Western Illinois University - College of Business and Technology

IM 462 - MIS Project Development

Spring, 2005

Catalog Description: MIS Project Development (3 credits) Design and development of an MIS field project.

Instructor: Lawrence L. Andrew

Office: Stipes Hall 431F, (309) 298-1305, email: LL-Andrew@wiu.edu

web page: http://www.cbt.wiu.edu/Lawrence_Andrew

Office Hours: T, H: 10:45 AM – 12:15 PM; W: 10:00 – 11:15 AM; Other hours by appointment.

Classes: Sections 51 - T, H: 3:30 AM - 4:45 PM; Stipes Hall 325

Required Textbook: None

Supplied Software: Visible Analyst, v. 7, Visible Systems, Inc., 1-800-684-7425, www.visible.com

Additional Required Materials: Several 3.5" disks

Prerequisites: IM 341, IM 342, Senior standing

Course Description: In this course, you will be assigned a project and carry out the development associated with it. This will include, but not be limited to: analysis and design; feasibility, resource and constraint assessment; model development (DFDs and ERDs); prototyping of the project; written progress reports; project presentation; and team evaluation.

Course Objectives: The main purpose of the course is to:

§ Provide experience, within the constraints of the course, in initiating, analyzing/designing and implementing information systems projects.

§ Provide experience on working in a project environment, with deadlines, progress reports, and working with teams.

§ Provide experience in a team presentation of a project before a critical audience.

Project Schedule/Milestones:

No.	Milestone	Date
1.	Organize Group, establish meeting times, etc.	1/18/05
2.	Listing of group member names and listing of possible projects	1/27/05
3.	First progress report	2/3/05
4.	Feasibility report	2/17/05
5.	Second progress report	3/3/05
6.	Analysis/Design report	3/24/05
7.	Team evaluations (first)	3/24/05
8.	Third progress report	4/7/05
9.	Implementation report	4/21/05
10.	Oral presentation	5/12/05
11.	Final report	5/12/05
12.	Team evaluations (second)	5/12/05

Project Statement/Feasibility Report: This report will consist of the following elements:

• Description of the project
• Description of organizational setting
• Summary of proposed system features
• Important milestones in the project and when they will be met
• Resource requirements (HW, SW, # of persons required, time)
• Benefits

Analysis/Design Report: This report will include the following elements:

• Description of the project (same as in the Feasibility report)
• Description of analysis activities to-date, including details of meetings that took place between the client and the team.
• Functional specifications – these can include DFDs, ERDs, menu/screen layouts, data dictionaries structure charts etc.
• A running text commentary that walks the person through the specifications.
• A brief description of activities that remain to be accomplished (e.g. coding, final meetings etc.)

Implementation Report: This report will discuss:

• The hardware/software selected for the project and the rationale.
• Provide a written description of the implementation. This can include a description of the menus, choices, reports etc.
• Preliminary recommendations. These can be HW/SW or management oriented recommendations and need not be directly related to the project. It could include insights you have gained as a result of your studies.

Final Report: The final report will include many of the elements from all the previous reports and corrections suggested from previous evaluations. Specifically, the following need to be included:

• Description of the host organization (from feasibility report).
• Description of the project (from feasibility report).
• Description of activities to-date including analysis, design and implementation activities (from analysis/design report + additional activities).
• Analysis and Design charts (from analysis/design report).
• Commentaries on the analysis and design charts (from analysis/design report).
• Implementation (from implementation report).
• Recommendations for the host organization, including hardware, application and management recommendations if any (partly from implementation report).

Progress Reports: A total of three progress reports are required, at various stages of the project as given in the project schedule/milestones. The reports can be preferably typed in a memo form (From: , To: , Re: , Date: , etc.). The reports will be brief and less than one page. The content will depend upon the stage of the project:

· First progress report: Discuss the progress made towards identifying a project/host organization. For e.g. you can discuss organizations/individuals you approached and their reactions (No, we are busy/yes its do-able).

· Second progress report: Discuss the progress made towards completion of analysis and design. For instance, discuss meetings with the host organization and what was accomplished, progress made in developing charts, initial analysis/design report draft.

• Third progress report: Discuss the progress made towards completion of the implementation stage. For instance, discuss choice of environment, items that have been already implemented etc.

