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INF 1341 • Systems Analysis and Process Innovation

Assignment 2: Systems Analysis for Process Automation and Innovation

Due Date: November 4, 11:59 PM, to be submitted on Quercus.

This assignment counts for 30% of the final grade.

The assignment is to be undertaken by teams consisting of 4-5 members.

In this Assignment, you will analyze an organizational setting and work process selected from among those considered by team members in Assignment 1. You will propose organizational changes and information systems solutions that respond to problems and opportunities. You will explore solutions from the process “automation” and “innovation” perspectives. 

Process automation refers to the replacement of some of the existing activity steps, stores, and flows with automated ones, with minimal changes to the overall structure of the work process. Process innovation refers to a significant redesign of work processes, typically enabled by the use of information system capabilities.

Process modeling will be used to support the analysis. Each team will make use of two process modeling notations  and  associated  analysis techniques: Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) and Data Flow Diagrams (DFDs). In addition, you will develop an Entity Relationship Diagram (ERD) to identify the main data entities and relationships. Appropriate software tools should be used (e.g., Draw.io, Visio, Lucidchart).

Suggestion for Work Distribution: You may want to divide your group into two subgroups. One subgroup can focus on BPMN modeling, while the second subgroup can work on DFD modeling.

I.   Doing the Assignment

1. Investigate the selected area at the study site, i.e., the organization and its objectives, major work processes and information flows, current issues and historical context, and existing information systems.

• Rough quantitative figures may be helpful for understanding the scale of the operation, e.g., how many customer queries per day, response times, delays, etc.
• Interview key people involved in the problem.  These may include your initial contacts, and others with responsibilities related to the processes and systems under study.  Try to elicit perceived strengths and weaknesses of existing work practices and systems, recognized problems areas and plans for change, if any.
• If available, study documents relevant to the study site – e.g., policy documents, memos on objectives and needs, documentation  on  the  current  automated systems, etc. Collect further information about the organization, and comparable organizations in the industry, by searching in the published literature.

• Use process modeling to depict the as-is process using both BPMN and DFDs.
• Check the models to improve their quality –  look for inconsistencies, incompleteness, ambiguities, and possible inaccuracies in the models. Revise the models so that they correspond accurately to your understanding.. If possible, validate your understanding (as captured in these mode ls) with your “clients” at the study site. Update your models so that they correspond to the actual reality as much as possible. You may review key sections of your models with your clients if they feel comfortable with such notations.
  
• Use the models to help uncover problems in the work process. Document problem areas in the models and explore how these issues are impacting the organization considering both qualitative and quantitative measures.
  
• Sketch the conceptual data model (ERD) to help you understand information entities and relationships in the domain  setting. You may want to do data modeling concurrently with process modeling, since the data model may help uncover potential need for data stores and flows.

• Identify opportunities for improvements to the as-is situation that will address the problems/issues  identified  earlier and achieve desired  objectives.Note that objectives may conflict with each other, so that a proposed change could contribute positively to some objectives but negatively to others.
  
• Explore a range of alternatives – some involving minimal change to the process (“automation”),  some involving  significant  structural  changes  (“innovation”). Sketch out process models for several of these alternatives. You may use rough hand-drawn sketches when exploring alternative ideas. These need not be handed in. Finalized versions of models for inclusion in the report need to be done properly with software tools. (See “What to hand in”.)
  
• If possible, obtain feedback from your clients about your analysis of the alternatives. Document further ideas arising from the discussion with your clients.

• You should compile a list of strengths and weakness of the two techniques, citing specific instances in the case study for illustration. Consider how effective each technique is in helping to  (1) uncover problems and issues, (2) explore and evaluate  potential improvements and innovations. Are there some types of problems or opportunities that are more readily discovered or analyzed using one technique compared to the  other? Are there  ones that neither technique can address effectively?

II.   What to Hand In

You will hand in a report not exceeding 4000 words. The report should include the following sections (with approximate suggested page lengths):

Executive Summary (bottom half of cover page) – This should include a concise description of the context as well as highlights of the potential changes considered.

1. Context for the Study (1 –  1.5 pages) Description of the  organizational setting and perceived problems and issues, based on activity 1 above. List relevant organizational objectives as well as other stakeholder goals and concerns that proposed changes need to address. (This maybe an updated and revised version of the description in Assignment 1. NB: This report should be self-contained and not assume the reader has access to your Assignment 1.)

