Kelly’s Salon Stage 3

Before you begin this assignment, be sure you:

1. Have completed all previously assigned readings, particularly those assigned in Weeks 3 and 4 of the class.
2. Re-read the “Kelly’s Salon Case Study” and the Stage 1 &2 assignments, and review the “Walmart Example.”
3. Review Instructor feedback from previous assignment submissions.

Overview of IT Requirements for a System to Improve the Process atKelly’s Salon

For your Case Study Stage 1 assignment, you performed a Five Forces Analysis and justified Kelly’s chosenstrategy for competitive advantage and the business process that she would like to improve through the application of technology.

For your Stage 2 assignment, you identified the inputs, processing, and outputs of Kelly’s selectedbusinessprocess.  Those inputs, processing, and outputs form the functional (business) requirements for an IT system to improve the process.

In Stage 3, you will define theIT requirementsby evaluating their applicability and importancein a new system to be implemented to improve the identified business process for Kelly’s Salon. Therequirements that are identified as relevant to the business process will form the IT (technical) requirements for a system.  In evaluating and selecting an IT system, both the functional (business) requirements and the IT requirements need to be considered.  The areas that need to be consideredin developing the IT requirements are listed below in the Table of IT Requirements.Depending on the specific process being improved and the data it uses, the areas listed will vary in both relevance and importance.  For example, in a system to handle applications for Social Security, security and privacy are extremely important; but for a system to list what movies are being shown, privacy is not applicable at all. Your analysis must relate to the process Kelly seeks to improve.

When both the functional (business) and technical (IT) requirements are identified, the system requirements are complete enough that you can then begin looking for a specific solution to meet the needs of Kelly’s Salon.  Researching and finding an appropriate system to improve the process at Kelly’s Salon will be done in Stage 4.

Analysis of IT Requirements:

• IT Requirement: The areas to be considered are listed in the table.  Be sure to research each term to ensure understanding as to whether and how it would apply to theKelly’s Salon process being improved and the data it uses.  A table of sources of the definitions of the requirements is provided below to assist you.  Be sure you use a definition that applies to IT and this assignment, and not a generic definition of the term.
• Rankings: High/Medium/Low Importance or Relevance or Not Applicable (N/A): You will rank each requirement as to how important or relevant it is to the process being improved and the data it uses.  Each will be ranked as High, Medium or Low, or Not Applicable to the process and its data.
• Explanation of Ranking: Using the definition of the term you researched and the ranking you selected, provide an explanation and tell how this requirement applies to the Kelly’s Salonprocess and the data it uses, or why it does not apply.  All requirements must be ranked and a thorough explanation that demonstrates understanding of the topic must be provided.Please note that even N/A items require an explanation.  A minimum of three good sentences should be used for each explanation.

The responses that you enter into the table for each requirement must be aligned to the specific business process to be improved and the data it uses, and must be appropriate to the Kelly’s Salon business. Be sure to consider the type of data (inputs and outputs – from Stage 2) that the system will handle as you determine the applicability and importance of each consideration.  If a requirement is not relevant to the process, mark it “N/A.”  Remember to provide a thorough explanation for every item under consideration, including those marked N/A.

Do not try to create a reason if there is none, but carefully analyze each requirement and determine whether it applies and how.  Explanations must provide enough information to convey the reasoning behind the ranking and to demonstrate that you understand the requirement.  DO NOT copy definitions into the table; use your own words to explain the terms.

 

Example:  If the process to be improved is the method for customers to use to pay for their haircuts or salon visits, then for the requirement of Usability, the following might be entered.  Note the thorough explanation of the ranking that demonstrates an understanding of usability.

 

Requirement	High/Medium/Low Importance or Relevance or Not Applicable (N/A)	Explanation for Ranking
Usability	High	Since the customers will use a system to make their payments, it must be easy to understand and easy to use.  It would be inappropriate to require any training for customers.  If it is too complicated, customers will not use it. In addition, front desk staff should be able to easily learn the system without extensive training.  That is an entry level job with frequent turnover.so having a system that is intuitive and easy to navigate is critical.

	Course Resources (for Weeks 1-5) Where to find the definitions of IT Requirements
1	Usability	System Quality Attributes  (Week3)
2	Maintainability	System Quality Attributes  (Week3)
3	Scalability	System Quality Attributes  (Week3)
4	Reliability	System Quality Attributes  (Week3)
5	Availability	System Quality Attributes  (Week3)
6	Performance	System Quality Attributes  (Week3)
7	Security	System Quality Attributes  (Week3)
8	Data Accuracy	Characteristics of Data Quality (Week 4)
9	Data Completeness	Characteristics of Data Quality (Week 4)
10	Authentication	Chapter 6 (Week 4)
11	Enterprise Systems (ERP, CRM, SCM)	Chapter 3 (Week 3), various Week 5 readings
12	Networks	Chapter 5 (Week 3)
13	Database	Chapter 4 (Week 4)
14	Data Warehouse	Chapter 4 (Week 4)
15	Data Mining	Chapter 4 (Week 4)
16	Business Intelligence	Chapter 4 (Week 4)
17	Decision Support System	Chapter 7 (Week 1)
18	Business-to-Business eCommerce	Various readings (Week 2)
19	Business-to-Consumer eCommerce	Various readings (Week 2)

