BBUS 330 Q&A

2009-03-03T07:58:00.000-08:00

Implementation Methods
Pros and Cons
• Pilot
• Parallel
• Phased
• Big-bang or Cutover

I know we went over these ideas a couple of times, but I am not happy with my notes, can someone help me out please?

From Arya Pratama

2009-03-03T01:35:00.000-08:00

13. On page 129 forward, Alec describes how to link activities and determine business processes. What is the purpose of this step? Avoid using Alec's description; use simpler terms. What is the significance of 1:M and M:1 connections? How do you use these to delineate business processes among activities? What did Alan (in class) not like about M:M connections?

The purpose is to sequence business processes by using a method to link activities. This method will also analyze the linkages and determine process boundaries.

A 1:M connection between activities means that for each occurrence of the first activity is followed by multiple occurrence of the next. The 1:M relationship usually indicates a process boundary. In the M:1 relationship, it also indicates process boundary. It often means some time-triggered event occurs (e.g. billing at the end of the month).

14. In Alan's tripartite description of a process ("the dance"), which parts should be the targets of process reengineering (Alan described it)? Which part is often the focus in practice?

The dance: trigger --> steps --> results (deliverable)

Most people focus on the steps, when big gains are made when you examine whether it's the best or earliest trigger or the right deliverable. In some cases, a legacy process may have no deliverable.

15. Be able to describe the three different strategic disciplines (p. 166-169). Why is this a trilemma for those who want to be good at all three at the same time? Is a differentiator always relevant?

a) Operational excellence

b) Product Leadership

c) Customer Intimacy

You can go to pg. 167 for a quick description of all three. It's called a trilemma because you cannot emphasize all three at once (see botom of pg 168). You can strive at most for two of them. For example, by definition, a strong emphasis on product leadership and customer intimacy makes it very hard to achieve operational excellence.

A specific differentiator may not always be relevant. It depends upon the setting. Of course, pg. 170-171 directly addresses whether a differentiator is always relevant?

16. Describe the difference between a swimlane diagram vs. a use case. Contrast the purpose and overall construction.

A swimlane diagram is a high level, visual documentation of a process. It tells us how the work flows (e.g. from person to person in a handoff diagram) through showing a sequence of steps carried out by the involved actors.

A use case describes how an actor completes a process step by interacting with a system to obtain it. It is a single case in which a specific actor will use an info system to complete a task. A swimlane diagram is inappropriate for providing this level of detail.

3. Why is it so important to have an Executive to champion important IT projects? Is executive sponsorship enough? Or is there something else required?

An executive, usually not from the IT dept, should be the champion. It should usually be the executive that can represent the intended customer (e.g. Exec champion should be from marketing for a CRM installation). It's a practical statement of need and of course, helps to overcome politics.

Although executive sponsorhip is important, executive adoption should be the standard. It's demoralizing to have a marketing exec continue to insist upon using Excel rather than the CRM system.

2009-03-02T22:42:00.001-08:00

Here are some of my answers, mixed with some of my questions if anyone can help answer them. Thanks.

2. How does Alan suggest you handle IT consultants added to your project? How might you select them? What questions might you ask? What does Alan see as a critical success factor for most IT projects? How do you ensure knowledge transfer?
• Share a vision, not just a contract
• Ask the tough questions
– If we don’t choose you, who should we choose and
why?
– Tell me how you’ll leave us. How will you insure the
transfer of competence?
– Which of your customers would you not refer us to?
Why not?
• Boutique Consultants
• How do you make money? What is your business
model? What is your competitor’s business model?
• Treat consultants like employees
• Give developers access to rooms & equipment
• Give them access to the right people
• Restrict access to the wrong people
• Are they a teacher?
• Bring them in at the right time
• Know what you want from them
Training???
Knowledge Transfer: Surround outside consultant with those who have all the inside knowledge??

6. What is the Ripple Effect?
If you screw up later on in a project, and you realize your mistake and try to fix it. When you fix it, it causes many problems in other areas of the project/software etc. Then everything becomes a big mess, good idea to be fully prepare and get as much information in the beginning as possible.

