Week 12 - Project Management

1. Explain the triple constraint and its importance in project management

The triple constraint is the framework which evaluates the relationship between three primary variables in any project - time, cost and scope. These three variable are interdependent. All projects are limited in some way by these three constraints. The relationship between these variables is such that if any one of the three factors change, at least one other factor is likely to be affected. Project management is the science of making intelligent trade-offs between time, cost and scope. All three of the factors combined determine a project's quality.

2. Describe the two primary diagrams most frequently used in project planning

The two primary diagrams most frequently used in project planning are PERT and Gantt chart.

PERT chart - is a graphical network model that depicts a project's tasks and the relationships between those tasks. PERT charts define dependency between project tasks before tasks are scheduled. PERT charts frequently display a projects critical path.


 
An e.g. PERT chart

Gantt chart - simple bar chart that depicts project tasks against a calender. In a Gantt chart, tasks are listed vertically and the project's time frame is listed horizontally. It shows actual progress of tasks against the planned duration



e.g. Gantt Chart
3. Identify the three primary areas a project manager must focus on managing to ensure success

The three primary areas a project manager must focus on to ensure success, include:

• Managing People - Being able to resolve conflict within the team and balancing the needs of the project. As such communication, negotiation, marketing and salesmanship are just as important
• Managing communication - project manager distributes timely, accurate and meaningful information regarding project objectives that involve time, cost, scope and quality. Another important aspect of communication is receiving feedback
• Managing change - Successful organisations and successful people learn to anticipate and react appropriately to change

4. Outline 2 reasons why projects fail and two reasons why projects succeed

2 reason why projects fail include:

• length of contract - most contracts have long contracts this is because of high cost of transferring assets. It cause difficulties to get out of contract, problems reforming IT department
• Increase competitors

2 reasons why projects succeed

• increase in quality and efficiency of a process, service or function
• access to advanced technologies, reduced operating costs

Week 10 - CRM & BI

1. What is your understanding of CRM?

Customer relationship management (CRM) involves managing all aspects of a customer's relationship with an organisation to increase customer loyalty and retention as well as an organisation's profitability. CRM allows an organisation to gain insights into customers' shopping and buying behaviours.

2. Compare operational and analytical customer relationship management

The two primary components of a CRM strategy are operational CRM and analytical CRM.
Operational CRM supports traditional transactional processing for day-to-day front-office operations or systems that deal directly with the customers.
Analytical CRM supports back-office operations and strategic analysis and includes all systems that do not deal directly with the customers.

3. Describe and differentiate the CRM technologies used by marketing departments and sales  departments

There are three primary operational CRM technologies a marketing department can implement to increase customer satisfaction, they are:

• Light generator - compile customer information from a variety of sources and segment the information for different marketing segments. Information sources includes website questionnaires, surveys
• campaign management systems - guides users through marketing campaigns performing such tasks as planning, scheduling and success analysis
• cross-selling - is selling additional products or services to a customer

The three primary operational CRM technologies a sales department can implement to increase customer satisfaction are:

• sales management CRM systems - automate each phase of the sales process
• contact management CRM systems - maintains customer contact information and identifies prospective customers for future sales
• opportunity management CRM systems - target sales opportunities by finding new customers or companies for future sales.

4. How could a sales department use operational CRM technologies?

They could do this through using list generators. List generators are able to provide information on precise features of an organisation e.g. a marketing campaign would have list of customers in a geographic area and it can to arrange the lists of each customer in an area. Other strategies include campaign definition, planning and systems and cost sell or up sell.

5. Describe business intelligence and its value to businesses

Business Intelligence (BI) refers to applications that are used to gather, provide access to and analyse data and information to support decision-making efforts. Business Intelligence is used for any tool that gives a longer length assortment of decision making and encourages types of decision making such as patterns and trends.




