager reviews applications and selects who he/she wants to interview.

Hiring manager

Applicants who meet the hiring manager’s criteria will be shown on the system. In order to schedule interviews, the hiring manager will use the portal’s calendar to indicate which members of the team will be interacting with the applicant on the applicant’s portal profile.

On the site, any member may see the manager’s feedback and recruiters can schedule interviews based on that. That way, there are no more hiccups in the current process, such waiting for a response from an applicant via email. It is possible to automate processes and increase communication with a computerised hiring system [Str19]. There will be no more delays in the employment process because of email exchanges and lack of communication between departments.

6. Hiring Manager sends email to Administrative Assistant on who he/she has selected to interview and identifies members of the interview team.

Hiring manager

The hiring manager can use the administrative assistant’s input to schedule interviews by sending it to her via the portal of the applicant’s profile.

When the HR approves an applicant for an interview, an administrative assistant will be notified via the portal. This will speed up the hiring process. As a result, they will be able to fill open positions more quickly and more affordably in the future.

7. AA schedules interviews by contacting interview team members and hiring manager to identify possible time slots

Administrative assistant

Checking the availability of interviewing times on the electronic schedules is the administrative assistant’s job. The interview panel members will be notified of any changes to their schedules by the administrative assistant. As a result, it will be easier to locate interview times on electronic calendars.

The process of interview scheduling will speed up and the administrative assistant will not need to wait for the replies of team members to schedule interviews, plus there will be no need to send schedules through email to each member who is involved in interviews.

8. AA emails candidates to schedule interviews.

Administrative Assistant

Automated emails and phone calls will be used to organize the presence of all interviewing team members.

Better time management and preparation for upcoming interviews are made possible thanks to this system’s ability to notify the appropriate staff when new opportunities arise.

9. Interview is conducted with candidate, hiring manager and other members of the interview team.

Hiring Manager and Interview Team

Interview is conducted with candidate, hiring manager and other members of the interview team. (Hiring System is not used for this step.)

MTC is able to conduct interviews across the country because of the advantages of these methods.

10. AA collects feedback from interviews and status of candidates

Administrative Assistant

Candidate profiles are updated using information gathered from interview questionnaires and interviewer notes.

The hiring manager will be promptly informed of the results of this approach, resulting in a speedier turnaround time for the hiring process.

11. Hiring manager informs the AA on his top candidate for hiring

Hiring manager

Before an offer letter is prepared, the system will liaise with HR to ensure that all documents are properly prepared and up to standard.

To ensure that MTC’s documentation is accurate and well-presented, this system was implemented.

12. Administrative Assistant prepares offer letter based on information from recruiter and puts in the mail to the chosen candidate.

Administrative Assistant
EXAMPLE PROVIDED – (Retain text as #12 but remove this label and gray shading in your report)

System enables AA to prepare job offer letter by storing the offer letter template and information on each candidate; allows AA to select information to go into letter and put it into the template, which can then be reviewed and emailed to the candidate.

More efficient offer process presents positive image to applicants and decreases time needed to prepare offer letter, and enables MTC to hire in advance of the competition (Maryland Technology Consultants, Inc. 2019).

B. Expected Improvements 

The table highlights the problems with the present hiring process and how the new system will fix them.

Area

Current Issues

(from the Case Study)

Improvements

(due to use of technology)

Collaboration:

EXAMPLE PROVIDED

(Retain text but remove this label and gray shading in your report)

The Hiring Manager states that recruiting is only one area he is responsible for and he isn’t as responsive to HR as he could be (Gershon, 2020). Therefore, he counts on the Recruiters to help manage the process and keep him informed.
Current manual system causes considerable communication breakdowns and takes additional effort and time to stay on top of the hiring process.

An efficient system with all information in one place, easily accessible via a dashboard, and updated in real time could make his recruiting job easier; and he could devote time to effectively working collaboratively and proactively with HR on his staffing needs.

Communications: Explain how a hiring system could improve internal and external communications

The communication barriers that MTC faces is that they have applicant wanting to know the status of their application but with an ineffective system MTC is unable to delivery that information in a timely manner. Internally MTC communication issue is outdated technology and information systems which are hindering effective communication throughout the company.