Why is IT project estimation difficult?
There are a lot of unknowns
Examples:
− Requirements are difficult to capture in writing
− The act of viewing software changes the
requirements
− Stakeholder infighting changes priorities
− Developer productivity varies greatly (up to 10x) so
estimates made by one won't apply to another

QUESTION: PLEASE HELP WITH THIS ONE

State the reasons why a memo (such as you're creating for your project) is such an important document for companies? How might it have been useful to Grandma Studor's Bakery or Laughlin Logistics?

Alan you can answer these for us. I think you said you will do 15 this time.

2009-03-01T22:49:00.000-08:00

3. What were IT organizations initially created to solve? Why is this problematic for today's work?
4. What is the business model inherent in leveraging information technology? What does IT provide? (hint: it isn't necessarily speed, but ...?)

2. How do I hold conversations with the finance department about projects, especially when the finance dept pits IT projects against funding “new carpets”?

8. Can you outline and apply the model for IT dept success factors

4. State the reasons why a memo (such as you're creating for your project) is such an important document for companies? How might it have been useful to Grandma
Studor's Bakery or Laughlin Logistics?

***13. How does having standardized, sometimes vanilla software & processes help? You can use Owens-Corning as an example. What are some heuristics for implementing process standardization? (From both the actual lecture (only if you were listening) plus the posted slides)

3. What is good enough reengineering? How does it relate to customer design requirements gathering? What's the difference between the BlueSky approach to gathering design priorities from your customer versus a Realistic approach to your customer?

7. Why does Alan advocate an IT planning approach is a messy, untidy event? (hint: "write your plans in pencil") In other words, does the reality of the organization exist in an org chart? Or does it exist in the written policies? (Ask Alan in Class)

1. What is the relationship of advances in IT to Business Process Reengineering?

2009-02-28T21:50:00.000-08:00

From Ernest Morozov:People here are some answers for Frost and Cooper. They are on point.Start posting everything.Lets make this easy. If your answers suck dont bother.
Gabe Frost and the Future Economy
1. Describe 3 factors that Gabe says will give the USA a stronger GDP. Provide some color on each of these factors.A) Cloud services that are becoming more and more available on the internet are limited by server data centers. Currently server data centers are limited by the amount of power that is required to run them and their actually data capacity. They are usually located near dams or any other form of energy creation. GDP growth will be sparked if the United States improves servers technology, making them more energy efficient and with larger capacity. With better servers cloud services could really take off.
B) Another factor that will make the GDP stronger is interconnection of the three screens, which are TV, cell phones, and computers. A good example of this interconnection would be doing banking over the phone. Leveraging these services will develop a different experience for consumers and grow US GDP.
C. Another large growth factor for the GDP is sensors. GPS sensors will be common place in the future. Every laptop and mobile device will have location sensors. It will allow people to have a better understand or their surroundings and their context in those surroundings. Sensors can also be used for tracking the amount of energy that is being used and routing that energy more efficiently. The medical field will also implement sensors in many different ways. Finally wireless data transfer has to become ubiquitous in order for us to truly gather information from multiple sensors. Thus, sensors will be the next step for our GDP growth.
2. Why does Gabe think productivity is related to patents?New technological ideas take a while before they are allocated towards GDP growth. The current patent and intellectual property laws slow down the allocation process. Companies that are developing technologies are preventing other companies from using those ideas in a way that would create future growth. Productivity would increase significantly if it became easier to get patents and use patents more efficiently. Companies could implement patented technology faster and have it allocated towards GDP growth.

