Stages of information system implementation. Information system development

Main implementation phases information system

Phase "Preliminary work on the preparation of the IP implementation project." During the pre-project survey of the enterprise, detailed information is collected about the structural organization of the organization, functional relationships, management system, about the main business processes, about the flows within the enterprise (Control Flow, Doc Flow, Data Flow, Work Flow, Cash Flow), necessary for building appropriate models and selection of objects for automation. The terms, resources, types and volumes of work, the range and cost of software, hardware and telecommunications, the cost of staff training, etc. are estimated.

Phase "Project preparation". After the completion of the first phase, preliminary planning and the formation of project launch procedures are carried out:

formation of project and expert groups;
distribution of powers and responsibilities;
determination of organizational and technical requirements for the implementation process;
clarification of specifications and customer expectations;
training of the implementation group, consisting of specialists from the customer's enterprise.

Phase "Conceptual study of the project". During this phase:

a conceptual design is formed and approved;
a mandatory unambiguous understanding of the intentions of all project participants regarding the implemented IS is achieved;
goals and objectives of the project are clarified and concretized;
the dimensions of the system prototype are determined;

· the consolidated work plan, the sequence of stages and conditions of trial operation, planning, financial and reporting indicators are agreed;

At the same time, all these actions are necessarily documented, agreed and approved by all interested and responsible parties.

Phase "Project implementation". During the main implementation work, the system environment is created, installed and configured, system administration procedures are determined, and the main software and hardware systems and applications are installed. The system sets up the organizational and staffing and organizational and functional structures of the enterprise using such organizational units as a branch, department, department, working group etc.

Rice. 2.17. Approximate contents of the implementation project repository

Installation, configuration and configuration of network and telecommunications facilities is carried out, data is transferred from previous local systems and interfaces are formed with legacy and external systems. At the same time, everything created models, plans, working software products, documentation are placed in the end-to-end repository of the implementation project (Fig. 2.17). An important part of this repository is the documentation system formed within the framework of the project (Fig. 2.18).

Systemic security issues of the system operation in multi-user mode are being worked out. Applications, templates, reports, client access forms are created, user powers are distributed. All systems are being "tested" in "combat mode" with the participation of all interested parties.

Rice. 2.18. Approximate composition of documentation on the process of implementing IP

After the end of the implementation phase, the implementation project is considered completed. The information system is put into operation.

Control questions and tasks

What is an "open information system"?
List the main properties of open systems.
Describe the essence of the modern process approach to managing the activities of an enterprise and the use of this approach in the development of IS.
What does the concept of "Business Process Reengineering" include?
What models and how are used in the design of information systems?
What software tools are used to model processes in the development of information systems?
Based on what data and information are the AS IS and AS TO BE state models developed?
Who in the company deals with the development, implementation and development of IS? Who is involved in the preparation of the terms of reference for the development of IP?
What are the main stages of information technology design.
List the stages of the life cycle of an information system.
At what stage of the development and implementation of IS is the training of the company's personnel carried out?
List the main phases of IS implementation.

Chapter 3. Computer information technology software

3.1. general characteristics computer information technology software

For computer information technologies, software tools (software) act as a means of controlling a technical complex (computer systems).

The issues of development and use of software in general are quite well developed and widely covered in the scientific and educational-practical literature. But some clarifications are needed.

Thus, the general definition of the content of the concept of "software" includes a set of programs of the data processing system and program documents necessary for the operation of these programs. This interpretation in the general case can be used, especially when it comes to the problems of the actual development and operation of software systems as such. But from the point of view of users within the framework of the relevant technologies, operational documents should be distinguished from the composition of their software, since, in accordance with the structure of means and methods of information technology, they relate to organizational and methodological support.

In addition, in the educational and reference literature, the structure of the software is described in different ways. Such concepts as "general software", "system software", "basic software", "application software", "special software" are used in various combinations. At the same time, the content of these concepts often intersects, which makes it impossible to clearly structure the software itself. In the following sections, a meaningful description of these concepts will be given, and now it is necessary to formulate the structuring of office technology software adopted here. It is based on clearly defined and non-intersecting functions performed by the corresponding programs, while in the aggregate the necessary completeness of the entire composition of the software is ensured.

As part of the software stand out (Fig. 3.1):

System software;

Software development tools;

Application software.

Fig.3.1 . Structure of information technology software

System software is a set of interconnected programs that ensure the functioning of computer technology as such, without performing operations to implement programs and user tasks.

Software development tools includes various systems programming, with the help of which one or another functional program can be developed and adapted to specific conditions of use to solve specific problems.

Application software is a set of software systems that provide solutions to specific user tasks.

In the future, software development tools will not be considered, since the issues of creating software products form a specific area that is not included in the scope of secretarial services, and the actual implementation of programming work, as a rule, is carried out not in offices, but in specialized firms and organizations, as well as on an individual basis.

