Small System SDLC Design/Plan Project- Final

This applies to all projects and papers except where noted.

The files submitted should be named as follows: Your last name and project title. For example: "Schank DraftPlan.docx".

All assignments are to be submitted in your Assignments Folder.

Format is APA style, which means and includes the following:

· Use Microsoft Word. If you do not have Microsoft Word, "Save As" a Word document in .doc or .docx format.

· Use Page Setup to configure it.

· Use 1" margins top, bottom, left and right sides.

· Use Times New Roman or Calibri size 12; or Arial, or Verdana size 10.

· Line spacing should be no more than 1.5-spaced.

· Use appropriate paragraph and section headings and subheadings. Headings and subheadings should be placed at the left margin.

· The first word of each new paragraph should be indented.

· For documents that are longer than one page, number each page in the bottom right corner. The title page should not be numbered.

· Size limit: A page limit and number of words are specified in the instructions for each project or paper. The limit refers to the body of the paper excluding the "front matter" (title page, table of contents, executive summary) and "back matter" (reference bibliography of works cited). The body of the paper should be neither shorter than the lower limits not longer than the upper limits. Exceeding the upper limit may result in a deduction.

Title Page

Use an un-numbered title page as the first page of the document. Use whatever font, color, and type size you prefer. In the center of the page, double spaced, put:

· Your name

· The name of the project itself (e.g., "Product Survey" or "Small System Design DRAFT")

· IFSM 310-7980: Hardware/Software Infrastructure Architecture

· Your title for the paper (e.g., "Our Town Urgent Care Facility")

· The date

· You may add optional clip art or graphics if desired. It is not required and will not earn any additional points.

Nothing else needs to be added to the title page. Remember, the title page is not a separate document. It is the first (unnumbered) page of your document and does not count in the page size requirements.

For Draft papers, a table of contents and executive summary are optional.

Unless otherwise noted, the written papers will be graded in part (≈30%) on format, style, and writing quality. The remainder (≈70%) will be based on substance, content, accuracy, and correctness.

Writing quality includes considerations such as (but not limited to) the following:

· Grammar, verb tenses, pronoun use, spelling, punctuation, and writing competency.

· Spelling. Remember to spell-check, and then to proofread. Better yet, have a friend or colleague read it before submitting it. Read it out loud to yourself. It’s amazing how many mistakes we find when we read out loud. This is because we are forced to slow down and LOOK at the words.

· In a professional paper one does not use contractions ("doesn't," "don't," etc.) and one does not use the personal pronouns "you" or "your". Although there may be some exceptions, it is preferable to not use the first person ("I," "me," "my," etc.).

· In a professional or academic paper in the US, companies and organizations should be referred to as “it” not “they.” (It's true that this is done differently in Britain, but we are an American university.)

· Use references -- in APA format – (in text citations and Reference pages) even if you have all the information in your head. References add credibility to your work , provide sources for the reader to find more information and lend academic credence. References show the professor that you did above and beyond what was required in order to produce a high quality deliverable.

Use the APA format for references and citations. Use a Reference List page as a list of works cited, as the last page of the document. Remember that the Reference page ONLY includes sources that you used in the text. APA format does NOT use a “bibliography”; only a Reference Page. If you are unsure of format, please review the APA tutorial in the Course Content area of our WebTycho classroom, or go through the UMUC ILS library website for other help and assistance, or contact the Effective Writing Center.

Your sources should be either scholarly or industrial. That is, they should come from scholarly papers found in ILS's research databases, from Google Scholar, from libraries, etc. Or, if referring to commercial products, they may be references to the company's Web site, white papers, user manuals, brochures, and similar materials. Wikipedia and other encyclopedias should not be used as a reference source (see below).

References and in-line citations go together. Neither is complete without the other. Your paper must also include in-line citations to the references in the "back matter" page. There should not be an in-line citation without a corresponding source in the reference page, and there should not be a source in the reference page that is not used or cited in-line in the body of the paper. For instructions, see the APA tutorial and other materials mentioned above.

Other Requirements

Original work. All papers must be your original work, in your own words, and written for this class. Do not simply copy/paste information from the Web or textbook. Such submissions will not be accepted for credit. Research projects should be original work for IFSM 310; therefore, you may not re-use of a paper written you’ve written for a different class.

Templates, etc. Use of outlines, examples, and templates that you may find (including those in textbooks) is acceptable for the structure and outline of some assignments. However, the substance of all assignments must be your own original work and must include proper quotation, citation, attribution, and bibliography of sources and works used.

Product Survey is due date is posted in the Weekly Conferences and Class Announcements

Post your submission into your Assignments Folder and I'll provide my feedback there.

You will use the theoretical studies of computer hardware and software (SW) and apply them to a study of real-world IT products. Using descriptions of computer hardware and software components from course lessons and the textbook, you are to write a 700 to 1000 word (no more than 1.5 line spacing and no more than 12 point type) summary of the hardware and software products that would be required for a small system for either a financial investment or architectural firm (your choice).  You have a budget of $6,000.  Be sure to include any specialized software in addition to the OS and Office productivity SW, anti-virus / firewall / physical security, address Internet connectivity, storage, and hardware components required. You will  

a. discuss why you have chosen each component;

b. list the make and model of each component;

c. list what the manufacturer indicates as benefits of the products;

d. list how much the products cost - include a summary table with the total system cost;

e. compare the major hardware and software selections to at least two other manufacturers' products

(i) Note: software for the investment firm should not be an accounting tool - you are helping clients decide how to invest their money;

f. include security for the system; and 

g. include references for your costs to document how you stayed within your budget. 

You are encouraged to use the Web to research and select the component products and contact the vendor directly with any questions.

Grading: This activity is awarded 10 points towards the total grade in the course.  

 Detailed elements of grading rubric:

(Draft due Wk 5, Final paper due Wk 8)

Final Paper Due date is posted in the Weekly Conferences and Class Announcements

You will use the information learned throughout the course to identify and document a full information system for a small company. You will apply the basic steps of the SDLC (Systems Development Life Cycle) to design and implement the IT infrastructure for an electronic health care data system for the (mythical) “Our Town” urgent care facility* by addressing what actions are taken and what decisions are made in each phase.

Make sure to address key technical issues from this course and to include and specify key elements and components of a computer system as covered in this course, including (but not limited to) the following (in no particular order):

· HIPAA compatible EMR software*

· While you could design your own application, it’s acceptable (and recommended) to search, compare, and select an existing package from the Web

· Hardware that supports the EMR:

· CPU type, speed, etc.

· Memory type, size, speed, etc.

· Desktop or mobile

· In house or cloud based system

· Networking

· Operating system

· Other required software

· I/O devices (i.e., peripherals)

· Shared resources

· Storage; backup; disaster planning

· Physical and electronic Security*

· Privacy*

· While you could design your own application, it’s acceptable (and recommended) to search, compare, and select an existing EMR from the Web

· Be sure to include a network diagram

The body of the paper should be no more than 12 point type, not less than 4 pages or 1200 words and not more than 8 pages or 2400 words, not including title page, table of contents, executive summary, and reference bibliography. The paper will require a title page, a hot-clickable MS Word generated table of contents, executive summary, 4-8 pages of content with incorporation of a minimum of 3 external resources from credible sources, and a Works Cited/Reference page.

Use the SDLC to help organize the paper and use its steps to show how the requirements, design, implementation and testing are accomplished. However, the emphasis of the paper must be on the technology outcome and how it flows from the functional requirements.