Identifying & Selecting
Systems Development
Projects
Class 5
SDLC
Project Identification
& Selection *
Project Initiation
& Planning
Analysis
Logical Design
Physical Design
Implementation
Maintenance
The process of Identifying &
Selecting IS development Projects
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Identify potential development projects
Classify and rank projects
Select projects for development
Types of IS Projects
Replace or extend
an existing system
Create a new
system to provide
better customer service
Move system to
a new platform
or operating system
Make an old
system more
efficient
Sources of
Potential
Projects
Project ID
& Selection
Top Down
Top Mgt
Steering Committee
Bottom Up
User Depts
Development Group
Project Initiation
& Planning
Schedule of Projects
Evaluate,
Prioritize, and
Schedule
Projects
1. ………….
2. …………
3. …………
4. …………
Identifying & Selecting IS
Projects Characteristics
Selection Method
Top management
Steering Committee
User Department
Development Group
Characteristics
TD vs BU Planning Approaches
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Perspective
Understanding
Management Support
Classifying and Ranking
Projects
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Potential Benefits
Corporate/Competitive Strategy (Strategic
Alignment)
Resource Availability
Project Size/Duration
Technical Difficulty/Risks
Perceived and real needs of the org
Potential and ongoing projects
Factors affecting choice of
Project
Perceived and
Real Needs
List of Potential
And Ongoing
Projects
Current
Organizational
Environment
Existing
Available
Resources
Decision Outcome
Project
Selection
Decision
Evaluation
Criteria
Accept Project
Reject Project
Delay Project
Refocus Project
End-User Development
Project Selection for EPE
Needs
EPE needs
Info Systems
List of
Possible Projects
Org Environments
Help EPE generate $
& Minimize Costs
Resources
7 programmer/
analysts
Project
Selection
Decision
Your
Evaluation
Criteria
- Accept
- Reject
- Delay
- Refocus
- End-User
Development
Possible EPE Projects
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Graceland Tour Scheduling
Memorabilia (inventory, ordering, selling)
Elvis Fan Club Membership
GIS for Amusement Park Planning
Litigation Tracking
Restaurant Systems (food, supplies, payroll)
Night Club/Casino Entertainment Scheduling
____________________________________
As a member of the EPE Steering
Committee, your job is to
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Select one factor to rate each project (From
list under “classifying and ranking…”)
Evaluate each potential project against your
chosen criteria (I.e., does the project provide
strategic alignment, reduce costs, …)
Determine the outcome of each project
(“accept”, “reject”, …)
Prioritize the “acceptable” projects.
(Remember that you are only giving approval
for the next step in the SDLC).
List any assumptions that you make.
Student Experiences
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Who?
How?
What?
Question

Why might an organization not conduct
adequate IS planning in making project
decisions (or not conduct any planning
at all)?
Question

How formal should project identification
and selection be? What are the
tradeoffs between formal vs informal
processes? Why might a company
favor one over the other?