6. Explain the problem associated with business intelligence. Describe the solution to this business problem

As businesses increase their reliance on enterprise systems such as CRM, they are rapidly accumulating vast amounts of data. The amount of data being generated is doubling every year and some think it will soon begin to double every month. Data are a strategic asset for a business; if the aset is not used, the business is wasting resources.
If there is too much data an organisation may have limited knowledge on where data is or who their competitors may be.Hence may not be unable to make the best strategic implementation due to insufficient tools to back up data and support decision making to their strategic goals. The solution approach that they could take is business intelligence where it helps an organisation make decisions. Functional areas of an organisation can make decisions where they can be able to see more data analysis and reduce the latency of information in making good decisions

7. What are two possible outcomes a company could get from using data mining?

The two possible outcomes a company could get from data miming is that it can increase profits and allow an organisation to have better sales and confined resources. Another two outcomes include cluster and statistical analysis. Cluster analysis is the searching of equal or non equal but alike data in the many types of databases. However to undertake the cluster analysis, behavioural traits need to be clearly identified through physically partitioning the individual information into set groups. Statistical analysis assesses the data trends through the assistance of a regression analysis and statistics. Statistical analysis gives opportunity to workers in an organisation a large variety of statistical capabilities in order to construct things such as statistical models, the examination of model’s assumptions and validity and the comparison and contrasting the number of models to identify which is the better alternative for an issue within an organisation.


Reference

Baltzan, Phillips, Lynch, Blakey. 2010. Business Driven Information Systems. McGraw Hill. Sydney, Australia.

An example of a Cluster Analysis
http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=8243747997517258236&postID=89069071603267511
Execution - M.H. 2010. Data Miming Techniques - Propensity Modelling (Cluster Analysis). http://www.executionmih.com/data-mining/propensity-cluster-association-patterns.php

Week 9 - Operations Management and Supply Chain

1. Define the term operations management

 Operations management (OM) is the management of systems or processes that convert or transform  resources (including human resources) into ggods and services.

2. Explain operations managements role in business

Operations management is responsible for managing the core processes used to manufacture goods and produce services.

The scope of OM across the organisation include many activities, including:

• Forecasting
• Capacity Planning
• Scheduling
• Managing Inventory
• Assuring Quality
• Motivating and training employees
• Locating facilities

3. Describe the correlation bewteen operations management and information technology (IT)

The use of IT can heavily influence OM decisions including productivity, costs, flexibility, quality and customer satisfaction. One of the greatest benefits of IT on OM is in making managerial decisions because OM exerts considerable influence over the degree to which the goals and objectives of the organisation are realised. OM information systems are critical for managers to be able to make well informaed decisions

4.  Explain supply chain management and its role in a business

Supply chain management involves the management of information flows between and among stages in a supply chain to maximise total supply chain effectiveness and profitability.
Example of supply chain management

5. List and describe the five components of a typical supply chain

1. Plan - Have a plan for managing all the resources that go towards meeting customers demand for product and services. Biggest part of planning is developing a set of metrics to monitor the supply chain so that its effecient, cost less and delievers high quality goods.
2. Source - Choosing reliable suppliers to deliever goods. Also to develop a set of pricing, delievery, and payment processeswith suppliers to monitor and improve relationships
3. Make - Where companies manufacture there product. This can include scheduling, testing, packaging and preparing for delievery. It helps measure quality levels, production output and worker productivity.
4. Deliver - commonly reffered to as Logistics. This is where companies must be able to recieve orders from customers, fulfill orders and implement billing and invoicing system for payments
5. Return - Most problematic step in supply chain. Companies must create network for recieving defective and excess products and support customers who have problems with delievered products.

6. Define the relationship between information technology and the supply chain

As companies evolove the roles of supply chain participants are changing. It is now common for suppliers to be involved in product development and for distributors to act as consultants in brand marketing. Information technology's primary role in supply chain management is creating the intergrations or tight process and information linkages between functions withiin a firm - such as marketing, sales, finance, manufacturing and distribution. Information technology intergrates planning, decision making processes, business operating processes and information sharing for business performance management. Considerable evidence shows that this type of supply chain integration results in superior supply chain capabilities and profits.

Refrence

Baltzan, Phillips, Lynch, Blakey. 2010. Business Driven Information Systems. McGraw Hill. Sydney, Australia.

Week 8 - Networks & Wireless

1. Explain the business benefits of using wireless technology

Using wireless technology helps businesses to recieve and send information faster and with less problems, for e.g setting up meetings can be done via the internet and employees can get the memo straight away without any problems, its an easier for businesses to communicate and share information while on the go.