James Cooper and Predictable Software Delivery1. What success measures did James say were the most difficult to achieve?There are three measures of success. A) Providing quality creative and technical talent B) Being easy to work with C) Meeting the agreed to budget (time / cost)Time and cost containment is a top priority for medium to large scale projects. Meeting the agreed to budget time and cost is the most difficult measure of success. It seems that these measures are developed by multiple functions of the organization, thus it is difficult to please everyone. Other reasons are:
• Budgeting. The department hiring the vendor has to get budgetary approval and needs to know how much to ask for.• ROI. The finance folks want to know that there's an economic benefit to the firm for doing the project.• Time to market. Schedule is sometimes important for external reasons (trade show, product launch)
2. Why is IT project estimation difficult? The primary reason IT projects estimation is difficult because there are so many variables involved. • Requirements are difficult to capture in writing• The act of viewing software changes the requirements• Stakeholder infighting changes priorities• Developer productivity varies greatly (up to 10x) so estimates made by one won't apply to another3. What is "Target Cost" or planning poker? What advantages does it provide? It is important to understand that software is very difficult to specify in detail. It is MUCH easier to see software and react to it. Target costing is a different way of implementing software for vendors and clients. It is highly differentiated from the Waterfall method. Target costing focuses on delivering the software incrementally and encouraging feedback loops that better align the needs of the customer and the client. The fallowing are the target cost basics: • Agree to a budget and schedule• Compile a feature list, prioritize, estimaterelative size (planning poker)• Deliver features incrementally• Ideally no increment is more than 5% of budget• −Client sees working software after each increment• Steer project against budget If target cost exceeded, vendor's rates fall to cost (sometimes thought of as “fixed profit”)The risk is shared by both vendor and client, that software is presented very early, available to change. Decisions are moved until the latest responsible moment. Features are expressed very early in the process. Estimation uses the planning poker method. Planning Poker is a consensus-based estimation technique for estimating, mostly used to estimate effort or relative size of tasks in software development. It is a variation of the Wideband Delphi method. It is most commonly used in agile software development, in particular the Extreme Programming methodology. Target steering involves consistently meeting with the clients and identify what is finished, what needs to be changed, and how it fits to the budget.
Advantages over waterfall: Traditional water fall method:• Fails to provide feedback cycles necessary todiscover the true requirements of a system• Creates an adversarial relationship between clientand vendorTarget cost:• Aligns incentives• Provides frequent feedback to ensure we're building the right system• Provides an easy way to assess progress againstbudget• Provides mechanisms for adjusting scope to meet The budget (steer)

Exam Questions

2009-02-28T15:59:00.000-08:00

Hi,

Feel free to post or comment away with your questions.

Assignment 3

2009-01-28T23:26:00.000-08:00

Hey if anyone did "#4" for the workflow modeling portion I could use a little re-enforcement for my answer. I'm not quite sure if im heading in the right direction for my response, where is the main part it talks about Constructing a Model in the book? Is there any specific pages anyone would suggest for me to look over?? Any help would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you

Steven Klumb on Ajax

2009-01-27T01:50:00.000-08:00

I know you touched on in briefly in class on Thursday but I could use a little more direction for this particular question.

Briefly describe the software trends. What are scripting languages? (e.g. php) what is Ajax? What distinguishes a so-called Web 2.0 site or app from other sites? What I did write down was that scripting languages = more capability to webages and I still cant figure out from my writing what you were saying about Ajax ! Anyway. If you see this tonight and can help me out or send me in the right direction that would be great! Thank you.

Hi Steven,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajax_framework

Unfortunately, techies are inserting the wikipedia definition. Basically, Ajax compliant web languages enable the creation of web apps that can draw processing power from the client workstation AND the remote server. This is why gmail seems so snappy (it's created
with an Ajax compliant framework).

The long term goal is to create apps over the web that appear just as fast and usable as regular desktop apps.

question

2009-01-26T21:47:00.000-08:00

hello, this is what I found for this part. I am not sure if it is correct.
What is a framework? What three elements are comprised in creating clear objectives?
A framework is a structure for discovering, organizing, and presenting ideas or information. They can be as simple as two matrices or as complex as financial analysis. Frameworks manage complexity by reducing vague or comple topics to se of simpler questions. Think of objectives, as measurable, intermediate destinations and goals as end states. Thus, the mission outlines the overreaching goals of the business. It is a clear statement of what we do and who we do it for. Within objectives strategy is important, which identifies how the company is going to differentiate its products or services. Goals are the end states. Thus, it is important to understand the company mission, its strategy, and goals to truly identify objectives.

2009-01-26T19:07:00.001-08:00

In chapter 2, Alec & Patrick discuss the Pros and Cons of each work era. While I don’t expect you to have a comprehensive list for this quiz, I want you to know the pros and cons of BPR.
What is the difference between a process and a function?

