Martin Francis

ISP Task 3 week 4

Getting ready for organisational analysis


Situational Variables

Definition: aspects of organisations themselves that people know about

Financial: Income statements, management accounts, cash flow forecasts - will impact IT budget scale, scope and timing of projects

Organisational chart – will indicate key stakeholders within the organisation who need to be engaged in the IT project

Current Organisational Systems: Documentation, work procedures, training records, are they ISO9001 certified? will impact whether IT project needs to be ISO compliant too.

Nature of business – to help understand the big picture and how IT fits the organisation business needs:

  • Types of market – products, services, they provide and plan to provide
  • Customers, suppliers, people they depend on outside of their business.
  • Competition e.g. what sort of IT systems do the competition have in place, may shape their expectations if their closest competitor has upgraded, might be the trigger for this project

Age and general demographic of staff, level of skill and training – users need to be able to use the system!

Physical – Location/ locations of organisation e.g. head office, regional offices, could raise key challenges or make some IT solutions unfeasible

Physical Layout of offices/factory e.g. where is their data centre, are they ethernet wired? What type of broadband connection? Do they have WIFI access points installed

History of organisation and IT systems, important to understand legacy

Existing Hardware and Software used

Existing Company website and Computer Languages used

Deficiencies and shortcomings of their own systems – key to an IT project fit for purpose



Fact–finding, modelling or analysis techniques

Definition: processes that inform you understanding and analysing organisations

Fact-finding: Primary Research

Ask Employees/ Management/ key stakeholders e.g. customers, end users

  • Interviews
  • Questionaires

Over Shadowing

Observation

Fact-finding: Secondary Research

Google Search

Company Accounts

Industry Market Reports eg. Mintel, TNS Sales data


Modelling and Analysis Techniques

IT Systems

  • Flow Chart
  • System Map
  • DFD‘s
  • Entity Modelling
  • Rich Pictures
  • ER diagrams
  • WS Framework

Understanding the nature of business

  • SWOT analysis
  • Stakeholder analysis
  • Porters 5 forces
  • Feasibility studies
  • Business case modelling – test the financial viability of the IT project to get it past the Board!


Key Comments

1. Listen

  • Listen to the client about their business and their existing ICT set up.
  • Listen to the client about their goals and future aspirations along with what their requirements are as they see them
  • Listen to the key problems with their current systems

2. Investigate

  • After listening to the Client we will use the appropriate modelling and analysis techniques to gain a further understanding of their business.
  • These techniques applied will depend also on what they have and have not told use or can and can not or tell us about their business.

3. Use the Information Intelligently

  • To propose a solution that was more than what the client could have thought of.

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