2. Describe the business benefits associated with VoIP

The benefits of VoIP include the following:

• Cost saving-charges will be lower then using a tradition phone line  because VoIP cant be routed geographically
• Flexibility - VoIP allows people to go mobile and call directly from there mobiles and be charged at low VoIP rates
• Advanced features such as online call monitoring, configure extensions and online phone system access
• A variety of choices
• Easier application integration

3. Compare LANs and WANs

A local area network (LANs) is designed to connect a group of computers in close proxomity to each other such as an office building, school or home. A LAN is useful to share resources like files. A LAN in turn often connects to other LANs and to the internet.


an example of a LAN network

A wide area network (WAN) spans a large geographic area, such as a state or country. WANs often connect multiple smaller networks, such as local area networks


An example of a WAN network


4. Describe RFID and how it can be used to help make a supply chain more effective

Radio frequency identification (RFID) technologies use active or passive tags in the form of chips or smart labels that can store unique identifiers and relay this information to electronic readers. RFID can help make a supply chain more effective by planning and executing there tags, which can help cut costs by requiring fewer workers for scanning items and can provide more current and accurate information to the entire supply chain

5. Identify the advantages and disadvantages of deploying mobile technology

Advantages

• Real time processing
• Develops innovative ideas to help business perform at there best
• Allows mobile technology to enhance in speed and throughout abilities

Disadvantages

• Can cause viruses if not secured prepoerly
• Lack of privacy such as cameras
• As a result from competition, profit margins could be brought down

Baltzan, Phillips, Lynch, Blakey. 2010. Business Driven Information Systems. McGraw Hill. Sydney, Australia

Week7 Questions - Databases and Data Warehouse

1. List, describe, and provide an example of each of the five characteristics of high quality information?

• Accuracy –Are all values correct ?for e.g. name spelled correctly?
• Completeness – Are any of the values missing? for e.g. is the address correct including strret, city, postcode?
• Consistency – Is summary information in agreement with detailed information? for e.g. do total fields equal true total of individual fields?
• Uniqueness – is each transaction, event represented only once in the information? for e.g. are there any duplicate customers?
• Timeless –  Is the information current with respect to the business requirements? for e.g. is information updates weekly, daily, hourly?

2. Define the relationship between a database and a database management system?

A database refers to the upholding of information with regards to things such as: objects, events, people and places.
A database management system is used to access information from a database. A database management system (DBMS) is software through which users and appplication programs interact with a database.

3. Describe the advantages an organisation can gain by using a database?

The adavantages of using database in an organisation, include:

• Databases can save time, for e.g. a database pulls up information with a simple query meaning only requires keywords to pull up information
• Effeciency - Elimainates the need of repating data, which reduces data entry, storage and retrieval costs
• Data accuracy - As long as data is accurate, the client information will be reproduced accuartely throughout the system
• Information accessability and security - Easy to access cause all database information is in the one place. Employees have access to secure information on a need-to-know basis

4. Define the fundamental concepts of the relational database models?

The relational database model implements information into a two-dimensional table that are in connection to one another through rational means.

5. Describe the benefits of a data-driven website?

Benefeits of data-driven website, include:

• Development - Allows owner to make changes any time - without having to rely on a deeveloper
• Content Management - Static website which requires autur programmer to make updates. This adds to unnecessary layer between the business and its web content
• Future Expandability - Enables the site to grow faster than would be possible with a static site
• Minimising human error - Will have 'error-trapping' mechanisms to ensure that required information is filled out correctly and content is entered and deisplyed in right format
• More Efficient - Will improve reliabilty and stability of a website
• Improved Stabilty - With a data-driven website, the contant is never lost

6. Descibe the roles and purposes of data warehouses and data marts in an organisation?

A data warehouse is a logical collection of information - gathhat empered from many diefferent operational databases - that supports business analysis activities and decision-making tasks. The primary purpose of a data warehouse is to aggregate information throughout an organisation into a single repository in such a way that employees can make decisions and undertake business analysis activities.
data mart is where there is a smaller subset of database information. Organisations are able to disperse from transferred data and obtain business intelligence on things that are not identical to one another.

Reference

Baltzan, Phillips, Lynch, Blakey. 2010. Business Driven Information Systems. McGraw Hill. Sydney, Australia.

Sass, Forrest 2006, 10 Advanatages of Business Intelligence database that gives your company an edge, File-Makers, viewed 10 April 2011, <www.file-makers.com/10advantages.htm>

Week 6 Questions - Enterprise Architectures

Chapter 5 - Weekly Questions

1. What is information architecture and what is information infrastructure and how do they differ and how do they relate to each other?

