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My take on the University Enrollment System..

2010-07-22T11:37:00.001+08:00

Each and every year, the enrollment process of the  university is being changed to really cover the student's needs which is  to have an easy flow of enrollment hence, will give convenience to  every one involved in the process. The fact that the university is  giving much effort to eradicate the past problems, it is right to give  compliments in their part for, they are really looking forward on giving  due services to the students. However, it could not be denied that the  process the university is implementing appears to have some weaknesses  on it thus, letting the students to criticize it and even marked it with  “needs improvement”. End-users view on the process must be taken into  consideration especially, that these end-users are the resources of the  university and with that, it is a must to take “our” views on what is  going on with the current process for it might serve as the stepping  stone, if not the best but at least better implementation that the past  few years.

In relation to my answer in the previous assignment,  the enrollment process really improved since the time I entered the  premises of the university up to this date, and as what I have mentioned  from my last assignment there are still instances that the process  really needs improvement. One thing which I considered a weakness in the  process is that, there is no such unified submission of requirements or  fees on the day of enrollment. In my case, I really wanted to have a  unified processing of this certain process for somehow it could lessen  the burden of the students to visit different divisions of the  university with just one purpose which is to pay. For me, it is  sometimes not ideal to do different tasks in different places with a  single purpose when you can actually do it in a certain place, aside  from it reduces time for students, and it also reduces operational cost;  for the university will need to utilize another resources when the  current resource can be utilized to cater two distinct tasks with a  single purpose.

Furthermore, in the idea of improving the university enrollment process, it does not only require another set of enrollment process but also everyone involved in the process must take an action to make all things right.

Enrollment Process Observation...

2010-07-08T16:18:00.002+08:00

One of the processes that we can associate when we talk about a school or a certain educational institution is the Enrollment process. Enrollment process may differ in terms of the number of steps to be followed, or the requirements to be submitted but the main point of the enrollment is to admit a student who satisfactorily satisfied the standards, the policies, the guidelines and of course the requirements of the school. As to how this kind of process of a school will be implemented, it really depends to the people governing a school. In big universities especially state universities, it is important that the enrollment process must be systematic and orderly implemented to avoid chaotic scenario. In enrollment there is such thing as enrollment procedure that the school must attach in any strategic locations of the university for it serves as the guidelines of the students especially the incoming ones. This enrollment procedure may be in text format or flow charts that directly illustrate the flow of the process from the very beginning to the end of the process. It is important to clearly define all the items or the components in an enrollment system for a systematic flow of the process.

Let’s take the case of USeP for this assignment.

As a student of USeP I have that greater access to experience the enrollment process of the school, especially now that I have reached the 4 years of residency probably, I can criticized or state my observations as to how good or systematic the process is. When I took the challenge to enroll in the university I am not the kind of student who keenly observed the process of enrollment for what I am looking forward is to finish the process even how much time I spent for each step however, for the last few years and for this semester S.Y 2010-2011 I have these following observations on the enrollment process:

1. There is no such Unified collection of fees (miscellaneous, tuition fees). As though there are different university-accredited organizations in the school to collect fees, payment should be done in a single venue to make the process centralized. This also helps the process on submission or pertinent documents, sometimes these receipts are asked and sometimes it takes time for a student to present the receipt, whereas if the fees are reflected in a single document then the enrollment officer can just glance into the document whether the student paid the fees or not.
2. Limited number of windows to cater students, especially in finance division. This is one problem that students would like to be answered. This problem gives a long queue especially for peak period of enrollment, it is not ideal to cater student in university with only 2 windows with of course 2 officers to receive transactions.
3. Renewal of scholarship takes sometime. This is one process in the enrollment which causes long queue in other processes. Though this process depends on the benefactor but since it is part of the university enrollment process, then it must be settle by the governing body to make it systematic thus, will not cause any enrollment delays and extensions.

4. Submission of requirements is not centralized. The University and Guidance office (UGTO) once posted and reminded students not to give their original documents to any department except the registrar for, the office of registrar will not be liable of lost documents once those documents are not submitted in the registrar’s office. It seems that there colleges / departments in the university that makes their own policy, in which some documents are taken from the students and doesn’t give any proof that a certain document was duly received unless you ask one. I have observed this scenario last summer S.Y 2009-10. For what I have experienced when I enrolled for freshmen all original documents are endorsed ONLY in the office of the registrar.

However, as a whole the enrollment process is good for every year there are changes made into the process of enrollment which makes it more systematic compared with the last implementation. Like in enrollment of S.Y 2008-2009, once a student submitted his requirements he will be advices to wait until his name is called which is not ideal at all. However, for the succeeding year of implementation of the enrollment, the registrar initiated to have a window to cater transactions per college, the process still causes long queue since only 1 officer who receiver transactions per college, good for those colleges with lesser number of students compared to colleges with large number of students. And in the S.Y. 2009-2010 until this semester the registrar’s office initiated to make all transaction windows open to mall departments, apparently in improves the process of enrollment.

As year goes by, the enrollment process will really improve and will continue to improve to cater students effectively, however, even how structured or systematic the processes are, still the cooperation of the students and the people governing the school is what really matters. Students have to be vocal what’s in and right for the process; and for the governing people to be considerate and to look after everybody’s needs.

MIS 2 Assignment 7: All about GOOGLE

2010-02-03T15:48:00.001+08:00

Google: The perfect search engine (Larry Page)

Nowadays, people of different places in different organizations are aware on the popularity marked by Google as a search engine. People find Google a convenient way to find a vast of information and ideas in different field of interest. Google paved the way for many organizations especially in the field of advertising. Google marked the highest revenue compared to its major and minor competitors all over the world. In search engine optimization it is always an ideal objective to give convenience in looking for a subject or a set of information in a very large resource. A good way to get many users in the search engine is making it really easy to use Google believes they should hide the complexity of their powerful and effective search engine from the followers so that they will be left with a simple, understandable way to get information they need. Google really does provide the best user experience possible, it refuses to make or deliver changes that would not benefit the users that go to their site. Google is a global technology leader focused in improving the ways people find and use information. Google maintain the world’s largest index of websites and other content and, via their automated search technology, make this information freely available, nearly instantly, to anyone with an internet connection.

Google is not just a popular search engine but also a business. Besides trying its best to satisfy its users it has to find way generating the most revenue. Google does this in a few different ways. The first one is the advertising which is the main source of the revenue that Google is getting from the advertisers, a program called AdWords paved for this business transaction thus, earning a high revenue among its competitors. A business using AdWords can accomplish greater cost effectiveness with their marketing budgets. AdWords is serving ads to thousands of third party websites who are part of the Google Network, this only means that advertisers using AdWords can target people by way of developing sites that are most likely be adapted by the people. The second way is offering its search technology, a program called AdSense paved for this particular business transaction. AdSense brings related texts, images, advertisements which are relevant to the content of your website. When a Google search box is added to your website, AdSense will deliver text ads which will go with the results of the visitors of the site, it also offers customization services. Thus, AdSense is not only maximizing the usability of the sites but also optimizes the operation. The third way is making money through Google Search Appliance which they sell to their customers. This transaction is very essential, especially that it delivers accurate search results throughout a number of documents. Meaning if the company will engage into Google Search Appliance, they will have its own search engine that works similarly with google.com. Thus, it gives the company’s employees, partners and customers the same quality that Google does.

The business model of Google comprises three models includes, Customer Model, Value Model and the Revenue Model.  Three underlying models relate to the business approaches and offerings by Google. Like in the case of the value model, it involves search and community. It actually defines the search technology that Google is offering to its constituents and the community that embraces the said technology. Revenue model involves search services, advertising, it clearly defines the core offerings of the Google which is the search engine service and the main source of their revenue, Advertising.

Google has two types of competitors, the major and the minor competitors. Major competitors are Yahoo! Inc. and the Microsoft Corporation. The minor ones are American Online (AOL) and Baidu. Yahoo owns the world’s most popular websites and believes in multidimensional approach, wherein they identify what people want and out of it they can create a product that best suit to their clients’ needs. Google on the on the other hand owns the world’s leading online search engine, its mission it to transform the today’s world in storing or finding information. American online is an ISP or Internet Service Provider, in which subscribers nowadays are shrinking because of the development of broad band network technology. Baidu on the other hand is a Chinese search engine. It claims the biggest search engine in Chinese Language, the most popular feature of the search engine id to support MP3 search.

Furthermore, Google provides inclusion and frequent updating in their sites for free. Meaning anybody’s website could be in search results as possible. The unique about Google is that it uses the Pagerank technology as a result it makes the search result completely accurate. Google has worked very hard on getting rid of excess bit or byte from their pages to make it go as fast as it possibly can. Google developed new algorithms which proved that there was no limit as to how fast you could go in searching the most relevant information. Google’s services include Alerts where you receive news, Blog Search, which finds on people’s topics; Book Search; Images; Maps, where you find directions anywhere in the world; News. Some on the Google’s tools are Blogger, where you make express ideas online; Earth, lets you discover the world over your PC; Translate, view pages in other languages. Furthermore, Google has also a web browser built for speed, stability and security.

Larry Page: Google would understand exactly what you mean and give back what you want.

References:

http://scenariothinking.org/wiki/index.php/What_is_Google's_business_model?
http://www.google.com/intl/en/options/
http://investor.google.com/faq.html
http://www.seobook.com/archives/000273.shtml

SAD 1 Assignment 6

2010-02-03T15:43:00.001+08:00

Juan: The way to go about the analysis is to first examine the old system, such as reviewing key documents and observing the workers perform their tasks. Then we can determine which aspects are working well and which should be preserved.

Pedro: We have been through these types of projects before and what always ends up happening is that we do not get the new system we are promised; we get a modified version of the old system.

Juan: Well, I can assure you that will not happen this time. We just want a thorough understanding of what is working well and what isn’t.

Pedro: I would feel much more comfortable if we first started with a list of our requirements. We should spend some time up-front determining exactly what we want the system to do for my department. Then you systems people can come in and determine what portions to salvage if you wish. Just don’t constrain us to the old system.

Insights...

The scenario is very common to those who are involved in technical aspect on system analysis. In this kind of scenario, adjustment is very important especially that you cannot expect everyone to make believe with the idea that you brought to the group. And you cannot force the people around you to implement the said idea or the approach because they do have their own perspective on how the process should be and how a system should be developed. This case is very crucial in a technical environment, there are many approaches, set of standards and with these standards there are corresponding processes and the worst case is that it is not flexible for some point, one have to consider an approach that the system is suited to. Considering now the fact that the two people involved in the presented scenario are not of the same field; from the situation we can somehow say that John Juan is a system analyst or project manager, and IT professional while Pedro Peter is most likely a department manager of a certain business company. It cannot be expected that these two people can immediately unify there ideas considering that their nature of work is different. There are related works that the system professional can relate towards the work of a department manager and so with the manager, there are task perform by system professional that he cannot relate to. Generally, people of different organizations have different outlooks in most processes these people take.

Going back to the scenario, let us first tackle the point made by the system professional, John Juan. A system professional has a wide range of idea in system analysis and developing systems that their clients want them to do, a system professional has a wide range of knowledge on how a project must be processed as to the stages and phases of development; therefore a system professional has the edge on the targeted system by the department manager. I got the point of John which is to examine first the old system that the company is using, review related documents, and observing the functionalities of the system. Knowing that not all developers has the knowledge on the operations of different organizations, so the manner of examining the old system paved the way for the system professional to evaluate and examine the functionalities of the old system, for him also to know how these functionalities relate to the day-to-day operations of the department. Also, the system professional can assess whether to make another system or maybe make some enhancement from the old system without compromising the functionalities of the system. Besides, developer can assess further which data of the involved system can be salvaged and can be migrated to the new system to be developed, otherwise the system professional will develop the required system “from scratch” which is most likely cumbersome to the developer or maybe to the developing team. This is also to reduce the time allotted for the system, instead of developing from the beginning; the developer can just make some improvements or maybe enhancements to realize the system in the least possible time.

Sometimes, it is not ideal for a developer to make another system without having examined the old system, for in developing system one has to have the initiative to utilize available resources before re-inventing tools and approaches. Furthermore, to just examine the old system is not sufficient to define some requirements towards the new system to be developed. The developer should engage a thorough investigation of the current system before defining requirements and specifications for the next system. Thorough investigation may involve interviewing the management and the operational staff, also by direct observation and experience on the system. A set of requirements and specifications, this means the additional functionalities that the new system needs, interfaces, etc.; performance standards, this means levels of system service in terms of quantity, quality, efficiency, effectiveness of the new system; social and technical requirements, this involves system architecture, architectural designs, the languages that the developer will utilize to capture the need of the client. However, the most critical thing in this stage is the knowledge of the end user or the intended user of the system and the effective interpretation of their needs by the developer or the system professional who deals all of these processes. Achieving correct interpretation requires the end user interest and values, and making amicable resolutions which largely meets the interest of both parties.

Pedro on the other hand has also the point which is to have requirements phase, specification analysis before they examine what portion of the system to salvage if they wish. To develop a system, one cannot jump directly to hard coding of the system, the development involves series of documentation to be done prior an implementation phase is made. Pedro mentioned listing of requirements; it is actually the very first phase in the life cycle of a system which covers 2% of the whole development. This phase’ goal is to explore and refine the concept of the system, as result requirements are being elicited. Moreover, in this phase the client outlines the product as he conceptualizes it. From the viewpoint of the developer, the client’s description of the desired product may be vague, unreasonable, contradictory, or simply impossible to achieve. The task of the task of the developer at this stage is to determine exactly what the client needs and to find out from the client what constraints exist. The second thing to do as what Pedro mean in his statement is Specification (analysis) phase, which cover 5% of the total development of the project. This phase is sometimes called “analysis phase”. At the end of this phase, a plan is drawn, the Software Project Management Plan (SPMP), describing the project in detail. Besides, the document includes the functional requirements. In this manner there is a formal project requirements elicitation close-out, requirements set by the client are finalized in the paper. Since there is a close-out if there are changes of the functionalities in the middle of the development then it should de dealt accordingly. In this manner also, you can formalize the functional requirements of the project so the developer can assess how the system should work an in times of examining the old system the developer can see which data, related functionalities will be saved. The idea can be of help to the developer since they will no be working the system “from a scratch”, instead they can make some enhancement for they already know the requirements that has been elicited prior the examination.

Software professionals are also human and therefore sometimes make error especially if requirements needed are not clearly defined. As a result, there will be fault in the system. If the error is made during the requirement phase, then the resulting fault probably will appear in the specifications, design, and most probably in the code. Clearly, the earlier we correct the error, the better. Because if the client discover fault later if the product has been delivered and deployed, cost may be another issue between the developer and to the client. Furthermore, sometimes you don not have to constrain yourself in old systems because not all system can be intermingled with the other program in the sense that some data cannot be migrated to the other system might be that they are using different technology. Also, the old system is not capable to work and cater the need of the client if intermingled with the new system. However, according to Stephen Schach, “up to now, everything seems to be straightforward. Unfortunately, the requirements elicitation phase is inadequately performed”. Reasons may include, the client may not truly understand what is going on in the organization, the client cannot clearly define the functional requirements that involve the operations in the organization. It is therefore hard for a developer to visualize the project when the client himself is not clearly defining the project as to the functional and non-functional requirements of the system. If that is the case then prototyping can be used until such the client is satisfied that the developer has finally captured the system they desired.

In my own notion, I would like to propose the idea of Pedro Peter. Ideally, Pedro is following the ideal stages that a system should undergo prior any implementation is being made. A system should undergo, a hard copy or the technical paper for the developer to finalize what is to develop and what is not.

SAD 1 Assignment 5

2009-12-30T21:01:00.000+08:00

Consider your school, how do you know that the life cycle was developed specifically for the university. How do we know it meets our needs?

Systems Development Models are also referred as process models. In recent times, process models paved the way for the process of some projects involving information system implementation. The process models are typically used in structured analysis and design methods. The term process models are processes that are classified into a model. Thus, a process model is a description of a process. The same process is being used in repeatedly for the development of many applications and thus, has many instantiations. One possible use of a process model is to prescribe how things should be done as the process along through the documentation and finally into the development of the system or the project; also it is an anticipation of how process should look like. What the process shall be will be determined during actual system development. Moreover, process models are not interchangeable since, the output of the first phase is the input of the succeeding phase. To deliver a quality system, it is critical to know the risks facing your project and to use a model that reduces those risks. The following describes standard project lifecycle models, and reviews their strengths and weaknesses. These standard models can be adapted to fit the industry issues, corporate culture, time constraints and team vulnerabilities which comprise your environment. The lifecycle model is a Process Model; however, there are many kinds of lifecycle models that use different strategies for building software. Your choice of lifecycle model should be based on how a particular model will work in your environment, or for a specific project; e.g. factors that affect choice of lifecycle model include how constrained the project schedule is, how well-known the requirements are, how sophisticated the team is, etc. Your ability to choose the most appropriate model requires that you know several models and the pros and cons of each: a particular model's effectiveness depends on the context in which it is used (McConnell 1996, p. 154).

In this assignment, it talks about the System Development Life Cycle. SDLC is essentially a project management tool used to execute, plan, and control systems development projects. It is a systematic and orderly approach to solve problems. Furthermore, The Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC), or Software Development Life Cycle in systems engineering and software engineering, is the process of creating or altering systems, and the models and methodologies that people use to develop these systems. The concept generally refers to computer or information systems.

This System Development Life Cycle involves the following general steps:

Planning. Identify the scope and boundary of the problem, and plan the development strategy and goals.

Analysis. Study and analyze the problems, causes, and effects. Then, identify and analyze the requirements that must be fulfilled by any successful solutions.

Design. Designing the solutions, of course in accordance to the problem that has been identified.

Implementation. The stage to apply all the necessary implementation to the project that is going to implement.

Support. Analyze the implemented solution, refine the design and implement improvements to te solution.

Going back to the question, in validating if the life cycle is designed specifically for the university, one has to consider the goals, mission, and vision of the school; to merely know if the cycle relates to the specific goals specified by the university. So that, in the long run of the projects, all things will be motivated not to go beyond the needs of the school. All things will be on the right track as the development process goes along.

Considering University of Southeastern Philippines…

The school has the following VMGO…

Mission

USEP shall produce world-class graduates and relevant research and extension through quality education and sustainable resource management. Particularly, USEP is committed to: Provide quality education for students to grow in knowledge, promote their well-rounded development, and make them globally competitive in the world of work; Engage in high impact research, not only for knowledge’s sake, but also for its practical benefits to society; and, Promote entrepreneurship and industry collaboration.

Vision

A PREMIER UNIVERSITY IN THE ASEAN REGION. By becoming a premier university in the ASEAN Region, the USEP shall be a center of excellence and development, responsive and adaptive to fast-changing environments. USEP shall also be known as the leading university in the country that fosters innovation and applies knowledge to create value towards social, economic, and technological developments.

Goals

Aligned with the university’s vision and mission are specific goals for Key Result Areas (KRA) on Instruction; Research, Development, and Extension; and Resource Management

KRA 1. Instruction
Produce globally competitive and morally upright graduates

KRA 2. Research, Development, and Extension (RDE)

Develop a strong R,D,&E culture with competent human resource and responsive and relevant researches that are adopted and utilized for development

KRA 3. Resource Management.

Now, how do we know if the cycle meets the needs of the university?

To merely know that every stage or phase of a certain cycle meets the cycle, in every end of the specific stage one must consider checking if certain goals were realized or if not, maybe some enhancements will be made to satisfy the needs of the university. What is visible in the environment now, is we do not monitor development in every end of a certain stage; instead we do it as the cycle ends. We must have the so-called, DEVELOPMENT MONITORING. T o keep track with the project enhancement projection must be observed. Any progress should be made recognize. Updates and improvements must also be identified and evaluated if it has been going well with what has been bad. Monitoring is an important part for the development. Proper monitoring has get different advantages like you must know the development of the performance.

Resources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systems_Development_Life_Cycle

http://www.usep.edu.ph/version/pages.php?m=50&id=24&pg=static&ntitle=ABOUT%20USEP

SAD Assignment 4: Systems Developemnt Models

2009-12-19T13:57:00.001+08:00

Identify and discuss at least 3 systems development models …discuss each phase...

Systems Development Models are also referred as process models. In recent times, process models paved the way for the process of some projects involving information system implementation. The process models are typically used in structured analysis and design methods. The term process models are processes that are classified into a model. Thus, a process model is a description of a process. The same process is being used in repeatedly for the development of many applications and thus, has many instantiations. One possible use of a process model is to prescribe how things should be done as the process along through the documentation and finally into the development of the system or the project; also it is an anticipation of how process should look like. What the process shall be will be determined during actual system development. Moreover, the process model is typically used in structured analysis and design methods. Also, called a data flow diagram (DFD), it shows the flow of information through a system. Each process transforms input to outputs. Moreover, process models are not interchangeable since, the output of the first phase is the input of the succeeding phase. To deliver a quality system, it is critical to know the risks facing your project and to use a model that reduces those risks. The following describes standard project lifecycle models, and reviews their strengths and weaknesses. These standard models can be adapted to fit the industry issues, corporate culture, time constraints and team vulnerabilities which comprise your environment. The lifecycle model is a Process Model, however, there are many kinds of lifecycle models that use different strategies for building software. Your choice of lifecycle model should be based on how a particular model will work in your environment, or for a specific project; e.g. factors that affect choice of lifecycle model include how constrained the project schedule is, how well-known the requirements are, how sophisticated the team is, etc. Your ability to choose the most appropriate model requires that you know several models and the pros and cons of each: a particular model's effectiveness depends on the context in which it is used (McConnell 1996, p. 154).

To begin this assignment, there is a hundred of system development life cycle or what is also referred as process models. Some models do really have the same phases it differs only in the number of iterations, flexibility, and the approach to the system being developed. The following are the traditional and recently used systems development models or process models with strengths and weaknesses.

• Pure Waterfall
• Modified Waterfall
• Spiral
• Agile Software Development
• Extreme Programming

• Joint Application Development
• Design-to-Tools
• Rapid Application Development
• Scrum

Of all the process models, waterfall lifecycle is the most traditional of them all. This model has a top-down, or linear ordering to it. Normally, no phase is repeated, however, there may be overlapping between the different phases if necessary. Generally, the output of each stage is the input for the next. Waterfall has two types – pure waterfall and the modified waterfall.

Pure Waterfall

This is the classical system development model. It consists of discontinuous phases – Concept, Requirements, Architectural design, detailed design, Coding and Development, Testing and the Implementation. This kind of model works effectively to those projects with well defined and understood system requirements or in well understood technical tools. In general, its weakness is that pure waterfall is not advisable if rapid application is needle.

Strength: Structure lessens wasted effort, so it is convenient to those who are technically weak
Weakness: Not Flexible, the process should not be done up front.

Modified Waterfall

The modified waterfall use the same phases as the pure waterfall, but it is not done for a discontinuous basis. This enables the phases to overlap when added. This kind of model can split into subprojects at an appropriate phase. Flexible – risk reduction spirals can be added to the top of the waterfall to reduce risk prior to the waterfall phases. The model can be further modified using options as prototyping, JAD sessions or methods of requirements gathering done in overlapping places. Unforeseen interdependencies can create problems.

Spiral

This kind of model differs from waterfall cycle in terms of the linear approach. Some phases in the spiral are done repeatedly – phases such as planning, development, construction, and evaluation iterated until the development is done.

Strengths: The iterations enable the highest risks to be addresses at the lowest total cost. It is assumed that as the cost increases, risk decreases.
Weaknesses: It is complicated thus, requires attentive and knowledgeable management.

Agile Software Development

Agile methods generally promote a disciplined project management process that encourages frequent inspection and adaptation. It also refers to a group of software development methodologies based on the iterative development, where requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration between self organizing cross-functional teams.

