Running head: UNIT 5 GROUP PROJECT
Unit 5 Group Project
Group A
Robert Dooley
Walden University
August 17, 2014
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Week 5 Group Project
This week’s assignment was to discuss the conversion, fallback and training techniques used by
HudsonBanc. What follows is a combined effort from the team members of Group A regarding these
topics. Three members of our team participated in the discussion – Chamille Adams did not. Each of
the three remaining members individually answered the questions and made suggestions where
appropriate.
Main Benefits of the Proposed Approach
Our group felt the parallel method of conversion was the correct way to approach this project.
This method allows for the legacy and new systems to operate side-by-side for a period of time with
validation occurring to keep the systems balanced. There is a cost advantage of operating in this
environment. Parallel deployments offer a “relatively low operational risk” (Satzinger, Jackson & Burd,
2012). In these cases, the legacy system provides a backup in the event the new system fails to function
as needed. However, HudsonBanc only converted a portion of the customer accounts to the new
system for testing and did not get a true test of how the system would function at the time of release.
This is referred to as a partial parallel conversion and there are risks involved.
Risks of the Proposed Installation Plan
In the partial parallel conversion that HudsonBanc employed, only ten percent of the accounts
were converted to the new system. Our case study does not state whether the accounts came from
both systems or a single system. Either way, not enough accounts were used during the testing of the
new application. While transactions were posted to these accounts in the legacy system, they were also
manually posted to those same accounts in the new system. This type of double-entry does not fully
engage the modules or “behind the scenes” programming of the new application. Without fully
engaging all of the modules, a true system test cannot be completed.
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In my career, I have done partial parallel conversions to create specific test scenarios on the new
application. However before fully implementing the system, all of the accounts are converted to the
new application and a full system stress test is performed. In these tests, the system is operated in a
mock live environment and as many users are accessing the system performing all of the tasks that will
be required of the new system. Only after this is completed and any residual errors are corrected, can
the system be offered to the public.
Fallback Strategies
In the case of HudsonBanc, the best fallback strategy would have been to revert back to the
original system. If the bank had used a phased approach, the impact would have been minimized. This
type of approach would have been to convert one bank’s accounts to the new system and resolve any
errors that were reported from the customers. After a period of time, the second bank’s accounts could
be converted with minimal errors as they would have been corrected after the first conversion.
A second fallback strategy is to have specific downtime procedures in place. This is a little more
challenging for a customer facing application. How do you get customers to mail payments when the
system is down and they want immediate confirmation a payment was received and posted to their
account?
Training Requirements
Training is a must for any new implementation. I see four segments of training for
HudsonBanc’s implementation. 1) Since the software was purchased from a third party, the in-house
developers must be trained on how the system is designed to work before they can make modifications
to the process flow. 2) Customer Support technicians must be trained on common questions that may
arise and how simple procedures should be handled. 3) The front-end staff such as tellers, receptionists,
and everyday system users should be trained on the various modules within the system that belong to
their work unit and also informed how that work impacts the other workers in the bank. 4) Lastly, and
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most importantly, some method of providing training or help documentation to the web portal users
must be made available. In today’s technology world, most applications are web-based. It is not
difficult to include hot-key access to a help feature that will describe a function, field or screen to the
end-user. These types of help vehicles will reduce call volumes to the customer support staff
tremendously and the customer will be happier for it.
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References:
Satzinger, J. W., Jackson, R. B., & Burd, S. D. (2012). Systems Analysis and Design in a
Changing World (6th ed.). Boston: Cengage Learning.