What is a framework? What three elements are comprised in creating clear objectives?
Describe the five-tier architecture described by the authors. What tools are used at each layer?

According to Alec, what’s a process? In other words, provide Alec’s definition and then decompose the definition and provide a description of the components. What’s the critical endpoint of reengineering?

What’s the difference between a core process versus an internal process? For what reason(s) does the authors state that it’s good to know the difference between core versus internal processes (or even Technical supporting vs. Internal supporting)?

Why is bigger usually better? What are Goldilocks errors?. How should I initially scope a process? (given in class)

How can simple top-level diagrams (e.g. sticky notes) be effective for analyzing processes? (in class)

What is a Use Case?

What are mushy verbs? What does it mean to label processes by verb-noun?

Glen's 9 questions

2009-01-26T17:04:00.000-08:00

Glen's questions and notes are in bold and normal. My answers are in italics.

1) What are the advantages and disadvantages of user-developed versus IS-developed apps?

I know they are mentioned in the Grandma Studor's (Freytag) slides, but I'm only finding the pros and cons of user app. Development and the 10 reasons for IS Project Failure. Will that information be enough to answer the question?

It should be enough. The Pros and Cons of User-developed apps are really a mirror image of IS-developed apps.

2) How do you assess processes? (*hint: Can I do it by using a survey? What else can I do to help me understand it?*) Oral, written, or multiple choice. Through swimlane diagrams and process workflow models…?

Let's review what you've learned so far:

a) From Granny Studor, you learned that you must pay special attention to processes attached to critical success factors
b) From Alec Sharp's book: whatever method, you should embrace voluntary
simplicity (where possible)
c) You can use some of Alan's six tips, but...
d) but at the end, you must use MBWA...and see for yourself. This was the humor inherent in the excerpt from Office Space. Given the hint, it's the most important part of the answer.

3) Why does he define IT in these ways?
Because IT is about changing the entire thing and is the largest expenditure…? It's essentially how we do things and how we communicate.

Make sure you're using my two definitions. My definitions of IT involve serving the organizational goals.
IT is not disconnected from the rest of the company.

4) What is Alan's complaint about IT documentation? How does it dovetail with voluntary simplicity?
People do not understand the end-to-end process. This can be done simply through writing down the processes on Post-it notes, then put the processes into their typical sequence.
Voluntary Simplicity should be practiced in order to keep things simple. This is accomplished
by using models that aid understanding by abstracting, masking unnecessary detail, using visual cues consistently, and highlighting what really matters.

That's a pretty good answer. You should use whatever method is valuable for your customer. Technical and business folks will sometimes engage in complex documentation that has no further use.

5) According to Alec, what's a process? In other words, provide Alec's definition and then decompose the definition and provide a description of the components. What's
the critical endpoint of reengineering?

Process is a way for an enterprise to organize work and resources (people, equipment,
information, and so forth) to accomplish its aims. Collection of activities (or
steps or tasks or whatever) that is a way to get something done.

Essential components are: 1) Triggering events (action or decision/ time/ condition).
2) Activities or Steps and decisions "work" (action verb + noun) (flow of work, from trigger to result: who, does what, when). 3) Result: product, service, information. The result must be discrete and identifiable, countable, and essential.

That's pretty good. Remember, it was Alec who taught me the "Process Dance"

6) What are Goldilocks errors?

A process is end-to-end. Every firm is unique and needs to create a strategic plan that fits "just right" and that is not too cold and overly risk adverse, nor too hot and beacon extreme risk. Many managers may use a cookie-cutter approach or a one-size-fits-all strategic plan, and will eventually find it fraught with errors. Firms must understand the balance of risk tolerance…?

Actually it has to do with Project and Process scoping. "The first two are the 'Goldilocks errors' - the scope is too large or too small through scope creep. It becomes too large large through scope creep, where your project grows to unmanageable proportions...The project's scope can also be too small: if you don't cover a full business process.

In a conversation with Alec, he would say it's preferable to scope a bit large at the beginning and then be sure to pare it down.

