Information Systems Multi-Chapter Case Study Case Study

First, as Personal Trainer expands globally, the system will be available through web browsers anywhere in the world. Second, the ease of completing system upgrades across all users at the same time needs to be taken into consideration, and the use of the Web-based system architecture hosted on a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform is critical. Third, by taking this approach Susan can b e assured there will be higher levels of system adoption through the organization by making the graphical interfaces as easily used as possible. Fourth and finally Susan needs to complete Web-based development in-house as the total cost of ownership of a system based on this development technique and hosted on a SaaS platform will be inherently easier to manage than traditional client/server applications.

The main elements of the systems requirements document need to include the introduction, systems request summary, findings, recommendations, project roles, time and cost estimates, expected benefits and an appendix of results. These are the key elements that need to be in the systems development plan. Susan will need to begin with an overview of the existing systems architecture, a breakdown of the costs of operating the accounting system separately from the main system, in addition to the planned build-out of the system. She needs to preface the technical discussions with an overview of the unmet needs of each category and class of user she has designed the systems for. Keying off of the unmet needs of users and the interrelation to the cost of ownership for the system, Susan needs to show that the benefits of the system to users also have a financial implication and contribution to the company as well.

Susan definitely needs to have a prototype developed and built for the meeting to specifically show how the new client sing-up process can be made more efficient and integrated to the main systems in Chicago via the Bumblebee accounting applications. She needs to accomplish the goal of showing how easily used the application is, thereby increasing the odds of adoption throughout the organization as well. Ultimately the prototype needs to show how the system both meets unmet needs while at the same time increasing adoption of the system over time.

In calculating the total cost of ownership for the system, Susan will be able to use the following tools:

Payback analysis - Advantages include being able to see the breakeven point of the proposed project and a thorough review of costs; disadvantages include their inability to compensate for cost variations, uncertainty in projects, and lack of measurement of effects from other projects.

Return on Investment - Advantages include measuring the impact of the investment on sales, as the investment in the project is divided by the incremental sales generated, in addition to the benefit of being able to defend an investment when the ROI is positive. Disadvantages include the lack of clarity and control over results from using this financial analysis measure.

NET Present Value (NPV) - Advantage is that this financial tool shows the discounted revenue streams from the project, and also aids in defining how much debt (if any) should be taken on for the project as this approach can yield an Internal Rate of Return (IRR). Disadvantages are that this approach takes significantly more time to do correctly and takes multiple iterations to complete successfully.

Cost/Benefit Analysis - Comparable to ROI, this approach is more subjective in interpretation yet can be used for arguing for a specific project that has other projected strong financial results based on the use of other financial tools.

Chapter 7: Detailed Report, Switchboard Design, Storyboards, Mail-in Document

The following is the detail report to show all the Personal Trainer Courses:

Trainer Name: Trainer Number:

Students' Social Security Number: Course Name: Telephone Number:

Summary of Students:

Switchboard design:

Storyboards for the following screens:

Members:

Member Name: Member ID:

Mailing Address: City: State: Zip:

Service Plan:

Years a Member:

Preferences:

Fitness Instructors:

Instructor Name: Trainer ID:

Schedule:

Specialties:

Activities and Services & Services:

Activities Instructor Dates & Times

Fitness Class Rosters:

Mail-in document:

Web Document:

WEBSITE DOCUMENT

APPLICANT INFORMATION

SSN:

Driver's License:

Cell:

City

State

EMPLOYMENT INFORMATION Current employer:

Employer address:

City:

State:

EMERGENCY CONTACT

Name of a relative not residing with you:

City

State

Cell Phone:

Relationship

SPOUSE INFORMATION if JOINT MEMBERSHIP

Date of birth:

SSN:

Choose One of the Following Membership Options

All Members are required to show proper identification to the front desk upon arrival.Member Signature

Chapter 8: ERD, 3NF, Data Population, Message to Susan

3. 3NF

Customer Social Security Number

Service Plan

Pricing Level (links to pricing database)

Trainer ID (links to trainer database)

Location or Center ID (links to another database)

Ann Taylor

Deluxe

Basic

A. Schwarzenegger (1)

Ontario

Tim Cruise

Deluxe

Advanced

Dr. Phil (2)

Ontario

Lindsey Lohan

Deluxe1'

Advanced

B. Spears (3)

Ontario

4. Date format for the new system, message to Susan:

Dear Susan,

It is advisable to adopt the date formats specific to Ontario, Canada as Personal Trainer will need to appear as closely aligned with the specific customs and requirements of the region as possible. It is far better to make the investment and be localized on this fundamental aspect of our systems that risk input errors and potential backlash from customers as a result of adopting a standard that does not match their own.

Chapter 9: ERP, Client/Server Architecture Check-list, Backup/Disaster Recovery Recommendation, System Design Specification Outline.

Incorporating an ERP strategy at Personal Trainer would be advisable given the need for integration across accounting and financial systems, in addition to serving as a platform for the customer-facing strategies that include attracting, selling to, and servicing clients. An ERP platform would also give the company an opportunity to further extend their locations globally as this is an essential part of their strategic plan. Lastly, and ERP system will give Personal Trainer the ability to track revenues and costs on a per-process basis over and above relying purely on functional reporting within the organization. In researching ERP vendors, IBM, SAP, Oracle, and over a dozen other software vendors offer systems that have the combination of features for managing retail service operations in addition to financial reporting and analysis.

In the event Susan chooses to pursue a client/server architecture, the challenges will be scalability of the applications, the support for client/server applications which are increasingly being replaced by Web-based applications based on nth tier architectures including J2EE and Microsoft.Net, and the need for more precise application integration when using client/server vs. nth tier architecture. The checklist of issues includes the following:

Availability of client/sever programming and support talent.

Scalability of client/server architecture given the geographic dispersion of the company

Ability of client/server applications to be continually upgraded with new features relative to more advance nth tier and Web-based applications.

The back-up and disaster recovery system should be outsourced to a company such as SunGard which has very high levels of support, scalability, security and reliability in their service centers. There also needs to be periodic backup also within the company as well in back-up servers.

System Design Specification outline

Executive Summary - Defines the goals and objectives of the study and also defines the system design objectives and goals.

Systems Component - Defines the specific components of the system and whether they are to be created internally or purchased from the outside.

System Environment - Defines the key system prerequisites and values for the system applications to perform effectively over time.

Implementation Requirements - Requirements for installing and using the applications on an ongoing basis.

Time and Cost Estimates - Defines the Gantt chart, budget and timelines for the specific project components.

Appendices

Chapter 10: Training Group, Changeover Method, Data Conversion Plan, Post Implementation Evaluation.

The specific groups that need to get trained, type of training, and topics to be covered are listed below in the following matrix:

Specific Groups

Type of Training ics Covered

Marketing

In-class and hands-on with the system

Creating marketing programs

Sales

In-class and hands-on with the system

Entering new accounts; upgrading and downgrading accounts; up selling accounts with new accounts; managing first-level

Operations

In-class and hands-on with the system

Completing all sales and marketing activities in addition to system maintenance and support

Accounting and Finance

In-class and hands-on with….....