Module 3: Characteristics of Information Module 1: Course Overview Module 7: Presenting Information Module 2: Identifying Business Processes, Challenges, and Vision Module 6: Analyzing Information: Rationalizing Information Gathering and Analyzing Business Requirements Module 3: Characteristics of Information Module 5: Analyzing Information: Use Cases and Usage Scenarios Categories of Information Module 4: Gathering Information Module 3: Characteristics of Information Review Sources of Information Perspectives of Information Module 3: Characteristics of Information 57 ! Overview Slide Objective To provide an overview of the module topics and objectives " Categories of Information " Sources of Information " Perspectives of Information " Review In this module In this module After you have identified business processes and determined the business challenge and vision statement, you can begin a focused process of gathering information From the outset, you need to be aware of the different types and characteristics of information to ensure that you gather the appropriate information The purpose of this module is to introduce you to the different ways you can think about the information you need to gather about a business challenge By taking a broad view of information, you can increase your chances of gathering all of the input you need to make an effective analysis In this module, you will learn about four categories of information that help to group information and to provide direction on the types of information that you should collect for the business challenge Next, you will learn about three sources of information that you can use when gathering information about each of the four categories Finally, you will learn about two perspectives on information that you can use when you are looking at different sources and categories of information After completing this module, you will be able to: " Distinguish the four categories of information present in a set of information " Generate a list, based on the three sources of information, from which to gather information on a business challenge " Determine what information to look for, based on business and user perspectives, when investigating a business challenge 58 Module 3: Characteristics of Information ! Categories of Information Slide Objective To provide an overview of the section " Business " Applications " Information " Technology " Activity 3.1: Identifying Categories of Information In this section In this section The four categories of information that you will learn about in this section are part of the enterprise architecture model An enterprise architecture is a representation of a business, or dynamic system, at a single point in time The enterprise architecture for a business aligns information technology groups and processes with the goals of a business A complete review of an enterprise architecture model is beyond the scope of this course Instead, you will use four descriptive categories from an enterprise architecture model to guide and classify the information you gather about a business The four categories you will learn about in this section are business, applications, information, and technology In Activity 3.1, you will take information from the case study, break it down, and assign it to one of the four categories Module 3: Characteristics of Information 59 Business Slide Objective To define the business category Lead-in Information from this category indicates how the business works " Provides the reasons why a user performs a task " Information from the business category can include: $ Goals and objectives $ Organizational structure $ Key business processes and activities $ Relationships with customers and suppliers $ Products and services $ Relationship of all these elements It is as important to gather information that explains why an individual does a task as it is to know the details of a task Each task should contribute to the core processes of the business in one way or another As you gather information about a user’s tasks, determine the business reasons for each task An activity could possibly continue even after changes in the business processes make it irrelevant A new solution would not need to include the irrelevant activity Information from the business category describes how the business works It describes the functions and the cross-functional activities that an organization performs Information from this category also describes the enterprise’s highlevel goals and objectives, products and services, financial structures, integrated business functions and processes, major organizational structures, and the interaction of these elements It includes broad business strategies and plans for moving the organization from its current state to its future state Look beyond obvious information for information about what drives the business For example, there may be political reasons, internal and external to the business, that influence policies and decisions 60 Module 3: Characteristics of Information Application Slide Objective To describe the application category Lead-in Information in the application category indicates the function of automated systems and how they work together " The systems used to perform a task " Represent the collection of automated services that support the business processes " Information from the application category helps to: $ Identify redundancies $ Identify opportunities for reuse $ Provide guidelines for new applications and application models The application category includes the services and functionality that may cross organizational boundaries and link users of different skills and functions to achieve common business objectives Information in this application category describes the automated and nonautomated services that support the business processes It provides information on the interaction and interdependencies of the organization’s application systems Automated business services can include complete applications, utilities, productivity tools, components, and code modules that allow for the analysis of information or task functionality It