3.2. Life cycle of computer information technology software

Information technology software is generally a complex system with relatively independent principles and patterns of functioning within the framework of the life cycle concept.

The life cycle of a software system is usually understood as a recurring and structurally uniform interval throughout the entire time of its existence, starting from the moment the initial concept of the system is developed and ending when the system becomes morally obsolete.

The life cycle is traditionally represented as a number of successive stages (or stages, phases). At present, a generally accepted division of the life cycle of a software system into stages has not been developed. Sometimes a stage is singled out as a separate item, sometimes it is included as an integral part of a larger stage. The actions performed at one stage or another may vary. There is no uniformity in the names of these stages.

From the point of view of information technology organization life cycle software is presented as follows:

determination of the need for a certain type of software for the implementation of a specific function of office technology;

selection of a specific software product for the implementation of a specific office technology;

Acquisition of an industrial software product, its modernization or development of a unique software product;

installation of a software product on an existing office computer system;

operation of the software product;

Evaluation of the effectiveness of the application of the software product;

· modernization of the software product;

dismantling of the software product.

Determining the need for a certain type of software should be made on the basis of an analysis of the implementation of the corresponding set of works in the organization, for which a fundamental decision has already been made on the use of computer technologies.

The choice of a specific software product should be based on a joint consideration of the following factors:

Availability of industrial software products that implement the functions of a specific information technology;

Availability of software and hardware organizations leading professional development software tools that implement the functions of a specific information technology;

3.3. Essence and basic concepts of database management systems

Virtually every field human activity it is necessary to collect, store and use various data in one way or another. At the same time, different methods and technologies for working with them are used: outwardly unsystematic (but understandable to the owner) records in personal notebooks, orderly registration of information in journals, maintenance of systematized file cabinets, processing of documents in an organized complex of office work, etc.

With all the variety of methods and means mentioned above, it is possible to single out common features characterizing the work with data:

the collected, stored and processed data relate to a specific and limited area of activity characteristic of the people using them, and called subject area,

The data itself is divided into certain components that are related to each other in various ways, i.e. they structured And ordered;

There are certain methods search And extraction (selection) necessary information and representation.

A set of structured and ordered data related to a specific subject area is called database (DB), and the system of methods and means of collecting, registering, storing, organizing, searching, selecting and presenting information in the database is called database management system (DBMS).

With significant amounts of information stored in the database, or with its significant significance for the activity, the problem of reliability and speed of data processing arises. This problem can largely be solved through the use of computer technology. The corresponding DBMS have become quite widespread, and a significant part of them are systems based on relational approach.

Within the framework of this approach, the objects that make up the subject area are described as sets of attributes (properties) that are in certain relationships (connections) with each other (hence the name relational: from English. relation - relation). The specific form of representation of this population often takes the form of a table.

Consider an example. Data about the employees of a certain design organization includes:

the personnel number of the employee;

last name, first name and patronymic;

Date of birth

· home address;

· home phone;

date of entry to work;

· place of work;

· official telephone;

· position;

bonus for work experience

the project in which the employee is involved;

surcharge for participation in the project.

This data can be presented in the form of a table, in which each type of data has its own column, and each individual employee has a row).

Each row of this table (relation) is called record, and its separate element, corresponding to one or another column, - field.

The table is only a small fragment of the database, but its properties are very revealing.

Firstly, some fields are quite complex and contain data that can (and should) be broken down into smaller components (these are fields containing last name, first name and patronymic, dates, address, place of work).

Secondly, for individual fields, data in different records is duplicated, which is not justified in terms of storage costs (surcharge information).

So, the second field should be divided into three components, containing separately the last name, first name and patronymic of the employee; the third and sixth fields with dates must also be divided into three - with the day, month and year; in the field with the home address, select the first component indicating the region (Moscow or Moscow region); and the field indicating the place of work is divided into two - the number of the department and the number of the room.

To exclude the storage of unnecessary information from the table, it is necessary to remove the fields related to the properties of objects other than personnel, and create their own relationships for them: for example, the tables "Department", "Project" and "Surcharges".

The described actions for presenting data in the theory and practice of creating a database are called normalization.

In each relation (table), one of the fields must play a role primary key uniquely identifying a particular entry, i.e. having a unique value for each entry. In relation to "Personnel" this is the personnel number, in relation to "Department" - the number of the department, in relation to "Project" - the name of the project, in relation to "Increase" - work experience.

Some of the other relationship fields can play a role secondary keys according to the values of which various operations can be carried out: search and data selection.

