Innovating IT System Life Cycle Management

Running head: BMGT8216: Innovating IT life Cycle Management Maurice Kabeireho 1

A Look at the various Process, Practices and Procedures that are involved in IT Systems Life

Cycle Management (IT SLCM) in a Dynamic Environment

Maurice Kabeireho, 2014

BMGT 8216

Innovating IT Life Cycle Management

Capella University

10 Reler Ln. # M

Somerset, NJ 08873

Tel: (848) 228 3970

Email: [email protected]

Instructor: Dr. Susan Li


Table of Contents

INNOVATING INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY LIFE CYCLE MANAGEMENT

Abstract ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------5

SDLC Development Methodologies and System Project Planning ------------------6

Part 1: SDLC and Development Methodologies ---------------------------------------- 6

Waterfall Methodology -------------------------------------------------------------------------6

Rapid Application Development ------------------------------------------------------------- 7

Identifying Critical differences for criteria selection ---------------------------------------9

Part 2: System Project Planning -----------------------------------------------------------10

Introduction ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10

Analyzing the relationship between organizational strategic planning

and system acquisition planning, including the key players and roles ------------------ 11

Assessing who should be involved in system planning and when

they should be involved; support this with a rationale ------------------------------------ 11

Analyzing the characteristics needed of team members for system

development and balancing it with the available workforce resources ------------------13

Evaluating the criteria for choosing in-house implementation, hiring

specialized consulting teams, or complete outsourcing teams --------------------------- 14


A Review of the Different Types of Requirements of Modelling as Used

in System Development -------------------------------------------------------------------------17

Logical models and their comparison ---------------------------------------------------------- 17

Comparing two data models for use on a software development project,

including the strengths and weaknesses of each ---------------------------------------------- 19

Determining the criteria for choosing the appropriate process/logic and data

models for systems development and who should determine those criteria --------------- 22

Analyzing System Software Implementation and Maintenance and the

Various Tools Involved in the Process ------------------------------------------------------- 23

Analyzing the ways in which software architecture and

software design differ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 23

Selecting and analyzing a CASE tool that could be used to create

a software architecture ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 24

Selecting and analyzing a CASE tool that could be used to

create a software design -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 26

Analyzing the benefits of an integrated CASE tool to an organization -------------------- 28

Analyzing System Software Implementation and Maintenance Up

to the End Life Cycle --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 30

Analyzing the governance for the implementation of a software

application----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 31

Analyzing the challenges in a geographically distributed


development team ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 32

Assessing the role of process improvement for software implementation--------------- 33

Evaluating the benefits of CMMI as a process improvement

methodology, and briefly comparing it with COBIT --------------------------------------- 35

Analyzing system life software maintenance, including end-of-life

planning and data migration to replacement system ---------------------------------------- 38

Analyzing the process of IT Service Management in software

Implementation and Maintenance ---------------------------------------------------------- 42

Analyzing the role, or potential role, of IT service management (ITSM)

in risk management for delivering IT services to internal and external clients ---------- 42

Evaluating how the use of IT service management (ITSM) might

address the implementation of best practices ------------------------------------------------- 44

Analyze the benefits versus the challenges (for example, training and

process overhead) of ITIL ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 45

Contrasting the benefits of adopting best practices versus the need

for innovation in enterprise processes --------------------------------------------------------- 46

Assessing the approaches for balancing best practices and innovation ------------------- 48

Conclusion ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 50

References ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 51


Abstract

Software System development life cycle management involves all process, procedures and

policies as well as any activities in developing information systems through a multistep of

processes that include requirements investigation, planning, modelling, going all the way to the

systems development, testing, implementation, maintenance, and up to the end of a system’s life

and eventual migration to a new system. Along the way, the process involves using a number of

tools, and procedures as well as a set of skilled personnel such as architects, analysts,

programmers, testers and users who work together to create the millions of lines of custom-

written codes that drive today’s complex systems. Also the process involves a constant

monitoring and process improvements so as to enable the producing organization keep within the

required regulations and producing in line with the customer’s expectations. It is thus a rigorous

process that involves uses of the industry best practices and requires specialized skills to achieve

its goals. This paper thus sets out to explain the various management stages and processes that

the system undergoes throughout its life cycle, including the servicing and process improvement

processes as well as migration to the new system.


SDLC Development Methodologies and System Project Planning

Part 1: SDLC and Development Methodologies:

The two identified software development methodologies which are used in the process Systems

Development Life Cycle are:

a) The waterfall Development Methodology

b) The Rapid Applications Development (RAP) methodology

The waterfall methodology:

The waterfall, systems development methodology is a traditional method by which a well line of

document is kept and followed, stage by stage, throughout the entire SDLC (Minton, 2011). The

developers take a lot of time in requirements gatherings to ensure that all the questions in regard

to the product are asked and the detailed answers included in the documentation. In this

methodology, the system is built according to the plan that is well stipulated in the

documentation; and that one should move to another phase only when it’s preceding phase is

reviewed and verified. More so, documentation of all activities is well written and kept

throughout the entire development process for referral purposes. This methodology works well

especially for software development that is structured, is not needed urgently and does not

include a lot of complex materials such as graphics and navigations.


This model is a sequential design process, often used in software development processes in

which progress is seen as flowing steadily downwards through the phases of Conception,

Initiation, analysis, design, Construction, testing, implementation and maintenance.

The advantage of waterfall development is that it allows for departmentalization and managerial

control. A schedule can be set with deadlines for each stage of development and a product can

proceed through the development process. However, this method has a set- back in that there is

no turning back. Once a stage has been finished, there is no chance of turning back and this

limits the need for review.

Also this methodology is mainly suited for software developments in which later

communication with the stakeholders may be difficult and therefore the developers will rely

more on the documentation to build the system. It will also best be suited for building solutions

that have features that are not dependent on each other, such that in case changes have to be

done, they will not be very costly as having to reconstruct the entire system.

The Rapid Applications Development Methodology:

This form of systems development methodology mainly applies to the situation where

systems/applications need to be delivered in a short period of time. It usually employees the

prototyping method in which the developers are able to produce visual displays at various stages

of the SDLC of what the final product will look like and have it presented to the stakeholders to

determine whether their requirements have been met at that particular phase of development. If

the stakeholders agree with it, then the developers discard that information and quickly go the


next phase. They, in other words treat each stage separately after satisfaction confirmation from

the users that the phase requirements have been met. This methodology is well suited in the

developing of websites and other web related applications that involve complexities like

navigation and need to be quickly delivered to the users (French, 2011).

This is a methodology which relies on the concept that products can be developed faster

and of higher quality through:

Gathering requirements using workshops or focus groups

Prototyping and early, reiterative user testing of designs

The re-use of software components

A rigidly paced schedule that defers design improvements to the next product

version

Less formality in reviews and other team communication

This methodology also usually embraces object-oriented programming methodology, which

inherently fosters software re-use. Good examples can be Java, C++ and other programming

languages.

Identifying critical differences among the methodologies that contribute criteria for the

selection of the best fit software development methodology for your organization's needs:

The critical differences among the methodologies that contribute criteria for their selection as the

best fit by my organization can be looked at from the following angles;


a) While the waterfall takes a sequential process that takes a long time to complete, the RAP

is on the other hand a faster methodology that quickly delivers the system. Due to the

rapid changing technology, my organization prefers to use the development methodology

that is faster and delivers the system in the possible shortest time and thus the RAP

methodology is preferred for that matter.

b) Whereas the waterfall takes into consideration user’s requirement, it is not constantly

updated throughout the development process like in the RAP, and its prototyping

processes. Therefore, the RAP methodology is a better way to achieving a guaranteed

customer satisfaction in the end than the waterfall methodology. Since one of my

organization’s goals is customer satisfaction, we need a system that well reflects the

requirements of the user’s and thus will guarantee customer satisfaction and this makes

the RAP is more favorable approach.

c) Moreover, most of the applications software that we utilize are web based and structured

in nature and involve graphical navigations from one point to another, which further

makes the deployment of the RAD methodology more favorable.

d) More so, the activities of my organization very much involve the use the programing

language that is used especially in the setting up of edit check parameters that will ensure

that all the discrepancies are captured and data is completely cleaned. From the analysis

of their characteristics, the RAD methodology is good at this, especially the use the Java

C++ language.

Therefore, considering all the above factors and critically looking at them, they point to the use

of the Rapid Application’s Development (RAP) methodology since it will satisfy the same

conditions that my organization needs in a development methodology.


Part 2: System Project Planning

Introduction:

A Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a representation of the various stages through

which IT system developers work in order to deliver a system to its completion. Traditionally, it

involved five stages that include Initiation and Planning, Analysis, Design, Implementation and

testing. However, as time evolves and more research is been carried out, more stages have come

to be encompassed with the system development process to include stages like Deployment,

Acceptance that also involves the process of installation; and also other post deployment

processes such as maintenance that tend to last forever as long as the system is in use.

Because software development has become more complex than ever before, there has

necessitated a need for people from different fields such as architects, analysts, programmers,

testers as well as users to work together during the development process in order to deliver

systems that will do the right job while ensuring quality and satisfaction of the products (Kay

2002). For this to happen, it all starts with the planning phase of the Systems Development Life

Cycle (SDLC) that will ensure all that is required for a successful project is available. The

planning stage involves a look at the entire systems project in regards to it goals and objectives

and the resources that would be needed to achieve them as well as the means through which to

attain such resources. Therefore, this particular stage is very important as it forms the basis/back

born of the entire project such that mistakes made here can hurt the entire project in the process

whereas proper planning will very much form the basis of the project success.


Analyzing the relationship between organizational strategic planning and system

acquisition planning, including the key players and roles:

The strategic planning of an organization involves planning towards achieving the organization’s

goals and objectives and these may include such things as cost reduction, error reduction, risk

reduction, increased market share, customer satisfaction, increased production efficiency to

mention but a few. Therefore, in planning to acquire a system, management and or the planning

committee must ensure that such a system will help in achieving the goals and objectives as set

out in the organization’s strategic plan for the new system to bring about success in the

organization. Thus, aligning the organization’s goals and IS goals is very critical for the

successful development/acquisition of any systems. For the example in the case of my

organization, this will involve the transforming the contents of the strategic plan such as cost

reduction, increased market share, increased customer satisfaction as well increased efficiency

into systems development by adding them to the project’s develop initiative.

This means that for a system that will not be able to deliver on the above goals and objectives

will not be considered in the acquisition process. This in turn implies that strategic planning form

a back born of project initiation and must be part and parcel of the entire process.

Assessing who should be involved in system planning and when they should be involved;

support this with a rationale:

It should be noted here that system project planning forms basis of the entire project such that

mistakes made here can hurt the entire project in the process whereas proper planning will very


much help in making the project a success. System planning involves a look at the entire systems

project in regards to it goals and objectives and the resources that would be needed to achieve

them as well as the means through which to attain such resource. Therefore, this calls that all

stakeholders in the project such as the users, owners, developers, sponsors, project manager to

mention but a few be involved in this process so as to leave no stone unturned.

The user’s contributions will be very important to avoid final project poor customer satisfaction

or at worst project rejection which will be very costly for the organization to go through the

entire rework process. Software systems that do not satisfy the users are often accorded to poor

and incomplete design because they do not optimally serve the purpose for which they were

developed (Majid, Noor, Adnan and Mansor, 2010). Utterly, the users are the final owners of the

project and their requirements will detect the scope of the project. Therefore, they must be

available at all times in the life of the project.

The developers contribution will also be needed in this stage since it is where we define the

discrete work and activities required to have each activity properly completed (Hoffer, 2014).

The developers should be available right from start of the planning to ensure that activities are

well defined and present throughout to ensure that they liaise with the users especially to address

any upcoming issues that may require making changes.

The role of the sponsor is equally important so as to determine whether the resources that are

required will be available to cover the operations of the project. The sponsor is the chief

financier of the entire project and without him, the planning process cannot be finalized as he

must agree to whether the figures are within attainable means or not. He may not be available all

the time like the project manager and the developer but at least during the final financial analysis

of the planning process.


The project manager who is the person at the center of the entire project as a matter of fact has to

be involved and in all stages of the planning process as he will be responsible for the

coordination and execution of the entire plan. Therefore he has to make sure that the plan will be

in position to work within the project’s triple constraints of time, scope and schedule and thus

enabling it to succeed without hindrances.

Also other members of the project team should be present all the time to carry out such activities

like feasibility studies and risk assessment to ensure that the project will be viable with the given

resources as prescribed on the project plan. All these people must come together and be readily

available during the planning process as they contribute crucial aspects towards the success of

the project.

Analyzing the characteristics needed of team members for system development or

acquisition and balancing it with the available workforce resources:

The overall goal of systems acquisition is to design, develop, and deliver a system that works, is

on time and within budget, and can be maintained and reused. Therefore this would require a

team of members that are well skilled, vibrant, ready to adopt to any upcoming changes, and

equipped with the knowledge that is necessary to achieve the goals. In regards to the available

workforce resources, there is a small percentage of those who are well specialized in the field

compared to the demand for them. This creates a competitive environment for such laborers and

may be expensive to hire permanently. However, for an organization to ensure that it has the

workforce that the best skills to achieve its goals, it is crucial that two thing be done;


a) Conducting a rigorous recruitment that involves testing the skills of the employees on the

activities of the system to ensure that they have the skills needed for the job.

b) Also in order to keep an updated workforce, training of the existing employees should be

encouraged so as to equip the team members with new skills that would be necessary to

encounter new challenges due to the changes in technology.

This what my organization does to ensure the IT workforce is well equipped and ready carry

forward the activities of the organization in the required manner that leads to success.

Evaluating the criteria for choosing in-house implementation, hiring specialized consulting

teams, and/or selecting complete outsourcing teams:

Software-intensive systems are critical to the administration and operation of every business

organization. The needs that eventually lead to a new acquisition of personnel arise from an

organization’s day-to-day mission and business operations. Investment and work process

analysis articulate these needs and may recommend process changes, procurement of a new

system, or both. Some of the factors that determine how an organization may acquire a system

and which of form of personnel include such things as the costs, risks, size of the firm,

expertize/skills, location to mention but a few.

The cost of the project is an important factor in determining how the firm may acquire an IT

project. Despite the advantages of in-house project acquisition such as customized, unique

project, that is fully owned, an organization may resort to using an outside source if it is

determined that the cost of in-house is too high and will affect productivity and profitability of

the organization. Therefore, the firm opts to spend nothing on capital investment but only hires


the outside personnel and thus getting the same services necessary for its production activities

but at lower costs of production. For example in the case of my organization, other than build the

entire software that serves as INFORM software and use it only in our organization, the company

opted to outsource it from Oracle, and thus avoiding on the initial costs that would be involved in

building it. This factor also works well for small firms who cannot afford the cost of building

their own systems by providing them with the IT support they need to remain competitive in the

market. They thus resort to using outsourcing the service and thus using the personnel outside the

organization.

The urgency of the project may also act as a criteria for determining how a system may be

acquired. If a firm needs the IT services to be used urgently in a short period of time, then it may

only be logical to hire/outsource it as it may not have enough time and manpower skills to build

it from the in-house source. This is also mainly so because of the ever changing technology that

requires organizations to adopt to such changes in a short period of time. Therefore, in this case

employing an outside specialized personnel may only be logical and the only possible way.

Risk is another factor that acts as a criteria for how to acquire a systems software and the way

firms decided on how to implement its IT Systems. Furthermore, if a firm carries out a risk

assessment and finds out that the risk of developing the software from in-house is high, then they

may opt to use outside sources in a bid to avoid such a risk associated with developing and

owning the system and leave it to the vendor organization. This would be a reason for complete

outsourcing.

Also important to note is the fact that even though the firm may have all the financial, time and

incurring less risk in building the system from in-house, it may however be lacking the expertise

to do so. Some of the complex software systems require specialized training that may not be


available with the firm IT team. In this case therefore, the firm may hire specialized manpower to

come and help in the building of the system from in-house. Also the firm already have the

system but still lack the special skills necessary for its optimal operation and so it may in case

also hire a specialized team to provide such services.

Furthermore, a firm’s global location may also act as a criteria for determining how a system

may be acquired. Firm’s that operate from the remote areas of the world may find it difficult to

attract the necessary resources to build an in-house system and may thus resort to complete

outsourcing form the specialized firms who will provide IT support from a different global

location.

By and large, determining on whether to invest in house or acquire an IT system and how to

acquire it would mainly be based on the results of the cost-benefit analysis and feasibility studies

of the project carried out during the project planning phase that will show the project’s position

in relation to its critical investment factors such as cost, risk, as well as the timing of the project

to mention but a few.


A Review of the Different Types of Requirements Modelling as Used in System Development

Logical models and their comparison:

A logic model may be defined as a tool that is used by the project evaluators and managers to

assess the effectiveness of the software program to be undertaken. According to the publication

by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation (Jan 2004), they define a logic model as a systematic and

visual way to present and share your understanding of the relationships among the resources you

have to operate your program, the activities you plan to engage in, and the changes or results you

hope to achieve as well as the overall impact they will bear at the end of the day.

Logic models or sometimes known as program logics can either be in a tabular or visual format,

often structured into several layers drawn from a list of inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes and

impacts; sometimes with the tabular formats including such headings such as risks and

assumptions. A simple flow of logic model processes can be shown as below;

Resources

/ inputs Activities Outputs Outcomes Impact


The above diagram shows the if then scenario between the elements of the program such that, if

the resources are available, then what program activities do we need to use them for, and if we

engage in such activities, then what would be the outputs; and what outcomes shall we get from

such an output and consequently, then what would be the overall impact of our program.

According to the W. K. Kellogg Foundation (Jan 2004) publication, logic models can be

categorized depending on which approach they take such as theoretical, outcomes or activities

approaches. For this assignment, I will look at the Outcomes approach type of logic model

versus the Activities approach type of logic models.

Whereas the outcomes logic model will focus its attention on the program’s specifics and

displays the interrelationships between specific program activities and their outcomes, the

activities logic model mostly focus on the specifics of the implementation process.

The outcomes logic model models most deals with describing the program outcomes and its

impact over a stretched period of time ranging from short and long term periods. Note however

that these outcomes come about as a result of the program activities. On the other hand, the

activities logic model mainly deals with focusing on what activities that need to be done in

program and are therefore helpful during the planning process as a source of information.

One of the greatest strength of the activities model is its ability to track outcomes and as such

acting as a tool for planning and management of program components. On the hand, the

outcome’s approach strength lies in its ability to emphasize and anticipate on the program’s

intended results in a more detailed manner. Therefore, while the activities logic model mainly

puts its emphasis on the program’s planned work and thus includes the measurements and data


sources that will be used to determine the project's effectiveness in reaching targeted outcomes,

the outcomes approach model puts most of its emphasis on the program’s intended results and

thus looks at the factors that may influence the outcomes predicted (Kellogg Foundation, 2004).

In practice of software development, all logic models approaches work together to bring program

concepts and dreams to life by letting stakeholders try an idea of different sizes and apply the

theories to a model or picture of how the program would function. They help connect activities

and resources to the program outcomes.

Comparing two data models for use on a software development project, including the

strengths and weaknesses of each:

Data modelling is a process used to define and analyze data requirements needed to support the

business processes within the scope of corresponding information systems in organizations. In

systems development process, data modelling helps to identify and organize the required data

logically and physically. For example, it might specify that a given customer is represented by a

customer name and credit card number and a product is represented by a product code and price,

and that there is a one to many relations between a customer and a product. But important to note

is that data modelling is aimed at using the gathered data to meet the requirements given by the

end user.

Data modelling takes three levels namely; conceptual that looks at entity names and entity

relationships, logical level that looks at the attributes, primary and foreign key in addition to the

conceptual values, and last but not least the physical level that deals with the primary keys,

foreign keys, column tables as well as the column data types. Data modelling also can be of other


forms such as enterprise data model, integration data model, applications data model and

business information data model to mention but a few.

For the purposes of this assignment, I will compare the physical data model versus logical data

model.

Physical data models are a representation of the actual structure of the database, showing all the

tables, columns and the entire messages as they run through the computer system (West, 2011).

It includes all the table structures of the database such as primary keys, foreign keys, table

names, column names as well as column data types to mention but a few. Typical to note on this

type of data model is that it also includes referential integrity rules that are used to implement

relationship types, the data is de-normalized so as to improve on the performance of specific

queries, and most important, it includes restrictions on the data that can be held.

On the other hand, the logical data model is representation of a fully attributed data for all the

entity types that are required in the data base or as may be required by the application server.

Crucial to note is that it may or may not include rules and derived data that are relevant to the

processes of the application it serves as well as restrictions on the data that can held in at a given

time. In addition and important about the logic data model is that the data is normalized at this

stage of system development. A logic data model, if were developed can always be part of the

larger enterprise architecture and can always be referred to as a source of information in case

business changes need to be made.

Last but not least, whereas the logic data models are most often used in the evaluation stage of a

program, physical data model is most applicable during the implementation of the database while

linking the data to the technology involved in the project.


In a diagrammatic form, the features of the two data models may be represented as follows;

Feature Logical Physical

Entry Names Yes

Entry Relationships Yes

Attributes Yes

Primary Keys Yes Yes

Foreign Keys Yes Yes

Table Names Yes

Column Names Yes

Column Data Types Yes

Therefore, from the above representation, it can be seen that the logical data model helps the

development team to understand the details of the data available to them while the physical data

model goes a step ahead to show the developer how to exactly implement the data in a given

database.

We also note that in the physical data model as compared to the logical data model, the entity

names become table names, the attributes become column Names and the data type for each

column is specified.

Furthermore, it is important to note that whereas the logical data model is basically non

technological or is not linked to it, the physical data model is linked to technology through the

database system. The entities in the logical data model only represent a set of things such as


people and business concepts whereas the tables in the physical data model represent data

structures with data values.

Determining the criteria for choosing the appropriate process/logic and data models for

systems development and who should determine those criteria:

Generally, the criteria for determining the appropriate process, logic or data model depends on

the type of business processes that the organization is involved in, the purpose for which the data

is being modelled and what stage of the system development.

For example, if the development is about an Enterprise data model, then it would appropriate for

one to use the logic model since an enterprise data model simply represents all the data elements

of the organization, the role that the logic data model performs so well. Also if we at the stage of

requirements gathering, it would be appropriated to use the logical data mode than the physical

data model since the interest is to define and understand the data together with the stakeholders

as much as possible. If we are at the stage of database development, then it is appropriate to use

the physical data model since we are into setting tables and data structures in the database

system.


Analyzing System Software Implementation and Maintenance and the Various Tools Involved

in the Process

Analyzing ways in which software architecture and software design differ, based on the

development methodology used or considered in my organization:

A software architecture may be defined as the description of the subsystems and components of a

software system and the relationships between them, with the highest level of abstraction of a

system. It therefore includes such things as the choice of frameworks, languages, scope, goals,

and high-level methodologies that will be used in the system, while also looking at things like

functionality, comprehensibility, usability, performance, resilience, reuse, economic and

technology constraints, tradeoffs as well as aesthetic concerns. From the look of this description,

software architecture encompasses the entire structure of the system and mainly deals with the

question of what to build, what interactions between the components exist, what recovery

systems are place to mention but a few.

Software design on the other hand looks at the smaller picture of dealing with the modules but in

as precise and concrete terms in the specifications as it will be necessary for the development.

Therefore, one can say that software design is concerned with the modularization and detailed

interfaces of the design elements, their algorithms and procedures, and the data types needed to

support the architecture and to satisfy the requirements of the entire system. Software design thus

mainly deals with questions of how the software will be built including looking at how the code

with be organization and implemented so as achieve the goals and objectives of the entire

system. For instance in the (Dawson, Burrell, Rahim, and Brewster, (2010) article, in a bid to


secure the software code for the system of the Department of Defense, the Information

Assurance controls and requirements are allowed to drive the design process during the

requirements and design stage because it is through the design process that they can be integrated

in the system.

Furthermore and more interesting however is that although software architecture looks at the

detailed and descriptive picture of the entire system including defining of the protocols of

interaction with the outside world , it is nevertheless always part of the design process because

every architectural work is design while not every design work is architectural.

Selecting and analyzing a CASE tool that could be used to create a software architecture.

Include in your analysis the pros and cons of the tool's performance:

A Computer Aided Software Engineering (CASE) tool is a computer based software that helps

the software engineers during the process of developing, analyzing, designing, implementation

and maintenance of software applications, with the main function of decreasing the development

time and increasing the quality of software as well as developing easy maintainable software.

The nVision Tool:

The nVision tool is an analytical toolset for real-time architecture design. nVision was funded by

the U.S. Navy's Small Business Innovation Research program and was developed in partnership

with the Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Labs. An application study of the technology

for distributed system design was conducted within classified facilities. The vendor now offers a

solution consisting of the nVision toolset and a suite of comprehensive services, including:


technology immersion, architecture audit, application eng. nVision mitigates and shifts these late

stage project risks to earlier in the cycle, for effective risk management. The tool uses a well-

established mathematical analysis, simulation techniques and its own practical expertise, to come

up with an approach to modeling, analysis and simulation of architectures, and applies it to a

sample of projects and process environment.

The tool combines the functionality of SQL via PS Query with the formatting capabilities of

simple applications such as the Excel application. It is therefore simple and manageable as it

makes the use of Trees and Scopes, which helps to drastically reduce the maintenance cost.

By combining a number of services such as architect audit as well as application engineering, the

tool leads to increased project control and improved planning and communication across the

entire development process.

More so, the tool provides a real time architecture design and therefore gives the developers an

opportunity to come up with the best systems designs on the current market that will lead to

better efficiency and increased profitability.

Moreover, the tool is easy and simple to use and does not necessarily need the knowledge of

SQL but only the good knowledge of the excel application. Therefore, even the users who are not

software engineers can operate some of the functionalities.

The biggest limitation with this type of tool is the number of rows and columns provided by

Excel, which in most cases can be circumvented by using the proper filters.


Selecting and analyzing a CASE tool that could be used to create a software design. Include

in your analysis the pros and cons of the tool's performance:

Kestrel Interactive Development System (KIDS)

KIDS is a REFINE prototype application for algorithm design as well as program analysis and

optimization. It provides an intuitive, high-level operations for transformational development of

programs from specifications into designs that are meant to give the system an operational

direction. The system starts with a high-level logical specification, then uses the mouse to select

a high-level, transformational operation from a menu and finally marks the region of the

specification to which the operation is to be applied.

KIDS was developed by Kestrel Institute with support from RADC, AFOSR, ONR, NSF, and

ARPA and it provides operations such as the following for deriving a program from a given

specification:

simplify an expression with respect to a set of invariants

designing tree search algorithms

incremental maintenance of expensive expressions

divide-and-conquer algorithms

grammar-based parser/un parsers that translate between text and abstract syntax

KIDS has been used to develop many applications in such diverse areas as scheduling,

combinatorial design, sorting and searching, computational geometry, pattern matching, and

mathematical programming. Also, KIDS was applied to build transportation schedulers for use in

military settings; and because they incorporate scheduling constraints directly into code, these


schedulers run orders of magnitude faster than manually written codes of comparable

functionality. Examples include the ITAS in-theater airlift scheduler for the Pacific Air Force at

Hickham AF;B that was jointly developed with BBN, the CAMPS mission planning system for

the Air Mobility Command at Scott AFB to mention but a few.

The most unique aspect of KIDS is its approach to algorithm design. With KIDS, the abstract

algorithmic concepts, such as divide and-conquer, and global search are expressed formally as

parameterized first order theories.

Also KIDS is liked for its unique way of solving issues. In order to apply an algorithmic concept

A to a particular problem P, KIDS has a specialized tactic for constructing a theory morphism

from the theory of A to the theory of P.

One other advantage of KIDS is that it is fast and accurate, especially in deriving transportation

schedules form the specifications and this has provide a whole transformational approach to the

scheduling process. The system is automated in its processes and is thus much faster and more

efficient.

On the other hand, one of the limitations of the software tool is it reliance on general purpose

deductive inference and this limits its role in finding solutions.

More so, the KIDS tool has a limitation in as far as the completeness of the library of inference

rules is concerned and this limits the user’s ability in getting the job done efficiently and

effectively.


Analyzing the benefits of an integrated CASE tool to an organization. Consider your

organization of choice in making the selection:

One of the greatest benefits of integrated CASE tools if the Integration of design workbench with

a documentation workbench. In my organization, the use of the Oracle INFORM software in the

data management process, helps us perform a number of different tasks such as setting up and

designing of trials, data analysis, keeping of trial statistics, generating reports to mention but a

few.

Furthermore, the integrated CASE tools assist in the integration of specification, design and

programming tools with a configuration management workbench and in the case of my

organization this happens with the use of the central designer tool as well as the User

Management Tool (UMT) that are used in the designing and management configuration of the

entire system. In so doing, the CASE tools help in improving the accuracy of the entire work

processes, a key issue to my organization.

More so, the use of integrated CASE tools leads to a reduction in the effort required to perform

activities such as software configuration arrangement, quality assurance, and document

production. Most of the activities are automated and are achieved by a click away. For example

in my organization, the movement of data to and from the INFORM software where it is

analyzed is performed so easily by the import and export tools that are built in within the entire

system. This tool also has a filtering feature that helps to sort the data and ensure that is has the

correct attributes as required for processing. The use of the UMT also helps in setting up the

parameters for the edit check specification that help to ensure the quality of the product by only

allowing the data with the correct specifications to be used while rejecting the unclean data.


Once more, the use of the integrated CASE tools lead to smooth transfer of information (models,

programs, documents and data) from one tool to another through the automation process. This is

especially so in organization when it comes to the transfer of data from other tools involved in

the process such as the central designer tool as well as getting information from the other sites

and data repositories for use in the study. Also, the data process involves moving data from one

place to another sometimes for validation reasons especially when it comes to the data of Severe

Adverse Events (SAEs) in which case data is moved back and forth from the safety department

to the data management department in a bid to ensure completeness.

Worth noting also is that the use of the integrated CASE tools leads to increase in project control

that is achieved through better planning, monitoring, and communication throughout the entire

system building project. This is because all the data about the project can be got in one place.

Therefore each of the operators is able to derive any reports as far as the performance of the

project is concerned and this helps in keeping entire team well informed about the project. Also

communication is made easy as each operator authorized to log in can view the status of the

project instantly as they are all centralized. This in turn leads to improved coordination among

staff members who are working on large projects. For example, in the case of my organization,

because of automation and integration of the INFORM system, were are able to load data from

our other partners in the investigation process such as the Clinical Research Organizations

(CROs) and coordinate with them on very crucial matters in regard to the project. This increases

our efficiency in the processes and increases productivity and in the long run greater

profitability.


Analyzing System Software Implementation and Maintenance Up to the End Life Cycle

Analyzing the governance (responsibility, authority, and accountability for tasks and

decision making) for the implementation of a software application, and why this is a

requirement in my organization of choice:

Governance in corporate terms may refer to the number of processes, customs, policies, laws,

and institutions which have impact on the way a company is controlled and managed. Important

themes of corporate governance is the nature and extent of responsibility and accountability of

people in the business, and mechanisms that try to decrease the principal-agent to the issue. So

far a number of countries have already issued governance, transparency and accountability acts

to enforce the private as well as the government sectors to implement procedures and practices to

ensure effective governance compliance.

On an organization level, the firm’s top management formulates policies and procedures, in

addition to the federal laws and regulations that act as a guide to the software developing team

during the system life time and implementation processes. Such policies and procedures may

include the privacy policy, the compliance policy, security and IT infrastructures computer use

policy, as well as industry and Standard Operating Procedures. These are aimed at creating and

ensuring accountability, responsibility as well as authenticity about the various system

development processes. It important to note that effective governance for Service Oriented

Architectures (SOA) defines rules for their operational and organizational structure, as well as

technological rules, for the entire life cycle (Holyoake, 2014).


Governance, thus seizes on an organization's strategies and objectives and implements them

through IT solutions. There is thus a great need for governance at every stage of the life of the

system from requirements stage to the maintenance stage.

Organizations need to actively design governance and be able to know where and when to

redesign the systems if necessary to ensure the correct code in place. Organizations should

involve the senior managers in the process of software implementation who will help in making

important decisions about the available choices in the process such as the when to introduce the

Service Oriented Architecture in the software.

Governance is also responsible for providing the right incentives to the people involved in the

process of software implementation so as to give them morale and confidence while carrying out

their duties. It is the role of governance to ensure that such incentives are well aligned with

governance structures so as to bring about success of the entire projects.

Because of the complexity that is involved in the implementation of software applications, it

requires an infrastructure in the form of monitoring and implementation mechanisms for

regulating and guiding development processes and thus requires that governance ensures

responsibility, accountability as well as authority to help guide the activities in the right

direction. By setting up policies such as the security and the compliance policies, governance

aims at ensuring that the employees work within their expected limits while ensuring and

observing that the implementation of the software application is done within the law.

More so, and very crucial to note is the fact that while the development team is responsible for

the daily activities in the implementation process such as designing, testing, modelling to

mention but a few, the decision to make any changes to the software implementation are only left


to the top management to make them and approve them after they have make consultations with

the stakeholders if necessary. This is done to ensure that there is effective management and

accountability of the activities performed. Moreover, the top management would be responsible

and accountable for the overall success or failure of the projects.

Analyzing the challenges in a geographically distributed development team, and in

contracting out some or all roles of the development team:

Geographically distributed teams means that organizations would be forced to engage in the use

of virtual teams so to be able to carry conduct their global business transactions and activities.

Firms, also obtain other services such as computing and internet services through outsourcing

from other organizations. As a result of these, firms face a number of challenges that include but

are not limited to the following;

One of the major challenges that face virtual teams is lack of trust amongst the team members is

when contract workers, outsourced workers, and or multi-generational workers are used on the

team. According to (Siakas and Siakas 2008) article, the authors note that trust is a culture bound

issue and therefore calls for cultural awareness and special precautions for organizations with to

engage in multinational businesses endeavors.

Another big challenge of distributed teams is the factor of time differences that makes it difficult

for teams to be on the level of discussion especially for issues that are time sensitive. This may

lead to poor collaboration as well as poor cohesion within the team members. They may thus

start singing different tones or things getting out of phase with each other; and this may affect the

progress of development process.


Morse, the differences in cultures and values that do exist in the different parts of the world also

pause a big challenge to the distributed teams as it may be lead to poor collaboration between the

teams as well as escalating the problem of mistrust. There is a need to ensure that organizations

respect and align their business processes with the differing cultures and this may involve some

costs to the business in terms of time and money.

Distributed teams also face a challenge of IT security governance and risk mitigation especially

due to the different laws and regulations about information security that do exist in different part

of the world. Therefore, firms may find it difficult to setting a uniform policy that works for all

the firms since some of the aspects that are applicable in one country may not be applicable in

another.

Assessing the role of process improvement for software implementation in your

organization:

Process Improvement may be defined as a proactive task of identifying, analyzing and improving

upon existing business processes within an organization for optimization with the aim of

achieving better results or for that matter, better quality standards. This may be achieved by use

of such models as the Capability Maturity Model (CMM) (Paulk, Curtis, Chrissis, and Weber,

1993); more recently CMMI (SEI, 2002). It involves a systematic approach to closing any

existing gaps within the system through identification and elimination of the causes of the below

specifications quality, process variation, and non-value adding activities Paulk et al, 1993). For

example, if some loopholes are identified in the way in which firewalls are implemented in


network, then process improvement would help to ensure that such loopholes as identified are

closed to ensure efficient and proper working of the firewalls.

Also in my organization, process improvement may involve such activities as fixing of bugs,

adding new features, or even replacing them with new, modern and more efficient ones in a bid

to improve its performance. According to Hale, Hale and Smith (2011), software maintenance

involves all those processes including fixing of bugs as well as well as correcting any errors in

the source code so as to improve on its performance and maintaining alignment with operational

needs of the organizations, and in the long run bringing about improved results and overall

increased efficiency. In my organization, this will be very important in ensuring that the software

infrastructure is up to date and working efficiently; and also in terms of security, this may

include constantly updating the anti-virus software with the current versions in the market, as

well as upgrading to the new forms of the data processing software in use such as Inform and

Medidata platforms.

It also involves the use of up to date firewalls that help to prevent unauthorized access to the

company’s network and thus keeping the systems and IT infrastructure secure and in good and

efficient working conditions. Not forgetting the constant training that is given to the employees

in a bid to improve on their skills and their ability to handle organizational processes more

efficiently and responsibly, thus enabling them to offer better services that lead to increased

productivity and competition on the market.

Furthermore, process improvement in my organization involves periodically carrying out an

impact assessment of the systems including security assessments aimed at identifying and

finding out the possible threats to the processes and working out a plan to manage and mitigate


them. All this done in a bid to ensure that the system works more efficiently and is more

competitive in the market, especially considering today’s competitive trends.

Last but not least, process improvement in my organization too involves the hiring and replacing

of new employees to ensure that there is a continuous flow of work without interruption the

improvement process and thus keeping the processes efficient. In addition to the constant

replacement of the workers, my organization ensures a detailed and well documentation of all the

activities and processes that take place during process improvement. This is very important to

maintain a continuation of the process in case some critical employees abruptly leave the

organization.

Evaluating the benefits of CMMI as a process improvement methodology, and briefly

compare it to competitive and complementary process improvement approaches (such as

COBIT):

The Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) is a process appraisal tool that benefits the

organization by providing a common, integrated vision of process improvement. It is a process

model that provides a clear definition of what an organization should do to promote behaviors

that lead to improved performance through carrying out an impact assessment on the existing

processes and systems thus providing the policy makers with the ability to make the best choices

on how to make corrections and improvements that brings about efficiency in the organization.

The model operates through five stages/levels of maturity that include the initial stage, the

managed stage, the define stage, the quantitatively managed stage, as well as the optimizing

stage in which a number of processes take place ranging from measurement and analysis,


organizational training, quantitative project management as well as casual analysis and resolution

respectively.

The CMMI through its process provide the a number of benefits to organizations;

There will be a decrease in the costs of production due to the improved process as a result of

using the CMMI model. The organization’s IT processes become more efficient and thus

reducing its average costs of production because less unit costs will be required to produce the

same amount of output as before. Therefore, organizations can favorably compete in the market.

Also due to the improvement in the processes, there is also a general improvement in the quality

of the products of the organization. This will in turn lead to increased customer satisfaction and

the firm’s increased share in the market and in the long run this will lead to growth of the firm.

Furthermore, the CMMI as a process model helps the organization to improve its productivity by

helping to identify and remove the obstacles in the systems that would have slowed it down. For

example, when the security issues such as viruses are identified and debugged or managed, then

the system becomes more efficient and this leads to increased productivity. The very long run

benefit of all the above incremental processes is an increased return on investment to the

organization.

Worth noting also is that the result of improved efficient processes will mean that the

organization will be able to operate on schedule and be able to deliver its products in a timely

manner and this further increases the firm’s confidence amongst its customers and will lead to a

more customer satisfaction and increased market share.

Brief comparison with COBIT:


COBIT is an IT governance framework that helps to ensure proper control and governance over

information and the systems that create, store, and manipulate IT. It therefore provides a

framework for putting controls in place to ensure that an organization is compliant with

regulations. On the other hand, CMMI is a set of integrated models that include software

development, system engineering, and integrated product and process development, people and

other initiatives on process improvement across a project, a division, or an entire organization.

Whereas the COBIT provides for thirty four identified IT processes and their corresponding

high-level control objectives and management guidelines, including processes of maturity

models, the CMMI on the other hand is an appraisal tool that can be used by an organization in

four domains of plan and organize, acquire and implement, deliver and support as well as

Monitoring and Evaluating. It therefore provides for a common, integrated vision of

improvement of software processes while providing a clear definition of what an organization

should do to promote behaviors that lead to improved performance. Moreover, while COBIT is

an industry standard, CMMI is not and therefore achieving a level of maturity with CMMI is a

rating and not a certification as in the case with COBIT.

Also while COBIT provides for the control of the IT policies and procedures, the CMMI

provides for a process a set of tools aimed at improving an organization’s processes and make

them more efficient to enable the firm achieve its goals and objectives. COBIT enables a clear

policy development and good practice for IT control throughout organizations and emphasizes

regulatory compliance, while enabling alignment of such policies and practices with an IT

governance and control framework.

Nevertheless, it is crucial to note that both frameworks, the CMMI and COBIT are IT

governance frameworks and provide supporting toolsets that enable managers to bridge the gap


that exist within organizations processes and procedures and thus helping them to improve their

service delivery, efficiencies and thus leading to increased productivity. While the COBIT

bridges the gap by means of control requirements, technical issues and business risks, the CMMI

model bridges the gap by identifying the possible loopholes through assessments and appraisals

and providing a common, integrated vision of process improvement.

Analyzing system life software maintenance, including end-of-life planning and data

migration to replacement system:

Software maintenance refers to the process of enhancing and optimizing deployed software, as

well as remedying defects that may have occurred during the implementation process. It’s a

continuous process aimed at correcting faults, improving performance or other attributes, or

helping to adapting the product to a modified environment. Therefore, it involves all those

activities aimed at identifying errors in the code and making changes to the software in order to

correct defects and deficiencies found during field usage as well as the addition of new

functionality to improve the software's usability and applicability. Several models such as the

Boehm model as well as the CMMI have been developed to help the maintainers in the process

of software maintenance.

Maintenance must therefore be carried out in order to keep systems in optimized working

conditions and the process thus includes but is not limited to; the correcting of faults, improving

of designs, interfacing with other systems, implementing enhancements, migration of legacy

software as well as retiring of the software and replacing it with a new one; all this aimed at

ensuring a smooth run of the organization’s programs while using the software.


Software maintenance is usually initiated by a change request carried from the users to the

management who then instruct the developers/maintainers to carry out the job. The job is carried

out by a group of maintainers whose major activities include overseeing and monitoring the day

to today activities of the software, carrying out any necessary modifications and ensuring that the

software performance does not degrade to unacceptable levels.

The process of software maintenance also involve carrying out an impact analysis on the existing

software in order to determine the scope of the fault, carry out a cost-benefit analysis of the

entire process and plan for the work required in order to achieve the objective.

The process of software maintenance can be managed through the use of the IT Service

Management (ITSM) structure in which case, the user keeps on interacting the service providers

in the process of identifying any upcoming faults and risks and ensuring that they are dealt with

in time. The service ensures that not only does the technology functions as we need it to, but also

ensures that when the unexpected happens, there are actions ready to be taken to mitigate and or

minimize the impact to business and thus saving the organization both time and money (Taylor,

2012).

Software maintenance is carried out by use of tools whose selection criteria depends on the

tool’s capability, features, cost/benefit, platform, programming language, ease of use, openness

of architecture, stability of vendor, and organizational culture (Hung, 2014). Therefore it is

crucial that teams choose the correct tools that will help them to accomplish the job at the lowest

possible cost.

Important to note however is the fact that although software maintenance may keep the software

in a good working condition and giving results, there would be a time when it would be deemed


necessary to end its life. This may be due to a number of scenarios that may include but are not

limited to technology innovation and development driving changes in the product, market

demands, or the products simply mature over time and there is need for them to be replaced by a

functionally richer in technology.

Although the end of life period for a product means that it cannot be produced any more, some

support do remain existing and extended for a period of time in terms of technical support, spares

parts to mention but a few depending on the type of service contract in place until the product is

in the obsolete state. This is done to enable the users carry out their operations as they may

prepare to migrate to a new system all together. Once on the obsolete state, then nothing more

can be done on the software product and its life generally ends.

The migration of systems involve the act of transferring data and programs from one computer

system to another, either physically in which case, the old hardware devices are no longer

capable of meeting the needs of the system and therefore they need new ones or it may also take

the form of a data based migration, in which case only files and data are transferred to a new

operating system within the old hardware. Note that when system migration is purely data-based,

the move to the upgraded system requires only the transmission of data whereas when migration

is purely physical, it will require the transfer of the entire system, including data and programs,

to a new physical computer hardware, and latter usually occurs when replacement parts for the

system are no longer available or economically feasible.

It is also crucial to note that the process of migration may unfortunately and inevitably involve

periods of downtime that will affect the speed and efficiency of work. Thus in order to prepare

for such unpleasant hiccups and be ready for business continuity, it is important that the IT team


conducts backups of the system and line up a skilled team of system maintainers to help with any

faults as may be identified.

By and large, it is crucial to note that software maintenance is not an easy job considering

today’s competitive world and the level of continuous process improvement that is required to

maintain the quality expected by the users of the software application. The processes involves a

long planning process even as far back as the development stage and testing stages and it is no

wonder therefore that above 80% of software lifespan costs are incurred during this stage. In

order to reduce or manage such high cost, organizations need to constantly monitor, report,

analyze as well as improve on the software systems.


Analyzing the Process of IT Service Management in Software Implementation and

Maintenance

PART A

Analyzing the role, or potential role, of IT service management (ITSM) in risk

management for delivering IT services to internal and external clients:

IT Service Management (ITSM) may be defined as a process-based practice intended to align

the delivery of information technology services with needs of the business, which emphasizes

benefits to customers. While the process at its core concerns technology, its focus on the client is

key. The process of IT service management life cycle includes working with service design,

service operation, service transition and most important the laying of the service strategy. It is

within this service strategy that organizations begin to consider the opportunities and challenges

including the risks ahead of them and how to achieve their objectives.

As part of the standard procedure, the IT service management strategy involves production of the

service catalog that lists the type of services and features involved with the technology, their

descriptions, what they mean, who provides them, as well as their bottom line impacts on the

entire business. Therefore by providing such a detailed information that identifies the critical

areas of the technology being offered, as well as their impact on the service, IT service

management (ITSM) paves a good ground for risk management since such information is very

vital to the process.

Note that on the other hand risk management may be defined as all those processes that are

involved in identifying the risks, assessing them, planning and implementing the necessary

remedies. It involves the forecasting and evaluation of uncertainties, together with the


identification of procedures to avoid or minimize their impact. Thus, by understanding these

areas through IT service management processes, it helps in understanding the risk and eventually

how to manage it.

ITSM in its service agreements makes mention of such things as incidents and problems which

respectively refer to the occurrence of an unexpected event and occurrence of multiple incidents

of the same type. By availing such reports to the organization’s governance, ITSM enables the

organization to easily identify such incidences and thus help in the process of managing the

associated risks.

Furthermore, ITSM through its service agreement makes a mention of a service continuity plan

that aims at ensuring continuity of business operations in case of a disaster or a catastrophic

service failure. The ITSM will include a plan of how to go about such an event, and in a way this

is part risk management as it supports its activities in one way or the other.

ITSM also takes into consideration the issue of reliability that applies to the level of stability that

a service is expected to provide. This level of stability is measured by the average time between

service incidents and is used as a service performance indicator against the expected scenario. In

trying to achieve this reliability, ITSM helps keep the levels of risk in a check by ensuring that

they don’t fall out of the expected norms.

All in all, from the above analysis, it can be said that ITSM is made up of strategy, audit,

governance as well as daily service practices that are applied within the life cycle, and all of

which, in one way or the other assist the risk management process especially in as far as the

identification, assessment, planning, implementation and communication are concerned.


Evaluating how the use of IT service management (ITSM) might address the

implementation of best practices:

IT service management, in its core role of delivering IT services as well as aligning them with

the goals of the organization, also involve a continuous action of process improvement. This is

mainly to make sure that the services being delivered give the intended satisfaction to the

customers. In order to achieve this objective, the ITSM uses a set of practices/guideline set out in

the IT infrastructure library that helps to ensure that the delivery is done in the most utmost

manner while following the industry standards such as from COBIT and complying with the

related regulations in the field.

In many ways, thus the IT service management appears to resemble other industry models such

as the CMMI, and to incorporate the best practices like Six Sigma, guidelines from the

International Organization for Standardization and IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) frameworks

(which is a subset of the ITSM), while at the same time allowing organizations to build strong

internal structures for alignment, integration and IT efficiency (Taylor, 2012). In addition,

models such as the CMMI-SCV, which are a collection of best practices are used in the process

of managing ITSM to help in administering service management process and in so doing, ITSM

serves to implement best practices in the software development and implementation process. In

fact ITIL represents a library of best practices as used by the ITSM, therefore use of ITIL which

is its collection of best practices indirectly addresses the implementation of the best practices.

Moreover, it can be realized from the above that the IT infrastructure library (ITIL) is a subset of

IT service management (ITSM) and IT service management is part and parcel of IT governance,

which governance aims at ensuring that policies and strategies are implemented and that

requested processes are correctly followed including measuring, reporting and taking actions to


resolve any issues identified all of which form part of best practices (Faber and Faber, 2010). In

so doing therefore ITSM might end up addressing the implementation of best practices in the

governance IT processes.

Analyze the benefits versus the challenges (for example, training and process overhead) of

ITIL:

The IT infrastructure library (ITIL) comprises a set of documented guidelines that include a set

of books, policies, procedures, and best practices framework for managing IT services. In its

guidance roles, ITIL covers a large area of the industry that includes but is not limited to

training, certifications, consulting, software tools, trade associations to mention but a few. The

result of these being put in effect are the benefits of increased knowledge, better and efficient

services, better resource utilization, reduced costs and henceforth increased productivity and

profitability to the organization.

It is important to remember that ITIL aims at process improvement and in so doing brings to an

organization numerous benefits such as reduced rework, improved project deliverables and time,

elimination of the redundant work, as well as improving on the availability, reliability, and

security of mission critical IT services.

However, it is crucial to note that although ITIL brings to the organization many benefits, there

are challenges that come with it along the way. The most notable one is the confusion about the

definition, implementation and requirements of ITIL and such is still holding some data center

managers from adopting this ITSM framework. ITIL seems to involve a large area of practices,

procedures, books to mention but a few, which are not very specific to particular areas and this


becomes very difficult for the organizations to clearly know which one to use at a given time and

in a given circumstances.

Also the implementation of the ITIL within an organization will not come as a simple piece work

as it involves changing the way some of the things will be done after its implementation, and for

this matter it needs a lot of thinking and planning. ITIL brings a whole new level of practices and

procedures to the organization to guide it in achieving its goals and therefore changes the way

things are done in an IT organization. This may require a lot of training and sensitization of the

employees least it would meet resistance from the employees and this may be costly to the

organization.

PART B

Contrasting the benefits of adopting best practices versus the need for innovation in

enterprise processes to adapt to today's dynamically changing technology and globally

competitive environments. Use the knowledge that you have gained throughout this course

to inform your analysis:

In simple terms, best practice can be defined as the best way of doing something whereas

innovation can be defined as introduction of something new, which may be an idea, device or

methodology. In as far as software development and implementation is concerned, the use of the

best practices ensures that the system developed works well to the satisfaction of the

stakeholders and customers by ensuring that the process follows the industry standards as set out

in the various guidelines. On the other hand, innovation will mean coming up with a new system


or technology that aims at improving on the shortcomings of the existing system and thus leading

to further increased customer satisfaction.

Furthermore, organizations implement best practices as a way to improve service to the

customers; however, they also enjoy the cost benefits from improved productivity as a result of

streamlining work processes. In so doing, organizations benefit through reduced rework,

improved project deliverables and time, elimination of the redundant work, as well as improving

on the availability, reliability, and security of mission critical IT services. Through innovation on

the other hand, organizations enjoy benefits of sustained competitive differentiation that helps to

compete favorably while the customers enjoy the benefits of a whole new product or technology

including status, uniqueness and greater satisfaction.

Also important to note here is that, however much an organization uses best practices to keep a

product alive and reap the many benefits that come along with it, there reaches a time when it

becomes inefficient and not cost-effective for the product to be produced on the market,

especially due to changing times, demand and competition from the rival firms, and hence the

product goes into an absolute stage. At this juncture and for such reasons as mentioned above,

there arises a need for an organization to look out to the other possibilities as replacements of the

product so as to keep the organizations more competitive and hence forth the aspect of

innovation sets in. Innovation usually helps to solve an existing problem, differentiates the

organization’s product or service from others and keeps the product original and in a way

satisfies the owner’s egos.

Therefore, although adopting the best practices offers numerous benefits to the organizations

including but not limited to process improvement, reduced costs, reduced reworks, increased

efficiency as well as increased productivity to mention but a few, there comes a point where their


use can no longer produce the benefits to enable the product compete favorably in the market.

Thus, a need for innovation to produce new products with new technology that can favorably

compete with their rivals.

It is also crucial to realize that while innovation is very important to organization, it can be done

in isolation without considering the implementation and use of the best practices such thinking

about its effect on the ecosystem and corporate social responsibilities. Therefore, as an

organization try to reap the benefits of innovation, they too have to consider the best practices

involved in the process.

One can therefore say that while innovation provides an important step to keeping the firm

competitive in the market by producing new products that are unique and gives the firm a unique

position in the market, best practices on their part keep organizations competitive through

process improvement activities as well as providing guidelines that enable firms to produce and

provide services in a manner that is acceptable by society and respective industries.

Assessing the approaches for balancing best practices and innovation. Use your chosen

organization and related literature to support your perspective:

Although innovation is undoubtedly inevitable especially due to the changing markets and the

need for organizations to keep competitive in the market, there is an equally need to keep the

best practices in place so as to enable the products to serve interests of society. Therefore a great

need for a balance between the two concepts as firms strive to achieve their goals and objectives

in today’s rapidly changing and competitive market.


While trying to strike a balance between the two, the organization can approach this by looking

at such things as the attributes of the products to ensure that they are in line with satisfying the

interests of the customers, considering the legal implication of the product, the regulatory

implication, and the general suitability as far as giving the customer satisfaction is concerned,

while at the same time monitoring the market trends to ensuring that the product is up to date and

competitive.

The organization that produces the software/systems should assess the new product and find out

how potentially it would fit in the customer’s asset allocation mix, asses the performance of the

product and how it will help to diversify the customer’s portfolio. The organization should

therefore look at such things as the universality of the product, or whether the intended

customers will be able to use it alongside other systems during the production process. For

instance, apple the manufactures of the MAC computers were forced to allow the use MS office

on their machines in a bid to ensure that their products give greater satisfaction to their

customers, while at the same time making them more competitive in the market.

Also, it is important that the organization looks at the product’s fees and expenses as compared

to other products in the market and evaluate whether it will be able to compete favorably against

it rivals in the market without compromising the best practices in the industry. In addition,

whether or not the product is desired in a way that will meet and satisfy the current market

demand as well as whether or not the product is desired to comply with the regulatory

requirements.

Therefore, looking at such areas as mentioned above will help the organization to identify and

determine whether the product in progress is a fit and compatible with the organization’s goals


and objectives, and whether it reflects the desirable balance between innovation and adherence to

best practices.

Conclusion:

All in all, IT life cycle management is a long process that involves all the activities, procedures

and processes that are aimed at enabling the production of an IT system/software while balancing

the roles of innovation and best practices that apply in the industry. This can be achieved through

the use of industry recognized tools and models such as CMMI, Six Sigma, ITIL to mention but

a few all of which assist in evaluating, analysis as well guiding during the development and

implementation processes. The life cycle focuses on the development, implementation, and

maintenance, while ensuring process improvements that stretch up to the end of the life cycle and

before migration to the new system. The process also involves bringing all the stakeholders of

the system on board and ensuring that their objectives and demands are met within the process of

development, but most important too is that in a dynamic environment in which organizations

are competing for the market, the process of SLCM will involve constant process improvements

and where possible and necessary, innovation of new products that are superior and offer a better

customer satisfaction in a bid to maintain the market share and remain competitive.


References

Dawson, M., Burrell, D., Rahim, E., & Brewster, S. (2010). INTEGRATING SOFTWARE

ASSURANCE INTO THE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT LIFE CYCLE (SDLC).

Journal of Information Systems Technology & Planning, 3(6), 49-53. Retrieved from

http://web.b.ebscohost.com.library.capella.edu/ehost/detail/detail?sid=4582003f-8eb7-

4794-bb1b-

b3a1420fa24b%40sessionmgr110&vid=0&hid=103&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2Z

SZzY29wZT1zaXRl#db=iih&AN=63283583

Faber, M. and Faber, R. (2010). Office of Government Commerce; ITIL and Corporate Risk

Alignment Guide. An introduction to corporate risk and ITIL, and how ITIL supports and

is assisted by Management of Risk. Retrieved from http://www.best-management-

practice.com/gempdf/ITIL_and_Corporate_Risk_Alignment_Guide.pdf

French, A. M. (2011). Web development life cycle: A new methodology for developing web

applications. Journal of Internet Banking and Commerce, 16(2), 1-11. Retrieved from

http://search.proquest.com.library.capella.edu/docview/915652245?accountid=27965

Garzia-Diaz, N., Lopez-Marin, C., and Chavoya, A. (2013). A Comparative Study of Two Fuzzy

Logic Models for Software Development Effort Estimation. 3rd Iberoamerican

Conference on Electronics Engineering and Computer Science, (CIIECC). Vol. 7, Pages

305–314. DOI: 10.1016/j.protcy.2013.04.03. Retrieved from

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221201731300039X

Hale, D. P., Hale, J. E., & Smith, R. K. (2011). Evaluation of work product defects during

http://web.b.ebscohost.com.library.capella.edu/ehost/detail/detail?sid=4582003f-8eb7-4794-bb1b-b3a1420fa24b%40sessionmgr110&vid=0&hid=103&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#db=iih&AN=63283583




http://www.best-management-practice.com/gempdf/ITIL_and_Corporate_Risk_Alignment_Guide.pdf

http://www.best-management-practice.com/gempdf/ITIL_and_Corporate_Risk_Alignment_Guide.pdf


http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221201731300039X


corrective & enhancive software evolution: A field study comparison. Database for

Advances in Information Systems, 42(1), 59-73,7. Retrieved from


Holyoake, T. (2014). How to Implement a SOA governance strategy. Computer Weekly.com.

Retrieved from http://www.computerweekly.com/opinion/How-to-implement-an-SOA-

governance-strategy

Hoffer, J. A., George, J. F., & Valkacich, J. S. (2014). Modern systems analysis and design (7th

ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson. Kay R. (2002). Quick Study: System

Development Life Cycle. Retrieved from Development_Life_Cy

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/71151/System_cle

Hung, T. (2014). OpenStax CNX - Software Maintenance: Maintenance tools. Retrieved from

http://cnx.org/contents/625ae955-8b6a-4070-8174-0369e6a759c8@1

Majid, A. R., Noor, M. L., Adnan, W. and Mansor, S. (2010). A Survey on the User Involvement

in Software Development Life Cycle from Practitioner’s Perspectives. 2010 5th

International Conference on Computer Sciences and Convergence Information

Technology (ICCIT), pages 240–243. Retrieved from

https://courserooma.capella.edu/bbcswebdav/institution/BMGT/BMGT8216/Version071

4/Course_Files/cf_Majid_A_survey_on_user_involvement.pdf

Minton, G. (2011). Revisiting proven development processes. Mortgage Banking, 71(12), 88-89.

Retrieved from



http://www.computerweekly.com/opinion/How-to-implement-an-SOA-governance-strategy

http://www.computerweekly.com/opinion/How-to-implement-an-SOA-governance-strategy

file:///C:/Users/maurice/Documents/BMGT%208216/Development_Life_Cy%20http:/www.computerworld.com/s/article/71151/System_cle

file:///C:/Users/maurice/Documents/BMGT%208216/Development_Life_Cy%20http:/www.computerworld.com/s/article/71151/System_cle

http://cnx.org/contents/625ae955-8b6a-4070-8174-0369e6a759c8@1

https://courserooma.capella.edu/bbcswebdav/institution/BMGT/BMGT8216/Version0714/Course_Files/cf_Majid_A_survey_on_user_involvement.pdf

https://courserooma.capella.edu/bbcswebdav/institution/BMGT/BMGT8216/Version0714/Course_Files/cf_Majid_A_survey_on_user_involvement.pdf



Paulk, M., Curtis, B., Chrissis, M., Weber, C., (1993). Capability Maturity Model for software,

Version 1.1. CMU/SEI-93-TR-24, Software Engineering Institute, USA.

SEI, (2002). Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMISM), Version 1.1. SEI, CMU/SEI-

2002-TR-029. Retrieved from http://www.sei.cmu.edu/reports/02tr029.pdf

Siakas, V. K., and Siakas, E. (2008). The need for trust relationships to enable successful virtual

team collaboration in software outsourcing. International Journal of Technology, Policy

and Management, Vol. 8, 1, pp.59 – 75. DOI: 10.1504/IJTPM.2008.016181. Retrieved

from http://www.inderscience.com/info/inarticle.php?artid=16181

W.K. Kellogg Foundation (2004). Logic Model Development Guide. One East Michigan Avenue

East Battle Creek, Michigan 49017-4058. Retrieved from

http://www.smartgivers.org/uploads/logicmodelguidepdf.pdf

West, M. (2011). Developing High Quality Data Models. Elsevier, Inc. retrieved from

http://www.tdan.com/view-articles/15402

Taylor, S. (2012). Service intelligence: Improving your bottom line with the power of IT service

management. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

http://www.sei.cmu.edu/reports/02tr029.pdf

http://www.inderscience.com/info/inarticle.php?artid=16181

http://www.smartgivers.org/uploads/logicmodelguidepdf.pdf

http://www.tdan.com/view-articles/15402