is not unusual to find different groups within an organization performing similar tasks by using different tools Likewise, identical tasks are often repeated multiple times by using different tools As you gather information about processes in the organization, investigate the different applications used to conduct company activities These existing applications or portions of these applications can provide core services for any new application-based solution It is more cost effective to reuse than to rebuild these services The information you gather will help to refine the business processes by indicating potential inefficiencies or redundancies The application category provides information about the current use of systems and services You will also obtain indicators about future directions as you gather information from resources such as users and business documents Module 3: Characteristics of Information 61 Information Slide Objective To define the information category Lead-in The information category provides users and the business with the information that they need to run processes and operations " Describes what the business needs to know to run its operations " Identifies the origin, ownership, and consumption of information " Describes the key business and data objects and their relationships " Describes interactions between applications and information The information category describes what the organization needs to know to run its business processes and operations The category includes standard data models, data management policies, and descriptions of the patterns of information consumption and production in the organization You can identify the information’s origin, ownership, and consumption Tracking its access and use patterns provides the basis for making data distribution, replication, and partitioning decisions, as well as identifying what is needed to establish standards and guidelines for replication, repositories, and data warehousing Often, the consumers of information are not adequately questioned to determine not only what information they need, but also what they with the information when they have it The relationship between key business processes and the information required to perform these processes helps to set standards and guidelines for creating, retrieving, updating, and deleting information and data; for sharing critical documents and data; and for defining security levels and standards for access Realize that not all information is centralized or easy to access by each person or system that needs the information Often, the information most critical to an organization resides not only in database servers, but also on the desktop computers that make up the active working environment of the business 62 Module 3: Characteristics of Information Technology Slide Objective To define the technology category Lead-in Information from this category includes all of the hardware, software, technical support, and standards and guidelines needed to achieve the business mission " Represents the components and technologies needed to build and run the organization’s systems " Describes the current infrastructure and operational environment " Links technology to the application and information categories " Describes standard interfaces and models for building applications The technology category defines the technical services needed to execute and support the business mission, including the topologies, development environments, application programming interfaces (APIs), security, network services, database management system (DBMS) services, technical specifications, hardware tiers, operating systems, and more This category also provides information on the standards and guidelines that a business uses for acquiring and deploying workstation and server tools, base applications, infrastructure services, network connectivity components, and platforms Technology provides the link between applications and information Applications are created and based on different technologies They use technology to access information, which is stored by using various storage technologies You can use information from the technology category to determine the standard interfaces, services, and application models to be used in development This information can translate into development resources for the project teams, including component/code libraries, standards documents, and design guidelines This information can also provide a basis for an application’s design goals and constraints Module 3: Characteristics of Information 63 Information that you gather that is relevant to the technology category will help you or others in the project team to assess the current technology base for the enterprise The specifications and requirements that you ascertain from information in the business, application, and information categories establish the constraints for evaluating and adopting new technologies You can use this information to assess: " Overall functionality and effectiveness " Reliability, as in availability, performance, and security " Flexibility, dependencies, and manageability " Overall efficiency or cost of ownership Determining what technologies a business uses is important to improving current processes and developing a business solution 64 Module 3: Characteristics of Information Activity 3.1: Identifying Categories of Information Slide Objective To introduce the activity In this activity, you will work in small groups to analyze the case study and find examples of a particular category After completing this activity, you will be able to: " Distinguish the four categories of information present in a set of information 66 Module 3: Characteristics of Information Artifacts Slide Objective To define an artifact and provide examples " Information that is physically evident " Examples of artifacts include: $ Manuals $ Documentation $ Reports An artifact is information that is physically available in the business environment An artifact describes an element or process of the business environment Examples of artifacts include training manuals, help desk documentation, and