Information Systems Project

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Credits
6
Types
Specialization compulsory (Information Systems)
Requirements
  • Prerequisite: DSI
  • Prerequisite: SIO
  • Corequisite: ER
  • Corequisite: NE
Department
ESSI
The specialist in Information Systems is a professional performing their professional activity between two worlds, business and computer science. Specifically, it is concerned to ensure alignment between IT solutions implemented in organizations, and the business strategy and objectives of these organizations. Within the specialty, this course is designed to reproduce, as far as possible, the activity of defining an Information Systems Plan. From the case study description (a company), students should be able to define an Information Systems Plan and a set of prioritized projects of computerization in order to support the business strategy of the company with the use of Information Systems. So this is a completely practical course. The necessary knowledge and skills have been acquired in previous courses in the specialty or wealth, and to put into practice the PSI in the definition of a Plan of Information Systems for the case is considered. We begin by analyzing the current situation of the company, both with regard to business processes and Information Systems for the company to generate a set of ideas computerization projects aligned with the strategy and business objectives. Later, we will define, prioritize and plan a series of development projects

Teachers

Person in charge

  • Enric Mayol Sarroca ( )

Competences

Transversal Competences

Teamwork

  • G5 [Avaluable] - To be capable to work as a team member, being just one more member or performing management tasks, with the finality of contributing to develop projects in a pragmatic way and with responsibility sense; to assume compromises taking into account the available resources.
    • G5.3 - To identify the roles, skills and weaknesses of the different members of the group. To propose improvements in the group structure. To interact with efficacy and professionalism. To negotiate and manage conflicts in the group. To recognize and give support or assume the leader role in the working group. To evaluate and present the results of the tasks of the group. To represent the group in negotiation involving other people. Capacity to collaborate in a multidisciplinary environment. To know and apply the techniques for promoting the creativity.

Effective oral and written communication

  • G4 [Avaluable] - To communicate with other people knowledge, procedures, results and ideas orally and in a written way. To participate in discussions about topics related to the activity of a technical informatics engineer.
    • G4.3 - To communicate clearly and efficiently in oral and written presentations about complex topics, becoming adapted to the situation, the type of audience and the communication goals, using the strategies and the adequate means. To analyse, value and respond adequately to the questions of the audience.

Technical Competences of each Specialization

Information systems specialization

  • CSI2 - To integrate solutions of Information and Communication Technologies, and business processes to satisfy the information needs of the organizations, allowing them to achieve their objectives effectively.
    • CSI2.2 - To conceive, deploy, organize and manage computer systems and services, in business or institutional contexts, to improve the business processes; to take responsibility and lead the start-up and the continuous improvement; to evaluate its economic and social impact.
  • CSI3 - To determine the requirements of the information and communication systems of an organization, taking into account the aspects of security and compliance of the current normative and legislation.
    • CSI3.2 - To develop the information system plan of an organization.
  • CSI4 - To participate actively in the specification, design, implementation and maintenance of the information and communication systems.
    • CSI4.1 - To participate actively in the specification of the information and communication systems.
    • CSI4.2 - To participate actively in the design, implementation and maintenance of the information and communication systems.

Objectives

  1. Reinforce concepts already acquired in previous courses through its enforceability in a case
    Related competences: CSI3.2, CSI4.1, G5.3, CSI4.2, CSI2.2,
  2. Learn to identify and propose opportunities to improve business processes by adopting (development, purchasing, outsourcing, adaptation, implementation ...) and use of information systems
    Related competences: CSI3.2, CSI4.1, G5.3, CSI2.2,
  3. Learn to track systematic and disciplined method for defining Information Systems Plans
    Related competences: CSI3.2, G5.3, CSI2.2,
  4. Knowing how to choose and correctly use models and tools to support the definition of an Information Systems Plan and their projects.
    Related competences: CSI3.2, CSI4.1, CSI4.2, CSI2.2,
  5. Know how to defense and public presentation of an Information Systems Plan.
    Related competences: G4.3, G5.3,
  6. Learn the technique of writing an Information Systems Plan memorandum
    Related competences: G4.3, G5.3,

Contents

  1. Information Systems Planning
    Description of what an Information Systems Plan is and a planification methodology
  2. Models and tools for business and information systems analysis
    Description of different models and tools to support the analysis of current (and future) business and information systems, as well as models and tools to support the generation of project ideas for improving IS.
  3. Project Management, Information Systems specification and design
    Basic concepts and elements useful for project management, and for the specification and design of IS. Basically it is a reminder of previous courses.
  4. Analysis of current situation
    From a case of an enterprise, for which we will develop an analysis of current processes and analysis of the current architecture of IS. Activity carried out in the laboratory group and with the support of the teacher
  5. Analysis of technological alternatives
    Analyze alternatives for improving business processes and existing IS. Activity carried out in the laboratory group with support from the teacher.
  6. Information Systems Pla Definition
    It will generate project ideas for development, deployment, adoption, outsourcing, etc. of Information Systems. We will prioritize and temporarily plan these projects. Activity carried out in the laboratory group with support from the teacher
  7. Information Systems Specification and Architectural Design
    For some of the proposed projects, will define the information system requirements, details about the strategy of adoption (outsourcing, development, acquisition, ...), together with the proposal for an initial technical architecture of the system. Activity carried out in the laboratory group with support from the teacher

Activities

Activity Evaluation act


Organization and project initiation

Read the case documentation, create project teams with assignment of roles and set the mechanism for communication and information sharing within the group and with the teacher
  • Laboratory: Read and understand the material, form groups, assign roles, first contact with the case
Objectives: 1 3
Contents:
Theory
0h
Problems
0h
Laboratory
4h
Guided learning
0h
Autonomous learning
0h

