Task Management

Task Management

Graphics and Tables not included

Task 1

There is no standard definition of an Information System Requirement. A requirement is a property that is essential for an IT system to perform its functions.

Requirements vary in intent and in the kinds of properties they represent. They can be functions, constraints, or other properties that must be provided, met, or satisfied so needs are filled for the system’s intended users (Roger Abbott 1986).

Information Systems have to do many different things; perform calculations, edit and store data, produce reports, support business process, enforce rules, etc.

The following plan identifies possible IS requirement for Sports-Qits:

Goal:

Information resource for management, staff, vendors and customers; with the potential to evolve into a full-fledged �on-line’ business system

Approach:

Develop business scenarios, derive system specifications and outline architecture based on business decisions and information needed for different kinds of problem scenarios

Model information seeking and strategic behaviour

Develop, implement, and test a information aid that takes into account different training and usability requirements, computing environments, requirements for synchronization and integrity of information

Levels of computational system hierarchy:

Central web site and server at the highest level for coordination and management of the system

Company and vendor databases and any other information providers

Individual workstations at the lowest level

Key characteristics:

Central web site with links to product-related information and transparent gateway to both internal and external data (re)sources such as databases

Regular updates with consistency checking, indexing, and discovery of interesting relationships between new and existing information

Data system built in stages, by identifying the content and organising the databases

Interfaces (via web browsers at distributed ``client sites'') for input of customer information on-line via form-based dialogs and user agents with direct manipulation interfaces

Implementation or guidelines for the use of algorithms, design theories, and methodologies, via examples and cases

Table 1 shows information relevant for business, which is often needed from different perspectives. A substantial component of developing a business support system via the constructive approach will involve technology integration. However, before investigating the technologies relevant for implementing the information system, it is useful to identify the information essential for such a system. (Govindaraj and Pejtersen, 1995, p 3579-3583)

It is important that the computational system be able to organise and present the information from any of the perspectives depending on the context. For the purpose of developing the requirements for the information system, information can be characterized roughly into four perspectives: sources, categories, product, and marketing, sales & service. These categories are not necessarily complete, nor are they mutually exclusive.

The information system is intended to be a computer aid to assist in countering business competition and implementation on a national scale. The primary goal of the system is to be a comprehensive information resource for management, staff and customers. After implementing and evaluating the system in actual business conditions, it can evolve into an �on-line’ business and may extend later into an active assistant, or associate that performs some of the customer-friendly business tasks such as cataloguing, product availability, price variables, etc.

The system must be capable of handling information from multiple sources and different categories, and present it to business personnel. Table 1 lists the key features of the needed information from different perspectives.

Table 1: Information Perspectives

Tasks Perspectives

Individual Workstations (Clients) Management, staff, customers

 Different levels of access and security

 Form-based, MIME, images

 Limited role as data servers

Coordinator (Virtual Server) в†* database development, software integration, system maintenance

Input/Output processing

Forms and user input handling

Dynamic web pages

Data storage and maintenance

Text conversion

SQL and DBMS

Database maintenance

Information Organisation and Retrieval

Indexing

Web searches

Retrieval tools

Algorithms and Models

Analytical tool and software

Simulation and visualisation

Central Server and Mirror Research issues:

Interface design

Protocols for interaction, semantics of information and knowledge organisation,

Algorithms and models for information retrieval

External Databases в†*

Vendors List is incomplete. As the system evolves, changes, additions and deletions are to be expected.

The information requirements are summarized in Table 2. The emphasis is on the content and nature