financial reports Throughout a project, the project team may create its own artifacts Examples include project meeting notes, summaries of the information gathered within the business, and the vision document Some artifacts, such as meeting notes, may not be shown outside the project team, whereas a vision document or vision statement helps to communicate information to both the project team and stakeholders Some artifacts may be easily observed throughout a business For example, employees keep frequently used artifacts around their work area Other artifacts may be kept in company file rooms or on computer media and are less visible Each can provide information about core business processes Individuals in an organization may develop their own artifacts A user may create an instruction sheet for an application or process, for example, or an employee may outline how to accomplish a task through e-mail correspondence These unofficial artifacts provide valuable information They indicate not only what people in their daily work, but also what types of support information are lacking You may require access to proprietary artifacts to conduct a thorough information review Use discretion in handling artifacts that are directly or indirectly part of the intellectual property that allows a business to compete in the marketplace Module 3: Characteristics of Information 67 Systems Slide Objective To define systems and provide examples " A group of organized procedures, established documents, actions, or items that function as a whole " Examples of systems include: $ Web-based airline reservations $ Help desks $ Bug tracking software A system is a set of discrete processes that accomplishes a task or activity A system may be composed of subsystems Systems describe an element of the business that is performing an action A system can be a tangible process, such as an inventory tracking system, or an intangible process, such as the undocumented methods that a manager uses to determine problems within the company Systems indicate not only how a business conducts day-to-day activities, but may also indicate how individuals get around policies that impede daily tasks Systems can be complex because they can contain multiple subsystems As a source of information, they can contain many categories of information and it can take a long time to understand them completely Not all of the subsystems may be readily apparent Enlist an expert in the system when you are trying to understand it and break it down into subsystems 68 Module 3: Characteristics of Information People Slide Objective To define people in the business and provide examples " Individuals associated with the business " Examples include: $ Management $ IT workers $ Users People are the various individuals involved with the business Examples of people include executives, developers, managers, customers, and users When identifying sources of information, look for people who provide information and support that helps users conduct daily tasks For example, an established business may have a long-term employee who has experience in most aspects of the company’s business Such an individual can provide insight as to how the different activities in a business relate to each other People provide invaluable insights into a business They are a source of the unwritten information about a business Take the time to identify the different roles that people perform in a business If you miss a particular group of people, you may miss information that is critical to understanding the core processes of a business For example, a company may distribute its products through a thirdparty vendor The vendor may have a unique perspective on the efficiency of a business and its processes Module 3: Characteristics of Information 69 Activity 3.2: Identifying Sources of Information Slide Objective To introduce the activity As a class, you will generate examples of sources of information that you would investigate for the Ferguson and Bardell, Inc case study After completing this activity, you will be able to: " Generate a list, based on the three sources of information, from which to gather information on a business challenge 70 Module 3: Characteristics of Information ! Perspectives of Information Slide Objective To provide an overview of the section and activity " Business Perspective " User Perspective " Activity 3.3: Using Perspectives of Information In this section In this section A perspective is a way of looking at information You use perspectives to determine what type of information you need to gather from a source You can use different perspectives for the same source of information A perspective helps you to determine the requirements of a business solution In this section, you will learn about business and user perspectives In Activity 3.3, you will look at the information in the case study from both perspectives to determine the types of information that you need to gather from different sources Module 3: Characteristics of Information 71 Business Perspective Slide Objective To explain the business perspective " Sources that provide requirements from the business perspective include: $ Enterprise architecture $ Management $ Customer $ Operations and support The business perspective provides information that leads to the requirements necessary for ensuring the success of an organization’s goals and the efficiency of its day-to-day operations The project team needs to keep this information in mind so that they develop a solution that is business driven, not technology driven In this module, you learned about business, application, information, and technology as four categories of information These categories come from the enterprise architecture model and provide important information about the relationship between business and technology As you investigate artifacts, talk to people and examine systems to determine what information they provide from each category Document the information so that as you create business solutions, you can also contribute to the development of the enterprise architecture for a business Management