Strengths: Minimizes feature creep by developing in short intervals resulting in miniature software projects mini-increments.
Weaknesses: Short iteration may not add enough functionality, leading to significant delays in final in final iterations. Agile method produces very little written documentation.

Extreme Programming

Extreme programming lowers the cost of changes through quick spirals of new requirements. However, programmers engaged in extreme programming are required to work in pairs which may be difficult for some developers which may result in more redesign effort in the long run.

Scrum

Is an iterative incremental framework for managing complex work, this is commonly used with agile software development. Although Scrum was intended for management of software development projects, it can be used to run software maintenance teams, or as s general project/program management approach.

Strength: The model allows you to prioritize work, completing items in a series of short iterations or sprints, daily measured progress and communication
Weaknesses: Its reliance o project teams and rejection of the traditional centralized process control may paralyze the team.

Evolutionary Prototyping

This model involves heavy user involvement while developers generate functional requirements and physical design specifications simultaneously. This model uses a lot of iterations; after each iteration, the result is analyzed by the customer. The response creates the next level of requirements an defines the next iteration.

Strength: The customer can see progress and can have the development monitoring. Useful when requirements are changing rapidly, when the customer is reluctant to a set of requirements.
Weaknesses: There is no way to know how much iteration to make. It is possible to know how long the project will take.

Rapid Application Development

This model focuses on building applications in a very short amount of time with comprise in usability, features, and/or execution speed. The emphasis on speed helps ensure that the client’ system requirements will not change as the process of development will start.

Strengths: Promotes strong collaboration and dynamic gathering of requirements. Clients are actively participating in prototyping, writing test cases and performing unit testing. RAD have the potential for providing a good framework for faster product development with enhanced code quality, but successful implementation and benefits often hinge on project type, schedule, software release and corporate culture.
Weaknesses: Dependency on cohesive teams and individual commitment to the project. Decision
making relies on the feature functionality.

Code and fix

If you don’t use methodology, it is likely you are doing code and fix. Code and fix rarely produces useful results. It is very dangerous as there is no way to assess progress, quality or risk.

Strengths: No time spent on overhead planning, documentation, quality assurance, standards enforcement or other non-coding activities.
Weaknesses: Fundamental flaws in approach do not show up quickly, often requiring work to be thrown out

Now, let’s discuss phases of some models.

waterfall model


The waterfall model is a sequential software development process, in which progress is seen as flowing steadily downwards (like a waterfall) through the phases of Conception, Initiation, Analysis, Design (validation), Construction, Testing and maintenance.

Feasibility

The feasibility study is used to determine if the project should get the go-ahead. If the project is to proceed, the feasibility study will produce a project plan and budget estimates for the future stages of development.

Requirement Analysis and Design

Analysis gathers the requirements for the system. This stage includes a detailed study of the business needs of the organization. Options for changing the business process may be considered. Design focuses on high level design like, what programs are needed and how are they going to interact, low-level design (how the individual programs are going to work), interface design (what are the interfaces going to look like) and data design (what data will be required). During these phases, the software's overall structure is defined. Analysis and Design are very crucial in the whole development cycle. Any glitch in the design phase could be very expensive to solve in the later stage of the software development. Much care is taken during this phase. The logical system of the product is developed in this phase.

Implementation

In this phase the designs are translated into code. Computer programs are written using a conventional programming language or an application generator. Programming tools like Compilers, Interpreters, Debuggers are used to generate the code. Different high level programming languages like C, C , Pascal, Java are used for coding. With respect to the type of application, the right programming language is chosen.

Testing

In this phase the system is tested. Normally programs are written as a series of individual modules, these subject to separate and detailed test. The system is then tested as a whole. The separate modules are brought together and tested as a complete system. The system is tested to ensure that interfaces between modules work (integration testing), the system works on the intended platform and with the expected volume of data (volume testing) and that the system does what the user requires (acceptance/beta testing).

Maintenance

Inevitably the system will need maintenance. Software will definitely undergo change once it is delivered to the customer. There are many reasons for the change. Change could happen because of some unexpected input values into the system. In addition, the changes in the system could directly affect the software operations. The software should be developed to accommodate changes that could happen during the post implementation period. You need to keep up with the project. In part this does mean that you should watch for bugs and other errors that are reported to you, and fix them. Yes, even your extensive testing regime may well have missed the odd issue here and there!

Just as importantly, though, is to keep developing the project. New ideas, new improvements, and simply bringing things up to date with the changing world (new currency for example!) are just as important to maintaining a project. Software and websites rarely need to die, as long as they are maintained. Look at everything from Windows to the Yahoo! website - the key to their longevity is that they are constantly renewed and updated. Keep the project fresh, relevant and useful, and it will survive.

Scrum Methodology


It is a practice-based methodology for modeling and documentation of software-based systems. It is intended to be a collection of values, principles, and practices for modeling software that can be applied on a software development project in a more flexible manner than traditional modeling methods. The system development process is complicated and complex. Therefore maximum flexibility and appropriate control is required. Evolution favors those that operate with maximum exposure to environmental change and have optimized for flexible adaptation to change. Evolution deselects those who have insulated themselves from environmental change and have minimized chaos and complexity in their environment. An approach is needed that enables development teams to operate adaptively within a complex environment using imprecise processes. Complex system development occurs under rapidly changing circumstances. Producing orderly systems under chaotic circumstances requires maximum flexibility. The closer the development team operates to the edge of chaos, while still maintaining order, the more competitive and useful the resulting system will be. Langton has modeled this effect in computer simulations13 and his work has provided this as a fundamental theorem in complexity theory.

Characteristics of SCRUM methodology are:

• The first and last phases (Planning and Closure) consist of defined processes, where all processes, inputs and outputs are well defined. The knowledge of how to do these processes is explicit. The flow is linear, with some iteration in the planning phase.
• The Sprint phase is an empirical process. Many of the processes in the sprint phase are unidentified or uncontrolled. It is treated as a black box that requires external controls. Accordingly, controls, including risk management, are put on each iteration of the Sprint phase to avoid chaos while maximizing flexibility.
• Sprints are nonlinear and flexible. Where available, explicit process knowledge is used; otherwise tacit knowledge and trial and error is used to build process knowledge. Sprints are used to evolve the final product.
• The project is open to the environment until the Closure phase. The deliverable can be changed at any time during the Planning and Sprint phases of the project. The project remains open to environmental complexity, including competitive, time, quality, and financial pressures, throughout these phases.

SCRUM has the following groups of phases:

Pregame
• Planning : Definition of a new release based on currently known backlog, along with
an estimate of its schedule and cost. If a new system is being developed, this phase
consists of both conceptualization and analysis. If an existing system is being
enhanced, this phase consists of limited analysis.
• Architecture : Design how the backlog items will be implemented. This phase
includes system architecture modification and high level design.
Game
• Development Sprints : Development of new release functionality, with constant
respect to the variables of time, requirements, quality, cost, and competition.
Interaction with these variables defines the end of this phase. There are multiple,
iterative development sprints, or cycles, that are used to evolve the system.

Postgame
Closure : Preparation for release, including final documentation, pre-release staged
testing, and release.

Phase Steps

Each of the phases has the following steps:
Planning
• Development of a comprehensive backlog list.
• Definition of the delivery date and functionality of one or more releases.
• Selection of the release most appropriate for immediate development.
• Mapping of product packets (objects) for backlog items in the selected release.
• Definition of project team(s) for the building of the new release.
• Assessment of risk and appropriate risk controls.
• Review and possible adjustment of backlog items and packets.
• Validation or reselection of development tools and infrastructure.
• Estimation of release cost, including development, collateral material, marketing,
training, and rollout.
• Verification of management approval and funding.
Architecture/High Level Design
• Review assigned backlog items.
• Identify changes necessary to implement backlog items.
• Perform domain analysis to the extent required to build, enhance, or update the
domain models to reflect the new system context and requirements.
• Refine the system architecture to support the new context and requirements.
• Identify any problems or issues in developing or implementing the changes
• Design review meeting, each team presenting approach and changes to implement
each backlog item. Reassign changes as required.
Closure
When the management team feels that the variables of time, competition, requirements, cost, and quality concur for a new release to occur, they declare the release “closed” and enter this phase. This phase prepares the developed product for general release. Integration, system test, user documentation, training material preparation, and marketing material preparation are among closure tasks.

Rapid Application Development (RAD)


Rapid Application Development (RAD) refers to a type of software development methodology that uses minimal planning in favor of rapid prototyping. The "planning" of software developed using RAD is interleaved with writing the software itself. The lack of extensive pre-planning generally allows software to be written much faster, and makes it easier to change requirements
Below is a brief overview of the RAD process, which consists of four lifecycle stages: Requirements Planning, User Design, Construction, and Implementation. Also described are typical pre and post project activities.

The Gantthead project management portal is an excellent resource that contains more far more details on the process and additionally contains sample project plans and details on techniques such as time boxing, project estimation, recommended tools, and work breakdown structures. Do not begin your project without at least looking at this vital resource. Additional information is also available on the slightly dated but otherwise excellent website put together by Walter Maner of Bowling Green State University.

Pre-Project Activities

As with any project it is vital to identify the details of the project up front in some form of document such as a Project Management Plan (PMP). All parties should agree up front on details such as potential risks and mitigation strategies, a development schedule including resources, milestones and deliverables such as a completed data model or types of documentation to deliver, an approach including standards, tools, and technologies to be used, a desired end result, terms and constraints and financial considerations including budget and cost of tools.

Requirements Planning

The Requirements Planning stage (also known as the Concept Definition Stage) consists of meetings between a requirements planning team and key client users. Meetings focus on both developing a high level list of initial requirements as well as setting the project scope. The requirements planning team identifies primary business functions (such as "sell widgets to the Acme corporation") and initially breaks them down into business entities (such as Product, Sale, Company, Sales Person). The Requirements Planning stage should result in a list of entities as well as action diagrams that define the interactions between processes and data elements and should take between one and four weeks. Ideally requirements should be captured in a structured tool such as IBM's Rational Rose or Rational RequisitePro or Microsoft's Visio (the enterprise edition, since it can generate databases from a data model) rather than an unstructured document (see the tools section below for more details). At the end of the Requirements Planning stage project estimation should be considered. The International Function Point Users Group as well as the International Software Benchmarking Standards Group offer project estimation methods based on "function points" along with a vast database of actual projects with the effort involved to complete them.

User Design

During the User Design stage (also known as the Functional Design Stage) the analysis team meets with end users in Joint Application Development (JAD) Workshops. During the workshops the analysis team flushes out the requirements in more detail, develops the entities developed in the Requirements Planning into a data model (Entity Relationship Diagram), formalizes business rules, develops test plans, and creates screen flows and layouts for essential parts of the system. During the later half of the User Design stage the development team (also known as the SWAT or Skilled Workers with Advanced Tools team) aids the analysis team in activities such as creating a working data model that can be converted to a functional database, and in identifying reusable components (such as Microsoft's Application Blocks, which, incidentally, are an excellent time saver on Microsoft .Net projects). Again, as mentioned in the Requirements Planning stage, all requirements should be captured in a tool.

Before moving to the Construction Stage the analysis team should focus on next steps by flushing out the project plan and focusing on effort estimates. Focusing on next steps is an important element of the User Design phase, because the initial iteration of the Construction Phase should focus on a feature light prototype. In order to keep development iterations as short as possible, and to gain the maximum benefit of RAD's agile nature, core requirements should be identified and targeted for the initial prototype, and secondary requirements should be identified and targeted for future development iterations. Beyond a vertical limiting of scope, such as removing entities or use cases from the initial scope, a horizontal type limiting of scope should be considered as well, such as not developing field validation, not developing file upload/download capabilities, or focusing on just the strengths of the particular CASE tool being used without manually adding much developer customization.

The User Design stage should last between three and five weeks.

Construction

During the Construction Phase the Design Team develops the application in iterative cycles of development, testing, requirements refining, and development again, until the application is complete. Development iterations should last between one day and three weeks. The development team should convert the Data Model that was developed during the User Design Stage into a functional database (all data modeling tools have this ability). The CASE tool used (which may be the same as the data modeler or a separate tool) should now generate large sections of the application, at a minimum data access code, but preferably business functions and user interface as well.

At Automated Architecture, our Blue Ink product will read information from database that has been generated, pre-generate answers to meta-data about the project (in other words make a best guess as to the details of your application that you may then customize in more detail later), and generate an entire application that can serve as a working prototype without a line of development code. A prototype developed in this way may reduce the first iteration of development to days instead of weeks.

It is vital to keep each development iteration on track, and functionality may need to be dropped to keep development within the time box. Management plays a vital part in ensuring everything is progressing according to schedule, keeping the customer in the loop regarding changes in the functionality, and keeping the team motivated.
Once the prototype has been developed (within its time box), the construction team tests the initial prototype using test scripts developed during the User Design stage, the design team reviews the application, the customer reviews the application and finally the construction team, design team, and customer meet in Focus Group meetings in order to determine the requirements for the next iteration. Focus group meetings consist of facilitated sessions that last about two hours. The facilitator should know ahead of time the areas that require discussion and should ensure that each issue receives enough attention, keeping a list of issues that require additional attention in a separate meeting as appropriate.

After the meeting (additional meetings may be necessary), the development team and design team should update the requirements, data model, test scripts, and project plan as during the User Design stage. Again the teams should identify core and secondary requirements, plan out the next development iteration, keep the user in the loop regarding what will be done, and then start the next iteration of development over again. As the system approaches a sufficient state the development team should focus on the system as a finished application rather than a prototype.
During the final iterations of development the design team should update user documentation, perform User Acceptance Testing and define the steps necessary for deployment/implementation.

Implementation

The Implementation Stage (also known as the Deployment Stage) consists of integrating the new system into the business. The Development Team prepares data (such as lookup values like States and Countries) and implements interfaces to other systems. The Design Team trains the system users while the users perform acceptance testing. and are trained by the Design Team. The Design Team helps the users transfer from their old procedures to new ones that involve the new system, trouble shoots after the deployment, and identifies and tracks potential enhancements (read wish list). The amount of time required to complete the Implementation Stage varies with the project.

Post-Project Activities

As with any project final deliverables should be handed over to the client and such activities should be performed that will benefit future projects. Specifically it is a best practice for a Project Manager to review and document project metrics, organize and store project assets such as reusable code components, Project Plan, Project Management Plan (PMP), and Test Plan. It is also a good practice to prepare a short lessons learned document.

References:

http://www.blueink.biz/RapidApplicationDevelopment.aspx
http://acmesoffware.com/acme/default.asp
http://www.startvbdotnet.com/sdlc/sdlc.aspx
http://jeffsutherland.com/oopsla/schwapub.pdf

SAD Assignment 3: Roles of a system analyst as s project manager

2009-12-19T13:55:00.001+08:00

Discuss the role of a systems analyst as a project manager. You need to interview an analyst/project manager …

Actually, SYSTEM ANALYST AS A PROJECT MANAGER is our topic for the reporting in System Analysis and Design 1. Luckily, just one day before the schedule we did an interview with the system analyst of AMS Group of Companies. Unfortunately, the time did not permit us to share some information that our group gathered from the said interview since, the group was not able to finish their reports with sharing in the specified time. Our group is expected to have the reporting the first meeting next year.

System Analyst is responsible for researching, planning, coordinating and recommending software and system choices to meet an organization's business requirements. The systems analyst plays a vital role in the systems development process. A successful systems analyst must acquire four skills: analytical, technical, managerial, and interpersonal. Analytical skills enable systems analysts to understand the organization and its functions, which helps him/her to identify opportunities and to analyze and solve problems. Technical skills help systems analysts understand the potential and the limitations of information technology. The systems analyst must be able to work with various programming languages, operating systems, and computer hardware platforms. Management skills help systems analysts manage projects, resources, risk, and change. Interpersonal skills help systems analysts work with end users as well as with analysts, programmers, and other systems professionals.

Most systems analysts work with specific types of computer systems—for example, business, accounting, and financial systems or scientific and engineering systems—that vary with the kind of organization. Analysts who specialize in helping an organization select the proper system hardware and software are often called system architects or system designers. Analysts who specialize in developing and fine-tuning systems often have the more general title of systems analysts. A systems analyst designs new IT solutions to improve business efficiency and productivity. The work might be for an external client or an internal client (such as a department within the same organization). Working closely with the client, analysts examine existing business models and flows of data, discuss their findings with the client, and design an appropriate improved IT solution. They produce outline designs and costing of new IT systems, specifying the operations the system will perform, and the way data will be viewed by the user, present their design to the client and, once it is approved, work closely with the client team to implement the solution.

According to Mr. Gemrald, a system analyst who is more focused on system design and the technical aspects of the solution. The systems analyst’s role is mostly system solution centric and does not participate in the requirements gathering process and is involved in the creation of functional and technical specifications. In the system development life cycle, System Analyst is generally involved only in the first phase of the cycle, which includes system requirements gathering and specifications but of course, the system analyst has some task to get involved in some phases but as he mentioned that system analysts are generally involved only in the first and second phase of developing a cycle. Moreover, this is the professional who, once requirements are clearly defined, creates the functional solution and, by working with the technical team (architect and developers), creates technical specifications and designs. However, Mr. Gemrald is not just a system analyst he is also the project manager whenever they developed some systems that the company wants them to create, that is why in the long run of the cycle he is always involved up to the maintenance. One thing that Mr. Gemrald had told us is, “I’m not a one-man-team”. Furthermore, the team where he is in is not practicing project close-out whenever a phase has been finished; for they are working in-house for them it’s not that vital to practice so. That is only applicable to those analyst whore are engaged in outsourcing, he added.

Most common roles of System Analyst are the following:

1) System analysis
It includes system's study in order to get facts about business activity. It is about getting information and determining requirements. Here the responsibility includes only requirement determination, not the design of the system.
2) System analysis and design:
Here apart from the analysis work, Analyst is also responsible for the designing of the new system/application.
3) Systems analysis, design, and programming:
Here Analyst is also required to perform as a programmer, where he actually writes the code to implement the design of the proposed application. For Mr. Gemrald, he admit that the team really lacks programmers that is why there are really instances where he is into programming, hence it is one also of the nature of an analyst having the logical and analytical skills specifically programming skills.

Due to the various responsibilities that a system analyst requires to handle, he has to be multifaceted person with varied skills required at various stages of the life cycle. In addition to the technical know-how of the information system development a system analyst should also have the following knowledge.

• Business knowledge: As the analyst might have to develop any kind of a business system, he should be familiar with the general functioning of all kind of businesses. Mr. Gemrald noted that once you are a system analyst it is assumed that you know some aspects in business fields, especially to him that most of the system that his team is developing are enterprise systems, meaning it involves business-related transactions.
• Interpersonal skills: Such skills are required at various stages of development process for interacting with the users and extracting the requirements out of them. Of course, as s system analyst you need to be in connected with the client, you have to build common channel of communication between the developer and the user, to attain the specific requirement s that the uses need most.
• Problem solving skills: A system analyst should have enough problem solving skills for defining the alternate solutions to the system and also for the problems occurring at the various fields. It is vital to a system analyst to be flexible in terms of providing solutions in systems with various structures of data and information. For in programming, all things are subjective, you cannot just stick to a single programming language to provide solutions, there programming languages which cater built-in functionalities an more convenient to use.

References:
http://www.freetutes.com/systemanalysis/role-of-system-analyst.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systems_analyst

SAD 1 Assignment 2: Characteristics of a good system ananlyst to be more effective in any modeling process

2009-12-19T13:52:00.003+08:00

“Interview a System Analyst and ask what skills and characteristics must a system analyst develop in order to be more effective in any design modeling process”

Last week’s meeting in System Analysis and Design our group should have reported the chapter 3 which is on “System Analyst as a Project Manager”. Unfortunately, the report by the 2nd group exceed in the required time to finish that’s why we were not able to deliver our report. To gather much information on our report we did interview the MIS Head/System Analyst of the Andres M. Soriano (AMS) Group of Companies, Mr. Gemrald Glibara.

In the interview, we talk mostly on becoming a system analyst, what are those frustrations towards the user and how they develop information systems. At some point in our interview, we asked him about the characteristics of being a system analyst; he made mentioned the following:
• To be able to cope with technological changes
• To cope with the frustrations on implementing information system
• To be able to communicate well
• Solution provider to the current demand
• Wide capacity of thinking

At some point also, we talked on the process model(s) that their department is utilizing in developing projects. Later will be discussed on the process that AMS is using.

Nowadays, technological advances come so rapidly in the computer field that continuous study is necessary to remain competitive. Employers, hardware and software vendors, colleges and universities, and private training institutions offer continuing education to help workers attain the latest skills. In this fast-paced technological environment, it is a must that an analyst has good knowledge of the concepts and details of the Systems Development Life Cycle, project methodologies, and the development of standards and procedures for the systems development and integration process.

What is a System Development Cycle (SDLC)?

The Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a conceptual model used in project management that describes the stages involved in an information system
development project from an initial feasibility study through maintenance of the completed application.

Various SDLC methodologies have been developed to guide the processes involved including the waterfall model (the original SDLC method), rapid application development (RAD), joint application development (JAD), the fountain model and the spiral model. Mostly, several models are combined into some sort of hybrid methodology. Documentation is crucial regardless of the type of model chosen or devised for any application, and is usually done in parallel with the development process. Some methods work better for specific types of projects, but in the final analysis, the most important factor for the success of a project may be how closely particular plan was followed.

What is the importance of SDLC?

The importance of using software development lifecycle is that it helps systems analyst to develop an information system in an organized way for, it has phases -- including requirements, validation, training, and user ownership through investigation, analysis, design, implementation, and maintenance. In developing project using SDLC you cannot jump into the next phase if the current phase you are working is not yet done for, in most cases the output of the first phase happened to be the input of the succeeding phase. That’s why for the documenter to feel at ease in documenting the project he/she must set timelines and work breakdown structures to manage each phases of the cycle effectively.

In order for an analyst to become effective in any design modeling process, he\she should acquire the following skills:

Interpersonal skills
These includes the following:

1: Communication:

It is an interpersonal quality; the system analyst must have command on English language. Communication is necessary to establish a proper relationship between system analyst and the user.
Communication is need to gather correct information.

2: Understanding:

This is also an interpersonal quality of the system analyst, understanding includes :
a. Understanding of the objectives of the organization.
b. Understanding the problems of the system.
c. Understanding the information given by the user or employee of the organization.

3: Selling:

The ideas of the system analyst are his products which he sells to the manager of a particular organization. The system analyst must have not only the ability of creating ideas but also to sell his ideas.

4: Teaching:

It is also an interpersonal quality. A system analyst must have teaching skills. He must have the ability to teach team members and the users. He has to teach about the new system and also about the proper use of the new system.

5: New technology:

An analyst is an agent of change, he or she must have the ability to show all the benefits of the candidate system with the new technological advancement, he must knew about.

Yes. Analyst is an agent of change, but how will an analyst cope up with the frustrations on implementing projects. In this scenario communication skills will really TEST the analyst on how will he manage the people who are considered “resistant to changes”. In any organization, you cannot expect that everyone is adaptive to the changes, some people think that the usual thing is the best but as you see the real scenario; technology changes from time to time, so the company should evolve by way of technological enhancement of advancement. This scenario is really happening to the AMS, some employees appear to be resistant to changes for some reasons.