If an applicant’s application status can be tracked in real time, a new hiring system could help with internal and external communication. Recruiters and applicants are also alerted with time stamps of where they are in the hiring process via email notifications. This ensures that everyone engaged is kept up to date.

Workflow: Explain how a hiring system could improve the MTC hiring process by providing a consistent structure for each participant to perform his/her part in the hiring process.

Due to MTC’s time-sensitive employment process, many applications and credentials have been missed in emails or buried in paperwork. Several application statuses were not updated as a result of this problem.

Using an Excel-based system, the entire hiring team can be kept up-to-date on every step of the hiring process. Each applicant’s information and feedback can be stored in this Excel-based system.

Relationships: Explain how implementing an enterprise hiring system could foster stronger relationships with applicants/potential employees

According to the recruiter, applicants wanted to know the status of their application, but recruiters were unable to deliver the information because of the poor hiring system.

As a result of the rivalry for eligible applicants, it is important to maintain an organised system of qualified job seekers.

References

Gershon, I. (2020). 6 The Decision Makers: What It Means to Be a Hiring Manager, Recruiter, or HR Person. In Down and Out in the New Economy (pp. 185-206). University of Chicago Press.

https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.7208/9780226452289-008/html

Maryland Technology Consultants, Inc. (2019). Maryland Technology Consultants is a fictitious company created for the IFSM 300 Case Study.

van den Broek, E., Sergeeva, A., & Huysman, M. (2019). Hiring algorithms: An ethnography of fairness in practice.

https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/301385085

Running head: TECHNOLOGY IN BUSINESS ANALYSIS AND SYSTEM RECOMMENDATION

Running head: TECHNOLOGY IN BUSINESS ANALYSIS AND SYSTEM RECOMMENDATION

Technology In Business Analysis And System Recommendation

Student’s Name

Institution Affiliation

Course Name

Professor’s Name

Date

Technology In Business Analysis And System Recommendation

Introduction

I. Strategic Use of Technology

A. Business Strategy

Information technology plays an important role in delivering value and supporting Maryland Technology Consultants transformations because the firm uses management methodologies and proven IT to develop support and achieve measurable results for their customers, both the governmental interventions at the federal, state, and local levels, non-profit administrations and mid-tier companies. The success is attained because of the joint effort and talent from the IT Consulting in IT Outsourcing and Business Process Consulting and in delivering extraordinary results to all their clients.

Maryland Technology consultants’ main business strategy is by employing highly skilled consultants and remaining well-knowledgeable of new technology and business ideas, and also evolving new business ideas and most excellent ways of its particular to provide extraordinary recommendations and consulting services to their customers, there is a high need to employ IT consultants more quickly because of the highly increased business. Still, it is not easy to hire and recruit new employees manually this will take a lot of time, By embracing social media and digital trends, it will make it easy for the Maryland Technology Consultants to hire many IT consultants by using social public media profiles because it offers more background facts about the individual as a person. As a worker, this will not take like checking the candidate’s background manually; also, hiring employees located in different countries will be fast and easy because of the wide coverage of social media(Caramela, 2021).

B. Competitive Advantage

Maryland Technology Consultants competitive advantage is the use of ‘just in time’ hiring and also follow-on contracts and referral from their contented customers because of these referrals from their customers MTC business is growing rapidly thus they need to hire more IT Consultants employees who are high, quality skilled expertise to provide good services to their clients through the use of digital trends and social media, By the use of social media MTC can hire new skilled consultants quickly to begin to work on the new project they are anticipating and other proposals, this way it will not be time consuming to review the candidates skills so as to select the top candidate and hire the appropriate consultant to meet the new anticipated contracts MTC provides on-site work to their clients having their site in social media it will help other customers to see the referrals from their satisfied client and make them receive more new contracts from different government organizations and non-profit organizations making Maryland Technology Consultants small business develop widely (UMGC,2019).