2. Analysis using BPMN

• Detailed Presentation of the As-Is situation. (2-4 pages)  - From activities 1 and 2. Using process models, describe and analyze the As-Is situation. The text should give an overview of the entire process, then highlight areas of special interest. Use visual cues (e.g., circles, arrows) to point out where current problems are reflected in the process models. The description should be detailed enough to serve as a baseline for understanding the as-is process and its issues, so that the changes proposed in Section B and C can be clearly understood and appreciated. Ensure that the models and the accompanying text are consistent. You may optionally include a data model to more fully describe or explain the As-Is situation.
• A Summary of To-Be Alternatives Considered. (1-2 pages) From activity 3. A summary listing of a diverse range of To-Be alternatives, with a brief explanation of each, and their pros and cons. You should include at least three alternative(s) which  are “Automation”,  and three which are “Innovation”. Clearly indicate which alternatives are of which type. A tabular presentation format is recommended. Models are not required for Section B.
• Detailed Presentation of Two To-Be Alternatives. (1.5-  2 pages for each alternative). With the help of process models, describe and explain two of the To- Be alternatives from Section B – one from the “Automation” category, the other from “Innovation” . Explain how the changes will lead to improvements towards achieving  organizational  objectives,  considering  also possible  drawbacks  and tradeoffs. Use visual cues to highlight the changes in the models. Provide the data model for one of the To-Be situations considered (either the “Automation” or the “Innovation”). Explain how the data modeling helped in analyzing problems or in exploring or clarifying solutions.

3. Analysis using DFDs

• Detailed Presentation of the As-Is situation. (2-4 pages)
• A Summary of To-Be Alternatives Considered. (1-2 pages)
• Detailed Presentation of Two To-Be Alternatives. (1.5- 2 pages for each alternative).

4. Comparison of the Two Modeling Techniques. (1-2 pages) From Activity 4.

5. Methods, Activities, and Tools Used. (1 page) For example, interviewing, observation, examination of documents, analysis methods, and so forth. State how each contributed to your understanding  of the as-is and exploration of to-be’s. State shortcomings  and limitations of these methods and techniques that you experienced. Name the software tools that you used.

6. References (1page, APA format)

Appendices. (optional, not included in page limit) You may include supplementary information such as background information about the organization setting that is needed for a better understanding of your assignment. If you have explored more alternatives than can fit within the page limit of the assignment, you may append them here too. The appendices will not be read in detail, and you will not receive a grade for them. However, they may inform the reader as to the depth of your analysis.

Statement of Individual Contributions. (0.5 page) A brief statement  of individual contributions to the teamwork is required.

Summary of models expected in the report: Section 2. using BPMN

• 2A
• As-Is process model (1)
• As-Is data model (optional)
• 2C
• To-Be process models
• for automation (1)
• for innovation (1)
• Data model - corresponding to one of the To-Be proposals (1) Section 3. using DFD
• 3A
• As-Is process model (1)
• As-Is data model (optional)
• 3C
• To-Be process models
• for automation (1)
• for innovation (1)
• Data model - corresponding to one of the To-Be proposals (1)

Altogether, that is a minimum of 8 models to be submitted in the report. You may be doing a few more during your exploration of alternatives as suggested in the assignment instruction sheet.

Important note: You should be using the models to help you think through the process, to uncover where the problems are, and to think of alternatives. Do not just use models to present the results. The process of constructing a model is a learning and inquiry process (about the organization) even for experienced modelers. Expect to iterate a few times to get it right.

III.   Marking Scheme

This assignment will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

• Context for Study (3pts)
• Comprehensive investigation of the organizational setting,objectives,business process, issues, and proposed changes to address the issues.
• Analysis using BPMN (12pts)
• Detailed description of As-Is situation is clear and comprehensive.
• The As-Is BPMN model is clear, correct, and matches the detailed description of the As-Is situation.
• A summary of three “automation” and three “innovation” is well presented.
• Detailed  description  of TWO  To-Be  alternatives is well presented. This includes reasoned arguments, justified conclusions, depth and thoroughness in researching the issues and proposing the alternatives.
• Two To-Be BPMN models are clear, correct, and match the detailed description of the alternatives.
• Data model for one of the To -Be situations is presented and considers all the data entities and attributes used as input/output of the different activities of the To-Be business process.
  