The relations presented above in the tables are connected with each other through separate fields: relations "Personnel" and "Department" - through the field "Department number" (secondary and primary keys, respectively); relations "Personnel" and "Project" - through the field "Project Name" (secondary and primary keys, respectively). Relationship between the “Personnel” and “Supercharges” relations is carried out through the fields “Date of employment” (composite secondary key) and “Work experience” (primary key), but not directly, but through the procedure for calculating the length of service by the value of the date of employment.

The structuring and ordering of data presented in the described example is generally typical for all database management systems and differs in details for various programs.

3.4. Computer database management systems

database management system called a software system designed to create a common database on a computer used to solve many problems. Such systems serve to keep the database up to date and provide effective user access to the data contained in it within the limits of the authority granted to users.

The most popular DBMS for computing systems of the personal computer class are dBASE IV, Microsoft Access, FoxPro, Paradox. For more powerful systems, DBMS Oracle, Informix are intended. To a certain extent, data management capabilities are also available in most modern spreadsheet processors.

According to the degree of universality, two classes of DBMS are distinguished:

systems general purpose;

specialized systems.

General purpose DBMS are not focused on any subject area or on the information needs of any group of users. Each system of this kind is implemented as software, capable of functioning on a certain computer model in a certain operating system.

Specialized DBMS are created in rare cases when it is impossible or inappropriate to use a general-purpose DBMS.

General-purpose DBMS are complex software systems designed to perform the entire set of functions associated with the creation and operation of an information system database. The DBMS currently in use have the means to ensure data integrity and strong security, which enables developers to guarantee greater data security with less effort spent on low-level programming. Windows-based products stand out for their user-friendly interface and built-in productivity tools.

Let's consider the main characteristics of some DBMS - leaders in the market of programs intended both for developers of information systems and for end users.

A visual representation of the stages of implementation.

For a more detailed diagram, see Appendix No. 2.

Stage 1: Diagnosis

This stage begins with preliminary activities, the main purpose of which is to create a team to perform diagnostics. Once the team is assembled and briefed, a high-level business requirements analysis will be their first task.

Some companies have business processes that involve high risks due to a high degree of uncertainty in them. The tasks of detailed analysis at the diagnostic stage are reduced to obtaining sufficient information to accurately determine the structure of the project and the scope of the proposed work. In certain cases, separate quotations and contracts may be required to perform detailed diagnostics.

Once the business process analysis is complete, the development team will have enough information to define work boundaries and structure the project.

At this stage, the infrastructure of the project plays an important role. The client wants to understand what the total investment in the IP implementation project will be spent. Infrastructure analysis tasks are defined at the diagnostic stage, but their execution can be transferred to the analysis or design stage, depending on the specific client.

The final set of tasks is project planning - determining the resources, time, and budget for deploying the solution.

At this stage, it is required to evaluate the business requirements, the scope and scope of the project, as well as the project plan, and from these data determine what is better to use - a quick or full implementation of Microsoft Dynamics.

Main results of the stage:

* Proposal for work on the project:
* description of the content of the project;
* preliminary project plan.
* Infrastructure assessment.

Stage results:

The client accepts the proposal for implementation, signs the contract, including the proposed scope and scope of the project, and also gets acquainted with the preliminary design of the system.

Stage 2: analysis.

The analytical stage begins with actions aimed primarily at creating a project team - both on the part of the developer and the agency. Particular attention should be paid to the pre-project meeting, in which the project team members should be represented and the expectations and views on how the project will proceed are coordinated.

The task of the next importance after the meeting is the acquaintance of key users with the projected IS. The training should be aimed at the users who will be directly involved in the detailed analysis, and also at the key users from the client departments of the company involved in the project.

This is followed by many parallel operations, which are set, depending on the scope and available resources of the project. First of all, the development team should continue the detailed analysis of the business processes started at the diagnostic stage.

Data migration analysis and planning should also be carried out during the analysis stage. The project team must identify existing sources of information and evaluate what will be required to migrate the data.

When the analysis of all requirements is completed, the collected information is aggregated and, on its basis, a “Functional Requirements” document is created, which the customer checks, approves and signs.

The main results of the stage:

* Project charter.
* Trainings for key users.
* Detailed analysis of business processes:
- o gap analysis of requirements with basic functionality;
- o gap bridging assessment;
- o description of interfaces.
* Data migration plan.
* Project plan.
* Functional requirements:
- o infrastructure, functionality and security;
- o integration.
* Requirements for quality control and testing.

The main milestones of the stage:

* A meeting was held to launch the project.
* The customer approves the Charter of the project.
* Training is provided on the projected IS for key users.
* The customer approves the "Functional Requirements", including descriptions of business processes, integration and data migration.
* The customer approves the updated project schedule.

Stage 3: design.

