The Evolution of Information Systems

LASA 1: The Evolution of Information Systems
As an IT manager, create a 10 – 15 slide professional PowerPoint presentation (using speaker notes) for the CEO. The presentation topic is the evolution of information systems as seen in the organization you selected in module 1.
You will conduct research and analyze information to make recommendations for an updated system that can meet the business requirements of your chosen organization.
1. Summarize the organization’s current and past use of information systems and its impact on operations, decision making, efficiency, and profitability.
2. Explain the usage and purpose of the IS system, the improvements that can be made to it, and analyze the need for an information system. Elaborate on how decisions are made using the IT system.
3. Identify three key business requirements or needs that the system must meet of your selected organization (e.g., the system must track all customer sales by product, region, and sales representative).
4. Then, assuming that a system upgrade would be possible, discuss your responsibility as an IS professional and the roles of others in the organization to define new or other business information systems that might be needed and to select an appropriate platform. Consider various types of decision-making support systems (DSS).
5. Include a title slide, reference slide and incorporate at least three resources in your presentation.
Present your research, analysis, and recommendations in a format that could be shared with stakeholders without technical knowledge. Provide diagrams or other visual aids to explain your analysis, if needed.

Summarized past and current information systems used by the selected organization.
Explained impact of information systems on operations, decision-making, efficiency, and profitability.
Described decision support system (DSS) used by the selected organization.
Evaluated the usefulness of a DSS and the existing DSS.
Identified and described three key business requirements of the selected organization.
Determined need for upgrade and described likely upgrade for the business requirements identified.
Style: Tone, audience, and word choice

Organization : Introduction, transitions, and conclusion

Usage and Mechanics: Grammar, spelling, and sentence structure
APA Elements: In text citations and references, paraphrasing, and appropriate use of quotations and other elements of style

Page 1

OK, it seems there is money in the budget to upgrade our existing systems to accommodate all functional areas of Summit Solutions.
We need to move forward quickly on a platform decision as I would like to have all information systems in place ASAP after the acquisition paperwork is complete.
I’m going to be at a conference this week so I need you to call a meeting and bring your platform recommendations to the table. Figure out who needs to attend this meeting then go ahead and assemble meeting information for participants. It may be the same folks involved initially, or you may need to move the next level up in some cases. Be sure to include anyone who will be a stakeholder in this decision.
We have a very short timeline on this so make sure you put together and distribute enough information in advance of the meeting so that everyone can come together and make the best decision. Thanks for your help with this.

Page 2
In the world of business, as with all other fields, learning never ends. Those working in organizations are constantly required to make decisions and need additional information. This information can be obtained in various ways including Internet research, networking with colleagues, actively participating in professional organizations, and reading. In your work, you will be expected to know about current technologies, and to do that, you must read, compare, and analyze information.
What exactly do businesses need to know in order to operate their businesses and make them profitable enough to survive? Consider basic business operations: Businesses market or sell a product or a service, they get paid for it, they pay the bills and wages of employees and employees produce the product or service. Then, this cycle is repeated.
The view of business operations just described is very basic. However, the simplified view makes it much easier for you to think about what you might need to make sure the cycle can be repeated, and repeated often enough to make money. Even nonprofit organizations have to make money, so they can pay their staff and continue to offer the product or the service.
As you progress through this module, you will learn various terms organizations use, particularly in the IT area of business. Developing an understanding of key items is the first step to making the best, most informed decisions.

• Analyze business requirements to select an application system using a structured approach.
• Identify the role of information systems and end-user responsibility in distributed organizations.

Page 3
You have a new task! The CIO of Summit Solutions, Inc. wants you to prepare and present your recommendations at a meeting on the platform issue. Your presentation will have to be written for a diverse audience including all the stakeholders and key decision-makers.
Now that you have thoroughly researched platforms and know which ones would be a good fit for your organization, let’s pull everything together and select the one choice that fits best.
In the early days of computers, you would have had the ultimate decision and authority to make the recommendation. Most stakeholders had no clue about IT terminology or the capabilities of systems. The end-users, those who would use the system on a daily basis, were practically nonexistent. In addition, there were very few choices.
In those days, computers were located in computer rooms or laboratories and technical personnel were the only ones who really used them. When department managers needed to review reports, they requested copies. However, there was no interaction between department personnel and the computers. Today, technical personnel no longer have the ultimate say in decisions concerning the operations of the department. When department managers need information, they are able to use the system to acquire the information themselves. They no longer need to rely on technical personnel for assistance.

Page 4
Currently, with any IT decision, you will need to bring in personnel from all departments, including end-users, managers, finance managers, and possibly even a board member representative. When you arrange a meeting to present your recommendations, you need to make sure you have included those employees who can analyze and discuss the issue.
Otherwise, the decisions cannot be made quickly or in the best interests of the people that will be affected by the decision.
For your presentation at the Summit Solutions, Inc. meeting, you will need to determine what facts are relevant. Remember that you are dealing with a number of personalities including—those who care only about the bottom line, those who care about upward mobility, those who really don’t care and won’t contribute to the decision, and those who want it their way. You will have to make sure you prepare and present all the facts and are able to answer any questions that may be thrown your way.
In this module, you will carry out research and create a presentation on your recommendations for an IS system. Your presentation will be created keeping in mind all the stakeholders involved in the decision. As part of your research for the presentation, it may be worth your while to review some presentation techniques, team decision facilitation, and ways to deal with various personalities. You will have to present your recommendation and negotiate to get your way. If you have no experience with presentation or negotiation, now is the time to hone these skills. You will need these skills throughout your career and even in your personal life.

Page 5
Jack Adler -Manager

First, it’s important to know what we currently have and see if it remains a viable option. Why change something if it is working fine and will continue to meet our needs in the near future? So, in order to answer the question, we must first look at our current and future needs so that we can select the most effective and feasible platform to meet our needs.

Grace Nicholson- IT Supervisor
There are several platforms on the market and each vendor claims to have the best solution. We need to review several factors before deciding on a platform. The factors include how long the vendor has been in business, user satisfaction, initial cost, time required for implementation and conversion, how often the platform needs to be updated, and the type of training available for the IT support staff.

Donald Williams-End User
To choose a platform, I ask, what’s in it for me? How does it meet my needs as an end user? Can I purchase the application that best suits my needs and have it run on the platform or will I have limited options due to the platform chosen?

Baltzan, P. (2009). Business driven information systems, 2nd edition. New York City: McGraw-Hill Learning Solutions