C. Strategic Objectives

There are different planned goals that MTC uses to achieve their business plan as demonstrated below in the table:

D. Decision Making

Maryland Technology Consultants is preparing proposals for large projects. Also, they have anticipated to have two new large contracts in the near future thus hiring new employees is highly needed. Still, the HR Director informed that his workforce would be unable to handle and assist the appointment of new workers required in time manually, The following made some decisions in the table beneath:

Maryland Technology Consultants uses IT to analyze their current processes before anything by seeking feedback from their employees to know where they need to rectify for a successful business. They can easily track their projects and schedule the project based on their importance and organize them efficiently (Rhumbix, 2021). The use of a Vendor brochure for MTC as the applicant tracking system is the best way of hiring new IT Consultants because the software provides everything the HR department needs to create a high-performance hiring process, which is easy to implement, more cost-effective, more efficient, and easy to use from any location, device and time over the internet when the system is being maintained it won’t interfere with the user experience also the security and other updates are automatically installed. It has a 30days free trial to its customers, and then the subscription service payment is available based on the number of uses; using the Vendor brochure in Maryland Technology consultants is the best because it saves time and money, there is no interruption due to product installation, available anywhere, anytime, from any device, it is safe to use has a security of system data thought the asses control, and also the enhancements and upgrades are free of charge (UMGC, 2019).

References

. Caramela, S. (2021). Retrieved 9 January 2022, from

https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/7155-startup-hiring-tips.html

UMGC Hiring Solutions, Inc. (2019). EZ-ATS Brochure [Course Resources]. In IFSM 300: Information Systems in Organizations. Retrieved 8th January 2022 from

http://learn.umgc.edu

9 Ways to Improve Workflow Efficiency in Your Office – Rhumbix. (2021). Retrieved 9 January 2022, from

https://www.rhumbix.com/9-ways-to-improve-workflow-efficiency-in-your-office-2/

Stage 3: Business Analysis and System Recommendations 1

Shawn Montgomery

Stage 3: Business Analysis and System Recommendations

Professor Wooten

IFSM 300,

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Stage 3: Business Analysis and System Recommendations 2

I. Requirements

A. Stakeholder Interests

Below is a table showing the main stakeholders Maryland Technology Consulting

(MTC), a significant problem for each stakeholder related to the current hiring process and how a

technology solution can help address those problems.

Role Specific problem related to the

current hiring process

How a technology solution

to support the hiring

process could address the

problem
1. CEO They are not recruiting a skilled

candidate when they are needed

most.

Recruiting employees on a contract

basis and not for future contracts.

Highly qualified candidates

will deliver the right services

during times when MTC

acquires new contracts.

MTC’s new recruiting

arrangement will allow it to

hire new workers more

proficiently in a short time

(UMGC,

Analyzing Process

Improvements Supported by

IT, n.d.).
2. CFO The current hiring mechanism is

inefficient and costly. It does not

upgrade the ongoing processes

The new hiring system will

initiate and facilitate the

future functionality of the

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Stage 3: Business Analysis and System Recommendations 3

while monitoring current

processes.

hiring process of MTC and

preserve a record of the

available employee’s skill

levels and their academic

qualifications (White, 2018).

The system will speed the

hiring process and decreases

the hours of hiring a

candidate.
3. CIO The current system is not

profitable, does not integrate with

IT systems present in the

organization, and it is not globally

viable.

The systems being

technologically advanced

will be cost-effective and

faster in hiring.

The new software will

assimilate with the current

systems and mobile

applications and have the

capacity to work throughout

the world, and workers will

be hired globally (White,

2018).
4. Director of

Human Resources

Not supervising the hiring quests

properly, being unharmonious with

the present systems, and not user

The new technology will

integrate with the present

system and will be easy to

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Stage 3: Business Analysis and System Recommendations 4

friendly hence does not meet the

hiring demands (UMGC,

Analyzing Process Improvements

Supported by IT, n.d.).

use.

The hiring process will be

modernized to meet the

hiring demands because it is

speedy.
5. Manager of

Recruiting

The hiring system at MTC is not

sufficient because it cannot hire 75

employees in

three months.

Currently, the hiring rate stands at

50%.

The new hiring system is

efficient and will allow MTC

to hire 75 employees with

three months.

Allow recruiters to source,

interview, and hire highly

trained individuals to be part

of the team as fast as

possible.
6. Recruiters The hiring department is not able

to accomplish the company’s

business goals of verifying and

showing every applicant and

sending only those who are highly

qualified to the recruiting managers

together with offers of who they

think is suitable for the job.