The beginning of the design stage is laid in the analytical stage and adjusted by the artifacts generated on it, produced on it, in particular, the result of the analysis of business processes and the data migration plan. Design stage goals include (but are not limited to):

* Create or update the complete design of the project and related documents that will be required in order for the solution to meet the functional requirements.
* In order to create a top-level specification for each modification of the system, the processing, specific reports and integration defined in the document "Functional Requirements" are adapted.
* Create a detailed description of the data transformation requirements that were identified during the analysis and planning of data migration in the analytical stage.
* Obtain customer approval of the high-level data migration plan and solution design specification before starting to create a detailed design specification and perform final evaluations.
* Create a detailed design specification of the solution based on the high-level structure of the design approved by the client.
* Perform and submit to the customer an assessment of the creation of modifications, control, integration and data migration.
* Obtain customer-approved design, technical requirements for system modifications, data migration design and evaluation of all listed operations.

Main results of the stage:

* Solution design specification:
* functional design;
* technical specifications.
* Design integration with external systems.
* Design data migration and define adherence to data structures.
* Plan and test scenarios.

The main stages of the stage:

* The client approves the solution design specification, integration design with external systems, and data migration design.
* Client approves development time and cost estimate.

Stage 4: development.

Development phase planning includes reviewing development requirements, prioritizing, and allocating resources. Then the development and test environment and test plan of the work that was started in the design stage are adapted and studied for each customized process.

Ongoing development operations continue in parallel depending on what resources are available to the design team. For example, it is possible to develop in parallel additional functionality of the system, ways of integrating and migrating data. Development operations include testing developed modules. In addition, functional testing by the development team is required. Ideally, testing should not be performed by developers, but by third parties, and carried out according to a plan coordinated before testing.

As soon as the development cycle of any additional functionality approaches the end, it is possible to start preparing both technical and user documentation regarding this functionality, including additional user training. The client begins to check the processes according to the criteria formulated in the design stage. Such testing confirms the correctness of the control of functionality, integration and data migration.

Cycles of development and testing continue until the test results meet the test criteria previously defined and satisfy the client. At this stage of the project, processes such as project scope and structure management and change management are critical.

Implementation of individual features, integration, and data migration may be deferred to other stages of development, depending on their scale, complexity, and available resources.

Main results of the stage:

* Customizing the solution of the projected IC.
* Preparation of documentation regarding the solution of the projected IS
* Development of additional functionality (settings).
* Control and testing data migration.
* Integration testing (including integration with external systems).

The main stages of the stage:

* Data migration completed.
* Integration testing completed.
* The client accepts the created solution, test results and documentation.

Stage 5: deployment.

At the deployment stage, all the efforts of the development team are combined and go to implement a successful transfer to the consumer of the solution of the projected IS. Within this stage, there are some important tasks that must be completed in order to successfully achieve the goal. The stage includes all operations related to final testing, user training and the final transition to new production conditions.

Main results of the stage:

* Start plan and checklist.
* System test plan.
* User training plan.
* User training.
* Working system.

The main stages of the stage:

* Launch plan and checklist.
* System test plan.

Stage 6: operation.

After successful start system and signing the act of acceptance in the expansion stage, two parallel groups of tasks can be started.

The first set of tasks are the various final project activities associated with the final transfer of knowledge from the project team to the project customer. Some development activities remain active after the system starts - this is a fairly common occurrence. It is very important to pass all these pending transactions and get the client's consent to close them. Project closure also includes the provision of remaining documentation, additional user training and final knowledge transfer.

The second set of tasks represents important post-launch operations, which means the presence of the development team members at the client for a certain period of time in order to make sure that the production conditions are functioning correctly and to provide assistance when unforeseen situations arise. It's a large amount of work that needs to be done and it has a set completion date.

After the closure of the knowledge transfer project and the post-launch joint review of the project, it is recommended that the project be supported. This is a great opportunity to discuss the project and draw relevant lessons from it.

On this issue, interaction with the client is carried out within the previously coordinated support of the product (with the signing of the corresponding contract). The consultant team moves on to the next project.

Main results of the stage:

* Acceptance of the system by the client.
* Documents for closing the project.
* System support agreement.

The main stages of the stage:

* The client acknowledges that the designed IS and signs the act of entry into the commercial operation.
* The client formally closes the project.
* Customer signs a support contract.

The design IS methodology model also defines two additional stages that can be implemented after the launch of the solution.

Designed IC in working environment client:

The goal of the optimization stage is to create a structure for managing the processes that occur after the Go-Live procedure. This stage also allows you to maintain a relationship with the client after the original design of the introduction or may be the first step in the way to provide services to a new client.

The purpose of this stage is to analyze the solution designed and implemented by the client of the projected IS solution, corrections in business processes, performance control in order to increase the effectiveness of the solution.

The optimization stage is a reflection of the full implementation process. This stage includes the following steps:

* Analytical activities aimed at collecting information about the process, control and performance.
* Proposals regarding the scope of work.
* Work on the implementation and expansion of optimization.