Another list of skills that analyst must posses to be more effective in any design modeling process:

Analysis and Solution Definition Skills:

•To coordinate with Solution and Demand Management (SDM) team and different business users to manage business requirements and develop clear and workable high level assessments and Solution Design documents fulfilling business needs and in line with Technology and IT ability to deliver.
•To always drive and personally perform research and investigation in all relevant technology and business areas to ensure the Intranet presences is coping with industry standards.
•Translate requirements defined by business analyst into logical, economical and practical system designs.
•Analyzes and Designs system flow and procedures to ensure optimum control and security of data and efficient use of resources
•Develops functional specifications and system design specifications for client engagements.
•Work with vendors and service providers to analyze, design and implement robust, extensible and creative web solutions weighing costs versus benefits.
•Write high and detailed level business requirement documents
•Liaise with business users for requirements gathering, analysis and delivery
•Ensure proper development and implementation of projects by smartly decide on how to implement solutions by assessing all options of in-house development, out-sourcing and/or productized solutions

Technical Skills for Recommendation and Testing:

•Leads testing efforts.
•Ensures issues are identified, tracked, reported on and resolved in a timely manner.
•Works with client personnel to identify required changes.
•Communicates needed changes to development team.
Project Execution:
•Ensure that company’s policies and regulations are thoroughly followed in all projects. This includes but not limited to policies for procurement, vendor relations, legal, financial, human resources, customer service and technology.
•To ensure that the implemented solutions shall operate as planned by ensuring proper and comprehensive coordination with all IT and technology operation teams. This includes but not limited to planning and executions of SLAs, Training, Escalations Matrix & Procedures, Maintenance Windows, etc.
•Assists in enforcement of project deadlines and schedules.
•Takes input from supervisor and appropriately and accurately applies comments/feedback.
•Manages resources in accordance with project schedule.
•Consistently delivers high-quality services to our clients.
•Apply best-practices in Project Management to ensure robust project planning and monitor project execution, shorten the development cycles, and ensure on-time and on-budget delivery based on PMI Methodology
•Manage project change requests by liaising with CR department, business users and vendors to come up with the best solution that would accommodate the CR performance needs (scope, time, quality, cost and customer satisfaction)
•Ensure tight and close management to development and implementation teams including staff, contractors and vendors on-site and off-shore and to proactively avoid delay in the execution by proper follow-up, communication and escalation
•Manage teams including staff, contractors and vendors on-site and off-shore and to proactively avoid delay in the execution by proper follow-up, communication and escalation
•Monitor project performance and adherence deadlines to ensure delivery on time and within cost
•Collaborate and manage project stakeholders, manage expectations and report progress

Communication Skills:

•Assists in the facilitation of team and client meetings.
•Delivers informative, well-organized presentations.
•Understands how to communicate difficult/sensitive information tactfully.
•Communication and interpersonal skills, Ability to foster a co-operative work environment

Technical Understanding Skills:

•Possesses understanding in the areas of application programming, database and system design.
•Understands Internet, Intranet, Extranet and client/server architectures.
•Understands how legacy and web-based systems interface with each other.
•Architect technical web solutions in support of corporate IT/business objectives.
•Review technical designs & specifications and identify website or system deficiencies, and thereby recommending appropriate solutions.
•Support and maintain the existing corporate website and functionalities, including documentation of functional and systems specifications.
•To undertake research and investigation for all development related technologies, techniques, best-practices and forums.

Problem Solving Skills:

•Follow up the defects of the systems and prepare needed development/testing environments (SIT and UAT)
•Exhibits confidence and an extensive knowledge of emerging industry practices when solving business problems.
•Pushes creative thinking beyond the boundaries of existing industry practices and client mindsets.
•Ensure business requirements are met, and user satisfaction
•Process, validate and approve vendors’ invoices and purchase orders
•Monitor project performance and adherence to project plan execution, overall change control

Leadership and Teamwork Skills:

•Ensure that the implemented solutions shall operate as planned by ensuring proper and comprehensive coordination with all IT and technology operation teams as planned in SLAs
•Take proactive and corrective action as necessary and within established guidelines
•Proven leadership capability in managing teams, setting common ground rules and conflict resolution
•Able to support multiple projects concurrently and efficiently
•Acumen and awareness of the latest business and technologies thru research and development

Knowledge, Skills, Experience and Competencies:

•Software development skills
•Analysis & Design skills
•Communication skills
•Conflict Resolution skills
•Presentation skills
•Team Work & cooperation
•Can-Do Attitude
•Team Building & Coaching
•Customer-Centric Thinking
•Result Oriented
•Flexibility

As I remembered from the interviewee, his views on becoming a Systems analysts is that he/she must be able to think logically and have good communication skills, they often work in teams on large projects. They must be able to communicate effectively with computer personnel, such as programmers and managers, as well as with users or other staff who may have no technical computer background. In the part of our interviewee aside from he is working as the MIS Dep’t Head, he is also the System Analyst. However, they lack programmers in their department but he said he can do programming but it is very hard to be a “one-man-team”. Of course, analysts should be familiar with programming languages and have a broad knowledge of and experience with computer systems and technologies, strong problem-solving and analysis skills, and good interpersonal skills. AMS is a business-oriented company, that’s why it is a requirement for them to have background on business-related transactions and operations, especially that most of the systems that they are developing are enterprise systems.

One of the skills that an analyst must posses is the skill to choose the right process model depending on the mode of the project. In the part of AMS, RAPID APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT. This kind of process model requires less formality and minimal planning in favor of rapid prototyping. The lack of extensive pre-planning generally allows software to be written much faster, and makes it easier to change requirements. Mr. Gemrald and company discouraged to use WATERFALL METHOD, for they understand that what they are developing are enterprise systems, and the most common thing that happened developing enterprise system is that it overruns. They are comfortable to use the RAD process model. In my notion, for an analyst to chose the effective process model, he/she must have the "Analysis and Solution Definition
Skills", for this skills involves coordination with Solution and Demand Management (SDM) team and different
business users to manage business requirements and develop clear and workable
high level assessments and Solution Design documents fulfilling business needs
and in line with Technology and IT ability to deliver; which is very related to system development life cycle's phases.

References:

http://www.blurtit.com/q170760.html
http://www.gulftalent.com/home/Systems-Analyst-Microsoft-Net-Solutions-jobs-in-UAE-34448.html

SAD 1 Assignment 1: Characteristics as s good systems analyst

2009-12-19T13:48:00.001+08:00

Based on your learnings of chapter 1, identify and discuss some characteristics you have as a good Systems Analyst.

Last week’s meeting on System Analysis and Design was all about assuming the roles and succeeding functions of a System Analyst. Many things were brought to the classes which were very essential in our part as a student for, we never someday soon I’ll be one of those system analysts. One issue that was brought to the class was on “who has the edge between of being a system analyst, an accountant or an IT professional”; either of these two individual regardless of the field they are in, they can be a potential system analyst. An accountant has the edge on business-related operations while, IT professional has the edge on computer-related operations. If we are going to look on the nature of work o these two individuals, the field they are involved requires analytical skills which is one skill that must posses by a system analyst. Therefore, anyone can be a system analyst for as long as they acquire enough education and trainings they can be one. As Sir Gamboa said, “you can study Information Technology even if you don’t take it for four years”. In my own notion, it makes a lot of difference to study for a degree course.

I understand that one of the reasons why this issue is being brought to the class maybe because we are not aware of the nature of work of a system analyst. We are not ware of the related works, characteristics and skills that analyst must posses.

Like people, occupations have traits or characteristics. These characteristics give important clues about the nature of the work and work environment, and give you an opportunity to match your own personal interests to a specific occupation. When you choose a job in an occupation that matches your own interests you have taken an important step in planning a successful and rewarding career.

The Computer Systems Analysts occupation has Investigative, Conventional and Realistic characteristics as described below:

Investigative — Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
Conventional — Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
Realistic — Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

All organizations rely on computer and information technology to conduct business and operate efficiently. Computer systems analysts help organizations to use technology effectively and to incorporate rapidly changing technologies into their existing systems. The work of computer systems analysts evolves rapidly, reflecting new areas of specialization and changes in technology.
Computer systems analysts solve computer problems and use computer technology to meet the needs of an organization. They may design and develop new computer systems by choosing and configuring hardware and software. They may also devise ways to apply existing systems’ resources to additional tasks. Most systems analysts work with specific types of computer systems—for example, business, accounting, or financial systems or scientific and engineering systems—that vary with the kind of organization. Analysts who specialize in helping an organization select the proper system software and infrastructure are often called system architects. Analysts who specialize in developing and fine-tuning systems often are known as systems designers. Or in other words if one wanted to become an analyst he/she should not let himself be deprived of the learning form other fields in his/her environment. For, being an analyst you are well-rounded individual who can respond to the trends of the different fields.

Going back to the characteristics, systems analysts consult managers and users to define the goals of the system. Analysts then design a system to meet those goals. They specify the inputs that the system will access, decide how the inputs will be processed, and format the output to meet users’ needs. Analysts use techniques such as structured analysis, data modeling, information engineering, mathematical model building, sampling, and cost accounting to make sure their plans are efficient and complete. They also may prepare cost-benefit and return-on-investment analyses to help management decide whether implementing the proposed technology would be financially feasible. Making a feasibility study will help the developers know if there work will have a better or probably the best result in the long run of time, especially that in current situation technology changes form time to time.

When a system is approved, systems analysts determine what computer hardware and software will be needed to set it up. They coordinate tests and observe the initial use of the system to ensure that it performs as planned. They prepare specifications, flow charts, and process diagrams for computer programmers to follow; then they work with programmers to “debug,” or eliminate errors, from the system. Systems analysts who do more in-depth testing may be called software quality assurance analysts. In addition to running tests, these workers diagnose problems, recommend solutions, and determine whether program requirements have been met.

Computer system analysts, however, are concerned more with the computer system itself - and you'd need experience/training in whatever computer system that particular company is using. This does not mean you could not become a computer systems analyst - as most companies would feel that your managerial experience is more welcome than your computer knowledge. What the company would want is someone who understands the basic workings of their system to be able to fix, create, evolve as the company evolves. In order for one to become a system analyst, he/she must posses the general characteristics of a system analyst, which includes the following:
1. The system analyst must be able to communicate in writing and orally.
2. The analyst must easily get along with people.
3. The analyst must be a good listener and be able to react to what people say.
4. The analyst must be knowledgeable of technology. The analyst is not expected to know the intricacies of programming, but a decent general knowledge of concepts and terms is essential.
5. The analyst must be knowledgeable of business. The analyst is not expected to be an expert in business but a decent understanding of the client's world is required.

However, in the real world not only characteristics are being considered but also the skills that these analysts will be utilizing as they get involved into the field.

It must be take into account that the technical and functional skills listed below are based on general occupational qualifications for Computer Systems Analysts commonly recognized by most employers. The following are the things that comprises the first characteristic as mentioned above:
1. Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
2. Writing computer programs for various purposes.
3. Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
4. Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.
5. Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
6. Conducting tests and inspections of products, services, or processes to evaluate quality or performance.
7. Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
8. Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
9. Talking to others to convey information effectively.
10. Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Also, an analyst must have the ability to do the following:

The Ability to:

1. Read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
2. Communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
3. Choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
4. Listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
5. Apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
6. See details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
7. Communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
8. Come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
9. Tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
10. Combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

It is also vital to know the tasks that analyst is involved with, the following is a list of sample tasks typically performed by Computer Systems Analysts. Employees in this occupation will not necessarily perform all of the tasks listed.

Tasks

1. Analyze information processing or computation needs and plan and design computer systems, using techniques such as structured analysis, data modeling and information engineering.
2. Assess the usefulness of pre-developed application packages and adapt them to a user environment.
3. Confer with clients regarding the nature of the information processing or computation needs a computer program is to address.
4. Define the goals of the system and devise flow charts and diagrams describing logical operational steps of programs.
5. Determine computer software or hardware needed to set up or alter system.
6. Develop, document and revise system design procedures, test procedures, and quality standards.
7. Expand or modify system to serve new purposes or improve work flow.
8. Interview or survey workers, observe job performance and/or perform the job in order to determine what information is processed and how it is processed.
9. Provide staff and users with assistance solving computer related problems, such as malfunctions and program problems.
10. Recommend new equipment or software packages.

It is therefore, important that an analyst is not only inclined to computer-related applications an transactions but he/she must take written and verbal communications into account, for in the real world most clients are not that exposed to technical aspects compared to the analyst. Consider this situation – an analyst was tasked to present the process of the system that a client has specified. He is planning to present it in object-oriented approach, let us take Unified Modeling Language as an example; UML is used to present the flow of the system now, do you think UML presentation will be understood by the client, considering that the client is not exposed to this kind of approach in presenting data flows?? For me, it is the essence of an analyst to be able to communicate well so that all things are agreed-upon by both parties.

Moreover, he\she must open common channel of communication in order to meet the specific requirements that the clients need most. With communication you can enhance the ability to get along with people. Getting along with people is also considered as a skill. Why's that important skill to have? If you cannot get a long with people if you can't keep your job very long, you can not make clients to keep your business alive. Learn how to get long with people will excel you to a different level of income. When you know how to get along with people at work, you will be more likely to be promoted! When you know how to get along with people, your business clients will want to use your service over and over again. Furthermore, listening to your client’s side will help you reach the new level of performance, for in this case you are actually getting the needs that your client needs most. You need to become an active listener.

To sum it up, FULL PERFORMANCE KNOWLEDGES, SKILLS, ABILITIES, AND/OR PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS: Good knowledge of the concepts and details of the Systems Development Life Cycle, project methodologies, and the development of standards and procedures for the systems development and integration process; good knowledge of programming, analysis, design and integration techniques; good knowledge of IT operations and customer support processes; good knowledge of the functions and capabilities of computing, networking and communications equipment and peripherals; good knowledge of standard off-the-shelf applications, e-mail and the Internet; good knowledge of computer and network operating systems; good knowledge of the jurisdiction’s IT functions and administrative procedures; working knowledge of the analysis and redesign of business processes and the translation of processes into functional requirements and data structures for systems development and integration; working knowledge of hardware operations scheduling and work control language; working knowledge of web authoring and publishing tools; ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing; ability to lead and work well in teams; ability to work effectively with vendors, users and the public; ability to resolve complex, ambiguous technical and user problems; ability to plan and manage larger projects; ability to develop longer-range directions in specific IT areas; ability to develop efficient and user friendly systems and business processes; good initiative, self-motivation and organizational skills.

Based on the general characteristics of a good analyst, here are my characteristics that might be of parallel to the characteristics of a good system analyst:
• I have the “interpersonal skills” that I can manage to interact with others and listen them to what they need most.
• I can do satisfactory performance both in written and oral communication
• I can easily get along with people despite differences in any aspects.
I may not posses some of the characteristics of analyst as of now, however I can say that in the long run of my studies I can cope with those characteristics and hoping that I may posses it as I get into the real world of work.

References:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080725042042AA2MqMh
http://research.schev.edu/degreeinventory/inventory_
http://jobs.virginia.gov/careerguides/computersystemsanalyst.htm
http://www.interlabs.bradley.edu/NSF_CCLI/Demo/class6/module6/Skills_Pretest_Posttest_Answers.pdf
http://changing-careers.suite101.com/article.cfm/do_you_have_what_it_takes_to_be_a_system_analyst
http://www.co.genesee.ny.us/dpt/personnel/jobspecs/systemanalystispec.html

MIS 2 Assignment 6: Critical Success Factors

2009-12-19T13:46:00.000+08:00

Identify and discuss the steps for "critical success factors" approach?

In any field of endeavor, there are only two options you can associate to it – a success or a failure, so as to business. In a business it is guaranteed to succeed or to fail depending on how you cope up and handle those factors called, CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS. Paying attention to these specific factors will surely add up edge to one’s self to start towards a new and high level of performance. Also, it is therefore a must to appreciate the value of foundation in proper planning and preparing some design efforts prior making a start to deal with improvement program. Furthermore, it should be considered that the one of the most vital factors in any business transformation is to identify the above mentioned factors.

For some sources, critical success factor is defined as the following:

• “Critical Success Factor (CSF) is the term for an element that is necessary for an organization or project to achieve its mission. It is a critical factor or activity required for ensuring the success of your business. The term was initially used in the world of data analysis, and business analysis. For example, a CSF for a successful Information Technology (IT) project is user involvement.”

• Critical success factors refer to "the limited number of areas in which satisfactory results will ensure successful competitive performance for the individual, department, or organization”.

Critical Success Factors have been used significantly to present or identify a few key factors that organizations should focus on to be successful. The principle of identifying critical success factors as a basis for determining the information needs of managers as proposed by RH Daniel (1961 Harvard Business Review - HBR) has the following ideas:

In any organization certain factors will be critical to the success of that organization, in the sense that, if objectives associated with the factors are not achieved, the organization will fail - perhaps catastrophically so.
The following as an example of generic CSF's:
• New product development,
• Good distribution, and
• Effective advertising
Factors that remains relevant today for many organizations.

Another examples of Critical Success factors

Statistical research into CSF’s on organizations has shown there to be seven key areas. These CSF's are:

Training and education

Quality data and reporting

Management commitment, customer satisfaction

Staff Orientation

Role of the quality department

Communication to improve quality, and

Continuous improvement

These were identified when Total Quality was at its peak, so as you can see have a bias towards quality matters. You may or may not feel that these are right or indeed critical for your organization.

There are basic types of CSF, these are:
1. Industry CSF's resulting from specific industry characteristics;
2. Strategy CSF's resulting from the chosen competitive strategy of the business;
3. Environmental CSF's resulting from economic or technological changes; and
4. Temporal CSF's resulting from internal organizational needs and changes.

Each CSF should be measurable and associated with a target goal. You don't need exact measures to manage. Primary measures that should be listed include critical success levels (such as number of transactions per month) or, in cases where specific measurements are more difficult, general goals should be specified (such as moving up in an industry customer service survey). Form the identified types of CSF, there are also identified sources these mentioned factors:

Industry: There are some CSF's common to all companies operating within the same industry. Different industries will have unique, industry-specific CSF's. An industry's set of characteristics define its own CSF's Different industries will thus have different CSF's, for example research into the CSF's for the Call centre, manufacturing, retail, business services, health care and education sectors showed each to be different after starting with a hypothesis of all sectors having their CSF's as market orientation, learning orientation, entrepreneurial management style and organizational flexibility. In reality each organization has its own unique goals so while thee may be some industry standard - not all firms in one industry will have identical CSF's. Some trade associations offer benchmarking across possible common CSF's.

Competitive position or strategy: The nature of position in the marketplace or the adopted strategy to gain market share gives rise to CSF's Differing strategies and positions have different CSF's. Not all firms in an industry will have the same CSF's in a particular industry. A firm's current position in the industry (where it is relative to other competitors in the industry and also the market leader), its strategy, and its resources and capabilities will define its CSF's. The values of an organization, its target market etc will all impact the CSF's that are appropriate for it at a given point in time.

Environmental changes: Economic, regulatory, political, and demographic changes create CSF's for an organization. These relate to environmental factors that are not in the control of the organization but which an organization must consider in developing CSF's Examples for these are the industry regulation, political development and economic performance of a country, and population trends. An example of environmental factors affecting an organization could be a de-merger.

Demerger is the converse of a merger or acquisition. It describes a form of restructure in which shareholders or unitholders in the parent company gain direct ownership in a subsidiary (the ‘demerged entity’). Underlying ownership of the companies and/or trusts that formed part of the group does not change. The company or trust that ceases to own the entity is known as the ‘demerging entity’. If the parent company holds a majority stake in the demerged entity , the resulting company is referred to as the subsidiary. Demergers can also result from government intervention, usually by way of anti-trust/competition law, or through decartelization.

Temporal factors: These relate to short-term situations, often crises. These CSF's may be important, but are usually short-lived. Temporal factors are temporary or one-off CSF's resulting from a specific event necessitating their inclusion. Theoretically these would include a firm which "lost executives as a result of a plane crash requiring a critical success factor of rebuilding the executive group". Practically, with the evolution and integration of markets globally, one could argue that temporal factors are not temporal anymore as they could exist regularly in organizations. For example, a firm aggressively building its business internationally would have a need for a core group of executives in its new markets. Thus, it would have the CSF of "building the executive group in a specific market" and it could have this every year for different markets.

Managerial role: An individual role may generate CSF's as performance in a specific manager's area of responsibility may be deemed critical to the success of an organization. Managerial position. This is important if CSF's are considered from an individual's point of view. For example, manufacturing managers who would typically have the following CSF's: product quality, inventory control and cash control. In organizations with departments focused on customer relationships, a CSF for managers in these departments may be customer relationship management.

In an article written by Paul Lemberg, here’s how an individual can attain a new level of performance by identifying critical factors and dealing with the approach:

Step 1: Identify your critical success factors

The first step is to identify your special set of critical success factors. You may have thought this through in the past; you may think you know them intuitively. When asked "What matters?", many executives reflexively say things like sales, customers, people, or product development. These are all good answers, and they may be correct answers, but you will want to think deeper and broader. Below is a list to start you thinking. It is set in no particular order and contains only the most obvious factors. Review the list and circle areas you believe are critical to your enterprise. You may have to add other, more specific or subtle factors to the list to describe the critical influences on your business' success.

Distribution - this could be direct sales, telesales, third- party sales, etc.
Lead generation
Customer satisfaction
Referrals
Research
Product development
Production, including quality, costing, run-rates, etc.
Sufficient investment capital, sufficient working capital
Customer support / technical support
Quality assurance
Sales process / sales life cycle
Market research
Customer education
Sales compensation
Recruiting
Personnel retention programs
Expense management
Intellectual capital development
Training
Marketing communications
Logistics
Employee equity
Executive leadership
Training and development
Corporate goals / strategic objectives
Values and beliefs
Mission/purpose
Individual accountability
Productivity & effectiveness metrics
Internal communications
Strategic and tactical planning
Executive team
Board of directors/advisors

Be specific when you identify your factors. Don't say "people" when the issue is recruiting, employee satisfaction, training or compensation. Don't say "marketing" or "sales" when the issue is lead generation. Test your assumptions by imagining a decline in a particular factor. How would that impact your business? Now imagine an improvement in that factor. How would that impact your business? In selecting factors, limit your list to no more than seven. Why seven? Cognitive theory suggests that human minds are efficient at juggling from five to nine separate trains of thought - the average and oft- quoted number is seven. Our plan is for you to keep your eye on the ball, you want to limit the balls to those you can keep your eye on.

Step 2: Establishing the measurements

Your next step is to establish a measurement scale for each critical factor. Some of these measures will be quantitative; some qualitative. Sales are an easy one: dollars of revenue measured against budget. Leads generated is also easy - how many? You can further break down sales by product and leads by sources, or you can stick to the consolidated numbers. Choose the measure which best reflects your understanding of how the issue affects your business.

Everything is measurable; you just need the right system. How can you measure your effectiveness in sales compensation? You could establish a compound metric which includes total compensation as a percentage of sales revenue, juxtaposed against goal attainment. Marketing communications is also difficult. One way to measure this is to subjectively assess the quality of your marcom pieces; you could also measure whether you have the total complement of marcom pieces you require. Or, measure whether prospects respond to your marcom efforts. Most likely you will combine all three to get one measure.

A final example is measuring your efforts in the area of your Board of Directors / Board of Advisors. Measures include: do you have one? Are all the board seats filled? Is the board effective for your intended purpose? Measuring the Board factor would likely blend each of these.

Step 3: Setting the baseline

Once you've established a measurement structure for a factor, the next step is setting a baseline.
Each factor should be set against a normalizing scale ranging from 1 to 10. Subjectively this can translate into non-performing(1), poor (2-3) , mediocre (4-5), good (6-7), great (8-9), and outstanding (10). If your sales run-rate is $10 million, determine whether that is a 1, a 5, or a 10. Your answer depends of course on whether you consider performance against budget, performance against stretch goals, or performance against "home-run-out-of-the-park" goals.
If your baseline for Board of Directors is two unfilled board seats - is that a 5 (mediocre) or a poor (2-3)? Only you can decide. Although this ultimately is a subjective process, you want to make it as objective as possible.