• Analysis using DFD (12pts)
• Detailed description of As-Is situation is clear and comprehensive.
• The As-Is DFD model is clear, correct, and matches the detailed description of the As- Is situation.
• A summary of three “automation” and three “innovation” is well presented.
• Detailed  description  of TWO  To-Be  alternatives  is  well  presented.  This  includes reasoned arguments, justified conclusions, depth and thoroughness in researching the issues and proposing the alternatives.
• Two To-Be DFD models are clear, correct, and match the detailed description of the alternatives.
• Data model  for one of the To -Be situations is presented and considers all the data entities and attributes used as input/output of the different activities of the To-Be business process.
• Organization, clarity, and completeness (3%)
• The report has a good  structure and style including language, visual appearance, figures, etc. Excessive length will be penalized.
• The report includes a brief comparison of the two modeling  techniques (DFD/BPMN).
• The report includes a brief description of the methods and tools used.

IV.   Notes

Research ethics

• You must follow research ethics guidelines as in Assignment 1. For confidentiality, use a fictitious name to anonymize the organization.

Team work and collaborative learning

• The entire team is responsible for the report as a whole. In particular, although you may have divided the work, all team members should contribute equally to ensuring the quality of all sections. Ample time should be allocated for sharing and comparing experiences among the team members and for compiling, editing, formatting, and final proofreading of the report.

Modeling

• Models in the report proper (not appendices) should be done using software tools such as Visio, not hand-drawn sketches. All figures should be numbered and captioned.
• Models should be accompanied by concise textual explanations highlighting the main points of interest.
• For To-Be situations, the focus should be on logical models as physical models pertain to a later design stage in systems analysis.
• For this assignment, the DFD Context Diagram and Level 0 DFD are mandatory. There are no specific expectations as to how many more levels you need to drilldown the DFD diagram. For some cases, it may be adequate to use only a Level 0 DFD with no further drilldown, and in others, you may need to provide Level 1 or even Level 2.
  
• You  are not required to provide full data dictionary entries for process models, nor complete data attributes for data models. However, to avoid misinterpretation, you may provide partial listings of the main data flows and stores, with a brief explanation or list of data elements, and list of attributes for some of the entities in data models. Those elements that are affected by proposed changes would be of particular interest.
  
• Identification of keys (identifiers) for data entities is optional, but may help  in your understanding and analysis.

Embellishments

In carrying out this assignment, you should take advantage of your access to the study site to make your study as realistic as possible. However, if access is limited, or if the site lacks sufficient richness to demonstrate a wide range of problems and opportunities, you may embellish the site setting by incorporating additional features or characteristics.  Indicate these embellishments as such. If the ideas are taken from the literature, take care to cite the sources fully.

Suggestions about interviews

Prepare a timetable of interviews or contacts so that your client knows what to expect and when to expect it. You will need to plan this schedule with your own time commitments, exams, due dates, and so on in mind.  Always plan your interviews:

• Make sure you know what you want to learn.
• Prepare a list of questions before you go.
• Keep each interview short; your contact's time is valuable, and so is yours!
• Sometimes it is helpful to audio record the interview.  Ask for permission before doing so.
• Write down the answers to your questions and any notes or observations as soon as possible after the interview, or during the interview.

Report Formatting Requirements

• Your paper must be in the letter size (8.5 x 11 inch) paper format. The preferred font size is 11-point, single-spaced, with extra spacing between paragraphs.
  
• The e-copy must be submitted as a single PDF file, including appendices if any. The filename should be 1341-A2-surname1-surname2-surname3-….pdf (no spaces).
  
• When submitting on Quercus, do not write anything in the textbox unless you have a special message. Make  sure you receive confirmation from Quercus that the  assignment was submitted successfully.
  
• There should be a cover page containing the title of the work, course number and title, date, the instructor's name, your names and student numbers, academic department and program, and the number of words in the report, excluding references and table of contents.  The Executive Summary should appear in the bottom half of the cover page.
  
• Following the cover page, provide a table of contents with page numbers for sections.
• The header at the top of each page (including the cover page) should have last names of all team members on the left, and the date on the right.  The footer of each page should have the course number and assignment number on the left, and page # of total number of pages (Page X of Y) on the right.
  
• Figures must be clear with all text in a legible font.
• Use a clear and concise style of writing that is appropriate for business communication, with headings and subheadings for sections and  subsections. Where appropriate, use tabular format or bullet points for easier reading,  e.g.,  in listing pros and cons of alternatives. The APA style should be used for references.