The need for full implementation, due to the complexity of the update, is determined during the analysis. As part of the update, the following steps are performed:

* analysis;
* planning;
* definition of optimization;
* extension optimization;
* operational operations.

Update.

The purpose of this stage: to update the system designed to the new major version, as well as optimization, updating consisting of a series of operations that are carried out within the framework of the project at full implementation. Analysis, planning, testing, training and updating of the customer's production conditions are about updating.

The need for full implementation due to the complexity of the update identified during the analysis. It starts with the diagnostic stage.

As part of the upgrade, the following actions can be performed:

* analysis;
* planning;
* work update;
* testing;

The optimization stage covers any issues that arise after implementation and relate to performance, control of business processes. At the renewal stage, it is possible to continue working relationships with customers, assistance in resolving issues that arise during operation.

Each stage of the Sure Step Methodology includes a number of specific operations and tasks. The result of the work performed within the operation, as a rule, is reflected in the final results with recommendations and instructions for further steps in the implementation process.

The question: “Who will implement the information system?” is extremely important in each of the cases of launching an automation project.

This thesis is undeniable for several reasons:

The introduction of information is a very expensive pleasure;
An insufficiently high-quality approach to the implementation of the project can paralyze the work of the enterprise, sometimes for a long time;
In the course of implementation, existing ones can and should be changed;
The very structure of the enterprise may also change.

We can say with confidence that the extent to which the resulting information system will meet the needs depends on the level of consultants implementing the information system. And this is critically important given the fact that, as a rule, companies do not have competent business analysts on their staff who are able to direct the project in the right direction, avoiding typical mistakes.

The implementation of information systems mainly occurs according to one of the following schemes:

Implementation is carried out by the implementing company;

Own department of information technologies;
A freelancer is hired to act as the project manager.

Let's consider each option in more detail.

Implementing company. Here it is immediately necessary to differentiate such companies. It is one thing for a large company that has branches and, as a rule, its own developments on the chosen platform. And quite another small company. On the one hand, a large company is able to provide great guarantees for the success of an implementation project. Sometimes this assumption is true, but the situation is not always so unambiguous.

The nuances of working with a large implementation company:

Implementation of the information system is put on stream;

The staff of the company includes specialists with very different qualifications. As a rule, such companies have a very high "staff turnover", they recruit a lot of inexperienced (sometimes very promising) young people, and they need to be "trained" somewhere. Accordingly, employees with a level of training directly dependent on the degree of importance of the client for the company are sent to the project;

Failure on "small" projects has little effect on the overall reputation of the company and the corresponding attitude towards such projects;

Since companies have their own development of information systems, these developments are being promoted, which is not always justified (sometimes it is easier to create a completely new solution) and is always very expensive and inconvenient to maintain;

The cost of services is the highest of all the options considered.

The alternative is a small company:

The project may become a priority for the company's specialists;

For such companies, in my opinion, a manifestation of greed is characteristic. Since the sphere of information technology is not yet the most competitive sector of the economy. Small companies can receive a significant information systems implementation project. While the main forces of the company are already engaged in projects, they are trying to make up for the shortfall by accelerating the recruitment of newcomers, naturally wanting to save on salaries. Development is transferred to the cheapest outsourcers, while they themselves charge quite a lot for an hour of programmer's work. The margin can reach 75%. These projects are characterized by a constant change of leader, a succession of consultants, strange technical solutions, missed deadlines.

The success of the project depends entirely on the qualifications of the company's employees and, first of all, the project manager;

Much cheaper than.

Own information technology (IT) department.

At first glance, it seems the best option, their employees, controllable costs, a guarantee of information preservation. However, world experience says the cases of implementation of projects for the implementation of information systems by this method are rare! A characteristic element of such projects is the lengthy time frame for implementation, which can be delayed for years. Such projects go into operational activities.

Employees of the IT department are lower in the hierarchy than the heads of departments, and even more so the directors of departments. And they are forced to fulfill all the whims of users. Those. at the head of the development is the dictatorship of middle managers incompetent in information technology. And such a dictatorship is also mixed with ambitions, any leader is simply obliged to improve something and prove the uniqueness of his business processes. Leads to very interesting results.

Another point is too close communication, the user asks to do something verbally, but then he makes adjustments, and then another. Thus, the measure of evaluation of the work of both the consultant and the programmer disappears. It is difficult to hit when the target is not set.

One cannot fail to note such a weakness of this scheme as the isolation of the IT specialists of the enterprise from information exchange with other specialists involved in similar projects.

Successful implementation of an information system implementation project according to such a scheme is possible only thanks to the genius of the manager, the head of the IT service. Who will be able to prove to other managers the correctness of their ideas, establish a clear workflow, constantly monitor the progress of the project and be able to stimulate subordinates.

freelancer. The most personalized solution. Careful approach to the selection of an expert who will lead the implementation team is a major plus this decision, in addition to the relatively low cost of freelancer services. Careful consideration should be given to evaluating the consultant's professional experience.

