Information Systems Education:What’s missing?

Paul H. RosenthalInformation Systems Department,

California State University, Los Angeles

Do our MIS/SAD Texts Answer thesePlanning-Oriented Questions?

• Why does it cost so much?

• How long does it take-Why does it take so long?

• What makes our applications systems so complex?

My Answer is NO!

What Do our MIS/SAD Textsneed to Include!

• True Scope and Complexity of Enterprise Systems• True Scope of Transaction Processing Systems• Physical Systems Design Methodology• Justification of Information Systems• Software Estimating

ThisNot This

DecisionOriented

ExpertSystems

DecisionSupportSystems

PolicySupportSystems

OperationsOriented

TPSSystems

MISSystems

EISSystems

PersonalProductivity

Systems

GroupSupportSystems

PeopleOriented

{{{

ManagementLevel

ExecutiveLevel

Product/ServiceDelivery

Level

KnowledgeManagement

Systems

Scope and Complexity of Enterprise Systems

Scope of Transaction Processing Systems

NOT THIS

Scope of Transaction Processing

Systems

Figure 3: Structure of Transaction Processing Systems

Backup

Data

Online TPSProcessing

(24/7)

Night-time BatchProcessing

Periodic BatchProcessing(Monthly)

MIS/DSS RetrievalSystem

ESS GraphicPresentation

Systems

Op's Data

InteractiveData

Log Data

Mgmt Data

CumulativeData

AnalysisData

MIS\DSSData

Warehouse

ESS Data

Customers et.

Clerks

Supervisors

InterfacingSystems

DailyReports

ESS AnalysisSystem External

Data

MonthlyReports

Executives

Planners

Managers

Staff/Researchers

FinancialSystems THIS

System Design: Scope

Analysts

LogicalDesigners

PhysicalDesigners

Schedule Costs

M embershipC ard

M em ber R ecept ion is t ScanCard

Process

N ew T a b R eco rd

O rderS lip

toTableM odule 1

Entry

Ser ver

O rderSl ip

O r derP rocess

Module 2Or dering

In se rt O rd

e rs

in toT ab Re c o rd

K itchenO rder

B arO rder

Ba r Item s

Foo d Ite m

s

Module 3Exiting

O rderEntry

Process

M em ber R ecep tion is t

O rderSl ip

BillingProcess

R eceipt

Tab

Re c

o rd

toM on th ly

B ill ingS ystem

at Table

TabProcessing

System

R eceiptS ignatu reP rocess

F ile

P riced Tab

Sign

Scan

POSTerminal

POSProgram(Online)

InventoryDatabase

CumulativeDaily SalesTransaction

File

End ofDay

Daily SalesProgram(Batch)

AccountingDatabase

Daily SalesReport

Physical Elements Added/Corrected

CustomerCustomer

Enroll or updatemember

Enroll or updatemember

Rent videosRent videos

Find overduevideos

Find overduevideos

Return videosReturn videos

Charge creditcard

Charge creditcard

Purchasing System

ClerkClerkCredit Card Company

<<Inc lude>><<Inc lude>>

<<Inc lude>>

<<Inc lude>>

SystemBoundary

Actor

Use Case

Relationship

USE Case Diagram from V/S/P Chapter 8

System Design: Physical Level

MembershipCard

Member Receptionist ScanCard

Process

New Tab Record

OrderSlip

toTableModule 1

Entry

Server

OrderSlip

OrderProcess

Module 2Ordering

Insert

Orde

rs

intoT

ab R

ecord

KitchenOrder

BarOrder

Bar Items

Food Items

Module 3Exiting

OrderEntry

Process

Member Receptionist

OrderSlip

BillingProcess

Receipt

Tab

Rec

ord

toMonthlyBilling

System

at Table

TabProcessing

System

ReceiptSignatureProcess

File

Priced Tab

Sign

Scan

Software Estimation

complexity multiplier

function points

number of user inputs number of user outputs number of user inquiries number of files number of ext.interfaces

measurement parameter

3 4 3 7 5

countweighting factor

simple avg. complex

4 5 4 10 7

6 7 6 15 10

= = = = =

count-total

X X X X X

The Function Point technique

How About Project

Management

We need to raise the level of content of IS curriculums so that our graduates will be able to specify, estimate, evaluate, design, and implement high quality and successful systems, and continue to reduce our industry's project failure rate