The new electronic system

will demonstrate the aptitude

to be dependable by issuing

status updates quickly,

efficiently, and successfully

screening candidates to

establish the right ones

(White, 2018). It will also

streamline the offering

process.
7. Administrative It is not easy to submit candidate An automatic electronic

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Stage 3: Business Analysis and System Recommendations 5

Assistant applications and curriculum vitae

(CVs) through the office mail to

the right managers conducting the

hiring process.

Keeping all applicant’s data and

status for quick access is not easy.

channel will forward

candidate applications and

CVs and also monitor the

status of recruitment

paperwork. The new system

will easily track the

applicant’s data (UMGC,

Analyzing Process
Improvements Supported by

IT, n.d.).
8. Hiring Manager

(Functional

supervisor, the

new employee

would be working

for.)

Processes like monitoring and

screening all job listings,

applicants, planning for interviews,

and finding the most qualified

candidate all together is not easy in

the current system (UMGC,

Analyzing Process Improvements
Supported by IT, n.d.).
The new software will

organize a candidate (s)

hiring process and available

job listings electronically.

B. Defining Requirements

The table below indicates requirement statements together with the stakeholder who

identified the requirements.

Requirement ID #
only

Requirement Statement Stakeholder
(Position and Name from Case
Study that identified this

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Stage 3: Business Analysis and System Recommendations 6

requirement)
User Requirements – (What the
user needs the system to do)

EXAMPLE The system must store all
information from the candidate’s
application/resume in a central
applicant database.

Recruiter- Peter O’Neil

1. The system must match a candidate
with the present vacant position that
is best suited for the candidate based
on the candidate (UMGC,
Analyzing Process Improvements
Supported by IT, n.d.).

Recruiter- Peter O’Neil

2. The system has to direct candidate
resumes to the suitable recruiting
managers.

Administrative Assistant, Tom
Arbuckle

3. The system must send job offers to
potential applicants (UMGC,
Analyzing Process Improvements
Supported by IT, n.d.).

Hiring Manager-Not Named

4. The system has to make
arrangements for interviews as well
as send stakeholders invites via
email.

Administrative Assistant, Tom
Arbuckle

5. The system has to gather feedback
and send updated status to the
recruitment panel

Recruiter-Peter O’Neil

System Performance
Requirements – (How the system
will perform)

EXAMPLE The system must be implemented as
a Software as a Service solution.

CIO – Raj Patel

6. The system has to be compatible
with the existing systems and
architecture of the company
(UMGC, Analyzing Process
Improvements Supported by IT,
n.d.).

CIO – Raj Patel

7. The system must allow several
processes to be conducted
electronically

Administrative Assistant –
Tom Arbuckle

8. The system must keep a record of
the certifications and skill levels of
existing employees (UMGC,
Analyzing Process Improvements
Supported by IT, n.d.).

CFO: Evelyn Liu

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Stage 3: Business Analysis and System Recommendations 7

9. (Security) The system must use role-based
authentication

CIO – Raj Patel

10. (Security) The system must secure all
applicants information

CIO – Raj Patel
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Stage 3: Business Analysis and System Recommendations 8

References

Brynjolfsson, E., & McAfee, A. (2008, August). Investing in IT that makes a competitive

difference. Havard Business Review. Retrieved from

https://hbr.org/2008/07/investing-in

the-it-that-makes-a-competitive-difference

Coates, I. V., John, C., Palia, D., & Wu, G. (2019). Are M&A Contract Clauses Value Relevant to

Bidder and Target Shareholders?. Available at SSRN 3201235. Retrieved from

https://www.ssrn.com/abstract=3201235#:~:text=We%20find%20that%20bidder

%20protective,than%20for%20%E2%80%9Cgood%E2%80%9D%20deals.

David, F., & David, F. R. (2016). Strategic management: A competitive advantage approach,

concepts and cases. Pearson–Prentice Hall. Retrieved from

https://www.pearson.com/us/higher-education/product/David-Strategic-Management-A-

Competitive-Advantage-Approach-Concepts-and-Cases-Subscription-17th-

Edition/9780135203699.html

Davis, P. J., & Simpson, E. (2017). Resource-based theory, competition and staff differentiation

in Africa: Leveraging employees as a source of sustained competitive

advantage. American journal of management, 17(1). Retrieved from

http://www.iosrjournals.org/iosr-jbm/papers/Vol10-issue1/E01013049 ?id=5089

Dimitrios, N., Sakas, D., & Vlachos, D. (2013). The role of information systems in creating

strategic leadership model. In Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences (pp. 285-293).