oversees the day-to-day operations of different aspects of the business Managers work with core business processes, as well as with the systems and individuals that are part of the processes When gathering information, look for indications of whether processes are working properly and what information is available to explain problems or suggest improvements A customer is the entity who funds and approves the final business solution The customer wants to know that the proposed business solution has an acceptable return on investment The customer must be able to justify the costs of the solution within the business goals and activities 72 Module 3: Characteristics of Information Help desk personnel, information technology (IT) groups, and operations groups provide information about the technology of a business When gathering information, the project team needs to address existing conditions, such as security requirements or the ability of an application to scale with an increased number of users given the existing and planned technology infrastructure For example, the IT group may be planning an upgrade to the operating system for all users You will need to capture that information to properly propose and plan any applications the project team develops as part of the final business solution Module 3: Characteristics of Information 73 User Perspective Slide Objective To explain the user perspective and compare it to the customer perspective " Sources that provide requirements from the user perspective include: $ Direct users $ Indirect users $ Hidden users Users are the individuals who will use the business solution in their daily work or who are affected by the business solution When you gather information, look for information that provides clues to how current systems are used and what characteristics are necessary in any new systems Direct users are the individuals that use the application or solution For example, a cashier is a direct user of a point of sale system in a retail store Indirect users are people who not directly use the application, but who are affected by the performance of the system For example, a customer is an indirect user of the point of sale system in a retail store If the system fails or is slow, the customer has an unsatisfactory shopping experience If the point of sale system includes a credit/debit interface device, then the customer may also become a direct user Hidden users work with an application or system, but they are not readily apparent when observing the system For example, if the point of sale system is used in a furniture store, a delivery driver must plan his or her delivery route based on a report of purchases for a given day When gathering information from a user perspective, keep in mind the following considerations: " Bottlenecks or inefficiencies in the current processes " Critical incidents that determine whether an activity succeeds or fails " Skills and knowledge needed for current processes " Potential skills and knowledge needed for new processes " The impact of a business solution on users current roles and responsibilities 74 Module 3: Characteristics of Information Activity 3.3: Using Perspectives of Information Slide Objective To introduce the activity In this activity, you will look at the description of the current status of time keeping and billing for Ferguson and Bardell, Inc and describe the information available from business and user perspectives After completing this activity, you will be able to: " Determine what information to look for, based on the business and user perspectives, when investigating a business challenge Module 3: Characteristics of Information ! Review Slide Objective To provide an overview of the section " Guidelines " Review Questions " Looking Forward In this section In this section This section presents an opportunity to review the material in this module First, you will look at guidelines that you can use to adapt the information and skills in this module for use in the workplace Next, you will answer questions about the material in this section As you answer the questions, note which topics you may need to review Finally, you will learn how this module relates to the next module, as well as other information and skills that you encounter in this course 75 76 Module 3: Characteristics of Information Guidelines Slide Objective To present some general guidelines related to the information in this module " No one perspective, source, or category is more important than another " Look at the relationships, interactions, and dependencies between perspectives, sources, and categories " Use the different perspectives to ensure that you are looking at all aspects of a source or category of information Lead-in Following are some general guidelines to consider This module provides a simple structure for taking large amounts of information, breaking it down into manageable parts, and then assigning it to a representative category There is a certain amount of overlap among the categories, sources, and perspectives When you gather information about a business challenge, correlate each characteristic of information to develop a complete picture of the processes that are part of the business challenge Categories, sources, and perspectives cannot be taken into account as isolated or without regard to their interdependencies and relations to each other When you look at a process, you will need to take categories, sources, and perspectives into account to understand the information present within the process A particular source of information may provide information from both perspectives and include information from multiple categories Look for consistency in information within a category and across categories Where information appears to be in conflict, validate the information and ensure that the prevailing information has consensus approval of the project team and the stakeholders Consider both perspectives so that you are looking at information from all angles For example, one source may provide explicit information from the business perspective, such as directions for efficient inventory