General Report Requirements: In general, reports must:

• Be double spaced
• Be fully justified (i.e. left and right justification)
• Be free from spelling/typing errors
• Be free from colloquial expressions
• Be written using business language
• Have a title page
• Have a formal organization
• Have the names of the team members and course number
• Have a cover as described in class (Clear cover showing title page, with Comb binding)

There are no length restrictions on the reports. Reports will be evaluated on a relative basis, on a number of criteria including, organization (Formal Business Report), clarity, Substance(!!!!!), style and packaging. Although packaging is part of the evaluation criteria, please do not go overboard on the packaging.

Oral Presentation: Each team will give a twenty (20) minute oral presentation of their project. All team members must participate in the presentation. The presentation will follow a similar structure as the final report: description of the host organization, description of project, etc.

Presentations will be graded based on clarity, organization, substance and style. You are required to use overheads/Power point slides, but also feel free to write important points on the board. Please speak clearly and slowly, making eye contact with the audience. It is important to proceed at their pace and not at yours. Presentations should be well-prepared in advance - avoid reading from notes. Professional attire is Required! (Think: IBM!!!!!)

Diary: Each group will maintain a detailed Diary of their group efforts which will include, but is not limited to:

• Dates of all group meetings, persons in attendance and those missing
• Topics discussed, conclusions reached (if any), and each members contributions
• Comments relating to progress of the project as relating to milestone dates

Participation: Since projects will be accomplished in teams, team members will be evaluated in two ways:

• By their direct contribution
• By their team behavior

Direct contribution will be assessed by a contribution statement each team member will provide, once in the middle of the project and once towards the end. The contribution statement will describe the individual’s contribution on the project e.g. team co-ordination, initiative in approaching the host organization, writing report, creating charts etc.

Team behavior will be assessed by a team quotient, which will be obtained from other members of the project. Criteria will include:

• Willingness to listen to other people’s ideas
• Sharing knowledge freely
• Assuming responsibility
• Contribution to the project
• Willingness to chip-in at critical times

Team behavior will be assessed once in the beginning and once towards the end of the project.

Suggested Procedure: You need to approach organizations on/off campus to see if they need any free IS development. For example, you could approach offices in the library (or any external organization) to see if they have any IS needs. Once you identify a project, you need to discuss it with your instructor to see if it is suitable.

§ If you already work for an organization, that is a good place to start looking for MIS projects.

§ Other wise, I would suggest approaching some of the local businesses or governing organizations.

§ Many offices on campus, e.g. the athletic office, the library can also be approached.

§ Notify the instructor if you’ve decided on a project/organization.

§ Always be professional in your contact with the host organization.

§ Please make sure to let your host be aware of time commitments for the project.

§ The maximum time commitment is likely to be in the early stages of the project. For example, for a web development project, three meetings might suffice up to the analysis/design phase and one meeting during the implementation phase.

§ Once you have an idea of the project, you will have a better understanding of the time requirements.

§ Please be sure to set up a schedule of meetings with the client (at the client’s convenience).

§ It’s a good idea to keep records of your meetings.

§ Keep track of your contribution on the project.

Additional Notes:

• Please login periodically into the course web site for announcements.
• Please note that the schedule and reporting requirements are imposed on you in order to better prepare you to enter into the real world.
• Note that the syllabus and schedule are subject to change with notice.

Academic Dishonesty: Instances of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Students are expected to complete their own assignments and submit their own work, and will be held responsible for their actions. Discipline will be enforced according to the regulations set forth in the Western Illinois University Undergraduate Catalog.

ADA: If you have a disabling condition that will require an accommodation in tests or class structure, please advise the instructor.

Evaluation:

Evaluation Item	Points
Project statement/feasibility report	5
Analysis/Design report	10
Implementation report	5
Final report and Diary	10
Oral presentation	5
Satisfactory progress – progress reports (3)	15
Team participation Report – 1	5
Team participation Report – 2	5
Final Models – DFDs, ERDs,etc.	20
Prototype	20
Total	100

Grading Scale:

A 90 - 100 %

B 80 - 89.xx%

C 70 - 79.xx%

D 60 - 69.xx%

F 0 - 59.xx%