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Stage 3: Business Analysis and System Recommendations 9

Tripolis. Retrieved from

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042813003479

Gil, P. M., Afonso, O., & Brito, P. (2019). Economic growth, the high-tech sector, and the high

skilled: Theory and quantitative implications. Structural Change and Economic

Dynamics, 51, 89-105. Retrieved from

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0954349X1830105X

Pandita, D. (2019). Talent Acquisition: Analysis of Digital Hiring in

Organizations. SAMVAD, 18, 66-72.

White, G. (2018, May 04). The impact of technology on recruitment: How to improve your

hiring process. Retrieved from

https://www.hrtechnologist.com/articles/recruitment

onboarding/the-impact-of-technology-on-recruitment-how-to-improve-your-hiring-

process/

UMGC, Developing Requirements for an IT System (n.d.) Retrieved from

https://learn.umgc.edu/d2l/le/content/485587/viewContent/18185391/View

UMGC, Analyzing Process Improvements Supported by IT (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://learn.umgc.edu/d2l/le/content/485587/viewContent/18185389/View

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Maryland Technology Consultants is a fictitious company created for the IFSM 300 Case Study.

MTC Case Study 11/23/2019 Ver. 1 1

Maryland Technology Consultants, Inc.

Maryland Technology Consultants (MTC) is a successful Information Technology consulting firm
that utilizes proven IT and management methodologies to achieve measurable results for its

customers. Its customer base includes small to mid-tier businesses, non-profit organizations
and governmental agencies at the local, state and federal levels. MTC feels strongly that its
success is dependent on the combination of the talent of its IT consultants in the areas of,

Business Process Consulting, IT Consulting and IT Outsourcing Consulting and their ability to

deliver truly extraordinary results to their clients.

Corporate Profile

Corporate Name: Maryland Technology Consultants, Inc.

Founded: May 2008

Headquarters: Baltimore, Maryland

Satellite Locations: Herndon, Virginia; Bethesda, Maryland

Number of Employees: 450
Total Annual Gross Revenue: $95,000,000

President and

Chief Executive Officer (CEO): Samuel Johnson

Business Areas

MTC provides consulting services in the following areas:

• Business Process Consulting – Business process redesign, process improvement, and best

practices

• IT Consulting – IT strategy, analysis, planning, system development, implementation, and

network support

• IT Outsourcing Consulting – Requirements analysis; vendor evaluation, due diligence,

selection and performance management; Service Level Agreements

Business Strategy

MTC’s business strategy is to provide extraordinary consulting services and recommendations

to its customers by employing highly skilled consultants and staying abreast of new business
concepts and technology and/or developing new business concepts and best practices of its

own.

Maryland Technology Consultants is a fictitious company created for the IFSM 300 Case Study.

MTC Case Study 11/23/2019 Ver. 1 2

Excerpt from the MTC Strategic Business Plan

While the complete strategic plan touches on many areas, below is an excerpt from MTC’s

latest Strategic Business Plan that identifies a few of MTC’s Goals.

Goal 1: Increase MTC Business Development by winning new contracts in the areas of IT

consulting.

Goal 2: Build a cadre of consultants internationally to provide remote research and analysis
support to MTC’s onsite teams in the U. S.

Goal 3: Continue to increase MTC’s ability to quickly provide high quality consultants to
awarded contracts to best serve the clients’ needs.

Goal 4: Increase MTC’s competitive advantage in the IT consulting marketplace by increasing its

reputation for having IT consultants who are highly skilled in leading edge technologies and
innovative solutions for its clients.

Current Business Environment

MTC provides consultants on-site to work with its clients, delivering a wide variety of IT-related

services. MTC obtains most of its business through competitively bidding on Requests for

Proposals issued by business, government and non-profit organizations. A small but growing

portion of its business is through referrals and follow-on contracts from satisfied clients. MTC

anticipates it will win two large contracts in the near future and is preparing proposals for

several other large projects.