Information architecture identifies where and how important information, such as customer records, is maintained and secured. (Baltzen, Phillips, Lynch, Blakey 2010, p.214)
Information infrastructure refers to the communications networks and associated software that support interaction among people and organisations (http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Information_infrastructure, August 2008).
Information Architecture is a field and approach to designing clear, understandable communications by giving care to structure, context, and presentation of data and information.  An information technology infrastructure however, is the base or foundation for the delivery of information to support programs and management (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091105224725AAFgLHi, 2011)

2. Describe how an organisation can implement a solid information architecture?
 An organisation can implement an information architecture through the following:
• Back up and recovery
• Disaster recovery
• Information security
• Making information architecture more responsive
• Improve productivity

3. List and describe the five requirement characteristics of infrastructure architecture? 
The five characteristics of infrastructure architecture iinclude:
1. Flexibility – In order to adapt to changes, businesses must be flexible.
2. Scalability – how well a sysetm can adapt to increase demands for e.g organisational growth and market and economic factors
3. Realiabilty - Ensures all systems are functioning correctly and providing accurate information.
4. Availability - Addresses when systems can be accessed by users. High availability refers to a system or component that is continuously operational for a length of  time.
5. Performance - Measures how quickly a system performs a certain process or transactions
(Baltzen, Phillips, Lynch, Blakey 2010, pp. 221-222)

4. Describe the business value in delploying a service oriented architecture?
A service oriented architecture is using different systems to meet different demands. A service does the same thing over and over again and can be applied to many situations.

5. What is an event?An event are the eyes and ears of the business expressed in technology - they detect threats and opportunities and alert those who can act on the information.(Baltzen, Phillips, Lynch, Blakey 2010, p.224)


6. What is a service?
Services are more like software products then they are coding projects. They must appeal to a broad audience, and they need to be reusable if they are going to have an impact on productivity. (Baltzen, Phillips, Lynch, Blakey 2010, p.224)

7. What emerging technologies can companies use to increase performance and utilise their infrastructure more effectively?

There are two ways in which companies can use emerging technologies to increase performance and utilise their infrastructure in an organisation. These predominantly compose of virtualisation and grid computing. Virtualisation is described as structure for the portioning of computer resources into numerous implementation surroundings. Grid computering refers to the combining of geographically spreaded computering, storage and network resources that synchronise to bring enhanced performance abilities, better service quality, improved operations and data access in which can be effortlessly accessed.

References

Baltzan, Phillips, Lynch, Blakey. 2010. Business Driven Information Systems. McGraw Hill. Sydney, Australia.

Information Infrastructure - Sourcewatch n.d., viewed 31 March 2011, <www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=information_infrastructure>

Differentiate between information technology infrastructure and information technology architecture? 2011, viewed 31 March 2011, <http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091105224725AAFgLHi>

Week 5 Questions - Ethics and Security

1. Explain the ethical issues surrounding information technology?

Ethical issues that have surrounded information technology have increased overtime. Advances in technology have made it easier for people to copy things such as movies, music and pictures. Some ethical issues that are technology related include:

• intellectual property - rights that protect creative and intellectual effort
• copyright - exclusive right to do, or omit to do, cerain acts with intangible property
• pirated software -unauthorised use, duplication, distribution of copyrighted software

2. Describe a situation involving technology that is ethical but illegal?

3. Describe and explain one of the computer use policies that a company might employee?

One computer use policiy that could be implemented by  a company could be an email privacy policy.
For instance, a sent amial is sent to 3 or 4 different computers. Simply deleting an email from one comupter does not delete from the other computers. Companies can therefore mitigate many of the risks using this system.

4. What are the 5 main technology security risks?

The five main security risks, include:

• Human Error
• Natural Disasters
• Technical Failures
• Delibriate Acts
• Management Failure

5. Outline one way to reduce each risk?

Ways to prevent security risks:

• Human error - Standard of training
• Natural Disasters - Should have diaster recover plan, for e.g data back up, communication plan
• Technical Failures - Robust system, backups
• Delibriate Acts - This includes hackers, unhappy employees, viruses and spams
• Management Failure - have some support training for managers in place

6. What is a disaster recovery plan, what stratergies might a firm employee?

 A disaster recovery is the process, policies and procedures related to preparing for recovery or continuation of technology infrastructure critical to an organization after a natural or human-induced disaster.
Some strategies that firm might implement include:

• Installing regualar virus updates
• Perform data restorations tests
• Back up all laptops and desktops
• Monitor implemenation, and
• perform off-site data back up and storage

REFERENCE LIST

Baltzen, Paige; Phillips, Amy; Lynch, Kathy; Blakey, Peter 2010, Business Driven Information Systems, McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd