Rocky Mountain Outfitters and Reliable Pharmaceuticals Service Case Studies
Read chapters2, 4, 5 and 6 of the text and the case studies at the end of these chapters. Then answer the questions about the Rocky Mountain Outfitters and the Reliable Pharmaceutical Service case studies at the end of these chapters. Make your answers short (2-3 sentences).
Suggestions and Guidelines:
� Use your own words and Thoughts. Plagirism and/or cheating will result in a grade of Zero.
� Give short answers to each question (not more than 3-4 lines)
� Total page length (not more than 3 pages, 300 words per page)
� 1-inch margins, Double spaced, 12-point, Times New Roman font
CHAPTER 2: RMO CASE
How extensive would the training needs be for the RMO staff?
The new RMO staff will need very extensive training in system design, requirements identification, analytical skills and project management.
What type of training would be required?
Training in project management, programming language and technical skills would be required.
Is it just about new programming languages, or is it broader than that?
The developer not only need to be knowledgeable on programing languages, which should include java and C++, but also be technical and know how to use tools.
How far can the project progress before the decision is made?
The project can progress through all the phases because regardless of the approach used, planning, analysis, designing and implementation activities are vital in each approach.
Do you think she is correct? Why or why not?
Yes, because both are approaches to designing a system. However, most systems that are being designed today employ both approaches.
Do some types of projects require an OO approach?
Yes, especially the customer oriented ones need to be natural and intuitive, benefits which are derived from object oriented approach.
What life cycle variations are under consideration?
Barbra may need to consider including the analysis phase, system design phase, and system testing.
What else might she do to speed up the development process?
She might need to define what the system’s requirements are and then find possible solutions that fit the system and plan on gradual release of the system parts that are complete.
What else might she consider adapting from the United Process, from Extreme Programming, or from Scrum?
She might adapt the responsive nature of scum to change since the environment is rapidly changing.
CHAPTER 2: FOCUSING ON RELIABLE PHAMACEUTICAL SERVICE.
What are some of the risks of taking this approach?
High possibilities in making mistakes, difficulties in making corrections, and impossible to add forgotten components into the system.
What planning and management difficulties would this approach entail?
Rigidity, ineffectiveness, and generalized assumptions. The approach is rigid in that once a plan is made it cannot be reversed and requires too much planning.
What are some of the risks of taking this approach?
High likelihood of committing mistakes that cannot be reversed, and it may be difficult to meet original requirements.
What planning and management difficulties would this approach entail?
Planning needs to be very thorough and it may overburden an analyst since analysis and designing may need to be done at the same time.
Briefly describe what you would include in each iteration?
The four parts that may be included in iteration include the inception, elaboration, construction and finally transition.
Describe how incremental development might apply to this project.
This approach involves finishing several parts and then releasing them to the end users. When more parts are complete, they are integrated with other parts and made operational. In this project, reliable may complete designing the system dealing with basic patient information, then make it operational as it still designs other information systems.
How would an iterative approach decrease project risks compared with the first approach?
By breaking the risks from their complex nature to simple ones that solutions can be provided with ease. It also offers opportunity for changing plans in case a fault is noticed.
How might it decrease risks compared with the second approach?
It ensures the most vital components of a system are implemented by giving them priority unlike the second approach where phases are overlapped.
What are some risks the iterative approach might add to the project?
Early release of a system part may cause rejection from the end users and distort the whole system since it may require developers to rethink or re-strategize.
CHAPTER 4: ROCKY MOUNTAIN OUTFITTERS CASE
What advice would you give your project team to help it manage the user expectations?
The project team should treat user information with seriousness and adjust to changes as per user expectation. All the users’ views should be incorporated into the system being developed.
What early planning can you do now to ensure that the scope is realistic—to meet the need but within the time and budget allotted?
A feasibility plan will be necessary in ensuring that the scope is not only realistic but also attainable within the allotted time and budget. This will be achieved by clearly defining the content of the project, its intended purpose, and the extent of project work that the team is to cover.
CHAPTER 4: RELIABLE PHARMECIUTICALS
What information-gathering methods are most appropriate to learn about requirements from Reliable own management staff and other employees?
Through interviewing them or observing them while they are using the system.
From client health-care organizations?
By talking to them or interviewing them.
From suppliers?
Through talking to them and interviewing them, and studying what other companies do.
Should patients in client health-care facilities participate in the information-gathering process? If so, why, and in what ways should they participate?
Yes, the patients should participate. This is because in system development and design, excellent outcome will be achieved if all stakeholders are involved.
3. With respect to gathering information from suppliers and clients, how deeply within those organizations should systems analysts look when defining requirements?
They need an in-depth knowledge not only of how the system should function, but also be knowledgeable of the organizations core business in order to fully come up with the appropriate system requirement.
How might Reliable deal with supplier and client reluctance to provide detailed information about their internal operations?
Reliable might consider providing incentive for them to participate such as bonuses or discounts.
4. For which user community or communities (internal, supplier, or client) are prototypes likely to be most beneficial? Why?
Prototypes are most useful to the internal users because it enables them to identify areas that need changes. Necessary adjustments are then implemented to improve the final system so that the final system will be very efficient.
CAPTER 5: RMO CASE
QN 1 Discuss the implications that such a change would have on the scope of the project. How might this new capability change the list of stakeholders the team would involve when collecting information and defining the requirements?
If ROM decides to incorporate customer charge and payment plan, then it will have to be included in their system and not be a research item in the RMO initial list of things. In the scope, the project will now have to stretch and even include customer account, details on customer purchase history, and payment plan details.
Would the change have any effect on other RMO systems or system projects planned or under way?
The changes will have insignificant effect on the plan underway since adjustments can be made along the way to achieve the most desired and efficient system.
Would the change have any effect on the project plan originally developed by Barbara Halifax?
The changes will have no effect on Barbra’s original plan.
In other words, is this a minor change or a major change?
This makes the changes minor and insignificant.
What events need to be added to the event table?
What needs to be added in the event table include
- customer wants order delivered
- customer wants to recommend orders to friends.
QN. 2 Complete the event table entries for these additional events.
| Event | Trigger | Source | Use case | Response | Destination |
| Customer wants order delivered | Delivery request | Customer | Look up delivery options | Delivery details | customer |
| Customer wants to recommend to friends | Recommend to friends | Customer | Recommendation options | Recommendation details | Customers Customers friends |
What activities or use cases for existing events might be changed because of a charge account and payment plan? Explain.
If charge account and payment plan are incorporated into the system, then the charge adjustment might be merged with the charge account. The payment plan will cause changes in ‘update customer account’ use case.
3. What are some additional things and relationships among things that the system would be required to store because of the charge account and payment plan?
Things to be stored include payment plan options and customer account details.
Modify the entity-relationship diagram and the class diagram to reflect these charges.
| Order Order ID |
| Customer Customer name |
| Order item Price ID Order item Order |
| Customer charge Purchase history |
| Payment plan. Cash 1st installment 2nd installment |
Chapter 5: FOCUSING ON RELIABLE PHARMACEUTICALS
QN.1 Create an event table that lists information about system Requirements
| Event | Trigger | Source | Use case | Response | Destination |
| Nursing homes(clients)needs prescription order | Order inquiry | Nursing homes (clients) | Place New order | Order details | Clients |
| Management wants to record prescription orders | Record orders | Management | Update records | ||
| Time to produce order summaries | Start of each 12 hour | Produce order summary reports | Order summary reports | management | |
| Need to update patient information | Patient information update | Nursing home/clients | Update patient records | ||
| Need to generate order fulfillment forms | End of week | Create order fulfillment | Order fulfillment report | Management | |
| Management need to update drug inventory | Update drug inventory | Management | Update inventory |
QN.2 Create an entity-relationship diagram that shows the data storage requirements for the following portion of the system:
| Order Item Price Item I.D Quantity Price |
| Prescription order |
| Nursing home (Client) |
CHAPTER 6 : ROCK MOUNTAIN OUTFITTERS CASE STUDY
QN. 1 Develop DFD fragments for all of the events not documented
| Customer |
| Order inventory |
Order status inquiry 6
| Order item |
| Order |
Order status details
Order status inquiry
| Management |
| Shipping |
| Order inventory |
7
| Order item |
Order
| Order |
Fulfillment
notice
| customer |
| Customer |
| Order inventory |
8
| Order item |
| Order |
| Product item |
Back order notification
Back order notice
| Shipping |
Catalog request 11
| Prospective Customer |
| Order inventory |
| Order item |
| Order |
| catalogue |
C
QN. 2
| Customer |
| Marketing |
| Management |
QN.3 Customer order form
| Customer | |||
| Order item |
| Order |
Customer
Requests
Order
CHAPTER 6. RELIABLE PHARMACEUTICALS
QN.1
End week report Order fulfillment report
Order inquiry
New order update drug inventory
Update patient details
QN.2
| Management |
Monthly
| Client |
report
QN.3
| Nursing home (client) | |||
| Clients |
patient
Requests
Update
QN.4
| Order processing |
| Nursing Home (Clients) |
| inventory |
Order request
Place new order
| Management |
QN.5. Physical billing procedure does not have to be developed because it can be automated in the system.
Reference
John W. Satzinger, Robert B. Jackson & Stephen D. Burd, (2010). System analysis and design in a changing world. Fifth Edition.