MTC, as a consulting company, relies on the quality and expertise of its employees to provide

the services needed by the clients. When it is awarded a contract, the customer expects MTC

to quickly provide the consultants and begin work on the project. MTC, like other consulting

companies, cannot afford to carry a significant e number of employees that are not assigned to

contracts. Therefore, they need to determine the likelihood of winning a new contract and

ensure the appropriately skilled consultants are ready to go to work within 60 days of signing

the contract. MTC relies on its Human Resources (HR) Department to find, research, and assess

applicants so that line managers can review and select their top candidates and hire

appropriate consultants to meet their needs for current new contracts. It is very much a “just

in time” hiring situation.

The Headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland, houses approximately 350 employees. Satellite

offices have been opened in the last two years in both Herndon, Virginia and Bethesda,

Maryland to provide close proximity to existing clients. It is anticipated that new pending

contracts would add staff to all locations. The management team believes there is capacity at

all locations, as much of the consultants’ work is done on-site at the clients’ locations.

Maryland Technology Consultants is a fictitious company created for the IFSM 300 Case Study.

MTC Case Study 11/23/2019 Ver. 1 3

Strategic Direction

As a small to mid-size business (SMB), MTC recognizes that it needs to carefully plan its future

strategy. Considering the competitive environment that contains many very large IT consulting

firms, such as Hewlett-Packard (HP), Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH), and Science Applications

International Corporation (SAIC), as well as numerous smaller companies with various skill sets,

market niches, and established customer bases, MTC will be evaluating how best to position

itself for the future and recognizes that its ability to identify its core competencies, move with

agility and flexibility, and deliver consistent high quality service to its clients is critical for

continued success. MTC’s plan for growth includes growing by 7% per year over the next five

years. This would require an increase in consulting contract overall volume and an expanded

workforce. One area that is critical to a consulting company is the ability to have employees

who possess the necessary knowledge and skills to fulfill current and future contracts. Given

the intense competition in the IT consulting sector, MTC is planning to incorporate a few

consultants in other countries to provide remote research and analysis support to the on-site U.

S. teams. Since MTC has no experience in the global marketplace, the Director of HR has begun

examining international labor laws to determine where MTC should recruit and hire employees.

Challenges

Increased business creates a need to hire IT consultants more quickly. Overall, the Director of

HR is concerned that the current manual process of recruiting and hiring employees will not

allow his department to be responsive to the demands of future growth and increased hiring

requirements. There are currently two contracts that MTC expects to win very soon will require

the hiring of an additional 75 consultants very quickly. He is looking for a near-term solution

that will automate many of the manual hiring process steps and reduce the time it takes to hire

new staff. He is also looking for a solution that will allow MTC to hire employees located in

other countries around the world.

Management Direction

The management team has been discussing how to ramp up to fill the requirements of the two

new contracts and prepare the company to continue growing as additional contracts are

awarded in the future. The company has been steadily growing and thus far hiring of new

employees has been handled through a process that is largely manual. The HR Director

reported that his staff will be unable to handle the expanded hiring projections as well as

accommodate the hiring of the 75 new employees in the timeframe required. The Chief

Information Officer (CIO) then recommended that the company look for a commercial off-the-

shelf software product that can dramatically improve the hiring process and shorten the time it

takes to hire new employees. The Chief Financial Officer (CFO) wants to ensure that all

investments are in line with the corporate mission and will achieve the desired return on

investment. She will be looking for clear information that proposals have been well researched,

provide a needed capability for the organization, and can be cost-effectively implemented in a

Maryland Technology Consultants is a fictitious company created for the IFSM 300 Case Study.

MTC Case Study 11/23/2019 Ver. 1 4

relatively short period of time to reap the benefits. The CEO has asked HR to work with the CIO

to recommend a solution.

Your Task

As a business analyst assigned to HR, you have been assigned to conduct an analysis, develop a

set of system requirements, evaluate a proposed solution, and develop an implementation plan

for an IT solution (applicant tracking system hiring system) to improve the hiring process. You

have begun your analysis by conducting a series of interviews with key stakeholders to collect

information about the current hiring process and the requirements for a technology solution to

improve the hiring process. Based on your analysis and in coordination with key users you will

produce a Business Analysis and System Recommendation Report (BA&SR) as your final

deliverable.