But no one guarantees that this specialist will be able to steadfastly overcome the managerial problems that were described in the previous paragraph.

The disadvantages of this approach are obvious and are the lack of formalized responsibility for the project, as well as the high degree of dependence of the success of the entire project on one person who manages the implementation process.

Moreover, there is a risk that new person will not be able to work with the already established team of the information technology service, which will at least delay the implementation of the information system.

Drawing conclusions from the above, I want to fix:

Attracting a large company of the implementer is the prerogative of large companies, the success of the project with which will have an image component for the implementer;
A small company is better suited for not the largest implementations, but you need to closely monitor the progress of the implementation of the information system;
Implementation by our own IT department, with this scheme, the risk of transferring project activities to operational is extremely high, the project will last for years, and the goals will constantly change;
Freelancer is an interesting approach to implementation, but requires a painstaking approach to choosing a consultant persona. Unfortunately, it is difficult for managers who initiated the implementation of an information system to determine the level of competence of an IT specialist, due to the lack of experience in project activities in the IT field. In addition, the key factor of this scheme may be the level of competencies assigned to a specialist.

Based on the fact that the proposed methods are not ideal.

Any company owner thinks about whether his company is working as efficiently as possible. An unambiguous answer to this question can be given by analyzing many indicators. Obtaining this data manually is difficult and too expensive. A modern information system is able to form any indicator in a few minutes according to a predetermined calculation algorithm.

It is the effectiveness of technologies that pushes managers to make a decision to implement the system in the activities of the enterprise. But before you buy licenses and hire a well-known integrator company for implementation, you need to get the basic concepts about this process in order to control the progress of implementation in your own enterprise.

How to start the implementation of an information system?

After the formed idea that the company needs to implement an enterprise management information system, it is necessary to decide who will do it. There are several approaches to launching projects of this kind in an enterprise:

Conclusion of a contract with a large company implementing IP. The advantages include the experience of the outsourcing company and its individual specialists, as well as the availability of their own design developments. The disadvantages include the cost of work, possible staff turnover and the possibility that not the best specialists may be behind a big name;
Invitation of a small, regional IT company. A definite plus is the high probability that the introduction of an automated information system will become a priority project for it. If the project is to be large, and therefore long, one should be wary of sudden changes in management, specialists and priorities of small implementing firms;
Implementation by own IT department. In this option, the absence of additional expenses, constant communication with specialists and the ability to personally manage the project attracts. However, there is also a big danger here - the specialists of the IT department, often dependent on users and management, are completely guided by their decisions, including those that are not always correct;
Expert invitation. A great way to save money and get a specialist in the right field. The disadvantages include the need for high organization of all employees of the company, the dependence of success on one person and the formal responsibility for the project.

Practice shows that it is better to entrust the management of the implementation of information systems to experienced professionals. That is why, no matter which version of the implementation team you choose, be sure to check the experience - and not only quantitative, but also qualitative. Check reviews about the work of IT companies and experts, monitor the qualifications of your own specialists.

Such an important point as strategic plan implementation and the choice of the type of relationship with the implementers of the information system is important, but not the only criterion. The effectiveness of the implementation of an information system in an enterprise depends on several factors and the willingness of the staff to take them into account in their work. Experts identify several basic rules, ignoring which is likely to lead to sad consequences:

Awareness of the need to introduce modern technological tools and readiness for the implementation of all employees;
Learning the basics of building a system;
Competent choice of a suitable backbone program and a team responsible for its implementation;
Selection qualified personnel for project control by the customer;
Consistent and clear organization of the project;
The desire to change for the better.

It is difficult to determine any time frame for launching a corporate information system. Much will depend on whether the development of enterprise information systems existed before or whether you have to start from scratch. You should prepare for the fact that the implementation will take a lot of time and will significantly change some business processes in the company. The technology of implementing information systems can differ significantly from one specialist to another, but certain stages are distinguished in almost every successful project.

Successful implementation of information systems includes quite a lot of important and useful stages for the enterprise. In addition to directly starting work in IS, they help the company streamline key business processes and identify problem areas. How bigger company, the more accepted employees whose functions and qualifications raise questions. Proper implementation of the information system will reveal them.