Step 4: Set new goals

Next, create a "gap" between where you are - your baseline - and your target for that factor. You already have a sales plan, so your gap exists between your current revenue and your budgeted revenue. You may consider your baseline a 5, and your target an 8. Implicit in this 1- 10 scale are judgements about your intentions: will reaching your budgeted revenue put you at 8 (almost great) or 10 (outstanding)? Where do you want to peg your efforts? If you've assessed your employee training at a 4 (mediocre), are you shooting for a 7 (good) or a 9 (great)? You can see from this how your measurement structure and goal system will impact how you allocate your company's resources and energy.

Step 5: Closing the gap

You now have a baseline and a target for each factor. Between them they define a factor gap - your challenge is to close it. Each gap becomes the focus of a meditation which asks the question: What will close the gap between our current level of this factor and our desired level? What possible actions will raise that measurement? You may have intuitive responses to these questions, and when appropriate, trust your gut. If need be, back that gut response with research - but only when cost effective.

(Sometimes the most cost effective research is implementation, particularly in simple matters.)
Use any idea generation process you are comfortable with. Develop several possible initiatives to raise the level of that factor. With luck your ideas will work together and harmonize in terms of impact or implementation requirements. If you create competing ideas, select the best alternatives. Choose based on return on investment, required resources, scheduling conflicts, time to impact, total cost, and likelihood of success versus risk of failure.

Depending on the specific factor, and the size of the gap, you may plan to close it in stages or shoot the gap all at once. You can launch one initiative at a time, or implement several initiatives in parallel. You may find my GamePlan!" methods useful in designing your gap-closing programs.
Once you launch your gap-closing initiatives, continually measure your results. Report your progress to participants and stakeholders, and post it publicly.

Step 6: “The Ben Franklin Rotation Program”

Each factor also gets a weight, which enables you to develop an overall score. Each week, re-rate all the factors on the score sheet, and graph your progress. You may also graph the overall score. Publish the score sheet and the graphs. You can establish a reward system based on individual progress, or, using the factor weights, you can develop a bonus structure which incentivizes total progress. This simple system will focus your attention on improving each one of your critical success factors. With carefully selected factors, you insure both rapid performance increases and balance in your company. This system simply shows the projection of the progress, so as to monitor if you are improving or not. It’s one way also on assessing the firm’s response on the critical factors.

Generally, the advantages of identifying CSFs are that they are simple to understand; they help focus attention on major concerns; they are easy to communicate to coworkers; they are easy to monitor; and they can be used in concert with strategic planning methodologies. Using critical success factors as an isolated event does not represent critical strategic thinking. But when used in conjunction with a planning process, identifying CSFs is extremely important because it keeps people focused. Clarifying the priority order of CSFs, measuring results, and rewarding superior performance will improve the odds for long-term success as well.

Sources:

http://www.e-competitors.com/Strategy/SBUPlanning/SBUPositioning/SBU_Critical.htm
http://rapidbi.com/created/criticalsuccessfactors.html

http://www.paullemberg.com/criticalfactors.html

MIS 2 Assignment 5: Most radical type of change

2009-12-19T13:42:00.002+08:00

In the spectrum of organizational change, which is the most radical type of change: automation, rationalization of procedures, business reengineering, or paradigm shifts?

One of the most challenging tasks of a business may be organizing the people who perform its work. A business may begin with one person doing all the necessary tasks. As the business becomes successful and grows, however, there is generally more work, and more people are needed to perform various tasks. Through this division of work, individuals can become specialists at a specific job. Because there are several people—often in different locations—working toward a common objective, "there must be a plan showing how the work will be organized. The plan for the systematic arrangement of work is the organization structure. Organization structure is comprised of functions, relationships, responsibilities, authorities, and communications of individuals within each department" (Sexton, 1970, p. 23).

Because there are several peoples there is increased in competition, difficulties retaining talented workers, globalization, changing technologies and new business models are just a subset of the drivers requiring companies to re-think how they do business. In the face of such challenges, many companies embark upon ambitious organizational change initiatives, often with goals such as “paradigm shift” or “reengineering of people and processes.” These are complex, challenging change goals to manage and achieve the desired benefits. In a tumultuous business environment, the ability to successfully manage change is what enables companies to survive, even thrive. A comprehensive and integrated approach to organizational change management encompasses three pillars: people, process and technology. By successfully aligning these elements, organizations can effectively manage and deliver change.

What is organizational change?

Organizational change is an ongoing process in order to bring the organizational systems and processes in line with the factors prevailing in the external and internal environment of the organization. The forces of organizational change include internal and external forces. Typically, the concept of organizational change is in regard to organization-wide change, as opposed to smaller changes such as adding a new person, modifying a program, etc. Examples of organization-wide change might include a change in mission, restructuring operations (e.g., restructuring to self-managed teams, layoffs, etc.), new technologies, mergers, major collaborations, "rightsizing", new programs such as Total Quality Management, re-engineering, etc. Some experts refer to organizational transformation. Often this term designates a fundamental and radical reorientation in the way the organization operates.

Importance of organizational change.

An organization operates in an environment of constant change. In order to survive, it is imperative for the organization to anticipate any change in the environment and proactively work towards eliminating the effect of the same .It is therefore important to have a change in the organization. In addition, such change should be successful and must contribute towards the success of the organization.

To really understand organizational change and begin guiding successful change efforts, the change agent should have at least a broad understanding of the context of the change effort. This includes understanding the basic systems and structures in organizations, including their typical terms and roles. This requirement applies to the understanding of leadership and management of the organizations, as well. Organizational change should not be conducted for the sake of change. Organizational change efforts should be geared to improve the performance of organizations and the people in those organizations. Therefore, it's useful to have some understanding of what is meant by "performance" and the various methods to manage performance in organizations.

How organizational change occurs?

Significant organizational change occurs, for example, when an organization changes its overall strategy for success, adds or removes a major section or practice, and/or wants to change the very nature by which it operates. It also occurs when an organization evolves through various life cycles, just like people must successfully evolve through life cycles. For organizations to develop, they often must undergo significant change at various points in their development. That's why the topic of organizational change and development has become widespread in communications about business, organizations, leadership and management.

Causes of Organizational Structure.

In just a few months, the technology that an organization uses on an everyday basis may be outdated and replaced. That means an organization needs to be responsive to advances in the technological environment; its employees' work skills must evolve as technology evolves. Organizations that refuse to adapt are likely to be the ones that won't be around in a few short years. If an organization wants to survive and prosper, its managers must continually innovate and adapt to new situations.

Every organization goes through periods of transformation that can cause stress and uncertainty. To be successful, organizations must embrace many types of change. Businesses must develop improved production technologies, create new products desired in the marketplace, implement new administrative systems, and upgrade employees' skills. Organizations that adapt successfully are both profitable and admired.

Managers must contend with all factors that affect their organizations. The following lists internal and external environmental factors that can encourage organizational changes:

Generally:

• The external environment is affected by political, social, technological, and economic stimuli outside of the organization that cause changes.
• The internal environment is affected by the organization's management policies and styles, systems, and procedures, as well as employee attitudes.

Specifically:

• Change in Government: Employees that work for government departments can find existing initiatives get discontinued when a change in government takes place. The subsequent refocus of priorities that takes place as a result of the new governments mandate can create redundancies or a radical change in the way the department conducts its affairs.
• Mergers and Acquisitions: When two competitors merge the existing business operations of both companies get centralized and streamlined. This can result in the merging of departments and processes, cost cutting and a redeployment of existing resources. Mergers and acquisitions are one of the most frequent causes of organizational change.
• Strategic Refocus: When the company changes its business processes to adopt a new paradigm organizational change ensues. Consider the plight of a company that shifts its focus form a product centric to a customer centric platform. New manufacturing specifications, new marketing and a change in logistical operations create a change reaction for change throughout the organization.
• Structural Change: When new administrative processes get introduced, organizational change results. Consider the ramifications of centralizing an archiving process using computer technology. Old redundant processes get replaced by new software and hardware and staff members are required to retrain to operate the new systems.
• Process Oriented: When a company redefines its manufacturing operations by changing its manufacturing process to a JIT operation, infrastructure, warehousing and logistical operations are required to be redesigned and deployed. This structural shift in the way a product is created has a domino effect on organizational change.
Typically, the concept of organizational change is used to describe organization-wide change, as opposed to smaller changes such as adding a new person, modifying a program, and so on. Examples of organization-wide change might include a change in mission, restructuring operations (for example, restructuring to self-managed teams or due to layoffs), new technologies, mergers, or new programs such as Total Quality Management, re-engineering, and so on.
Managers should note that all changes should be implemented as part of a strategy to accomplish an overall goal; these transformations should not take place just for the sake of change.
There are four ranges in organizational change, these are the following:

Automation

Automation is the least risky IT-change by which the organization purchases technology in order to make the life of its employees easier and their job more effective. A relevant example in the operations of a hotel might be the creation of the setting up of a computer network and purchase of workstations.

Is the use of control systems (such as numerical control, programmable logic control, and other industrial control systems), in concert with other applications of information technology (such as computer-aided technologies [CAD, CAM, CAx]), to control industrial machinery and processes, reducing the need for human intervention.[1] In the scope of industrialization, automation is a step beyond mechanization. Whereas mechanization provided human operators with machinery to assist them with the muscular requirements of work, automation greatly reduces the need for human sensory and mental requirements as well. Processes and systems can also be automated.

Automation plays an increasingly important role in the global economy and in daily experience. Engineers strive to combine automated devices with mathematical and organizational tools to create complex systems for a rapidly expanding range of applications and human activities.Many roles for humans in industrial processes presently lie beyond the scope of automation. Human-level pattern recognition, language recognition, and language production ability are well beyond the capabilities of modern mechanical and computer systems. Tasks requiring subjective assessment or synthesis of complex sensory data, such as scents and sounds, as well as high-level tasks such as strategic planning, currently require human expertise. In many cases, the use of humans is more cost-effective than mechanical approaches even where automation of industrial tasks is possible.
Specialized hardened computers, referred to as programmable logic controllers (PLCs), are frequently used to synchronize the flow of inputs from (physical) sensors and events with the flow of outputs to actuators and events. This leads to precisely controlled actions that permit a tight control of almost any industrial process. Human-machine interfaces (HMI) or computer human interfaces (CHI), formerly known as man-machine interfaces, are usually employed to communicate with PLCs and other computers, such as entering and monitoring temperatures or pressures for further automated control or emergency response. Service personnel who monitor and control these interfaces are often referred to as stationary engineers.

Rationalization of Procedures

Rationalization is the second stage of organizational change where the organization uses information technology to streamline a standard operating procedure. A database that holds information of available rooms is an example of this stage.

Refers to streamlining of standard operating procedures, eliminating obvious bottlenecks, so that automation makes operating procedures more efficient. improves efficiency and effectiveness. This range of organizational structure causes the organization to examine its standard operating procedures, eliminate those no longer needed, and make the organization more efficient. Both types of change cause some disruption, but it's usually manageable and relatively accepted by the people.

Business Reengineering

Business process reengineering is a more complicated and risky type of organizational change. Using the information technology the organization redesigns whole business processes in order to reduce waste and increase efficiency.

Radical redesign of processes to improve cost, quality, service; maximize benefits of technology.
BR on the other hand, can cause radical disruption. The mere mention of the term nowadays strikes fear in the hearts of workers and managers at all levels. Why? Because many companies use it as a guise for downsizing the organization and laying off workers. Business process reengineering causes planners to completely rethink the flow of work, how the work will be accomplished, and how costs can be reduced by eliminating unnecessary work and workers. In order to make BPR successful, you must first redesign the process, then apply computing power to the new processes. If problems existed in the process before the new system was installed and those problems aren't resolved, the new system could actually make them worse. Very few processes in business are as efficient as they can possibly be. It's a fact of life. The idea behind successful BPR is to find improvements or even new opportunities. For instance, Federal Express and UPS both have online package tracking systems. That simple process was never economically feasible before the Internet. They had to reengineer their business processes to incorporate this new paradigm shift.

1. Aims at
2. eliminating repetitive, paper-intensive, bureaucratic tasks
3. reducing costs significantly
4. improving product/service quality

Paradigm Shift

Paradigm shift is actually changing the very nature of the business and the structure of the organization itself. We're talking whole new products or services that didn't even exist before. We're talking major disruption and extreme change.
The success of any organizational change effort can be summed into an equation:

Success = Measurement X Method X Control X Focused Persistence X Consensus
Like any equation with multiplication, a high value of one variable can compensate for lower levels on other variables. Also like any equation with multiplication, if one variable equals 0, the result is zero.

Below is the graph showing the spectrum of organizational change:

As you can see in the graph above paradigm shift is the riskiest and most radical type of organizational change. It involves rethinking and changing business models or even the nature of the organization. Example: information system that combines information about the suppliers, customers and employees of the hotel.

There are many approaches to guiding change -- some planned, structured and explicit, while others are more organic, unfolding and implicit. Some approaches work from the future to the present, for example, involving visioning and then action planning about how to achieve that vision. Other approaches work from the present to the future, for example, identifying current priorities (issues and/or goals) and then action planning about to address those priorities (the action research approach is one example). Different people often have very different -- and strong -- opinions about how change should be conducted. Thus, it is likely that some will disagree with some of the content in this topic. That's what makes this topic so diverse, robust and vital for us all.

• Organizational Change Management Solutions include:

Change Implementations
o Change-related benefits rationalization
o Staffing assessments and role redesign
o Redesign roles to align with new processes and technology
o Cost analysis and staffing evaluations to support organizational redesign
o Change readiness and resistance management
• Communications - Internal & External
• Training - Strategy and Delivery
• Policy and procedure creation
• Process Excellence
o Process reengineering
o Process standardization and improvements in process capability
o Governance design and implementation
o Improve controls effectiveness
o Maximize adoption in operational state
• Lean / Six Sigma Practices
• Program / Project Management

References:

http://www.nouveon.com/organizational-change-management.html
http://www.santarosa.edu/~ssarkar/cs66fl06/ch14notes.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradigm_shift
http://www.answers.com/topic/organizational-structure
http://www.organizedchange.com/decide.htm
http://www.organizational-change-management.com/causes-of-organizational-change.php
http://managementhelp.org/org_chng/org_chng.htm

MIS 2 Assignment 4: Expedite the implementation of the IS Plan

2009-12-19T13:40:00.001+08:00

You were invited by the university president to prepare an IS plan for the university, discuss what are the steps in order to expedite the implementation of the IS Plan.

The purpose of System Implementation can be summarized as follows: making the new system available to a prepared set of users (the deployment), and positioning on-going support and maintenance of the system within the Performing Organization (the transition). At a finer level of detail, deploying the system consists of executing all steps necessary to educate the Consumers on the use of the new system, placing the newly developed system into production, confirming that all data required at the start of operations is available and accurate, and validating that business functions that interact with the system are functioning properly. Transitioning the system support responsibilities involves changing from a system development to ma system support and maintenance mode of operation, with ownership of the new system moving from the Project Team to the Performing Organization. A key difference between System Implementation and all other phases of the lifecycle is that all project activities up to this point have been performed in safe, protected, and secure environments, where project issues that arise have little or no impact on day-to-day business operations. Once the system goes live, however, this is no longer the case. Any miscues at this point will almost certainly translate into direct operational and/or financial impacts on the Performing Organization. It is through the careful planning, execution, and management of System Implementation activities that the Project Team can minimize the likelihood of these occurrences, and determine appropriate contingency plans in the event of a problem

In an Information System implementation, the following are its phases:

Prepare for System Implementation, where all steps needed in advance of actually deploying the application are performed, including preparation of both the production environment and the Consumer communities.

Deploy System, where the full deployment plan, initially developed during System Design and evolved throughout subsequent lifecycle phases, is executed and validated.

Transition to Performing Organization, where responsibility for and ownership of the application are transitioned from the Project Team to the unit in the Performing Organization that will provide system support and maintenance.

The purpose of Prepare for System Implementation is to take all possible steps to ensure that the upcoming system deployment and transition occurs smoothly, efficiently, and flawlessly.

In the implementation of any new system, it is necessary to ensure that the Consumer community is best positioned to utilize the system once deployment efforts have been validated. Therefore, all necessary training activities must be scheduled and coordinated. As this training is often the first exposure to the system for many individuals, it should be conducted as professionally and competently as possible. A positive training experience is a great first step towards Customer acceptance of the system. During System Implementation it is essential that everyone involved be absolutely synchronized with the deployment plan and with each other. Often the performance of deployment efforts impacts many of the Performing Organization’s normal business operations. Examples of these impacts include: Consumers may experience a period of time in which the systems that they depend on to perform their jobs are temporarily unavailable to them. They may be asked to maintain detailed manual records or logs of business functions that they perform to be entered into the new system once it is operational. Technical Services personnel may be required to assume significant implementation responsibilities while at the same time having to continue current levels of service on other critical business systems. Technical Support personnel may experience unusually high volumes of support requests due to the possible Because of these and other impacts, the communication of planned deployment activities to all parties involved in the project is critical. A smooth deployment requires strong leadership, planning, and communications. By this point in the project lifecycle, the team will have spent countless hours devising and refining the steps to be followed. During this preparation process the Project Manager must verify must be met prior to initiating deployment activities have been met, and that the final ‘green light’ is on for the team to proceed.

Deploying the system is the culmination of all prior efforts – where all of the meetings, planning sessions, deliverable reviews, prototypes, development, and testing pay off in the delivery of the final system. It is also the point in the project that often requires the most coordination, due to the breadth and variety of activities that must be performed. Depending upon the complexity of the system being implemented, it may impact technical, operational, and cultural aspects of the organization. A representative sample of high-level activities might include the installation of new hardware, increased network capabilities, deployment and configuration of the new system software, a training and awareness campaign, activation of new job titles and responsibilities, and a completely new operational support structure aimed at providing Consumer-oriented assistance during the hours that the new system is available for use (to name a few). Whatever the realm of activities related to the new system, their impacts should be addressed in the Organizational Change Management Plan, while specific deployment activities should all be encompassed in the Project Implementation and Transition Plan, (both created during the Project Planning phase of the Project Management Lifecycle.) In the Information System implementation, these are the following services:

• Project Management & Project Facilitation are both key areas of our service delivery. Maximizing project resources, we assist the client in meeting critical project timelines and keeping initiatives on the fast track.
• Content Design & Development to include establishment of initial data standards (clinical including PNDS, financial, and materials) for your perioperative system and other integrated applications. We make sure your database is clinically responsive to the services offered at your institution.
• Solution Design Documentation to include design rationale and critical design and content decisions related to organizational, JCAHO, AORN, and software application requirements.
• Preference Card Development including optimal build structure and establishment of shared application data decisions to support SPD & OR Supply Chain initiatives.
• Report Writing to optimize your system output and meet the analysis needs across your health network.
• System Testing required for new system implementations, upgrades or enhancements.
• System Training to provide your project team & staff with the on-going knowledge and understanding necessary to succeed from pre-implementation through go-live. We believe that the quality of training your users receive directly correlates to the level of success you are able to achieve with your information system. J2 can provide system training tailored for all users. During implementation, training services are coordinated with the vendor's training program and augment in-house training resources.
• Interface Planning work starts with appropriate client and vendor resources to ensure accurate development from specification review, requirement identification, testing, and implementation.

Going back to the question, what is meant by the term Expedite?

Expedite is to accelerate or speed up something. Having constructed an IS Plan should entail the details on how it is to be implemented in effective and efficient ways.

Is there are need to expedite Information System Implementation?

I think that there is that great demand to expedite the Information Implementation, especially that technology is fast changing, and there is that high possibility that if the process will not be expedited the development will overrun.

To expedite the implementation, these are some involved processes:

Coordination with the personnel involve

The workforces/people ware itself are the main element in carrying out the IS plan. They are the brain and core of the system. Without which, the plan would not be put into action. This entails people management with their particular function and responsibility.

Assigning of responsibilities

Distribution and allocating of task should be thoroughly thought out. Constructing a timetable or outline of what-must-be-done is very crucial for it will be the basis for monitoring means of how the plan is going. Top management has ultimate responsibility for the organization and the overall effectiveness of risk control related programs. It initiates them, sets their goals, specifies procedures, allocates resources, and provides competent managers. Top management must create a culture that is supportive of risk control, and encourage all personnel to actively participate and contribute to the program’s success. It must also oversee program effectiveness and enforce discipline for non-conformance to agreed-upon standards and objectives. When top management cannot achieve these ends on its own, it must provide for those who can. Top management’s responsibility in these cases is not transferred to those it designates. It is shared.

“Delegating” is a perfectly good word, but in many management circles, it has acquired some negative baggage. It implies a handing down or passing off of something; that the something delegated is beneath or not important enough for the individual doing the delegating. “Assigning responsibility”, on the other hand, implies an active, positive process; one where care is taken to select and groom the right person, and insure that he or she has the proper resources, support, and authority to do the job properly.

Basic Guidelines for Assigning Responsibility

• Focus on Performance. - Assign responsibility so that managers, supervisors and employees clearly understand what performance is expected of each of them – what they must DO - to succeed in that task. It is performance objectives that determine:
1. What the individual must know to do the job,
2. What skills he or she must have,
3. What resources are needed, and
4. What level of authority is required.

• Make all assignments in writing. - Whenever possible, assignments should be in writing. The rule of thumb in assigning responsibilities is that the need for written assignment increases with complexity of the required tasks and or the organization. Verbal messages can be vague, misheard, misunderstood, ignored, even forgotten. Committing something to paper requires greater precision of thought and assignment, and reduces confusion and uncertainty for all parties involved. The written document can also be reproduced and distributed efficiently, and constitutes a record for purposes of accountability.
• Communicate the assignment of responsibilities and authority to all applicable levels of the organization. – This is especially true when the assigned responsibility requires interdepartmental action. Departmental “turf wars” can be minimized, the program will be better understood, and managers and employees can be held accountable more readily when everyone involved understands the rules.
• Provide adequate authority and resources to meet responsibilities. - It is unreasonable to assign responsibility without providing adequate authority and resources to accomplish the task. Essential resources may include:
1. Competent Staffing – an adequate number, properly trained and equipped.
2. Training – appropriate for responsibilities, both for supervisors and employees.
3. Equipment – the right tool, and enough of them to do the job.
4. Budget - adequate funds for operational expenditures

Setting timelines

The importance of time management would strike you at some point of your career. You would be inundated with work, and you will need to evaluate how to manage your time. There are a few factors why time management is important for your career success.
1. Time Is A Limited Resource

Remember that time is a limited resource. There is a Chinese proverb that says ‘no amount of gold will buy you time that has passed.’ Knowing that time is a limited resource, you would naturally need to cherish it. After all, deadlines to work will continue to inch closer to you whether or not you have started or you are slow on it. Once time is lost, you can never make up for it. Your work will have to be compromised - given that you have not managed your time. The importance of managing time to your career cannot be trivialized. Know the importance, take steps to perfect this skill to increase your chances of career success.
2. Small Steps Build Into Big Goals

Understand the importance of time management, as your career success depends on these small steps across time. If you not take care of the seconds, the minutes will waste, and so will the hours and days. All these will accumulate into poor results. The importance of time management is to understand that small steps across time build into big goals. And a main part of achieving goals is about time management.
3. Efficiency Of Your Work Relates To Time

Being efficient at work is about managing your time. Optimum use of your time means you accomplish more in the least possible time. Being able to manage your time well gives you a competitive advantage over your colleagues. You get more done and hence you get assigned to more important projects in the future.

When bosses see you as an efficient worker, you become a competitive advantage to your unit. This translates to better performance score, more trust and respect from colleagues and bosses. The importance of time management in this aspect should be kept in mind if you want to climb higher in the corporate ladder.

