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Software
Strategy
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Software Strategy
Strategy to guide acquisition (getting hold of), installation,
support, training & evaluation of software.
No strategy results in:
– incompatible programs (programs that can’t work with each other) – lack of staff experience
– software unfit for purpose
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Upgrading
Key factors when upgrading
software:-– Time
– Risk
– Support
– Cost
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Cost
Consider benefits upgrading systems against cost to ensure that the upgrade is a positive step.
Sometimes cost is too high to be beneficial.
E.g. Costs involved in an operating system upgrade:
– New operating system.
– Hardware upgrades (Processor, RAM or hard disk). – Application upgrades (other programs).
– Technical support to install & maintain Operating System. – Support for users (Training).
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Cost of a customised solution
Higher
cost to develop, install and
support a custom application (a
program made especially for your
company)
Cost of migrating data (importing data
from the old system into the new one)
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Time
Time is needed to: – Develop new system
– Test new system
– Install the new system
– Train staff
Employees being trained are not working on their usual tasks therefore less money may be made or customers may be dissatisfied with service .
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Risk
Risk is always present when new system introduced.
Data may be lost.
System may be shut down during debugging & fixing – loose usage of system.
Downtime may make big impact on operations.
Risk to customer relations must be considered – may result in lost revenue.
– Will customers be patient while a system is being upgraded?
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Adaptability
New information systems must be easily
adapted to meet a variety of
changing
organisational needs.
No upgrade can provide all the functionality
that will ever be needed so adaptability is
crucial.
A system upgrade requiring additional
customised systems may be needed in the
future.
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Support
From
– In-house technical support – Outside support
• Information System developer • Software company
Cost, quality and speed of a response may be critical
to an organisations success.
If the support given is not good enough a company may not want to upgrade.
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Evaluation of Software
Key factors when evaluating
software:-– Functionality – Performance – Usability – Compatibility – Data Migration – Reliability – Resource Requirements – Portability
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Evaluation of software
Functionality
– Comparing the features of the package
(e.g. mail merge feature) with the
organisation’s requirements (20% of
features often used)
– Too much functionality = a waste of
memory, backing store & money.
– Too little functionality = may not meet the
needs of the company.
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Evaluation of software (cont’d)
Performance
– The speed at which a computer system works with software.
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Evaluation of software (cont’d)
Usability
– Used to make sure the users can access all of the
functionality of the software through the user interface. Designers should try to make the program as user friendly as possible.
– Types of usability testing:
• Usability testing - user interface evaluated by watching
users carry out typical tasks.
• Usability inspection – evaluators examine usability of interface without the actual users.
• Usability inquiry - evaluators record users likes &
dislikes, needs & understanding of system through chat,
watching real work or questioning orally or on paper.
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each method.
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Evaluation of software (cont’d)
Compatibility
– Evaluate compatibility of the software with existing systems.
– e.g.
• Processor & Operating system
• RAM Memory (Is there enough to run the program?) • Peripherals (Are any extra required?)
• Backing storage capacity (storage required on disc and when running?)
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Evaluation of software (cont’d)
Data migration
– Ease of transfer of data from one application to another.
Reliability
– The software functions as expected.
• E.g. will not crash for no apparent reason.
Resource requirements
– Resources are the RAM memory, processor power and bandwidth used by an application.
• E.g. Microsoft Office 2007
– Processor 500 megahertz (MHz) processor or higher – Memory 256 megabyte (MB) RAM or higher
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Evaluation of software (cont’d)
Portability
– The ability of program & related data files to run on other types of computer platforms other than the one they were created for .
Support
– Level of support given from
• In-house service • Software company • On-line help
• Paper-based support (manuals)
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Training
Helps the user learn how to use the software.
– On-the job training
• User learns how to use the system as part of his or her normal working hours.
• Taught by a colleague.
• Colleague addresses questions and queries as they are raised.
DISCUSS the advantages and disadvantages of this type of training.
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Training
– In house training
• Delivered by staff within the organisation.
– IT staff
• Most intensive than on-the job training.
• More clearly focused on learning how to use the system.
DISCUSS the advantages and
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Training
External Courses
–
If IT staff are not available an external
training provider may be contracted
to provide the required training.
• E.g. an external course on how to use Microsoft Word.
–
Can be delivered in the organisations
premises or off-site.
DISCUSS the advantages and
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Questions
P221
– Q25
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User Support
Manual
– Printed guide or a digital book about how to install and use the software.
– Examples
• Installation guide – assist the user in installing and configuring a new piece of software on a specific computer system.
• Tutorial guide – introduce user to the main features of the software.
– Can be an on-line tutorial. • Reference Manuals
– Details all features of the software and how to use them.
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User Support
On-line help is help that is
available to the user while they are using the program.
On-line tutorial is a tutorial that teaches you how to use the package to get you started.
– Online does NOT mean on the internet.
FAQ’s – Frequently asked questions. Popular way of summarising the most
frequently asked problems that users have.
NOTE: Manuals, Online help, online tutorials, FAQs are
available at any time – day or night!
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Practical Task
Use the on-line help feature of Microsoft
word to find out how to create
columns
.
Search the internet for a list of
FAQ
(for
any subject) and print them out.
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User Support
Help Desk
– One central help desk to provide hardware or software support. – Desk can be internal or external. – Helps with specific problems. – Staffed by experts.
– Not always available (some are only open between 9-5)
Newsgroups
– Allow users to communicate by
posting messages and waiting for a reply or downloading information. – Several threads (conversations) can
be carrying on at once.
– Drawback is that not all users are experts and you may have to wait for a reply.