If a company wants to implement IS not just “for show”, but really effectively use all its capabilities, the following steps are ahead:

First of all, it is necessary to determine the purpose of the implementation. Many senior managers are superficial about this stage, but in fact it sets the direction for the entire implementation of IP;
Survey of business processes of the company. This stage includes interviews with management, ordinary employees, drawing up diagrams for each process. The output is a clarification of the implementation goals and the ability to preliminarily estimate the scope of work and cost;
Drawing up a project, technical specifications and regulations. These documents should describe all business processes involved in the implementation of IP. Try to draw up an implementation project in as much detail as possible, indicating the necessary data, their structure, algorithms of actions, jobs;
Training of specialists. Employees of the company at the beginning of the implementation should know what is required of them so as not to delay the implementation of work. Also, administrators and developers of the company should begin to understand the information system. That is, employees expand their knowledge for the benefit of the company;
Setting up the information system in accordance with the specifics of the enterprise. This stage includes:
- Differentiation of rights to the functionality of the system for employees;
- Initial data filling;
- Setting up calculation algorithms, creating the necessary reports.
Information system testing. At this stage, implementation problems in the context of algorithms or the need for new reports may be detected;
Trial operation with real data. Most often, at this stage, many employees of the company perform more work. They have to not only work as before, but also reflect their actions in the information system. It requires maximum discipline and concentration of efforts of all participants in the implementation. The end result should be the coincidence of the data of the information system with the real state of affairs;
Industrial operation. At this stage, the transition of employees to full-fledged work in the information system is carried out. Must be organized technical support users;
Completion of the project. The main results of the stage are the signed job descriptions, delineation of duties of departments and their interaction. The corporate information system is launched at the enterprise.

Only the concerted efforts of company employees at all levels guarantee a long-term successful work information system in the enterprise.

Strategy for building an information system

The management information system is more or less unique for each project. The PMIS is created at the project launch stage and ceases to exist when the project is closed. Thus, project management must be able to create an effective information system in a relatively short period of time. This is possible only if the overall structure of the PMIS, its main elements and methods for deploying the system are developed, agreed and documented in advance. In other words, standard approaches to project management, elements of the organization, management procedures and documents, tools must be implemented and mastered in the organization as a whole. Then the project manager is able to quickly create a management system for a specific project based on standard approaches and elements.

In general terms, three main strategies should be considered when developing an approach to developing a project management system in an organization:

· Development of own specialized system or customization of existing systems.

Use of unified systems scheduling and project management available on the market.

· Integration of existing subsystems by functions and by data.

Development of your own specialized system, as a rule, requires significant capital investments, time and highly qualified specialists. This strategy may be justified for specific projects and areas of project management, where the use of universal systems is not effective.

In any case, the application industrial systems scheduling and project management within the framework of PMIS requires their adjustment to the subject area, and often the refinement of specific functions and integration with other systems.

Regardless of the chosen strategy, the main task of developers is to bring information model supported by the system to the real organizational structure and project management procedures.

What does the user need to know about the proposed software and their own needs in order to make right choice?

First of all, it is useful to answer for yourself questions related to the planning and management functions that must be implemented, to choose the degree of planning and control detail required:

Only planning or planning and control of the progress of the project;

Planning and control only the timing of the work;

planning and control of financial investments without detailed planning of the use of resources;

detailed planning of resource use;

· multi-project planning and management.

It is useful to determine in advance the approximate requirements for the dimension of projects and the detail of planning, the organizational structure of management and reporting. How many projects will be running at the same time and will they be interdependent? What is the approximate number of tasks in one project? How many types of resources will be involved in one project and how will resources be divided between projects?

In addition, the choice of packages may be influenced by the specific control requirements in a particular subject area. For example, special requirements to reporting or the need to calculate additional indicators, the need to integrate the system with other applications or regulatory databases, etc.

Considerations related to the qualifications of the personnel who will use the software are also important. Packages with more features usually require more advanced user skills and additional training. They are aimed at professional users, i.e. specialists whose main activity is project administration. For users who use PM packages only from time to time, if necessary, to plan a small set of works, ease of use and speed of obtaining results are more important. Note also that in large organizations, as a rule, you can find both types of users. And, therefore, the task for such organizations is not to standardize on any one package, but to select the optimal combination of packages that support data exchange procedures.

Information system development

There are three main stages in the development of a management information system:

· Study and analysis of the possibilities of automation of management procedures;

· System design and development;

· Testing and preparation of documentation.

At the first stage, a survey of existing information systems and resources of the organization, an analysis of the information needs of management at different levels of management is carried out.

The survey team should include both specialists in project management methods who are well versed in the organizational structure of the company, and technical specialists, system analysts.

The survey involves a series of interviews with experts at different levels of government. Interviews should be carefully planned in content and sequence. The questionnaire should contain a description of the position of the interviewee in the organization and in ongoing projects, including duties and responsibilities, tasks performed and contacts. The task of the interview is to identify the input and output information for this position, describe the procedures performed, the systems and approaches used, the existing problems and proposals for their resolution. The information obtained as a result of the survey is processed and summarized.