One of the most common question I get from managers is ‘How do I lessen my stress?’ I have learned that the first thing is to have them think about their time management skills. The importance of time management skill is also understanding that it can help lessen your stress.
If you have poor time management skills, work gets backlogged. You are caught chasing your own tail; overdue work gets caught up with current work while future projects are being given to you. These unattended work piles on the pressure. Before you know it, you are stressed over work. You start to complain about being overloaded. However, you fail to realize that it is your lack of time management skills that has created this stress.

5. Knowing Your Priority At Work

The importance of time management in your career success also comes in the form of allowing you to prioritize. Part of good time management skills involves knowing when to do what is urgent and important. Being able to recognize work that needs focus at the right time is a skill that is important to achieving career success.
When you are able to crystallize what is important, you will attend to the actual task that needs your focus. You become more effective. Becoming efficient and effective at your workplace will automatically contribute significantly to your career success.
The importance of time management to your career success cannot be trivialized. Learn these important skills and see your career soar.

Utilization of resources

It is of practical act to properly make use of all the resources available for the system. Analysis of the resources should be made. A university should look out for any source accessible. Overlooked resource could be a big lost for one’s organization. Human can be utilized as a resource, in which this resource is very vital. In organizations, it is important to determine both current and future organizational requirements for both core employees and the contingent workforce in terms of their skills/technical abilities, competencies, flexibility etc. The analysis requires consideration of the internal and external factors that can have an effect on the resourcing, development, motivation and retention of employees and other workers. The external factors are those largely out-with the control of the organization and include issues such as the economic climate, current and future trends of the labor market e.g. skills, education level, government investment into industries etc. On the other hand internal influences are broadly within the control of the organization to predict determine and monitor, for example the organizational culture underpinned by management behaviours (or style), environmental climate and the approach to ethical and corporate social responsibilities. Human resources is a term used to refer to how people are managed by organizations. The field has moved from a traditionally administrative function to a strategic one that recognizes the link between talented and engaged people and organizational success. The field draws upon concepts developed in Industrial/Organizational Psychology and System Theory. Human resources has at least two related interpretations depending on context. The original usage derives from political economy and economics, where it was traditionally called labor, one of four factors of production although this perspective is changing as a function of new and ongoing research into more strategic approaches at national levels.[1] This first usage is used more in terms of 'human resources development', and can go beyond just organizations to the level of nations [2]. The more traditional usage within corporations and businesses refers to the individuals within a firm or agency, and to the portion of the organization that deals with hiring, firing, training, and other personnel issues, typically referred to as 'human resources management'.

Monitoring of the growth of development

To keep track with the project schedules must be observed. Any progress should be made recognize. Updates and improvements must also be identified and evaluated if it has been going well with what has been planned for the system. Monitoring is an important part of the project management. Proper monitoring has get different advantages like you must know the development of the project, correcting the technical or other types of problems, promoting the team members to achieve the goal etc.

Monitoring is regular activity of the project manager to keep eyes on the different phases of the projects. It is essential that each team member must know the objective of the monitoring of the projects. You must have to know the actual development between the actual plan and the achievements of the project at different phase. Based on the defined schedule, you must have to finish the goal based on the time fixed by you and time lapse. The monitoring of the project should be based on the time, work and the resources utilize by the project team. You must have to keep watching on the monitoring of the activity or productivity of the employee. It is essential to keep watch on activity. You must have to conduct a regular interaction with the team to know the developments of the project. You should also know the problems faces by the team member at the grass root level. You must have to short out the problems so that you should be running as per schedule. You must have to monitor the technical problem too. If you are working on large employment group than you must have to solve the inter-personal issues too. As project manager, you must have to keep eye on the welfare of the issues.

Assessments and revisions of plans

It is an evaluation and comparison of the actual system implementation with the original ISP. Changes would not be inevitable and so as with what has been intended or planned for the ISP. In this phase, with what is good for the betterment, alteration or modification of the original plan is being done.

References:
http://www.harleysvillegroup.com/losc/PDFs/LCT1005.pdf
http://www.career-success-for-newbies.com/importance-of-time-management.html
http://www.1866projectmanagement.com/importance-of-project-monitoring.html

MIS 2 Assignment 3: Frustrations of IS Professionals(1of2)

2009-12-19T13:39:00.001+08:00

What are the two most frequently experienced causes of frustration of IS professionals and users while working on an IS plan?

In most of the report and sharing discussions with Sir Gamboa, it is a requirement that one must adopt a company and relate the theories of the topic assigned to the related activities of the company. Since, in S.A.D 1 we needed to adopt a company for sharing purposes, I grabbed this opportunity to ask the above-stated question to the MIS Head or to the IS Professional. Fortunately, we were not rejected by the MIS Head with our request for RSG was once his instructor when he is still in college. And we consider it an advantage, for at least he understand that our company visit is very substantial.

We visited the AMS Group of Companies located at F. Torres St., Davao City. To answer the question, we approached Mr. Gemrald R. Glibara, the M.I.S Department Head of AMS Group of Companies.

First, let’s define FRUSTRATIONS. As wikipedia stated, it is a common response to opposition, it arises from the perceived resistance to the fulfillment of individual will. In people, internal frustration may arise from challenges in fulfilling personal goals and desires, instinctual drives and needs, or dealing with perceived deficiencies, such as a lack of confidence or fear of social situations. Now, as stated by Mr. Gemrald that there are two frequently experienced causes of frustrations of IS professional and users while working on an IS plan. Let’s discuss it one by one.

Lack of Support / Resistant to changes

Mr. Gemrald is working on the automation of manual systems of the HR Department of the company and developing the enterprise systems for the company, aside form being the Head of office he is also working as the project manager of the MIS department and the Developer. According to him, in any organization you cannot expect that all are adaptive to changes which he consider that as one of the frustrations as an IT professional. It is really hard to purse IS plans when the users themselves resist for changes, that’s the challenging part of being a project manager. You cannot please everyone, he added.

Some sources have identified the reasons of an individual being resistant to changes – organizational and technological change. These include the following:

•    THE RISK OF CHANGE IS SEEN AS GREATER THAN THE RISK OF STANDING STILL. Making a change requires a kind of leap of faith: you decide to move in the direction of the unknown on the promise that something will be better for you. But you have no proof. Taking that leap of faith is risky, and people will only take active steps toward the unknown if they genuinely believe – and perhaps more importantly, feel – that the risks of standing still are greater than those of moving forward in a new direction. Making a change is all about managing risk. If you are making the case for change, be sure to set out in stark, truthful terms why you believe the risk situation favors change. Use numbers whenever you can, because we in the West pay attention to numbers. At the very least, they get our attention, and then when the rational mind is engaged, the emotional mind (which is typically most decisive) can begin to grapple with the prospect of change. But if you only sell your idea of change based on idealistic, unseen promises of reward, you won’t be nearly as effective in moving people to action

•    PEOPLE HAVE NO ROLE MODELS FOR THE NEW ACTIVITY. Never underestimate the power of observational learning. If you see yourself as a change agent, you probably are something of a dreamer, someone who uses the imagination to create new possibilities that do not currently exist. Well, most people don’t operate that way. It’s great to be a visionary, but communicating a vision is not enough. Get some people on board with your idea, so that you or they can demonstrate how the new way can work. Operationally, this can mean setting up effective pilot programs that model a change and work out the kinks before taking your innovation “on the road.” For most people, seeing is believing. Less rhetoric and more demonstration can go a long way toward overcoming resistance, changing people’s objections from the “It can’t be done!” variety to the “How can we get it done?” category.

•    PEOPLE FEAR THEY LACK THE COMPETENCE TO CHANGE. This is a fear people will seldom admit. But sometimes, change in organizations necessitates changes in skills, and some people will feel that they won’t be able to make the transition very well. They don’t think they, as individuals, can do it. The hard part is that some of them may be right. But in many cases, their fears will be unfounded, and that’s why part of moving people toward change requires you to be an effective motivator. Even more, a successful change campaign includes effective new training programs, typically staged from the broad to the specific. By this I mean that initial events should be town-hall type information events, presenting the rationale and plan for change, specifying the next steps, outlining future communications channels for questions, etc., and specifying how people will learn the specifics of what will be required of them, from whom, and when. Then, training programs must be implemented and evaluated over time. In this way, you can minimize the initial fear of a lack of personal competence for change by showing how people will be brought to competence throughout the change process. Then you have to deliver.

•    PEOPLE HAVE A HEALTHY SKEPTICISM AND WANT TO BE SURE NEW IDEAS ARE SOUND. It’s important to remember that few worthwhile changes are conceived in their final, best form at the outset. Healthy skeptics perform an important social function: to vet the change idea or process so that it can be improved upon along the road to becoming reality. So listen to your skeptics, and pay attention, because some percentage of what they have to say will prompt genuine improvements to your change idea (even if some of the criticism you will hear will be based more on fear and anger than substance).

•    PEOPLE FEAR HIDDEN AGENDAS AMONG WOULD-BE REFORMERS. Let’s face it, reformers can be a motley lot. Not all are to be trusted. Perhaps even more frightening, some of the worst atrocities modern history has known were begun by earnest people who really believed they knew what was best for everyone else. Reformers, as a group, share a blemished past . . . And so, you can hardly blame those you might seek to move toward change for mistrusting your motives, or for thinking you have another agenda to follow shortly. If you seek to promote change in an organization, not only can you expect to encounter resentment for upsetting the established order and for thinking you know better than everyone else, but you may also be suspected of wanted to increase your own power, or even eliminate potential opposition through later stages of change.

•    PEOPLE FEEL THE PROPOSED CHANGE THREATENS THEIR NOTIONS OF THEMSELVES. Sometimes change on the job gets right to a person’s sense of identity. When a factory worker begins to do less with her hands and more with the monitoring of automated instruments, she may lose her sense of herself as a craftsperson, and may genuinely feel that the very things that attracted her to the work in the first place have been lost. I saw this among many medical people and psychologists during my graduate training, as the structures of medical reimbursement in this country changed in favor of the insurance companies, HMO’s and managed care organizations. Medical professionals felt they had less say in the treatment of their patients, and felt answerable to less well trained people in the insurance companies to approve treatments the doctors felt were necessary. And so, the doctors felt they had lost control of their profession, and lost the ability to do what they thought best for patients.

•    PEOPLE ANTICIPATE A LOSS OF STATUS OR QUALITY OF LIFE. Real change reshuffles the deck a bit. Reshuffling the deck can bring winners . . . and losers. Some people, most likely, will gain in status, job security, quality of life, etc. with the proposed change, and some will likely lose a bit. Change does not have to be a zero sum game, and change can (and should) bring more advantage to more people than disadvantage. But we all live in the real world, and let’s face it – if there were no obstacles (read: people and their interests) aligned against change, then special efforts to promote change would be unnecessary.

MIS 2 Assignment 3: Frustrations of IS Professionals

2009-12-19T13:35:00.002+08:00

• PEOPLE GENUINELY BELIEVE THAT THE PROPOSED CHANGE IS A BAD IDEA. The truth is, sometimes someone’s (even – gasp! – my) idea of change is just not a good idea. Sometimes people are not being recalcitrant, or afraid, or muddle-headed, or nasty, or foolish when they resist. They just see that we’re wrong. And even if we’re not all wrong, but only half wrong, or even if we’re right, it’s important not to ignore when people have genuine, rational reservations or objections.

Now, in any Information System Planning, support of both parties (developer and the client) is very vital on the process of the planning. A developer cannot pursue with his/her goals when the client is not doing his/her part in the planning. If there is planning, these two components is interdependent with each other. Support is essential to a successful project. Projects can fail because of lack of support, because some people in an organization hasn't actively involved key decision makers in determining project strategy and direction. Anybody who is within the organization should keep support throughout the lifecycle of their project and improving project quality down the line. IS professionals often faced with the challenge of dealing to people who are very resistant to organizational change. We all know that we are in fast-paced environment and so changes should be expected and in turn we should have to deal these changes accordingly. However, not all people in an organization is flexible enough to adapt the change, that’s why IS professional should have the ability to effectively influence others, and it is often the solution to achieve desired results. This skill is used daily in meetings and business discussions and when constructing and communicating the business case for a new initiative.

There are six externalities that bring about change. They are regulation, capital markets, competition, technology, globalization and customers. When any of these external contexts changes radically and the company is either unable or unwilling to change, it often results in failure. Company success is very much like human behavior—a result of nature and nurture. But managers refuse to say that they were blessed from above, and so they take all the credit for themselves. They succeed as long as the environment doesn’t change. The underlying theory is that many people in business succeed by accident and not by plan. But, unfortunately, people end up believing what they will succeed forever, and they become resistant to change. They get locked into one paradigm or one way of life. Or in other words, people tend to forget that the environment they are in is changing, that’s why these people never think of facing the change for they got so used to something being a certain way in their lives that they don't want it to change and if they will do will affect their lives as they believed.

Building consensus, properly managing others’ expectations, and translating a concept or initiative into a range of viable options for achieving organizational goals are all critical competencies for today's IS professional. Certainly there are many great managers who take the time and invest themselves in helping their employees understand the changes and how they affect them. Here are some of the things they do:

1. Stop periodically and take a step back to regroup. Sometimes leaders get out in front of the rest of the group and they lose people. This feels like resistance, but it is often simply confusion and a lack of understanding. Each person will "get it" and buy in at different points in the process. Telltale signs are blank stares, input that is off the mark or questions about the purpose of the changes. When it comes to explaining the WHY behind any change, repetition is the key. People will only be ready to hear it and understand it when they are personally ready--in their own time.
2. Make sure people understand that they weren't doing it "wrong" the old way. Sometimes people are hurt or insulted by changes because no one took the time to explain that. Their credibility is at stake, so they fight a personal battle against the new way.
3. Show people how the changes support the mission, vision and strategy of the organization. If they don't see how the change will be good for anything--other than more work (or even losing their job)--they aren't going to get behind it. Too often, senior managers are the only people who sit in a room and discuss the strategic reasons behind a change. Then they wonder why everyone is so "resistant." The best strategy here is to communicate the changes at every opportunity, so that people understand how the changes tie into the big picture. All the senior and middle managers need to participate in one-on-one meetings, small group sessions, round-table discussions and company-wide meetings. These should be done often and with a format that allows for maximum interaction.
4. Help each person see how the changes impact them. Discuss what's in it for them and what they can do to help make the changes in their jobs. Take it down to the details and the specifics so that people can see clearly what the change means and what their part in it is.

Communication Gap

Part of an Information Planning is the communication; it is often define as a process of transferring information from one entity to another. Communication processes are sign-mediated interactions between at least two agents which share a repertoire of signs and semiotic rules. Communication is commonly defined as "the imparting or interchange of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs". All forms of communication require a sender, a message, and a receiver. Communication requires that all parties have an area of communicative commonality. Now let’s define Communication gap; it is define as a state that occurs when what is being said is not been communicated to the addressee properly and completely. There can be many causes of communication gap depending on where it exists. Actually Communication gap is the biggest hurdle in achieving the organizational goal and does not help at all in achievement of organizational goal. Communication gap in an organization means that the goals and objectives that are set by the top management are either not communicated to the employees of the organization at all levels or if communicated they are not been understood properly by the employees. This can be because of improper communication channels, unrealistic goals, inappropriate language etc.

Mr. Gemrald consider this gap as a cause of frustration for it is apparent in their organization. In most cases, IS professional do utilize project models as a tool for project management; this model will help the planner to initiate processes in a more specific manner. Now, in this process, one should not communicate the planner in requirements gathering only but throughout the life cycle one should be constantly communicating the planner. As what I have understood form what Mr. Gemrald stated, he experienced communication gap between himself and the office he is working to automate transactions. During the requirements gathering, both the office specified the functionalities to cater on the system that Mr. Gemrald will developed, after passing all the necessary documentations they came up to the development of the system. As he deployed the system, all specified functionalities were made and it is functional. As time goes by, there were functionalities that the office wanted to add which supposed to be addressed during the requirements gathering, in this case it is now cumbersome to the part of the IS professional to do some revisions and recoding when the system was actually delivered already. In this scenario I asked him if he were able to make some closure or agreements after every documentation. He said, he is not used to make some closure and agreements in every documentation for the systems are just in-source, and he is the one making the system so every time that certain office will request some functionalities to be added in the system, it will be cater and its part of the maintenance. To him, making some agreements and closure is only applicable to those who engaged in business process outsourcing.

From the scenario, I understand that it is an instance of communication gap. Even though adding some functionality in a system that has been deployed is part of the maintenance, still the client should have addressed his/her specifications during the requirement gathering. For, in the usual system development life cycle, requirement which includes specifications of functionalities always comes first. Also, in system development life cycle, an output of the first stage may be the input of the next stage. Therefore, there should have proper documentation in every stage of system development.

Bridging the gap is commonly the best answer for communication gap. There are many ways to bridge the gaps especially in IT communication. These include:

• Find help to assess the situation. Get an outside, third-party to conduct an assessment of IT service performance with your business executives. The assessment team can interview your key executives to provide a complete evaluation and gap analysis of your current process capability against the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL), which is a comprehensive documentation of best practices within the framework of IT Service Management (ITSM), including the provision, support, and management of effective IT services. You can’t do this as well as an outsider with no vested interest in the outcome, plus the business people will be more open because their complaints will not be directly attributed.

• Understand that perception is reality. You might view some of the feedback as unfair. IT departments moan they are over-worked and under-funded. They lament that executives understand marketing and finance but haven’t got a clue when it comes to computers. “Those people,” the complaints go, “just think of us as techies and nerds who want more expensive technology toys that increase overhead.” You need to prove them wrong.

• Manage expectations. You need to measure the communications gap and then work to close the gap. You can complain about this being a classic no-win situation, or you can take charge of managing the expectations of IT department success within the organization. Kindly explain to IT users upfront how long things take or cost.

• Open the lines of communication. The solution is not sweet talking the C-suite (“Nice tie, Mr. Bigley!”), but more consistent delivery of business value and better communication of that value. Don’t wait for the business people to invite you to lunch, take them out for a meal. Breaking bread is a powerful tool. Unfortunately, good work doesn’t stand on its own — it needs to be explained and shared with others.

• No more geek speak. Transform communications from IT jargon and alphabet soup into the language of business. Quit trying to teach them the language of IT. Instead, become bilingual so you can speak IT and business lingo like balanced scorecards and Six Sigma.
There are actually hundreds of ways how to bridge the gap, we just need to be specific with our communication tools especially if we are in the field of Information Technology, wherein not all people within your environment or organization is aware with the activities related to the field.

References:

http://www.advancinginsights.com/resistant-to-change
http://www.learningtree.com/pmpitfalls/support.htm
http://www.schulersolutions.com/resistance_to_change.html
http://www.information-management.com/issues/19980301/697-1.html
http://rhoans.org/communication-gap/
http://www.blurtit.com/q945114.html

MIS 2 Assignment 2: Relationship between Business Plan and IS Plan

2009-12-08T11:11:00.002+08:00

Before I’ll discuss my understanding or notion to the nature of the relationship between the business plan and the IS plan. Let me define Business, Business Plan, Information System and the Information System Plan.

Business. It is an organization which primary objective is to provide goods and services needed by the people.

Business Plan. It is a formal statement of a set of business goals, the reasons why they are believed attainable, and the plan for reaching those goals. It may also contain background information about the organization or team attempting to reach those goals. The business goals may be defined for for-profit or for non-profit organizations.

Is there a need for having a business plan?

Yes. And I have browsed some reasons of having a business plan. These are the following:

1. To Map the Future

A business plan is not just required to secure funding at the start-up phase, but is a vital aid to help you manage your business more effectively. By committing your thoughts to paper, you can understand your business better and also chart specific courses of action that need to be taken to improve your business. A plan can detail alternative future scenarios and set specific objectives and goals along with the resources required to achieve these goals.

By understanding your business and the market a little better and planning how best to operate within this environment, you will be well placed to ensure your long-term success.

2. To Support Growth and Secure Funding

Most businesses face investment decisions during the course of their lifetime. Often, these opportunities cannot be funded by free cash flows alone, and the business must seek external funding. However, despite the fact that the market for funding is highly competitive, all prospective lenders will require access to the company’s recent Income Statements/Profit and Loss Statements, along with an up-to-date business plan. In essence the former helps investors understand the past, whereas the business plan helps give them a window on the future.

A well-written business plan can help you convey these points to prospective investors, helping them feel confident in you and in the thoroughness with which you have considered future scenarios. The most crucial component for them will be clear evidence of the company’s future ability to generate sufficient cash flows to meet debt obligations, while enabling the business to operate effectively.

3. To Develop and Communicate a Course of Action

A business plan helps a company assess future opportunities and commit to a particular course of action. By committing the plan to paper, all other options are effectively marginalized and the company is aligned to focus on key activities. The plan can assign milestones to specific individuals and ultimately help management to monitor progress. Once written, a plan can be disseminated quickly and will also prompt further questions and feedback by the readers helping to ensure a more collaborative plan is produced.

4. To Help Manage Cash flow

Careful management of cash flow is a fundamental requirement for all businesses. The reason is quite simple--many businesses fail, not because they are unprofitable, but because they ultimately become insolvent (i.e., are unable to pay their debts as they fall due). While the break-even point--where total revenue equals total costs--is a highly important figure for start-ups, once a business is up and running profitably, it becomes less important.

Cash flow management then becomes more vital when businesses pursue investment opportunities where there are significant cash out flows, in advance of the cash flows coming in. These opportunities need to be assessed against any seasonal variations in the business and the timing of the flows. If you are a ‘cash-only’ business, you can bank the income immediately; however, if you sell on credit, you receive the cash in the future and hence may need to pay some of your own expenses before that income hits your account. This will put a further strain on the company’s solvency and hence a well structured business plan will help you manage funding requirements in advance.

5. To Support a Strategic Exit

Finally, at some point, the owners of the firm will decide it is time to exit. Considering the likely exit strategy in advance can help inform and direct present day decisions. The aim is to liquidate the investment, so the owner/current investors have the option of cashing out when they want.

Common exit strategies include;

Initial Public Offering of stock (IPO’s)
Acquisition by competitors
Mergers
Family succession
Management buy-outs

Information System. It is referred as the interaction of the process and technology. Information System has three major components – Hardware, software and peopleware. Hardware is the physical components; Software refers to programs that are being installed in the computer; Peopleware refers to the end-users.

Information System Plan. It is actually the process for developing a strategy and plans for aligning information systems with the business strategies of an organization.

In Information Planning, we have to consider the characteristics of a quality Information System Plan. These are the following:

Timely. The ISP must be timely. An ISP that is created long after it is needed is useless. In almost all cases, it makes no sense to take longer to plan work than to perform the work planned.

Useable. The ISP must be useable. It must be so for all the projects as well as for each project. The ISP should exist in sections that once adopted can be parceled out to project managers and immediately started.

Maintainable. The ISP should be maintainable. New business opportunities, new computers, business mergers, etc. all affect the ISP. The ISP must support quick changes to the estimates, technologies employed, and possibly even to the fundamental project sequences. Once these changes are accomplished, the new ISP should be just a few computer program executions away.

Quality. While the ISP must be a quality product, no ISP is ever perfect on the first try. As the ISP is executed, the metrics employed to derive the individual project estimates become refined as a consequence of new hardware technologies, code generators, techniques, or faster working staff. As these changes occur, their effects should be installable into the data that supports ISP computation. In short, the ISP is a living document. It should be updated with every technology event, and certainly no less often than quarterly.

Reproducible. The ISP must be reproducible. That is, when its development activities are performed by any other staff, the ISP produced should essentially be the same. The ISP should not significantly vary by staff assigned.