management At the same time, the source may provide implicit information on what users will need to to comply with company regulations When you have categorized the information, validate the groupings and relationships through project team discussion and consensus Module 3: Characteristics of Information 77 Review Questions Slide Objective To reinforce module objectives by reviewing key points " Distinguish the four categories of information present in a set of information " Generate a list, based on the three sources of information, from which to gather information on a business challenge " Determine what information to look for, based on business and user perspectives, when investigating a business challenge Describe the four categories of information Provide examples of each for an organization’s payroll process Business: Information from the business category describes how the business works It describes the functions and the cross-functional activities that an organization performs Examples include how often payroll is done, how the payroll department interacts with the accounting department, and what activities are conducted when payroll is processed Application: Information from the application category describes the automated services that support the business processes It provides information on the interaction and interdependencies of the organization’s application systems Examples include time-keeping systems, direct-deposit systems, and check-printing systems Information: The information category describes what the organization needs to know to run its business processes and operations It includes standard data models, data management policies, and descriptions of the patterns of information consumption and production in the organization Examples include where data is stored and in what format, who has access to payroll information, who is allowed to view or edit the information, and what skills are necessary to complete payroll (continued) 78 Module 3: Characteristics of Information Technology: The technology category defines the technical services needed to execute and support the business mission, including the topologies, development environments, application programming interfaces (APIs), security, network services, database management system (DBMS) services, technical specifications, hardware tiers, operating systems, and more It provides information on the standards and guidelines that a business uses for acquiring and deploying workstation and server tools and base applications, infrastructure services, network connectivity components, and platforms Examples include what database software is used, requirements in terms of performance and security, and what interface employees use to access information Describe the three sources of information Give examples of each source for gathering information about the payroll process Artifacts: An artifact is information that is physically available in the environment It describes an element or process of the business environment Examples include database and payroll software documentation, job codes, and time cards Systems: A system is a set of discrete processes that accomplish a task or activity A system may be composed of subsystems Systems describe an element of the business that is performing an action Examples include accounting software, database systems, payroll-entry processes, and employee-benefits systems People: People are the various individuals involved with the business Examples include employees, the payroll department, the accounting department, banks that allow direct deposit, and mail services Describe the business and user perspectives Give examples of how each perspective would look at the payroll process in an organization Business: The business perspective provides information that leads to the requirements necessary for ensuring the success of an organization’s goals and the efficiency of its day-to-day operations Examples include employee satisfaction, system efficiency, reports on employee hours, and income-versus-employee labor charges User: Users are the individuals that will use the business solution in their daily work or that are affected by the business solution Thus, the user perspective provides information about how the users are affected by the solution Examples include ease of use, training requirements, and desktop environments Module 3: Characteristics of Information 79 Looking Forward Slide Objective To relate the current module to the next module and to the remainder of the course Module 7: Presenting Information Module 6: Analyzing Information: Rationalizing Information Module 1: Course Overview Gathering and Analyzing Business Requirements Module 5: Analyzing Information: Use Cases and Usage Scenarios Module 2: Identifying Business Processes, Challenges, and Vision Module 3: Characteristics of Information Module 4: Gathering Information In this module, you learned about different ways to look at information by using categories, sources, and perspectives Perspectives provide a way to look at a single piece of information from different viewpoints In the next module, you will learn about tools that you can use for gathering information, as well as a general structure for organizing the process of gathering information After you gather information for a business challenge, you can begin to synthesize it to develop requirements and stakeholders’ wants Module 3: Characteristics of Information THIS PAGE 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Requirements Module 3: Characteristics of Information Module 5: Analyzing Information: Use Cases and Usage Scenarios Categories of Information Module 4: Gathering Information Module 3: Characteristics of. .. Characteristics of Information Review Sources of Information Perspectives of Information Module 3: Characteristics of Information 57 ! Overview Slide Objective To provide an overview of the module topics... the four categories of information present in a set of information Module 3: Characteristics of Information 65 ! Sources of Information Slide Objective To provide an overview of the section " Artifacts