Planning and System Installation

Identify the context for which a new system is planned

When implementing a new system is it important to gain an understanding of the context in which the new system will operate.

Key questions to be explore are:

• Who will be using the new system?
• What system was in place before the new system?
• What financial and time restrictions are there on the new system?
• What will the scope of the new system be? What will be in-scope and out-of-scope.

If an existing system is in place it is important to understand why the system is being replace – what are the key factors that are driving the change?

• Is the existing system flawed?
• Is the existing system buggy, insecure or unmaintainable?
• What features are missing from the existing system?
• What features of the system do function well and should be kept?
• Problems with the existing system
• Too out of date – obsolete technologies
• Unable to be maintained
• Unable to cope with demands of scale
• Cannot be adapted to new business requirements

In order to gain an understanding of the context a number of different research techniques can be used, depending on the situation:

• Interviews with management, users and other stakeholders of the system
• Observations of the existing system being used, usually through the observation of users using the system.
• Surveys and questionnaires given to various stakeholders
• Examination of the documentation of the system.
• Use of the system by the developers

Advantages of new systems

There can be many advantages to new systems

More forward compatible with other systems

Better User Interface

Faster Performance

Cheaper in the long run