Now that we have known and differentiated the business from business plan, and information system from an information system plan, we can now distinguish the importance of having the business plan and the information system plan. The importance of business plan is that, it serves the following functions:

Helps management or an entrepreneur to clarify, focus and research their business's or project's development and prospects.
Provides a considered and logical framework within which a business can develop and pursue business strategies over the next three to five years.
Serves as a basis for discussion with third parties such as shareholders, agencies, banks, investors etc.
Offers a benchmark against which actual performance can be measured and reviewed.

A business plan should be a realistic view of the expectations and long-term objectives for an established business or new venture. It provides the framework within which it must operate and, ultimately, succeed or fail. For management or entrepreneurs seeking external support, the plan is the most important sales document that they are ever likely to produce as it could be the key to raising finance etc. Preparation of a comprehensive plan will not guarantee success in raising funds or mobilizing support, but lack of a sound plan will, almost certainly, ensure failure. In a business plan, business plan process is also vital, for entrepreneurs to understand more clearly what they want to achieve, and how and when they can do it. Even if no external support is needed, a business plan can play a vital role in helping to avoid mistakes or recognize hidden opportunities. It is much easier to fold a sheet of paper than a business.

For many, many entrepreneurs and planners, the process of planning (thinking, discussing, researching and analyzing) is just as, or even more, useful than the final plan. So, even if you don't need a formal plan, think carefully about going through the planning process. It could be enormously beneficial to your business. A packaged business plan will make it easier to interest possible supporters, investors etc. A well-prepared business plan will demonstrate that the managers or entrepreneurs know the business and that they have thought through its development in terms of products, management, finances, and most importantly, markets and competition.

The relationship of Business Plan and Information System Plan: In making information system plan, it’s not just a simple plan that caters the current issue, but it should be a strategic plan to cater a wide scope of interest in the field of information technology. Strategic planning is actually aims to cater the major change of the organization from planning for information systems based on users’ demands to those based on business strategy. Information System Plan focuses in improving the management side and the to improve the performance of the business while on the other hand a Business Plan is focusing in the attainment of the goals of the business in short it gives more attention to the business side. Business-planning methods help people develop detailed plans at lower levels. Business-driven data modeling methods then help them to identify their information needs, based on those developed plans. Identified information is then provided. The Strategic Model was analyzed to identify Business Activities and develop Project Plans for data modeling. Activities were identified which management should assess, to identify priorities. These activities will become priority projects to be developed and delivered early to provide maximum benefit of any organization. The Strategic Information System Plan will make Business Plan to align its information systems directly with its strategic plans.

References:

http://www.planware.org/businessplan.htm#4

http://www.clarionmag.com/cmag/v3/informationsystemsplanning.pdf

http://viu.eng.rpi.edu/publications/strpaper.pdf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_plan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_system

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information

MIS 2 Assignment 1: 10 years from now...(continued)

2009-11-24T14:10:00.001+08:00

2 of 2:

As what I have mentioned from the previous thread that 10 years from now “I am one of those highly in-demand IT Consultants in the country”. Of course, if I envision myself to be one, I have to do necessary things essential for me to achieve this goal.

First things first, I have to finish my IT education.

In today's world, IT education and training is becoming increasingly important. Those who have the right IT education credentials have highly marketable skills that employers seek.

However, the IT world is fast-paced. Technology changes frequently and it's very important for IT workers to keep up with the changes. That's why you may want to consider frequent IT training. It keeps your skills fresh.

With an information technology degree, you can:

1. Transition to a more lucrative career. If you're currently stuck in a dead-end job, information technology education could be a great way to break into a new career. Take classes in your free time so that you can get a new job.

2. Be eligible for a promotion. Most companies prefer to promote from within and if you constantly stay up to date with your IT training courses, you put yourself in a prime position for advancement.

3. Get a raise in your current position. When you increase your skills, you become more valuable to your employer. In many cases, they will offer you more money so that you don't become tempted to look elsewhere for employment.

If I finished my IT education eventually, I’ll be an IT Professional. For me to become a competent IT professional, I must know what are the expectations of my colleagues, my industry, and my clients. Meeting these expectations is what qualifies me to call a professional, and what gives me the recognition as a professional. In today’s world the role of the IT professional is crucial. It has become an essential resource for most organizations. An IT professional must have the skills in and knowledge required to carry out specialized tasks in recognized field of IT. This is the minimum requirement.

Also, I have to find IT training companies that offer certification or preparation for exams. Having a certificate looks good on your resume and helps you get better jobs. If you're going to take information technology training classes, you may as well get a certificate that proves you know the information. Knowledge can be acquired through formal education sources such as private training institutions, colleges, institutions of higher learning, as well as E-learning on the internet. The most effective form of skill building is through practical exercises. Training and certification assists in improving the skills, increasing knowledge and gaining recognition. Certification exams identify necessary skills for an individual to perform the job competently and most importantly, successfully. Certification gives an IT professional, a valued credential that is recognized if the IT Industry. Not only that, it is a powerful tool for providing job and business opportunities and for meeting challenges on the field.

Moreover, having the certification, skills and knowledge to do complex things are not the only things you can incorporate for an IT professional. Of course, Interpersonal skills are also important. To maintain good interpersonal skills can sometimes be difficult, especially if you are working under pressures, sometimes it really drives you to become hot-tempered. But that is no excuse, if you want to be a true professional it is the price you must pay. The right attitude also extends how you treat your clients and your employer. The public expects the IT professional to be socially responsible and disciplined and should be a role model for the youth. IT professionals must also have address the issue of currency. Professionals must find ways in staying current on IT and IT related issues. This requires continues self-development on the part of the IT professional. You cannot afford to be outdated or allow your skills to stagnate. You cannot serve your clients well if you have outdated information and ideas. As a professional you must have the desire to update yourself on a continuous basis.

Generally, one can state that IT professionalism doesn’t end up with getting certified and earning a fat pay. It isn’t simply about being a skilled expert. Just as professionalism is about skills and knowledge, it is also about responsibility and duty. It is about using your skills and knowledge in a responsible and humane manner. It is about using your privileged status to bring about positive change in society.

References:

http://www.jidaw.com/article2.html
http://www.business.com/directory/computers_and_software/computer_services/information_technology_it_services/education_and_training/

MIS 2 Assignment 1: 10 years from now...

2009-11-24T14:06:00.001+08:00

1 of 2:

Many young people always strive to improve themselves. Sometimes, they succeed; othertimes, they fail. The good thing is even though these people have experienced tougher problems, they do not quit in any case. They build themselves into better, more capable individuals. They start with knowing their assets, goals and objectives, then bridge the gap s between what they are and what they want to be. As they grow up in the real world, they discover that they can face the challenges that come into their way, no matter how great those challenges are. They are the people who succeed while young they have constantly tried to make things right and to make themselves better. From this, I understand that building a better self is indeed a must in these changing times.

Building a better self is always preceded with Planning, a strategic planning. No one has acquired success without a plan, any plan will do ensuring that you have commitment to your plans and you are giving justice to your plans. Planning encompasses one’s vision, mission, goals and objectives, and it is important that you’re objectives specific and attainable. It is also important that there is adherence towards your goals for, this serves as your guide as you take the path of your choice. Besides, Planning is a process for accomplishing purpose. It is blue print of business growth and a road map of development. It helps in deciding objectives both in quantitative and qualitative terms. It is setting of goals on the basis of objectives and keeping in view the resources. A plan should be a realistic view of the expectations. Depending upon the activities, a plan can be long range, intermediate range or short range. It is the framework within which it must operate. For management seeking external support, the plan is the most important document and key to growth. Preparation of a comprehensive plan will not guarantee success, but lack of a sound plan will almost certainly ensure failure. Moreover, a plan can play a vital role in helping to avoid mistakes or recognize hidden opportunities. Preparing a satisfactory plan of the organization is essential.

The planning process enables management to understand more clearly what they want to achieve, and how and when they can do it. Planning helps in forecasting the future, makes the future visible to some extent. It bridges between where we are and where we want to go. Planning is looking ahead. In general, planning is made to facilitate goals achievement; to facilitate assessment; to reduce risks and loss; to make good decisions; to carry out job division; and to determine opportunities and threats. This is how planning should be. In our plans, we also have the foresights or our visions but, the question is – Have you ever thought of how you should live your life in order to reach your foresights? re you directing it towards a goal r are you just drifting?. It is never easy to answer these questions especially when you are already in the midst of challenges. But to build up one’s self, these questions should have answered prior an action was made.

There are points in ourlives that we really have to plan, a plan for our everyday undertakings. Even we worked so hard for planning at the end we still end up “failed” with our dreams. This is because we don’t give justice to our plans and it seems like we are planning to fail. There are also scenarios that we fail for the reason that we fail to plan. “By failing to plan, you almost certainly fall into the trap of reacting to situations as they come along rather than dealing with priorities in a controlled, systematic manner. Get organized by identifying your top 3 priorities for the day and then block out a period of time according to your estimate to complete the task. If certain tasks need to be done daily, try and do them at the same time each day. Doing things by habit, at the same time each day, conserves energy and reduces mental stress. Get organized by identifying your best time of day. Then schedule your priority tasks for that time if possible, when you are at your performance peak.”

I have this observation in which it conveys how planning play a vital role. As for my observation, there are fresh graduates who experienced hard time to decide what to pursue especially if these people are aware and understand that they are in a filed where competition do exist, where everyone is a competitor. While others find it easy especially when they know they are capable enough and they have addressed the right thing to do when they get into the real world. Honestly, before as I enter the premises of the university and in the college where I am in now, I really have that hard time thinking of what to pursue after I finish my IT education; for, in the first place I really don’t know what are the career opportunities that awaits. Until now, I realized how good are the career opportunities that IT education can offer. 10 years from now, “I am one of those highly in-demand IT Consultants in the country”.

Let’s get to know more about an IT Consultant, its job description, typical work activities, key skills for IT Consultants, and the training that one should acquire in order to be an IT Consultant. Information Technology (IT) Consultants work in firms of management consultants, software and system houses within large manufacturers of computing equipment, or occasionally internally in major industrial companies. An IT consultant works in partnership with clients, advising them how to use information technology in order to meet their business objectives or overcome problems. Consultants work to improve the structure and efficiency and of an organizations’ IT systems. IT consultants may be involved in a variety of activities, including marketing, project management, client relationship management and systems development. May also be responsible for user training and feedback. In many companies, these tasks will be carried out by IT project team. IT consultants are increasingly involved in sales and business development, as well as technical duties.

Some typical work activities of an IT consultant – meeting with clients to determine their needs/requirements; working with clients to define the scope of a project; planning timescales and the resources needed; clarifying a client’s system specifications; understanding their work practices and the nature of their business; and traveling to customer sites. IT consultants do analyze IT requireme4nts within companies and give independent and objective advice on the use of IT; provide specialist support and back-up to professionals within client companies; advise on strategic planning and operational efficiency; train staff in new systems. Key skills for IT consultants – analytical approach to work; excellent problem-solving skills; interpersonal skills; communication skills; ability to absorb complex technical information and pass this on clearly; and project management skills. IT consultants facilitate organizational change while providing expertise on technical, functional and/or business topics during the design, development and/or implementation of automated systems. Perform business requirements analysis, recommends selection of software/hardware, develops proposals for consulting services and manages the execution of the projects.

Sources:

http://www.prospects.ac.uk/p/types_of_job/it_consultant_job_description.jsp
http://www.get.hobsons.co.uk/advice/consultancy-IT-consultant
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planning
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Explain_the_importance_of_planning
http://www.about-goal-setting.com/get-organized.html

HRM Assignment 9: Nature, Scope of HRM

2009-10-12T07:26:00.002+08:00

For this assignment we are tasked to interview Human Resource Manager personnel or manager regarding his concept on the nature, scope and role of human resource management.

Since our adopted company for our Human Resource Management Major Paper is the Department of Education region XI we also grabbed the opportunity to interview the HRM personnel in the above-stated matter. Our interviewee was Rosalaine Marangan, Administrative Officer V and also the HRM head of DepED.

Definition:

Human Resource Management has come to be recognized as an inherent part of management, which is concerned with the human resources of an organization. Its objective is the maintenance of better human relations in the organization by the development, application and evaluation of policies, procedures and programmes relating to human resources to optimize their contribution towards the realization of organizational objectives.

In other words, HRM is concerned with getting better results with the collaboration of people. It is an integral but distinctive part of management, concerned with people at work and their relationships within the enterprise. HRM helps in attaining maximum individual development, desirable working relationship between employees and employers, employees and employees, and effective modeling of human resources as contrasted with physical resources. It is the recruitment, selection, development, utilization, compensation and motivation of human resources by the organization.

Evolution:

The early part of the century saw a concern for improved efficiency through careful design of work. During the middle part of the century emphasis shifted to the employee's productivity. Recent decades have focused on increased concern for the quality of working life, total quality management and worker's participation in management. These three phases may be termed as welfare, development and empowerment.
As for the group’s interview we have gathered the following answers:
Nature

1. Ogranisations is the people who manage.
2. HRM involves acquisitioning, developing, maintaining
3. Decisions relating to employees must be integrated.
4. Decisions made must influence the effectiveness of an organization.
5. HRM functions are confirmed to Non-business organization also.

Specifically, HRM has also these following nature:

Human Resource Management is a process of bringing people and organizations together so that the goals of each are met. The various features of HRM include:

• It is pervasive in nature as it is present in all enterprises.
• Its focus is on results rather than on rules.
• It tries to help employees develop their potential fully.
• It encourages employees to give their best to the organization.
• It is all about people at work, both as individuals and groups.
• It tries to put people on assigned jobs in order to produce good results.
• It helps an organization meet its goals in the future by providing for competent and well-motivated employees.
• It tries to build and maintain cordial relations between people working at various levels in the organization.
• It is a multidisciplinary activity, utilizing knowledge and inputs drawn from psychology, economics, etc.

Furthermore, concerned with the transactions on retirement, hiring and any human resource-related operations.

Scope

According to Ma’am Rosalaine that the operation as to hoe the personnel respond to a certain transaction is centralized. Meaning to say, all matters are mandated by the administrative office and beyond that is not entertained by their personnel. They are only up to what the center office is mandating.
The scope of HRM is very wide:

1. Personnel aspect-This is concerned with manpower planning, recruitment, selection, placement, transfer, promotion, training and development, layoff and retrenchment, remuneration, incentives, productivity etc.
2. Welfare aspect-It deals with working conditions and amenities such as canteens, creches, rest and lunch rooms, housing, transport, medical assistance, education, health and safety, recreation facilities, etc.
3. Industrial relations aspect-This covers union-management relations, joint consultation, collective bargaining, grievance and disciplinary procedures, settlement of disputes, etc. As for the industrial relations aspect, there has been no union-management relation existing within the firm.
HRM is one of the pillars of any organization. That is why they are very particular with the roles and functions of the personnel within the HRM division. Roles or functions are as follows:

1. Human resource or manpower planning.
2. Recruitment, selection and placement of personnel.
3. Training and development of employees.
4. Appraisal of performance of employees.
5. Taking corrective steps such as transfer from one job to another.
6. Remuneration of employees.
7. Social security and welfare of employees.
8. Setting general and specific management policy for organizational relationship.
9. Collective bargaining, contract negotiation and grievance handling.
10. Staffing the organization.
11. Aiding in the self-development of employees at all levels.
12. Developing and maintaining motivation for workers by providing incentives.
13. Reviewing and auditing manpower management in the organization
14. Potential Appraisal. Feedback Counseling.
15. Role Analysis for job occupants.
16. Job Rotation.
17. Quality Circle, Organization development and Quality of Working Life.

Human resource management is also in the process of change with regard to the nature of the role performed. In the past many functions were performed by HRM professionals themselves, the role they are taking on, is one of consultant to line management, where line managers perform many of the functions traditionally handled by HRM professionals. Similarly there is a trend in which businesses are shedding all functions that are not directly related to core business, and in the process many HRM functions are being outsourced. Hence the change in the nature of services provided.

The activity of generating unit standards and designing qualifications can be used as an opportunity to catapult HRM practices into the future. To do this, those issues which are going to shape the future for HRM need to be identified and analyzed, especially in relation to current roles that will still be required of HRM practitioners. These issues are central to the activity of generating unit standards (e.g. outsourcing, societal responsibility) and their impact on HRM roles (e.g. staffing, performance management).

To conclude Human Resource Management should be linked with strategic goals and objectives in order to improve business performance and develop organizational cultures that foster innovation and flexibility. All the above futuristic visions coupled with strategic goals and objectives should be based on 3 H's of Heart, Head and Hand i.e., we should feel by Heart, think by Head and implement by Hand.

Source:
http://www.citehr.com/79624-nature-scope-human-resource-management.html#post321558
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_nature_and_scope_of_human_resource_managemen

MIS Assignment 9: Information Environment

2009-10-12T07:06:00.002+08:00

For this assignment we are tasked to identify an Information Environment. Let us first be acquainted with what is Information Environment. The production of information is on the increase and ways to deal with this effectively are required. There is the need to ensure that quality of information is not lost amongst masses of digital data created everyday. If we can continue to improve the management, interrogation an serving ‘quality’ information, there is huge potential to enhance knowledge creation across learning and research communities. The aim of the information environment is to help provide convenient access to resources for research and learning through the use of resource discovery and resource management tools and the development of better services and practice. The Information Environment ails to allow discovery, access and use of resources for research and learning irrespective of their location.

By knowing Information Environment, I have chosen the E-Infrastructure as an information environment. Actually, this kind of information environment is under The Research Infrastructures part of the FP7 Capacities Programme, this supports an innovative way of conducting scientific research (referred to as e-science) by the creation environment for academic and industrial research in which virtual communities share, federate and exploit the collective power of European scientific facilities.

The term e-infrastructure refers to this new research environment in which all researchers – whether working in the context of their home institutions or in national or multinational scientific initiatives – have shared access to unique or distributed scientific facilities (including data, instruments, computing and communications), regardless of their type and locations in the world. The e-infrastructure activity will extend and reinforce the high capacity communication infrastructure; strengthen multidisciplinary grid and supercomputing infrastructures; expand scientific data infrastructure; encourage the adoption of e-infrastructure by an increasing number of user communities; stimulate new organizational models; and support the construction of new computation and data treatment facilities. Specifically, e-infrastructure aims to improve the capacity of he sector to manage, discover the use of information resources. This will be achieved by delivering a range of benefits to the sector that align with the general benefits, these are the following:

Enhanced capacity, knowledge and skills to enable positive and informed change in the sector

Guidance to the sector on ‘best practice’ models for using technology that can be used at departmental, institutional, regional or national levels

Strategic leadership to the sector and the other bodies in specialist areas to influence national and international agendas

Knowledge and experience as a basis for future funding decisions

New or enhanced services, infrastructure, standards or applications that may be used at departmental, institutional, regional or national levels

If I’ll get myself involved in such environment, I’ll be doing my roles that I must bear to satisfy the aim of this environment. One role that I will be possessing is the role to improve information management practices, because this is a key focus for many organizations, across both the public and private sector. Information environment is, however, much more than just technology. Equally importantly, it is about the business processes and practices that underpin the creation and use of information. Another role is develop guidelines for description and build systems that do a better job of supporting the information-seeking tasks of users; to be aware complexity of certain organizations, thus provide some necessary actions to overcome challenges in terms of planning and implementing any projects. Of course, these roles I have mentioned will not be perfectly done by my intellectual properties only, I have to adheres some options, ways and means in order to satisfy these roles. With this demand, the principles of Information Organization and representation is of big help to realize the roles I must posses.

Now, as I go over the internet I have known the principles of information management, I think these are most likely similar with information organization. We all know that an information management encompasses people, process, technology and content. Each of these must be addresses if information organization projects are to succeed. Here are the principles:

Recognize (and manage) complexity

Focus on adoption

Deliver tangible and visible benefits

Prioritize according to business needs

Take the journey of a thousand steps

Provide a strong leadership

Mitigate risks

Communicate extensively

Aim to deliver a seamless user experience

Choose the first project very carefully

With the first one which is to recognize (and manage) complexity, we all know for the fact that organizations are very complex environment in which to deliver concrete solutions. With these principle it will help my role to be perform correctly by way of fully centralizing information management activities, to ensure that every activity is tightly controlled and by way of rolling out rigid, standardized solutions across whole organization, even though individual business areas may have different needs. In practice, however, there is no way of avoiding the inherent complexities within organizations. New approaches to information management must therefore be found that recognize (and manage) this complexity. Risks must then be identified and mitigated throughout the project, to ensure that organizational complexities do not prevent the delivery of effective solutions.

In practice, most information management systems need the active participation of staff throughout the organization, this is the implication of the second principle. Staff must save all the key files into the document/records management system; front-line staff must capture call details in the customer relationship management system. In all these cases, the challenges is to gain the sufficient adoption to ensure that the required information is captured by the system. Without a critical mass of usage, corporate repositories will not contain enough information to be useful. This may include:

Identifying the ‘what’s in it for me’ factors for end users of the system

Communicating clearly to all staff the purpose and benefits of the project

Carefully targeting initial projects to build momentum for the project

Conducting extensive change management and cultural change activities throughout the project.

Ensuring that the systems that are deployed are useful and usable for the staff.

Another principle implies that delivering tangible benefits involves identifying concrete Business needs that must be met. This allows meaningful measurement of the impact of the projects on the operation of the organization. As involved in an information environment such as e-infrastructure one’s implementations should target issues or needs that are very visible within the organization. When the solutions are delivered, the improvement should be obvious, and widely promoted throughout the organization. For example, improving the information available to call centre staff can have a very visible and tangible impact on customer service. Another principle that can help in possessing my role in the environment that I have chosen is to prioritize according to business needs. It can be difficult to where to start when planning information management projects. While some organization attempt to prioritize projects according to the ‘simplicity’ of the technology to de deployed, this is not a meaningful approach. In particular, this often doesn’t deliver short-term benefits that are tangible and visible. Instead of this technology-driven approach<>

Also, mitigate risks is also an important principle that help posses the role. Due to the inherent complexity of the environment within organizations, there are many risks in implementing information management solutions. These risks include:

Selecting an inappropriate technology solution

Time and budget overruns

Changing business requirements

Technical issues, particularly relating to integrating systems

Failure to gain adoption by staff

At the outset of planning an information management strategy, the risks should be clearly identified. An approach must then be identified for each risk, either avoiding or mitigating the risk. Risk management approaches should then be used to plan all aspects of the project, including the activities conducted and the budget spent. To communicate extensively is also a big help in possessing my roles in the information environment I have chosen. Extensive communication from the project team is critical for a successful information management initiative. This communication ensures that staffs have a clear understanding of the project, and the benefits it will deliver. This is a pre-requisite for achieving the required level of adoption.
For all these reasons, the first step in an information management project should be to develop a clear communications ‘message’. This should then be supported by a communications plan that describes target audiences, and methods of communication. Project teams should also consider establishing a ‘project site’ on the intranet as the outset, to provide a location for planning documents, news releases, and other updates. Above all, when one is engaging himself’/herself in an information environment, one must take into account the principle that would affect the entire engagement activities of the information environment. The principle I am talking about is choosing a project very carefully.

The choice of conduct projects is part of broader information management strategy is critical. This project must be selected carefully, to ensure that it:

• demonstrates the value of the information management strategy
• builds momentum for future activities
• generates interest and enthusiasm from both end-users and stakeholders
• delivers tangible and visible benefits
• addresses an important or urgent business need
• can be clearly communicated to staff and stakeholders
• assists the project team in gaining further resources and support

Actions speak louder than words. The project is the single best (and perhaps only) opportunity to set the organization on the right path towards better information management practices and technologies. Te project must therefore be chosen according to its ability to act as a ‘catalyst’ for further organizational and cultural changes. In practice, this often involves starting with one problem or one area of the business that the organization as a whole would be interested in, and cares about. For example, starting by restructuring the corporate policies and procedures will generate little interest or enthusiasm. In contrast, delivering a system that greatly assists salespeople in the field would be something that could be widely promoted throughout the organization.

In practice, challenges have never turned its way. Challenges encompass once facing the roles in an information environment. Organizations are confronted with many information management problems and issues. In many ways, the growth of electronic information (rather than paper) has only worsened these issues over the last decade or two.

Common challenges that might occur in performing such roles within the e-infrastructure as an information environment.

• Large number of disparate information management systems.
• Little integration or coordination between information systems.
• Range of legacy systems requiring upgrading or replacement.
• Direct competition between information management systems.
• No clear strategic direction for the overall technology environment.
• Limited and patchy adoption of existing information systems by staff.
• Poor quality of information, including lack of consistency, duplication, and out-of-date information.
• Little recognition and support of information management by senior management.
• Limited resources for deploying, managing or improving information systems.
• Lack of enterprise-wide definitions for information types and values (no corporate-wide taxonomy).
• Large number of diverse business needs and issues to be addressed.
• Lack of clarity around broader organizational strategies and directions.
• Difficulties in changing working practices and processes of staff.
• Internal politics impacting on the ability to coordinate activities enterprise-wide.

Source:
http://www.steptwo.com.au/papers/kmc_effectiveim
http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/ict/e-infrastructure/

HRM Assignment 10 : HRM and Personnel Management

2009-09-30T19:53:00.003+08:00

In this context, let’s first review the differences and similarities of Personnel Management and Human Resource Management. Probably, the people behind personnel management and human resource management are the personnel manager and the human resource manager. By their functionalities we may be able to identify their differences and similarities.

The function of a personnel manager usually begins with the staffing process. The manager may be focused on screening and interviewing applicants, with an eye to placing individuals with the right skill sets in the right position within the company. Along with placement, the HR manager may also oversee, or at least be involved in, the creation of entry level training programs, as well as continuing education opportunities for existing employees. Determining company policies and procedures as they relate to personnel is another important aspect of the personnel management process. HR functions often include drafting vacation, sick leave, and bereavement policies that apply to all employees. The personnel management team is also often responsible for managing any healthcare program provided to the employees as well.

One aspect of company organization that needs the input of effective personnel management is the drafting of a company handbook. Establishing operation policies and procedures, requirements for employment, commendation and disciplinary procedures, and even something as simple as a dress code has to be compared with state and federal guidelines before the handbook is ready for release to the company at large. Personnel managers and the HR staff are ideal for drafting and reviewing the company handbook. Sometimes overlooked in the course of personnel management is the emotional welfare of the employees. Increasingly, more personnel managers understand that a well-adjusted employee is an asset to the company. To this end, many people in charge of personnel management try to provide opportunities for employees who are in need of counseling to receive support from the company.

This support often involves scheduling time during working hours for the counseling sessions, and perhaps picking up the cost if insurance does not cover counseling. As with continuing educational programs, counseling is seen as another way that the company invests in the future relationship between the employee and the employer. A good HR manager understands this and will strive to make sure this sort of support is available. Depending on the size of the organization, it may be possible for one person to handle all personnel management functions. As a company grows, it may be necessary to expand from a single personnel manager to a full-fledged personnel management, or Human Resources team. By understanding the needs of the company at each point in its growth, management can readily see to the addition to the Human Resources team over time.

Definitions of Personnel Management may somehow differ depending on a field it is concerned, and these are the following:

• Administrative discipline of hiring and developing employees so that they become more valuable to the organization. It includes (1) conducting job analyses, (2) planning personnel needs, and recruitment, (3) selecting the right people for the job, (4) orienting and training, (5) determining and managing wages and salaries, (6) providing benefits and incentives, (7) appraising performance, (8) resolving disputes, (9) communicating with all employees at all levels.

Source: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/personnel-management.html

• The part of management that is concerned with people and their relationships at work. Personnel management is the responsibility of all those who manage people, as well as a description of the work of specialists. Personnel managers advise on, formulate, and implement personnel policies such as recruitment, conditions of employment, performance appraisal, training, industrial relations, and health and safety. There are various models of personnel management, of which human resource management is the most recent.

Source: http://dictionary.bnet.com/definition/Personnel+Management.html

• Within organizations that employ people, this is the function with policy responsibility for the selection and recruitment of staff, training, performance assessment, career development, disciplinary proceedings, pre-retirement advisory work, equal opportunities policies, pay bargaining, and industrial relations. In small organizations these functions may be combined with other management responsibilities; in large organizations a substantial separate department may be involved in setting policy, its implementation, and in keeping up to date with developments in labor law. In recent years the newer alternative term 'human resource management' has come into use, reflecting the increased importance of this function in labor-intensive service-sector industries.

Source: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Definition_of_personnel_management

• Planning, organizing, and administering all activities related to personnel.

Source: http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Personnel_management

• Skills in communicating effectively, developing teams, managing diversity, managing conflict, delegating responsibility, coaching and training, giving and receiving constructive feedback, and motivating and guiding either individuals or groups to achieve specific goals.

Source: http://www.cedanet.com/meta/personnel_management.htm

Definition of Human Resource Management

• Human Resource Management (HRM) is the function within an organization that focuses on recruitment of, management of, and providing direction for the people who work in the organization. Human Resource Management can also be performed by line managers.

Source: http://humanresources.about.com/od/glossaryh/f/hr_management.htm

• "Human resource management is responsible for how people are treated in organizations. It is responsible for bringing people into the organization, helping them perform their work, compensating them for their labors, and solving problems that arise" (Cherrington, 1995, p. 5). There are seven management functions of a human resources (HR) department that will be specifically addressed: staffing, performance appraisals, compensation and benefits, training and development, employee and labor relations, safety and health, and human resource research.

Source: http://www.answers.com/topic/human-resource-management

• A model of personnel management that focuses on the individual rather than taking a collective approach. Responsibility for human resource management is often devolved to line management. It is characterized by an emphasis on strategic integration, employee commitment, workforce flexibility, and quality of goods and services.

Source: http://dictionary.bnet.com/definition/human+resource+management.html

• Administrative activities associated with human resources planning, recruitment, selection, orientation, training, appraisal, motivation, remuneration, etc. HRM aims at developing people through work.

Source:http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/human-resource-management-HRM.html

• Human Resource Management (HRM) involves all management decisions and practices that directly affect or influence people, or human resources, who work for the organization

Source:http://books.google.com.ph/books?id=kUZx2l3atyAC&pg=PA32&lpg=PA32&dq=definition+of+human+resource+management&source=bl&ots=4Dcr0CQMk7&sig=OL9CnYbD3ZVjQrCXZPFekW1pdm8&hl=tl&ei=hkLDSpuHAYrIsAO497DAAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CA8Q6AEwAjge#v=onepage&q=definition%20of%20human%20resource%20management&f=false

• Term that is replacing personnel management and implying that personnel managers should not merely handle recruitment, pay, and discharging, but should maximize the use of an organization's human resources.

Source:http://www.allbusiness.com/glossaries/human-resources-management-hrm/4959860-1.html
• “HRM is a series of integrated decisions that form the employment relationships; their quality contributes to the ability of the organizations and the employees to achieve their objectives.”

• “HRM is concerned with the people dimensions in management. Since every organization is made up of people, acquiring their services, developing their skills, motivating them to higher levels of performance and ensuring that they continue to maintain their commitment to the organization are essential to achieving organizational objectives. This is true, regardless of the type of the organization government, business, education, health, recreational, or social action.”

• “HRM planning, organizing, directing and controlling of the procurement, development, compensation, integration, maintenance and separation of human resources to the end that individual, organizational and social objectives are accomplished.”

Source: http://www.docstoc.com/docs/10373623/HUMAN-RESOURCE-MANAGEMENT

HRM Assignment 8: SONA

2009-09-30T13:54:00.002+08:00

For this assignment we tasked to identify at least three sections related to Human Resource being discussed by PGMA in her SONA last July this year. As we all know the Human Resource is mainly referring to the people that encompass a certain organization or simply the PEOPLE, therefore the sections that i will be mentioning are things that are of related to the development of the people in this fast changing environment. Perhaps, as I review over the full text of the SONA I have come to identify the following sections discussed by PGMA in her SONA:

Microfinance

Basically, this microfinance is engaged for the poor descendants of the country.

1. What is Microfinance?

"Microfinance is the supply of loans, savings, and other basic financial services to the poor." (CGAP) In pursuant of this matter there microfinance institutions who are greatly involved in this financing. A microfinance institution (MFI) is an organization that provides microfinance services, ranging from small non-profit organizations to large commercial banks.

"Historical context can help explain how specialized MFIs developed over the last few decades. Between the 1950s and 1970s, governments and donors focused on providing subsidized agricultural credit to small and marginal farmers, in hopes of raising productivity and incomes. During the 1980s, microenterprise credit concentrated on providing loans to poor women to invest in tiny businesses, enabling them to accumulate assets and raise household income and welfare. These experiments resulted in the emergence of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that provided financial services for the poor. In the 1990s, many of these institutions transformed themselves into formal financial institutions in order to access and on-lend client savings, thus enhancing their outreach.

2. . Why there is a need for financial services by way of microfinance?

"Comprehensive impact studies have demonstrated that:

• Microfinance helps very poor households meet basic needs and protect against risks;
• The use of financial services by low-income households is associated with improvements in household economic welfare and enterprise stability or growth;
• By supporting women's economic participation, microfinance helps to empower women, thus promoting gender-equity and improving household well-being;
• For almost all significant impacts, the magnitude of impact is positively related to the length of time that clients have been in the programme." (UNCDF Microfinance)

"Poor people, with access to savings, credit, insurance, and other financial services, are more resilient and better able to cope with the everyday crises they face. Even the most rigorous econometric studies have proven that microfinance can smooth consumption levels and significantly reduce the need to sell assets to meet basic needs. With access to micro insurance, poor people can cope with sudden increased expenses associated with death, serious illness, and loss of assets.
Access to credit allows poor people to take advantage of economic opportunities. While increased earnings are by no means automatic, clients have overwhelmingly demonstrated that reliable sources of credit provide a fundamental basis for planning and expanding business activities. Many studies show that clients who join and stay in programs have better economic conditions than non-clients, suggesting that programs contribute to these improvements. A few studies have also shown that over a long period of time many clients do actually graduate out of poverty.
By reducing vulnerability and increasing earnings and savings, financial services allow poor households to make the transformation from "every-day survival" to "planning for the future." Households are able to send more children to school for longer periods and to make greater investments in their children's education. Increased earnings from financial services lead to better nutrition and better living conditions, which translates into a lower incidence of illness. Increased earnings also mean that clients may seek out and pay for health care services when needed, rather than go without or wait until their health seriously deteriorates." (CGAP) "Empirical evidence shows that, among the poor, those participating in microfinance programs who had access to financial services were able to improve their well-being—both at the individual and household level—much more than those who did not have access to financial services.

3. Is microfinance the solution to poverty?

My own view is that we have to approach extreme poverty a little like the way in which a doctor might approach a patient. Sometimes its terrible governance and the question is how to improve the governance and the hope for the kind of change that is needed. In other places it's the terrible burden of disease that may be addressable by good public health measures. In other places it is to show how to grow more food. In other places its how to get business going and microfinance has proven to be an incredibly powerful tool.

Once the basics are in place, the people are eating and can survive, then microfinance can play a huge role in helping a poor community find ways through the market to get new opportunities, to earn new income, to start saving, making investments and start the process of climbing the ladder of economic development in your children, in your business or your farm and continuing up the process of improving skills, specialization, new business ventures and so on. We've learnt that microfinance can be a wonderful tool for that." - Jeffrey Sachs, the Earth Institute at Columbia University, Director

"In the last two decades, substantial progress has been made in developing techniques to deliver financial services to the poor on a sustainable basis. Most donor interventions have concentrated on one of these services, microcredit. For microcredit to be appropriate however, the clients must have the capacity to repay the loan under the terms by which it is provided. Otherwise, clients may not be able to benefit from credit and risk being pushed into debt problems. This sounds obvious, but microcredit is viewed by some as "one size fits all." Instead, microcredit should be carefully evaluated against the alternatives when choosing the most appropriate intervention tool for a specific situation.

Microcredit may be inappropriate where conditions pose severe challenges to standard microcredit methodologies. Populations that are geographically dispersed or nomadic may not be suitable microfinance candidates. Microfinance may not be appropriate for populations with a high incidence of debilitating illnesses (e.g., HIV/AIDS). Dependence on a single economic activity or single agricultural crop, or reliance on barter rather than cash transactions may pose problems. The presence of hyperinflation or absence of law and order may stress the ability of microfinance to operate. Microcredit is also much more difficult when laws and regulations create significant barriers to the sustainability of microfinance providers (for example, by mandating interest-rate caps).

Some points also were tackled by PGMA, it may not said verbally but it can be understood, these are the following:

? Grants can be used to help overcome the social isolation, lack of productive skills, and low self-confidence of the extreme poor, and to prepare them for eventual use of microcredit. Small grants and other financial entitlements can work well as first steps to "graduate" the poor from vulnerability to economic self-sufficiency.

? Investments in infrastructure, such as roads, communications, and education, provide a foundation for economic activities. Community-level investments in commercial or productive infrastructure (such as market centers or small-scale irrigation schemes) also facilitate business activity.

? Employment programs prepare the poor for self-employment. Food-for-work programs and public works projects fit this model. In many cases, these programs may be out of reach for cash-strapped local governments but within the purview of donors.

? Non-financial services range from literacy classes and community development to market-based business-development services. While non-financial services should be provided by separate institutional providers, there are clear, complementary links with the demand for and impact of microcredit.

? Legal and institutional reforms can create incentives for microfinance by improving the operating environment for both microfinance providers and their clients. For example, streamlining microenterprise registration, abolishing caps on interest rates, loosening regulations governing non-mortgage collateral, strengthening the judicial system, and reducing the cost and time of property and asset registration can foster a supportive climate for microfinance."

Resiliency plan

Depending on your requirements, our consultants can help you document cross-enterprise actions and appropriate responses to create a true resilience plan:

• Action steps to recover files before their loss causes a disaster
• Emergency and incident identification and escalation definitions
• Crisis response plans to mitigate human loss and mitigates impact
• Departmental plans that address localized systems and processes
• Data Center and facilities plans, including those for multivendor technologies and networks
• Workplace plans for your staff situated at local, remote or homework locations
• Corporate plans for HR, payroll and many cross-business unit applications
• Call center plans for both internal resources and third-party agencies that use your customer sales and support systems and databases
Resilience Plans and Procedures Development occurs in four primary areas:
• Crisis Management Plan Development - defines the preparatory actions taken prior to and immediately following an emergency to mitigate damage and loss of life and property
• IT Plan Development - defines the IT actions to adapt and respond following a declaration of disaster using recovery strategies and prioritization that supports the recovery requirements of the business
• Business Unit Plan Development - defines actions to support critical business units and their processes, goals and objectives following a declaration of disaster
• Technical Procedures Development - defines the procedures to recover the IT equipment, data and network that support critical business processes
• Business Procedures Development - defines the procedures to recover business processes in the event of
a disaster
IBM’s Business Resilience and Continuity consultants will:
• Predefine the conditions that may cause your plan to go into effect
• Create definitions that accurately portray your organization’s
disaster definition
• Identify decision-makers and their roles before, during and after
an incident
• Inventory the resources required to bring your business units and IT systems back online
• Identify backup technique, frequency and location for data retrieval
• Prioritize and sequence the restoration actions defined in your recovery plan into a detailed timeline and checklist
• Predefine an operations center
to coordinate status, issues
and assignments
• Develop communication strategies for keeping your employees and customers informed
• Organize your recovery plan into a flexible, easily maintained format
• Identify steps and precautions to maintain the same level of security that you have on a daily basis
• Validate your recovery plan using diverse recovery exercise approaches, such as conducting simulations based on real-life disaster declarations

Health insurance

Solution: Preventive, high-quality care for better health.

By ensuring that health plans cover free preventive services for everyone, investing in prevention and wellness, and promoting primary care, health insurance reform will work to create a system that prevents illness and disease instead of just treating it when it’s too late and costs more.
Health insurance reform legislation will establish medically driven priorities and standards on quality, require quality reporting by hospitals, and provide incentive payments for high-quality performance. As a result, older women will have better information to support their health care choices and will receive higher quality care.

Solution: Making high-quality, affordable long-term care a reality.

Health insurance reform will create a new voluntary long-term care insurance program to help cover the costs of support services for the millions who need them. Legislation will also establish new reporting, accountability, and oversight requirements for nursing homes, and impose stiffer penalties on nursing homes with serious quality deficiencies.

Health insurance reform will develop national priorities on quality, standardize quality measurement and reporting, invest in patient safety, and reward providers for high-quality care, especially related to patients discharged from a hospital. Investments in comparative effectiveness research will empower seniors and their doctors with information on which treatments work and which don’t, so that they can make more informed decisions. Health insurance reform will also invest in advanced primary care services that will better coordinate and integrate care for our nation’s seniors, to ensure that they get recommended treatments, particularly for chronic diseases.

Sources:

http://www.healthreform.gov/reports/seniorwomen/index.html
http://www-935.ibm.com/services/us/bcrs/pdf/ss_resilience-plans-and-procedures-development.pdf
http://www.kiva.org/about/microfinance/

MIS Assignment 8: Outsourcing and In-sourcing

2009-09-08T11:35:00.004+08:00

For this assignment we are tasked to stand as to whether we prefer outsourcing or in-sourcing.

In some point of my discussions during the group reporting in HRM, I have made mentioned about outsourcing of a certain company that we adopted. In the case of the company we visited some services are actually outsourced, like their activities on counseling they actually outsourced teams, organizations that could handle the said activity in behalf of the employees who has the authority to do that kind of service. However, this certain companies also held companies in which the service involved is referred “in-house”. For me both in-house and in-source actually have identical meaning but then in-source is somewhat technical that anyone would doubt at some point, but both really have the same implications.

Before making into a firm preference I would like to emphasize first the distinct definition of the two – outsourcing and in-sourcing.

Outsourcing – What is Outsourcing?

For companies looking for a competitive advantage, outsourcing is a hot topic. The reason is the promise that outsourcing will help a company focus on more on it’s core competencies.

Outsourcing is contracting with other company or person to do a particular function. Almost every organization outsource in some way. Typically, the function being outsourced is considered non-core to the business. All insurance company, for example, might outsource its janitorial and landscaping operations to firms that specialize in those types of work since they are not related to insurance or strategic to the business, outside firms that are providing the outsourcing services are third-party providers, or as they are more commonly called, service providers.

Although outsourcing has been around as long as work specialization has existed, in recent history, companies began employing the outsourcing model to carry out narrow functions, such as payroll, bill and data entry. Those processes could be done more efficiently and therefore cost-effectively, by other companies with specialized tools and facilities and specially trained personnel.

Currently, outsourcing takes many forms. Organizations still hire service providers to handle distinct business processes, such as benefits management. But some organizations outsource whole operations. In most common forms are information technology outsourcing (ITO) a business process outsourcing (BPO). Business process outsourcing encompasses call center outsourcing, human resources outsourcing (HRO), finance and accounting outsourcing, and claims processing outsourcing. These outsourcing deals involve multi-year contracts that can run into hundreds of millions of client firm are transferred and become employees for the service providers. Dominant outsourcing service providers in the information technology outsourcing and business process outsourcing fields include IBM, EDS, CSC, HP, ACS, Accenture and Capgemini.

Some nimble companies that are short on time and money, such as start-up software publishers, apply multisourcing – using both internal and service provider staff – in order to speed up the time to launch. They hire a multitude of outsourcing service providers to handle almost all aspects of a new project, from product design, to software coding, to testing, to localization, and even to marketing and sales. In the context of outsourcing it encompasses four stages, these are the following:

1.) Strategic thinking, to develop the organization’s philosophy about the role of outsourcing in the activities. This stage is really vital to an organizations for this kind of thinking commonly results to a centralize manner of giving due importance to the specific roles of outsourcing for the betterment of the organization.

2.) Evaluation and selection, to decide on the appropriate outsourcing projects and potential locations for the work to be done and service providers to do it. This stage will asses the right and suited outsourcing activities for the organization to adapt.

3.) Contract development, to work out the legal, pricing and service level agreement (SLA) terms; and

4.) Outsourcing management or governance, to refine the ongoing working relationship between the client and outsourcing service providers. This stage must be taken into account especially that due and effective supervision will really affect the current business process being involved by the client and the outsourcing service providers.

In all cases, outsourcing success depends on three factors: executive-level support in the client organization for the outsourcing mission; and ample communication to affected employees; and the clients’ ability to manage its service providers. The outsourcing professionals in charge of the work on both the client and provider sides need a combination of skills in such areas as negotiation, communication, project management, the ability to understand the terms and conditions of the contracts and service level agreements (SLAs), and, above all, the willingness to be flexible as business needs change. The challenges of outsourcing become especially acute when the work is being done in a different country (offshored), since having an offshore transaction would mean having constraints on language, cultural and time zone differences.

Organizations who are interested in outsourcing are often curious to know more about disadvantages and advantages of offshoring. By gaining insights about the good and bad of outsourcing, organizations can decide if outsourcing is right for them. Most organization jump headlong into outsourcing, without actually finding out if outsourcing is good for their business. Before outsourcing, ensure that you are aware about the pros and cons of outsourcing. The advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing can help your organization decide if outsourcing is right for their business. The following are the advantages and disadvantages of “outsourcing”:

Advantages of Outsourcing

The benefits of outsourcing are:

Less capital expenditure – For example, by outsourcing information technology requirements, a company does not have to buy expensive hardware and software.

Less management headache – For example, by outsourcing business process such as accounting, company nom longer has to hire and manage accounting personnel.

Focus on core competencies – Outsourcing non – core related processes will allow a business to focus more on its core competencies and strengths, giving it a competitive advantage.

Specific advantages of outsourcing are as follow:

With outsourcing your organization can experience increased efficiency and productivity in non-core business processes

Outsourcing can help you streamline your business operations

Offshore outsourcing can help you save on time, effort, manpower, operating costs and training costs amongst others

Outsourcing can make your organization flexible to change

You can experience an increased control of your business with outsourcing

Your organization can save on investing in the latest technology, software and infrastructure as your outsourcing partner would be investing in these

Outsourcing can give you assurance that your business process are being carried out efficiently, proficiently and within a fast turnaround time.

By outsourcing, your company can save on management problems as your offshore partner will be managing the team who does your work

By outsourcing, you can crater to the new and challenging demands of your customers.

Outsourcing can help your organization to free up its cash flow

Outsourcing can give your business a competitive advantage as you will be able to increase productivity in all the areas of your business

Outsourcing can help your organization to cut is operational costs to more than half

If you want your organization to stay ahead of competition, concentrate on core competencies and make use of the latest technologies, then outsourcing can help your organization achieve all this and more. In outsourcing, the advantages of outsourcing are more than the disadvantages of outsourcing. The pros of outsourcing have driven more organization to step into offshoring and experience the benefits that it has to offer.

Furthermore, one of the biggest advantages can be lower personnel costs. By outsourcing job duties to non-employees, a business does not have to pay consistent wages or offer additional employee benefits. The company may pay lower taxes because independent contractors, the people who complete the outsourced projects, pay their own withholding, social security, and other taxes. This can add up to substantial savings. Some businesses choose to take their outsourcing one step further by choosing a vendor, located in another part of the world. Doing so typically saves them more money because they end up paying a much lower wage than would be necessary in their home country. The disadvantage is that these vendors may not understand English and communication is more difficult. Many times, outsourcing speeds up production time. Since the third-party vendor will only be concentrating on one specific task, instead of numerous office duties, actual production time can be greatly increased.