7) How should I initially scope a process? (given in class)

Establish the scope of the "target process" to be studied, studying a framework for clarifying a process's boundaries and contents: 1) What- Triggering event, result for the customer and other stakeholders, approximately 5+ or – 2 subprocesses ("milestones") within the process, and the primary cases or variations of the process. 2) Who-Who's participating in the process and their main responsibilities. 3)How-systems and mechanism supporting the process.

From end-to-end. You must understand the work involved to produce the work and the output "result". You must understand the core elements of a process: the triggering event, the named action being carried out, and the result.

That's a 100% answer. If you wanted to go over the top, you can mention that it's important to find the earliest triggering event.

8) How does Alec provide visibility for the consumers of process documents?
Writing down the process on Post-it notes.

You hit the concrete example, let's provide the general principle. You generally want to provide process documents that are understood by the customer (i.e. simplicity). Simplicity is for experts, right? Furthermore, you want to couch the process language in concrete deliverables or concrete actions that are well understood.

9) What are some guidelines for documenting or reengineering processes? (*Hint: Voluntary simplicity*)

1) Activities linked on a 1:1 basis are probably part of the same process.

2) Each process is generally triggered by an event (action or time) that is outside your control.

3) At the end is one or more results that make one or more stakeholders happy.

4) The same "token" or "work item" moves through the whole process, with the process typically transforming it (e.g., the loan app moves all the way though the process, eventually becoming a booked loan).

Voluntary Simplicity should be practiced in order to keep things simple. This is accomplished by using models that aid understanding by abstracting, masking unnecessary detail, using visual cues consistently, and highlighting what really matters.

That's pretty good, especially your last paragraph. There is some overlap in the answers for different questions.

What is SCM

2009-01-25T17:33:00.001-08:00

emoroz@comcast.net wrote:
> ... Is SCM referring to supply chain management?

Yes.

Griffin Ross

2008-02-27T19:30:00.000-08:00

Ok, I give up, what does winners vs. losers mean with respect to SAP implementations?

Griffin, a study revealed a bimodal distribution with regard to the degree of implementation success: the groups were entitled winners and losers. There was one differentiating element between winners vs losers. Losers viewed an SAP project as a technology driven project, that it was all about implementing new tech. Winners understood that it was about changing processes and that technology merely enabled to ability to create saner and better company processes.

Kris Wilson's Questions

2008-02-27T10:53:00.000-08:00

Why does Alan prefer "copy intelligently" vs. "copy exactly"?

We’ve seen a number of failed projects in which companies ape other companies, but the settings are incompatible. It’s like when a hospital uncritically accepts the QA processes performed by top manufacturing settings. It doesn’t exactly fit and for a good reason; there has been some adaptation to producing widgets not for healing humans.

In doing the automation side, I can recount the story of a biotech that tried to implement the ERP system that worked so well for a large lumber company. The ERP was a developed in house at the lumber company. It didn’t work.

We should look at these excellent examples and then adapt it to fit the situation. We can always learn and “copy”, but we must adapt.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of user-developed versus IS-developed apps?

Check the slides on the Grandma Studor’s (Freytag) case! It’s there!

Should an MIS dept audit every process and supporting application? How do you decide which ones to target?

At anything but a small company, there are too many processes to continually track. The MIS group should periodically review the processes that support the company critical success factors.

Rachel's Questions

2008-01-27T17:59:00.000-08:00

Rachel asked Alan:

"On question 13 I remembering going over this in class but I can not find it anywhere in my notes or on the class slides. Is there anything you can help with or any suggestions of where I can find it?"

I hope I'm answering the right question. IT descended from Finance and Accounting. In"old-style" organizations, IT is headed by finance. This is a problem since Finance doesn't usually get into the operational details that are so crucial for tactical decision making.

The IT consulting companies like Deloitte Consulting and Accenture were spun-off from the big accounting firms like Deloitte and Anderson.

Rachel further asked: Lastly on question 22 you give a hint to look around "imagine a world without software slides" but I cannot find that slide anywhere. I thought that was from the Evolution of Process Management lecture and I looked through that one and all of the other lectures but have not been able to find it.