Interviews

In the interviews you conducted with the organizational leaders, you hear the comments

recorded below.

CEO: Samuel Johnson

“While I trust my HR staff to address the nuts and bolts of the staffing processes, what is

critically important to me is that the right people can be in place to fulfill our current contracts

and additional talented staff can be quickly hired to address needs of future contracts that we

win. I can’t be out in the market soliciting new business if we can’t deliver on what we’re

selling. Our reputation is largely dependent on having knowledgeable and capable staff to

deliver the services our clients are paying for and expect from MTC.”

CFO: Evelyn Liu

“So glad we’re talking about this initiative. As CFO, obviously I’m focused on the bottom line. I

also recognize it’s necessary to invest in certain areas to ensure our viability moving forward. I

recognize that the current manual hiring process is inefficient and not cost-effective. Having

technology solutions that improve current process and enable future functionality is very

important to MTC’s success. We must consider the total cost of ownership of any technology

we adopt. MTC is run as a lean-and-mean organization and support processes must be effective

but not overbuilt. We do want to think towards the future and our strategic goals as well and

don’t want to invest in technology with a short shelf-life. Along those lines, we currently have a

timekeeping and payroll system that requires input from the hiring process to be entered to

establish new employees; and to help support our bottom line financially, any new solution

should effectively integrate with, but not replace, those systems.

Maryland Technology Consultants is a fictitious company created for the IFSM 300 Case Study.

MTC Case Study 11/23/2019 Ver. 1 5

CIO: Raj Patel

“As a member of the IT Department, you have a good understanding of our overall architecture

and strategy; however, let me emphasize a few things I want to be sure we keep in mind for this

project. Any solution needs to be compatible with our existing architecture and systems as

appropriate. Obviously, we have chosen not to maintain a large software development staff so

building a solution from the ground up does not fit our IT strategic plan. Our current strategy

has been to adopt Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions that can be deployed relatively quickly

and leverage industry best practices at a low total cost. In addition, our distributed workforce

means we are very dependent on mobile computing – this brings some challenges in term of

portability, maintenance, and solutions that present well on mobile devices. We’ve been

expanding at a rapid rate and are seeking to expand internationally so any solution will need to

be viable globally. And last, but certainly not least, MTC’s success is largely dependent on our

ability to satisfy the requirements of our clients and maintain a reputation of high credibility,

reliability and security. Any security breach of our applicants’ data could have a devastating

effect to our ability to compete for new business as well as maintain current clients. Any

technology solution adopted by MTC must contain clear security measures to control access and

protect data and allow us to use our current security for mobile links. I recognize that MTC can

no longer rely on a manual hiring process to meet these needs.”

Director of HR: Joseph Cummings

“Thanks for talking with me today. I see this effort as very important to the success of

MTC. While the recruiting staff has done an excellent job of hiring top IT consultants, the rapid

growth to date and future plans for expansion have pushed our recruiting staff, and we

recognize we can no longer meet the hiring and staffing demands with manual processes. I’m

also interested in solutions that are easy-to-use and can interface with our existing systems and

enhance processes. I’m willing to consider a basic system that can grow as MTC grows and

provide more capabilities in the future. I’m sure Sofia, our Manager of Recruiting, can provide

more specifics.”

Manager of Recruiting: Sofia Perez

“You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting to begin the process of finding a technology

solution to support our recruiting processes. In addition to myself, there are 2-3 full-time

recruiters who have been very busy keeping up with the increased hiring at MTC; and there are

no plans to increase the recruiting staff. It goes without saying that a consulting company is

dependent on having well-qualified employees to deliver to our customers. We’re in a

competitive market for IT talent and want to be able to recruit efficiently, process applicants

quickly, and move to making a job offer to the best candidate before the competition snaps

him/her up. When I talk with my colleagues in other companies, they mention applicant

tracking systems that have enabled them to reduce their hiring time by 15-20%. I’m so envious

of them and look forward to having our new solution in place before the next set of contracts

are won and we need to hire 75 (to as many as 150) staff in a 2-month period. I do not think my

Maryland Technology Consultants is a fictitious company created for the IFSM 300 Case Study.