As a result, a general organizational structure of management should be developed with a description of the procedures performed and the existing problems. On the basis of this document, a concept of a management information system is developed, a detailed description of the subsystems that provide support for certain management functions, a plan for creating a system, including estimates of the timing, budget and needs for specialists.

At the second stage, a development team is formed, including the development project manager, task managers and programmers.

The design includes the development of a functional specification, a communication specification, a technical specification describing the system architecture, a description of the criteria, and a system acceptance procedure.

Development includes the supply and customization of standard packages available on the market; development of specialized subsystems; supply necessary equipment; integration of the system as a whole.

At the testing stage, the performance of individual subsystems and the system as a whole is checked, and the compliance of the obtained solutions with the original specification and the real needs of users is assessed.

At the same time, documentation for the PMIS is being developed, which includes documentation for the system administrator and instructions for users. Instructions to users of the system should be consistent with the organization's procedures for planning and managing projects.

It is important to note that the development costs of each specific PMIS depend on the complexity of the system, which is dictated by the needs of a particular project, on the amount of time and money allocated to create an information system, as well as on the knowledge and experience of the developers responsible for creating the system.

System implementation

Certain difficulties in mastering the project management system may be associated with the need to introduce and use new management technologies. Thus, the development and tuning of software does not yet guarantee that this software will be effectively applied. The implementation procedure of the system is designed to help overcome this problem.

The extent of the use of project management systems in various organizations may vary significantly. The complexity of the implementation tasks depends on the size of the organization, the existing management structure and the degree of automation, the scale and type of projects being implemented, the degree of involvement in project management external organizations. However, even in relatively simple situations, a system implementation plan can play a decisive role in bringing it into actual operation. Even at the design stage, it is important to involve potential users in the development process and thus enlist their support.

We can formulate some of the most common mistakes in planning the implementation of project management systems, which are the reasons for the failure of the development of such systems:

· Project objectives and expected results are not defined in advance or are not fully defined. Tight time constraints, impatience, or management inconsistency may prevent the full scope of project objectives from being realized.

· Planning the commissioning of all functions of the project management system at the same time. A full implementation of a project management system may involve the use of a number of new technologies (for example, the installation of a global information network and client-server databases), and the implementation of various functions may affect the work of different departments and specialists (for example, different departments should be involved in support of information flows in the implementation of time, resource and cost types of work planning). All this can lead to a significant complication of the project and makes it problematic to stabilize the system as a whole.

· Planning for the transfer of the entire organization at once to the use of the system for project management. This is similar to trying to link all the employees of a large organization at once into a local area network. instead of connecting users sequentially, department by department.

It is important to be clear about the benefits expected from the implementation new system. The results of the implementation of the system must be agreed with all those who may be affected at different levels of management in the organization (both direct users of the system and users/providers of information for the system).

· Consistent implementation in the use of planning and management functions from simple to complex. It is recommended to start with planning and control of time parameters, then master the functions of cost planning and control, and only after that proceed to resource planning. It is better to move on to integrating a project management system with other systems after the procedures for using its main functions have been mastered.

· Consistent implementation of the system, starting with individual small projects and functional departments. It is better to start with a small project with a fairly qualified team of performers. It must be remembered that in every organization there are employees who are more interested in using new automation systems and more capable in mastering them. It's better to start with them. Having received the first group of users who have mastered the system, you can proceed to the distribution of this technology to other projects and departments in the organization. When the system starts to really work in the organization, opponents of its use will also have to move into the ranks of users. It is important to ensure that department heads are aware of the plans for implementing the new system and act according to the plan.

The system implementation plan should not be limited to just setting up the software and training users on the system functions. Projects for the installation of new management automation systems traditionally cover a much wider range of tasks from additional formalization of procedures for collecting and storing management information to changes in the organizational structure of management and redistribution of responsibilities. In general, projects for the implementation of such systems can be attributed to the class of organizational projects - projects that, to one degree or another, lead to the development of the organization's structure. Distinctive feature of this type of projects is that the effectiveness of the functioning of the organization as a whole or its individual units may depend on the success or failure of the project. For this reason, careful planning and control of not only the technical, but also the human aspects of the implementation of the system is of particular importance.

Literature

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. Andersen E, Grude K, Haug T, Turner J, Goal Directed Project Management, Kogan Page, 1995.

. Morris P, Managing Project Interfaces - Key Points for Project Success, Project Management Handbook, edited by D. Cleland and W. King, Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1988.

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. The Implementation of Project Management: The Professional Handbook, Wesley, 1991.

[b]. Polkovnikova E.V., Polkovnikov A.V., Planning and project management using Time Line, Dialogue-MEPhI, 1994.

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SQL (Structured Query Language) is a standard, structured language for building database queries.

ODBC (Open Data Base Connectivity) is a standard for accessing databases of various formats.

The Web is a worldwide network built using the Internet technology.

ASCII is a structured text file format.