Yes, that was "Sacred Rule Number 3". In any process change, before we introduce IT into automating the process, we should try really hard to see if we can make a simpler process without using IT at all. We then contrast it with an IT assisted solution.

I hope this helps.

Faheem's questions

2007-11-18T23:56:00.000-08:00

1. Why does Alan advocate an IT planning approach is a messy, untidy event? (hint: "write your plans in pencil") In other words, does the reality of the organization exist in an org chart? Or does it exist in the written policies? (Ask Alan in Class)

A really good answer was done during the midterm review. I'll give you a hint. From where or when does some of the best project ideas get suggested? (answer: during coffee breaks in which staff from different departments have informal discussions)

2. Understand the first three tips on enterprise app implementation (The 10 "commandments") from Alan. we're focusing on the ones dealing with strategy.

See additional slides (check rest of blog)

3. How does Alan suggest you handle IT consultants add to your project? How might you select them? What questions might you ask? What does Alan see as a critical success factor for most IT projects? How do you ensure knowledge transfer?

See additional slides

4. What does it mean to "Go vanilla"?

See additional slides

4. What is good enough reengineering? How does it relate to customer design requirements gathering? What's the difference between the BlueSky approach to gathering design priorities from your customer versus a Realistic approach to your customer?

A BlueSky approach: Imagine that I can give you a system that does everything you ever dreamed

Realistic approach: Can you live with this (show a prototype)?

My chat with Loc Le regarding Early Crises

2007-11-18T23:54:00.001-08:00

It isn't a comprehensive answer, but it definitely covers the basics

Loc: hey alan, what's an early crisis?

me: ah. You put your group into an early crises in the absence of a real crisis

11:23 PM Loc: oh, so it's like when u light the fire under ur asses to get the juices going

me: Yes...and also to see how people respond under stress...when the project almost inevitably goes under crises

You can then make adjustments

Sen's Questions

2007-11-18T23:47:00.000-08:00

1) What does Starbucks teach you about enterprise app implementation? What's often the real agenda behind a "best of breed" implementation?

Enterprise apps typically are introduced as a response to pain related to scalability and (lack of) common standard processes. These companies were in a "start-up mode" and this culture may resist the standardization implicit in an enterprsie implementation. There is a real danger that departments or branches will claim "customization and optimization" at the expense of the rest of the enterprise.

3) What types of ERP vendors should be avoided? (as suggested by George Fletcher)

George said to avoid ERP vendors that don't "work close" with the customer. For example, Parity wants to help plan the project implementation with the company. There is more, but this should get you started.

Ten Commandments for Enterprise Implementations and Six Tips for Reengineering

2007-11-18T23:45:00.000-08:00

I actually made it a point to say: "Be sure to copy all these down for the test". Most of you didn't (a few of you did). I have decided to post the actual slides (plus put in some commentary).

Ten Commandments

Alan's 6 Tips for Reengineering

Cindy Go's questions

2007-11-18T19:39:00.000-08:00

1) What is the business model inherent in leveraging information technology?

is it: to start simple, then add details in layer so everyone can follow?

Hmmm. I don't think I discussed this at length. I'll kill this question.

2) What are image customers and image team members?

Image customers - A non-target customer that has extreme needs so that your design for this customer will delight your target customer (e.g. Lexus was created for 8.5 months pregnant woman)

3) What are some software porcess reengineering tips? How does Alan take a cynical look at software process management?

I think the tips are as follows: neglected trigger & results, avoid Goldilock errors, voluntary simplicity, avoid death by detail, use clouds & sticky notes, understand the situation (redesign or refinement). Am I on the right track?

Yes, look at Alan's 6 tips: it was in the Introduction to process mgt lecture. You can also look at some of the tips under "things to know".

Tip 1: Critical Success Factors - Reengineer for a Deliverable
Tip 2: New Tools = New Deadlines
Tip 3: Look like with/without software
Tip 4: Face the truth
Tip 5: Get the Birds Eye View
Tip 6: Map it

How about the 2nd part of the question?

Not everything should be solved with software. It always adds a step. We should be cynical with a "prove it to me" attitude.