MTC Case Study 11/23/2019 Ver. 1 6

team can handle such an increase in an efficient and effective manner. On-going growth at

MTC will continue to increase the demands to hire more consultants quickly. It really seems like

there would be a rapid return on investment in a technology solution to support and improve

the hiring process.”

Recruiters: Peter O’Neil (along with Mike Thomas and Jennifer Blackwell)

“This project should have happened 2 years ago but glad it’s finally getting some attention. As a

recruiter, I’m sort of the middleperson in this process. On one hand, we have the job applicant

who is anxious to know the status of his/her application and fit for the advertised position. It’s

important that the recruiters represent MTC well, as we want the best applicants to want to

come to work for us. Then we have the actual hiring manager in one of our business areas who

has issued the job requisition and wants to get the best applicant hired as quickly as possible.

Obviously recruiting is not the hiring manager’s full-time job, so we’re always competing for

time with other job responsibilities, so we can keep things moving as quickly as possible. They

provide us with job descriptions to meet the needs of clients and look to us to screen resumes

and only forward the best qualified applicants to them so they can quickly identify their top

candidates. Working with Tom, our administrative assistant, we need interviews to be

scheduled to accommodate everyone’s calendars. After the hiring managers make their final

selections of who they would like to hire, it is our task to get the job offers presented to the

candidates – hopefully for their acceptance. Everything is very time sensitive, and the current

process is not nearly as efficient as it could be. Applications and resumes can get lost in

interoffice mail or buried in email; and, when a hiring manager calls us, we often cannot

immediately provide the status of where an applicant is in the process. This can be very

frustrating all around. Speaking for myself and the other recruiters, I have high expectations for

this solution. We need to really be able to deliver world-class service to MTC in the recruiting

and hiring areas to meet the business goals.”

Administrative Assistant: Tom Arbuckle

“I support the recruiters in the hiring process. After the recruiters screen the resumes and select

the best candidates for a position, my job is to route those applications and resumes via

interoffice mail to the respective functional/hiring manager, receive his or her feedback on who

to interview and who should be involved in the interviews, schedule the interviews based on

availability of applicants and the interview team members, collect the feedback from the

interview team and inform the assigned recruiter of the status of each candidate who was

interviewed. In addition to preparing the job offer letter based on the recruiter’s direction, after

a job offer has been made and accepted, I coordinate the paperwork for the new hire with HR

and Payroll to ensure everything is ready to go on the first day. As you can imagine when hiring

volume is up, I’m buried in paperwork and trying to keep all the applicants and their resumes

straight, track their status in the process, and ensure everyone has what they need is very

challenging. I love my job, but want to ensure I can continue to keep on top of the increased

hiring demands and support the recruiting team effectively. Any tool that would help the

workflow and enable many steps in the process to be done electronically would be wonderful.”

Maryland Technology Consultants is a fictitious company created for the IFSM 300 Case Study.

MTC Case Study 11/23/2019 Ver. 1 7

Hiring Manager (in functional area; this person would be the supervisor of the new employee

and would likely issue the job requisition to fill a need in his/her department/team):

“While it’s a good problem to have – new business means new hires — the current method for

screening applications, scheduling interviews, identifying the best qualified applicants, and

getting a job offer to them is not working. My team is evaluated on the level of service we

provide our clients, and it is very important that we have well-qualified staff members to fulfill

our contracts. Turnover is common in the IT world and that along with new business

development, makes the need for hiring new staff critical and time-sensitive. I confess that

sometimes I’m not as responsive to HR as I should be; but although hiring new consultants for

the contracts I manage is important to successfully meet the clients’ needs, this is only one of

several areas for which I’m responsible. I look to the recruiters to stay on top of this for me. In

the ideal world, I’d like an electronic dashboard from which I can see the status of any job

openings in my area, information on all qualified candidates who have applied and where they

are in the pipeline. Electronic scheduling of interviews on my calendar would be a real time

saver. It’s important that we impress candidates with our technology and efficiency – after all

we are an IT consulting company—and using manual processes makes us look bad. And, this

system must be easy to use – I don’t have time for training or reading a 100-page user’s

manual. Just need to get my job done.”