Relevant concepts

Review and discuss the concepts relevant to the definition of information systems plan for the case study
  • Laboratory: Discussion and review of relevant concepts with the teacher and other members of the group and other groups
  • Autonomous learning: Depth study and review of concepts (models, tools, elements of project management, specification and design) proposed class
Objectives: 1 2 4
Contents:
Theory
0h
Problems
0h
Laboratory
4h
Guided learning
0h
Autonomous learning
4h

Development of the Analysis of the Current Situation

The working groups carried out the study of the current state of business processes of the organization and the current state of information systems with support of the tutor on doubts and queries
  • Laboratory: It was doing weekly the analysis of the current situation of the organization about processes and IS, including the presentation
  • Autonomous learning: Work independently of project teams, includes witting the technical meorandum
Objectives: 1 3 4 5 6
Contents:
Theory
0h
Problems
0h
Laboratory
20h
Guided learning
0h
Autonomous learning
22h

Presentation of Present Situation Analysis

Presentation of the main conclusions regarding the results of the analysis of current processes and information systems of the organization
Objectives: 5
Week: 6
Theory
0h
Problems
0h
Laboratory
2h
Guided learning
0h
Autonomous learning
4h

Delivery of Current Situation Analysis

The explanatory report on the current situation analysis conducted, including models, tools and elements chosen to describe the current state of business and information systems
Objectives: 4 6
Week: 7
Theory
0h
Problems
0h
Laboratory
0h
Guided learning
0h
Autonomous learning
10h

Definition of the Information Systems Plan

The working groups make the definition of the projects that compose the plan, prioritized and for some of them, descrive their requirements and architectural design, while the adoption strategy (development, acquisition and parameterization, implementation, outsourcing, ...) with the support of the tutor for doubts and queries
  • Laboratory: The weekly work to build the final phase of the project includes the presentation.
Objectives: 1 2 3 4 5 6
Contents:
Theory
0h
Problems
0h
Laboratory
28h
Guided learning
0h
Autonomous learning
30h

Intermediate control the progression of the project

An interview in lab hours with a check-list, to asses the state of development of work of team and implication of each member on the group work
Objectives: 3 4
Week: 12
Theory
0h
Problems
0h
Laboratory
0h
Guided learning
0h
Autonomous learning
6h

Presentation of Information Systems Plan

Technical presentation of the Information System Plan
Objectives: 5
Week: 14
Theory
0h
Problems
0h
Laboratory
2h
Guided learning
0h
Autonomous learning
4h

Final delivery of the project

The explanatory report of the Information Systems Plan, including the prioritization of projects, and some of these requirements and architectural design, while the strategy adopted (development, acquisition and parameterization, implementation, outsourcing, ...)
Objectives: 2 6
Week: 14
Theory
0h
Problems
0h
Laboratory
0h
Guided learning
0h
Autonomous learning
10h

Teaching methodology

It is a course project, so basically practice. The classes are always in lab with a number of four or five project teams per class. The explanations of concepts needed (most at first, but also at any time when necessary) are in the same classroom block 20-30 minutes. The project teams are composed of three to five members, with different roles assigned (Head, Business Analyst, Analyst Information System). The teacher in the classroom, acts as guardian of the equipment. Both presentations are also planned in hours of lab.
The project involves a case of a company, and tries to play the event of a real project, which must submit an analysis of the current situation and plan systems proposed to solve problems or shortcomings of the current situation. Additionally, define the implementation project (development, procurement, subcontracting ...) any of IS Plan proposed to implement. Models and tools to support the work of analysis and definition of systems plan will be chosen by the students, based on the recommendations of the teacher and the students themselves. Are two installments, with the first results of the analysis of the current state (business and SI) business, and the second with the plan proposed system, including prioritized list of projects and details any of these. The technical issues are put into practice correspond largely to the wealth of the specialty subjects.

Evaluation methodology

In a course project, which will qualify the project. This is done in teams, and team members have different roles. Project evaluation takes into account the documents submitted, oral presentations and the overall performance of the team, and this forms a global team note. The final note that each student team, qualified the behavior of the role performed by the student. The components of the note are:

NDoc: Grade of the documentation submitted (two documents)
NDoc = 0,5*NDoc_1 + 0,5*NDoc_2 where each component is calculated as follows
NDoc_i = 0,6*VCD_i + 0,4*VQD_i, where VCD_i is assessing the technical content and VQD_i the quality assessment of formal technical report

NPres: Grade of the presentations (2 presentations)
NPres = 0,5*NPres_1 + 0,5*NPres_2 where each component is calculated as follows
NPres_i = 0,6*VCP_i + 0,4*VQP_i, where VCP_i is assessing the technical content and VQP_i the quality assessment of presentation

Ndes: Development grade
Ndes = overall assessment of the teacher about the quality of work done by the team observed in everyday classroom

NdesRol: Development role grade
NdesRol = teacher assessment on the performance of each individual roles within the team observed in everyday classroom, taking into account the participation declared by each member of the group in the project

NEquip = 0,7*NDoc + 0,2*NPres + 0,1*Ndes
Nota final = 0,9*NEquip + 0,1*NdesRol

The assessment of key skills is obtained from:
Oral i Written Communication = (VC+VQ)/2 * (NdesRol/Ndes) where
VC = (VCD_1 + VCD_2 + VCP_1 + VCP_2)/4 i VQ = (VQD_1 + VQD_2 + VQP_1 + VQP_2)/4
Work in group = NdesRol

the grades corresponds to A, B, C, D values according to:
A if grade is high to 8.4
B if grade is between 7 and 8.4
C if grade is between 5 and 6.9
D if grade is less than 5

Bibliography

Basic:

Complementary:

Web links

Previous capacities

The subjects learned in the prerequisite courses