Some businesses choose to take their outsourcing one step further by choosing a vendor, located in another part of the world. Doing so typically saves them more money because they end up paying a much lower wage than would be necessary in their home country. The disadvantage is that these vendors may not understand English and communication is more difficult.

Many times, outsourcing speeds up production time. Since the third-party vendor will only be concentrating on one specific task, instead of numerous office duties, actual production time can be greatly increased. In turn, it can cause community uproar and even a decrease in business and profits. This happens when local consumers make the decision to shop elsewhere, as a way to voice their disdain. Outsourcing customer service jobs, to foreign countries, is on the rise. Many large corporations including credit card companies, shopping networks and computer manufacturers are making this change. The problem with this is a lack of communication. It can be very frustrating for a consumer who is calling in with a customer service issue. When this individual cannot understand the customer service representative they are speaking with, it just causes more frustration and does little to solve the problem.

Disadvantages of Outsourcing

Before deciding on outsourcing your company's business process, keep in mind the disadvantages of outsourcing:
Less managerial control - It may be harder to manage the outsourcing service provider as compared to managing your own employees.
Outsourcing company goes out of business - If your outsourcing service provide goes bankrupt or out of business, your company will have to quickly transition to a new service provider or take the process back in-house.
May be more expensive - Sometimes it is cheaper to keep a process in-house as compared to outsourcing.
Security and confidentiality issues - If your company is outsourcing business processes such as payroll, confidential information such as salary will be known to the outsourcing service provider.
Moreover, here are the list of the advantages of outsourcing:

At times, it is more cost-effective to conduct a particular business process, rather than outsourcing it
While outsourcing services such as payroll processing services and tax preparation services, your outsourcing provider will be able to see your company’s confidential information and hence there is a threat to security and confidentiality in outsourcing
When you begin to outsource your business processes, you might find it difficult to manage the offshore provider when compared to managing processes within your organization
In case, your offshore service provider becomes bankrupt or goes out of business, your organization will have to immediately move your business processes in-house or find another outsourcing provider
The employees in your organization might not like the idea of you outsourcing your processes and they might express lack of interest or lack of quality at work
Your outsourcing provider might not be only providing services for your organization. Since your provider might be catering to the needs of several companies, there might be not be complete devotion to you and your company
By outsourcing, you might forget to cater to the needs of your valuable customers as your focus will be on the business process that is outsourced
In outsourcing, you may lose your control over the process that is outsourced
Outsourcing, though cost-effective, might have hidden costs, such as the legal costs incurred while signing a contract between companies. You might also have to spend a lot of time and effort in getting the contract signed
With outsourcing, your organization might suffer from a lack of customer focus

There can be several disadvantages in outsourcing, such as, renewing contracts, misunderstanding of the contract, lack of communication.

Outsourcing occurs when a business secures (purchases) products and/or services from a third party, as opposed to producing them in-house. There are several advantages and disadvantages to outsourcing.

Now, let us discuss the advantages and disadvantages of In-sourcing.

What is In-sourcing?

In-sourcing

The opposite of outsourcing can be defined as in-sourcing. When an organization delegates its work to another entity, which is internal yet not a part of the organization, it is termed as in-sourcing. The internal entity will usually have a specialized team who will be proficient in the providing the required services. Organizations sometimes opt for in-sourcing because it enables them to maintain a better control of what they outsource. In-sourcing has also come to be defined as transferring work from one organization to another organization which is located within the same country. In-sourcing can also mean an organization building a new business centre or facility which would specialize in a particular service or product.

Organizations involved in production usually opt for in-sourcing in order to cut down the cost of labor and taxes amongst others. The trend towards in-sourcing has increased since the year 2006. Organizations who have been dissatisfied with outsourcing have moved towards in-sourcing. Some organizations feel that they can have better customer support and better control over the work outsourced by in-sourcing their work rather than outsourcing it. According to recent studies, there is more wok in-sourced than outsourced in the U.S and U.K. These countries are currently the largest outsourcers in the world. The U.S and U.K outsource and in-source work equally.

Moreover, In-sourcing is a business practice in which work that would otherwise have been contracted out is performed in house.
In-sourcing often involves bringing in specialists to fill temporary needs or training existing personnel to perform tasks that would otherwise have been outsourced. An example is the use of in-house engineers to write technical manuals for equipment they have designed, rather than sending the work to an outside technical writing firm. In this example, the engineers might have to take technical writing courses at a local college, university, or trade school before being able to complete the task successfully. Other challenges of in-sourcing include the possible purchase of additional hardware and/or software that is scalable and energy-efficient enough to deliver an adequate return on investment (ROI).

In-sourcing can be viewed as outsourcing as seen from the opposite side. For example, a company based in Japan might open a plant in the United States for the purpose of employing American workers to manufacture Japanese products. From the Japanese perspective this is outsourcing, but from the American perspective it is in-sourcing. Nissan, a Japanese automobile manufacturer, has in fact done this.

Some advantages and disadvantages that encompasses In-sourcing:

Advantages to In-sourcing:

Helps economy
More jobs become available to others

Disadvantages to In-sourcing

More expensive
Less chance for new companies to succeed

Despite some disadvantages, there are still instance which other people take in-source into account. Wherein they find in-source a way to transform business as usual into business as exceptional. All salt-worthy executives know that the name of the game is reinvention, and those who play best win. What many don’t realize is that they can play the game a lot better, and improve their company’s performance by growing a culture of innovators from within, not by continuing to acquire innovation resources from without. If pervasive innovation is what you want, there’s only one way to get it: in-source it, and make it part of everyone’s job.

In-sourcing Innovation provides a straightforward depiction of why leading organizations are making innovation more systematic and structured.

There are also firms and organizations supporting the in-sourcing – FAIR supports efforts to “in-source” but advises a deliberate and systematic approach based on facts and analysis. The Federal Acquisition Innovation and Reform Institute (FAIR) support efforts to “in-source” critical positions and personnel so that the government possesses adequate organic capability to address the challenging and daunting tasks ahead of us. However, we recommend that the administration, Congress, and agencies proceed with caution, through a deliberate and systematic approach to in-sourcing based on facts and analysis. Agencies should also adopt realistic timelines for recruiting and integrating new personnel as well as developing new business processes, if required... Rushing to undo what has been in the making for years, perhaps decades will be counterproductive.

Guidance for in-sourcing should address the critical question of ‘inherently
governmental’ and core competencies. As the Obama administration, Congress, and agency leadership lay out guidance and legislation regarding positions that should be in-sourced, the most important questions that we should be asking are:

What are ‘inherently governmental’ positions? Are there any currently beingperformed by contractors and if so, how can they in-sourced immediately?
What core competencies are critical to achieving agency and program missions?

Which positions are tied to core competencies?
What is the right balance between government versus contractor positions (in the short term and longer term)?
Beyond number of positions, does the government have the ability to create

Efficient business models to deliver capability and expertise being provided by

Contractors?

Where should government still continue to leverage government expertise and technical capabilities?? How and when should positions be in-sourced? What are critical processes and policies, such as the hiring process and the pay system, that need to be improved to attract the required number of staff?

Perhaps there are doubts turned into confusing thoughts between outsourcing and in-sourcing. In that way, we probably ask this question -- What is best for your organization?

If your organization has a number of non-core processes which are taking plenty of time, effort and resources to perform in-house, it would be wise to outsource these non-core functions. Outsourcing in this case, would help you save on time, effort, manpower and would also aid you in making quicker deliveries to your customers. If you require expertise services in areas which do not fall under your core competency, then outsourcing will be a good option as you can get access to expertise services. For reducing costs and making faster deliverable, outsourcing is again a good option.

If your work involves production, then it would be more ideal for your organization to opt for in-sourcing, as you can save on transportation costs and exercise a better control over your project.

It is not necessary to choose outsourcing over in-sourcing or vice versa. Your organization can outsource and in-source at the same time. By outsourcing and in-sourcing simultaneously, you can have the best of what both offers and your business can get a competitive advantage!

the use of in-house personnel or an internal department to meet an organization's need for specific services. In-sourcing is seen as a reaction to the growing popularity of outsourcing that has not always met expectations. An in-sourcing strategy is chosen where it appears that a better service can be provided from internal resources than from an external supplier. In some cases, organizations opt for a combination of outsourcing and in-sourcing, in which external service providers work in cooperation with in-house personnel.

Sources:

http://www.ictstandards.com/Advantages_And_Disadvantages_Of_Outsourcing.htm
http://www.webspacestation.com/it-outsourcing-news/articles/outsourcing.html
http://www.outsource2india.com/why_outsource/articles/advantages-disadvantages-outsourcing.asp
http://www.articlesbase.com/management-articles/outsourcing-the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-outsourcing-536182.html
http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci1185946,00.html
http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/0,,sid9_gci1185946,00.html
http://www.sourcingmag.com/content/what_is_outsourcing.asp
http://www.thefairinstitute.org/downloads/The%20Move%20to%20Insourcing_June%202009.pdf

HRM Assignment 7: Reflection

2009-08-29T10:33:00.000+08:00

“Human beings are the most important, potent and critical resource of any organization, and yet the least understood and the worst managed of its resources”

When refer a person to be potent it simply means effective and efficient as to the field that one is involved. Human being involvement regardless of the position has been noted a vital resource of the success of a certain company. Human has been working hand-in-hand with the upper sectors on the community; they are the most reliable resource as far as labor is concerned. Despite some facts about the effectiveness, still there appear to have weaknesses that can be associated to a person, as the line above says, “… and yet the least understood and the worst managed of its resources”.

Actually, I had the hard time comprehending the line, for I cannot sight any possibilities why it is so. For me to be able to understand the line I divided the line into two. First half, I will have to discuss why human beings are the most important, potent and critical resource in any organization. Second, I will be discussing why human beings are referred to be the least understood and the worst managed of its resources. One of the implications of the first half is human being as the important resource in any organization. This is because there are certain things that human act which serves as contributing factors to the development of the organization. It is often referred as the Planning and Strategy Formation Role in which it has created the need for people to become aggressive. This is because the access to strong distribution channels is critical for their continued popularity. This planning and strategy formation comprises the following:

Decision-making Role

Upon arriving at the correct decision or choice, human now gains confidence in his/her ability to make critical decisions or choices especially when his/her integrity is in the line. Thus, this human resource professional will now search fro even more challenges and opportunities where he/she could further enhance his/her decision-making abilities regarding current human resource issues.

Analytical Role

Through the exposure to various puzzling human resource issues, human along the process is able to develop holistic mindset regarding the issues surrounding him/her. In this practice it enhances a healthy and holistic mindset which makes it difficult to the detractors to give influence. Because of this holistic approach, a person is able to effectively select the right choice and continue to maximize this potential for future use.

There are also innate characteristics of human beings that if managed and honed up effectively will really contribute positively to the organization. These include the following:

Mental Stability

If a person has a stable mental aspect then he is effective in the pursuit of correct decision as well as the management and development of the process accompanying it. It is therefore important to a person to be as stable as he/she must be for he/she should remain updated with the latest developments in all issues.

Performance and Credibility

The production of their best human resource outputs comes as a result of a well-funded research management and development activities. The strong performance of a person and their outputs could also be linked to the effective strategic planning and human resource mobilization. Thus, human’s credibility increases as his/he performance becomes better.

Those are the things that justify how important and how a human being can be an effective or potent resource in any of the organization. Besides, JUDGMENT still remain as human’s innate trait which cannot be replaced by any form of technology regardless how efficient the innovation is. Another implication is human being referred a critical resource of any organization, this is because, human is the most flexible. It is the least constrained among the various resources to which a company has access. If we are to compare human to machines as to the state of being critical, machine has limits. One of the most common things that can be associated with the situation is a calculator; a calculator calculates operations faster but can only do what someone precisely tells it to do. It has no autonomy, or the sense of having self-government. Another thins that makes human critical is that human is extremely adaptable and is extremely pliable. If this is so then human may encounter various challenges since being pliable would mean susceptible with any unwanted constraints that may occur as one adapt to a certain environment. Despite the constraints, by being pliant human will be capable for performing well-defined and predefined planned scales but also of something more important.

Furthermore, the human resource approach focuses on the relationship between organizations and people. In this framework, people are the most critical resource in an organization exists to serve human needs instead of human existing to serve organizational needs. Topic central to self-concept of an organization include motivation, attitudes, participation, and framework. As a result, an organization is a permanent arrangement of social elements with a formal structure. The organizational members do not only pursue factual goals but also personal interests (e.g. career, power, and continuous education). If we say, “the hospital is an organization” we emphasize the fact that people in organization try to satisfy different needs and motives however there are still cases that appear in which people in an organization encounters conflict in terms of their goals—organizational goals and personal goals. This scenario really makes human as critical for there appear to have conflicts of the goals for in cannot be denied that there are a number of people in an organization who are really pursuing their personal goals such as, having promotions.

Human as the least understood resource in the organization.

Some people of the higher office of any organization still find instances that human is the least understood in their environment. In cannot be denied that human are of different characteristics, some traits can be managed along the way but some are hard to cope with. There are really cases which mislead the understanding towards human which is really visible in an organization, because not all are aware of intrinsic differences. It should be taken into account that human think differently, make distinct decisions, and differ in dispositions. In short NO TWO PEOPLE THINK OF THE SAME IDEA AT THE SAME TIME. The worst thing is that this case is often time the cause of some conflicts on labor relations, that is why people must managed to express themselves in the way that they won’t be considered as the least understood resource of an organization.

Human as the worst managed of its resources.

As stated above, people do have different decisions, disposition; hence, people probably have distinct needs in accordance to their immediate demands. Because of this scenario management of resources are being affected. This scenario is also associated by the individual differences in terms of the organizational goals; though they belong to one organization but each of them defines a lot of resources in the worst thing is that not all these defined resources will be utilized for the realization of the organizational goals set by some employees.

MIS Assignment 7: SONA

2009-08-24T09:03:00.000+08:00

In the recent State of the Nation Address of Her Excellency Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, some portion of her speech was note worth noting. Some of those worth noting issues tackled the recent SONA was her take on Information and Communication Technology.

1. “Sa telecommunications naman, inatasan ko ang Telecommunications Commission na kumilos na tungkol sa mga sumbong na dropped calls at mga nawawalang load sa cellphone. We need to amend the Commonwealth-era Public Service Law. And we need to do it now... ”

Good for the president that she was able to tackle a bit form this issue on her SONA. There has been a million people with access on mobile technology discussing and appealing their concerns and complains regarding this issue. The main issue was on a sudden load deduction without service being availed or used by the user. This problem was quite a big deal for the people hence, almost all the Filipino has an access and on the use of mobile technology. As far as the development of this issue is concern, the congress had made the action to investigate this issue with the telecommunications company. To date, the bill was made into reality; it is clear then with Telecommunications Company and to the people how there services will cope up and respond to the trend of the issue.

2. “Let us have a Department of ICT”

This means initiating another department which is Department of Information and Communication Technology that would take the chance to hold on the concerns with regards to ICT that associate’s additional growth engines. For me, it is good for a government to initiate this certain department because issues and concerns with ICT will be centralized and to that there will be an immediate organization that will respond to the issues.

3. “Today we are creating wealth by developing the BPO and tourism sectors as additional engines of growth. Electronics and other manufactured exports rise and fall in accordance with the state of the world economy. But BPO remains resilient. With earnings of $6 billion and employment of 600,000, the BPO phenomenon speaks eloquently of our competitiveness and productivity.”

BPO is distinct from information technology (IT) outsourcing, which focuses on hiring a third-party company or service provider to do IT-related activities, such as application management and application development, data center operations, or testing and quality assurance. Frequently, BPO is also referred to as ITES -- information technology-enabled services. Since most business processes include some form of automation, IT "enables" these services to be performed.

Activities that can be outsourced are seen as a cost-saving measure for the company. Payroll and call center operations are long considered as the main contributors to BPO but lately, the trend in outsourcing has moved a notch higher towards skill quality and competence. Here, legal services, software development and web designing, animation, medical transcription and shared services are now being outsourced as well. What this means to the Philippines is that this shift will contribute to strengthening the country's position as an emerging global leader in the BPO industry. This can be a resilient plan of the government in case of sudden negative break in the economy, moreover it helps the unemployment rate in the Philippines to decline hence, and outsourced services are really generating additional employment in the country.

PGMA’s SONA 2009 (full text): http://ikuwaderno.com/transcript-of-arroyos-sona-july-27-2009.html

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_process_outsourcing

MIS Assignment 6: IT Consultant

2009-08-23T12:54:00.000+08:00

If I were asked by the University to be an IT Consultant, I would rather suggest to pursue with the Infrastructure, specifically Internet Infrastructure to enhance the internet connectivity.

 One of the greatest things about the Internet is that nobody really owns it. It is a global collection of networks, both big and small. These networks connect together in many different ways to form the single entity that we know as the Internet. In fact, the very name comes from this idea of interconnected networks. With the growth of the Internet for personal use and business purposes, it would be useful to talk about what actually powers all these things. People all over the world are accessing the Internet and corporate intranets via multiple desktop PCs, laptops, handheld computers, and cell phones. Organizations are exchanging critical information via increasingly sophisticated collaborative systems, and consumers are demanding immediate access to richer and richer content, including applications, games, music, videos, and images. To serve this growing demand, enterprises, operators, publishing companies, and other organizations are relying on Internet Infrastructure such as cross-platform mobile-content delivery platforms, multiple-credential authentication solutions, and real-time publishing tools, to mitigate the complexities of delivering digital services while garnering the greatest possible returns. Internet Infrastructure enables important transactions, establishes connections, protects data, and safely distributes critical information across myriad protocols and devices.

What is Infrastructure?

Infrastructure is actually the he basic physical systems. These systems are considered essential for enabling productivity in the economy. Developing infrastructure often requires large initial investment, but the economies of scale tend to be significant.

What is Internet Infrastructure?

In information technology and on the Internet, infrastructure is the physical hardware used to interconnect computers and users. Infrastructure includes the transmission media, including telephone lines, cable television lines, and satellites and antennas, and also the routers, aggregators, repeaters, and other devices that control transmission paths. Infrastructure also includes the software used to send, receive, and manage the signals that are transmitted. 
In some usages, infrastructure refers to interconnecting hardware and software and not to computers and other devices that are interconnected. However, to some information technology users, infrastructure is viewed as everything that supports the flow and processing of information.
Infrastructure companies play a significant part in evolving the Internet, both in terms of where the interconnections are placed and made accessible and in terms of how much information can be carried how quickly.

Internet Infrastructure consisting of a ‘Top 5′ areas :
• Data Centers
• Network Connectivity
• Computer Equipment
• Storage Services
• Server Applications

Data Centre 


A Data Centre is basically a specialist building that has the ability to power (and cool) massive amounts of computer equipment. Typically a Data Centre would also have a very large amount of network bandwidth to accommodate data transfer in and out of it. Data Centers are built as highly redundant and resilient facilities. The Data Centre is the home for Internet Infrastructure. It is the central point of aggregation and distribution of data and network services. The unit of measurement for a Data Centre is space and power. How much space will the equipment require and how much power will it draw (which is effectively double that, as cooling a server takes about as much power as just having the device operating).

Network

Possibly to most important foundation block of Internet Infrastructure is the Network. Without a network connection no data can pass between Data Centers, over the Internet, and ultimately onto your Desktop, Laptop or Mobile Handset. For the purpose of this post, let’s talk about the network infrastructure in a Data Centre, where data passed in to computer equipment, is processed and/or stored, and passed back out of the DC.
Next you would expect redundant switch gear in the Data Centre in separate racks so again if the switch gear failed, the other set of it would simply take over and no service interruption would be experienced.

The unit of measurement for network connectivity is megabits per second and available megabits on the carrier connection. The ability to meet peak demand is important though, so Data Centres will have a lot more connectivity available than is required for daily operations.
Computer Equipment Now that the two basics of Internet Infrastructure are in place - the ability to power your equipment, and the ability to connect it to the Internet, the next thing is the computer hardware that uses this to process and store the applications and data.
Servers. A Server is a more complex and high-end version of a desktop PC. Servers are housed in Racks in a DC which are typically 42u in height. (1U is 1-unit and a low-end server takes up just 1 of these units, other servers scale within these racks to multiple ‘U’). Racks are normally powered by 2 PDU (Power Distribution Units) which connect to (if available) multiple power supply units in the server.

A low-end installation may be only a single server, which is the simplest form of Internet Infrastructure. The server would be connected to the DC Power, the Network, an OS and other required applications installed on it. Then it is ready to ‘power and push’ data on the Internet. More complex deployments would include pools of servers, with different applications on each one, or clusters of pools for multiple clusters with dedicated application requirements.
The unit of measure for Servers is Processor Power and RAM. Although there is a lot more to selecting a server such as expandability, reliability, network ports, BUS speed, Cache size and speed. Personally I would like the unit of measure in Servers to change, I think for buyers and users it should be rated in ‘MIPS’ - which is ‘Millions of Instructions Per Second’ which is effectively all that matters, and how today’s Mainframe computers (IBM BlueGene is a high end Mainframe) are measured.

Storage Services

Data Storage is a huge part of Internet Infrastructure. All those emails accessible online, all the web pages on your favorite web site are all stored on a hard drive in a DC somewhere. The basic level of storage is on-server storage, which means the hard drives in the computer server. This can cause not just performance and capacity issues, but also redundancy ones - local storage is inherently as prone to failure as the server it is in.

It is common to use specific storage devices - such as Direct Attached Storage (a dedicated and dumb storage appliance connected direct to your server), Network Attached Storage (a storage device that can be accessed by multiple machines over a network connection, and independent of the server itself) and Storage Area Networks, which are high-end, resilient and redundant set-ups that give high performance levels and are very scalable. A Storage Area Network may be shared among many services, applications, servers and customers. The unit of measure in storage is gigabytes (getting to be more commonly terabytes now) and IO’s per second (input-output read/writes the device can perform per second).

Server Applications

The final piece of underlying Internet Infrastructure is the server applications themselves. In order for an web application to be delivered from a server, that server requires an Operation System (typically Windows or Linux), a Web Server application (like Apache or Microsoft IIS), and a Database (such as MySQL, MS-SQL or Oracle). There any many more variations here, but the basic web server has these 3 things. From here you can install blog software, an ecommerce site, your new web 2.0 application, or any Internet capable piece of software (more include - Instant Messaging Server, File Storage Server, Message Board)

More complex applications tend to have dedicated servers, or pools or servers, for specific things - like a cluster of Database Servers, or a pool of Web Server to serve those ‘www.’ page requests. These may also have more complex network setup such as dedicated routers, load balancing and firewall devices (for traffic management and security respectively).

Billions of times each day, companies and consumers rely on our Internet Infrastructure to communicate and conduct commerce with confidence. With a strong heritage in operating Internet Infrastructure, providing industry-proven security services, and delivering a full spectrum of communications solutions. Moreover, it provides interoperability, scalability, and security to meet today’s unprecedented demand for 
Information. 

Internet Infrastructure Services

Businesses and consumers depend more than ever on the Internet to generate, consume and distribute content—boosting demand for hosted services. To manage increased data volumes and more complex applications amid rising energy costs, Internet infrastructure companies must operate with maximum efficiency while meeting customer expectations for capacity, performance and uninterrupted service availability.

This requires simplifying their own infrastructure to reduce power, boost performance and streamline operations. As strategic partners to Internet infrastructure customers, systems integrators can make storage a key enabler of success, thereby promoting lasting customer loyalty and strong growth for their own businesses.

sources:

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet-infrastructure.htm
http://edbyrnehq.com/what-is-internet-infrastructure/
http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:2DZoO0RRZz8J:www.verisign.com/corporate/internet-infrastructure-overview.pdf+internet+infrastructure&cd=21&hl=tl&ct=clnk&gl=ph&client=firefox-a