 

Assignment: Kelly’s Salon Stage 3:  Create a document that includes:

1. Introduction

At the top of your paper, show the generic strategy for competitive advantage that Kelly selected and the business process she has chosen to improve (see the Stage 1 assignment), using the following format:

 

Generic Strategy for Competitive Advantage:    xxxxxxx (just name the strategy)

Business Process to Be Improved:    xxxxxxxxx (just name the process)

1. Table of IT Requirements

• Copy the table below into your paper.
• Rank each requirementas High, Medium or Low in Importance/Relevance or Not Applicable (N/A) to a system to improve the process,
• Explain each ranking, as described in the table, including explanations for N/A.
• Definitions of the IT requirements are listed in Course Resources tableabove.

 

 

 

 

	IT Requirement	Importance/ Relevance High, Medium, Low, or Not Applicable (N/A)	Explanation for Ranking (Write a minimum of 3 good sentences for each; both the process to be improved and the case study should be mentioned in each explanation; the data used in the process should be included in the explanation where applicable.)
1	Usability
2	Maintainability
3	Scalability
4	Reliability
5	Availability
6	Performance
7	Security
8	Data Accuracy
9	Data Completeness
10	Authentication
11	Enterprise Systems (ERP, CRM, SCM)
12	Networks
13	Database
14	Data Warehouse
15	Data Mining
16	Business Intelligence
17	Decision Support System
18	Business-to-Business eCommerce
19	Business-to-Consumer eCommerce

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Formatting: 

 

For academic writing, the writer is expected to write in the third person. In third person, the writer avoids the pronouns I, we, my, and our. The third person is used to make the writing more objective by taking the individual, the “self,” out of the writing. This method is very helpful for academic writing, a form in which facts, not opinion, drive the tone of the text. Writing in the third person allows the writer to come across as unbiased and thus more informed.

 

• Submit one document that includes the Table of Requirements.
• Table entries should be single spaced.
• Use APA formatted citations and references for any external sources used.
• Include a title page, and a reference page if references are included.
• Compare your final work to the rubric to be sure you have met content and quality criteria.
• Submit your paper as a Word document, or a document that can be read in Word.
• Your submission should include your last name first in the filename: Lastname_firstname_Stage _3

 

 

GRADING RUBRIC:

 

ISFM-300 Case Study, Stage 3 Rubric:  IT Requirements
Criteria	90-100% Far Above Standards	80-89% Above Standards	70-79% Meets Standards		60-69% Below Standards	< 60% Well Below Standards	Possible Points
High/ Medium/ Low or N/A Rankings	18-20 Points   Rankings all demonstrate a strong understanding of course concepts, analysis and critical thinking; and are appropriate for the business in the case study and the process.	16-17 Points   Most rankings demonstrate an understanding of course concepts, analysis and critical thinking; and are appropriate for the business in the case study and the process.	14-15 Points   Rankings are designated and demonstrate a basic understanding of course concepts or analysis.	12-13 Points   Rankings are provided but selection may be lacking in demonstration of understanding of course concepts or analysis.		0-11 Points   Few, if any rankings provided or rankings are not appropriate for the process and/or the case study.	20
Explanations for Rankings	54-60 Points   Explanations are at least three good sentences which use course vocabulary to clearly and convincingly justify rankings; demonstrate a strong understanding of course concepts, analysis, and critical thinking; and are focused on the business in the case study and the process and its data.	48-53  Points   Explanations are at least three good sentences which use course vocabulary to clearlyjustify most rankings and demonstrate an understanding of course concepts, analysis, and critical thinking; and are focused on the business in the case study and the process and its data.	42-47  Points   Explanations are at least three good sentences that justify rankings and refer to the case study process and/or its data.		36-41 Points   Severalexplanations are less than three good sentences, and/or do not adequately justify rankings; may be lacking in demonstration of understanding of course concepts, analysis, and/or critical thinking; or are not focused on the business in the case study.	0-35 Points   Few, if any explanations are provided; explanations are incomplete or not compatible with rankings; or little effort demonstrated.	60
Table Format	18-20 Points   Information is professionally presented, clear and easily understood; is written in third person and uses course vocabulary, correct sentence structure, grammar, and spelling.Any references used are listed and cited using APA style.	16-17 Points   Information is presented well; is clear, and uses correct sentence structure; written in third person, and has few grammar, and spelling errors.Any references used are listed and cited using APA style.	14-15 Points   Information is presented with some grammar and/or spelling errors. Any references used are listed and cited using APA style.	12-13 Points   Information is not professionally presented, may not be clearly written, and/or contains several grammar and/or spelling errors, or errors in use of APA style for references/ citations.		0-11 Points   Information is extremely poorly written; has many grammar and/or spelling errors; and/or does not convey the information adequately.	20
						TOTAL Points Possible	100