Please follow the instructions

Final Exam Instructions

For the final exam, you need to answer the 3 questions and all sub-questions and prepare a written paper. The final exam must be completed by each student individually and submitted for grade by the due date listed in the course schedule. The assignments are noted on Blackboard under Upload Assignments.

Refer to the following instructions. Points will be deducted if these instructions are not followed:

1) The completed report will be about 5 pages using Times New Roman font size 12, double or 1.5 spaced in MS Word format.

2) Use appropriate 1-inch margins

3) Use appropriate headings and sub-headings to correspond to the questions

4) DO NOT leave any blank lines between sections, paragraphs or headings

5) Use the following naming convention for your document: (Last name)(First initial) (Final) (Example: GudiA Final.docx where docx is the MS Word extension).

The responses will be graded based on the following criteria:

1) Comprehension: how well you have understood the important ideas, concepts, topics, and facts related to the question

2) Application: how effectively you are able to apply and use the acquired knowledge

3) Analysis and synthesis: how effectively and completely you break down the information into parts and then combine them to propose solutions

4) Communication: writing needs to be clear, logical and grammatically correct

The nature of the exam questions is based on your reflection on the course material and critical thinking. Hence it is not required to provide external references to support your statements. However you may use any external sources to support your work if you feel necessary.

Sample of Cover Page to be Used for All Assignments

Nova Southeastern University

Wayne Huizenga Graduate School

of Business & Entrepreneurship

Assignment for Course: (Course number and title)

Submitted to: (Professor’s name)

Submitted by: (Student’s name)

(Student’s ID number)

(Address)

(Work phone number)

(Home phone number)

Date of Submission:

Title of Assignment:

CERTIFICATION OF AUTHORSHIP: I certify that I am the author of this paper and that any assistance I received in its preparation is fully acknowledge and disclosed in the paper. I have also cited any sources from which I used data, ideas of words, whether quoted directly or paraphrased. I also certify that this paper was prepared by me specifically for this course.

Student Signature: ___________________________

*******************************************

Instructor’s Grade on Assignment:

Instructor’s Comments:

1. Identify TWO (2) topics that we have covered in the course and for EACH topic:  ( topics are: 1-management of IT projects 2- knowledge management )                                                (approximately 3 pages for both topics; Total 10 points; 5 points for each topic)

1)    Briefly explain the topic and your understanding/interpretation of it      (1 point)

2)    Describe how you related to this topic in the course, how it enabled you to stay engaged in class , with the professor, and with your classmates                   (2 points)

3)    Explain how this topic will enable you to be a better and more effective professional (and student, if applicable) and how you immediately plan to use this skill and knowledge for your development

It is paramount to say that IT project management is a sub-discipline of project management in which information technology projects are planned, monitored and controlled. IT project management is « the process of planning, organizing and delineating responsibility for the completion of an organizations' specific information technology goals ». Indeed, management of IT projects deals with monitoring projects for software development purposes, hardware setting up, network updates, cloud computing, data management projects, and implementing IT services. There are some factors that can have a negative impact over the success of an IT project, and those factors could be advances in technology during the project’s implementation, variation of infrastructure impacting security and data management. IT projects could also succumb to the first use penalty when introducing a new technology never implemented before. In that case, there are some odds affecting the project’s success. Thus to make sure IT projects run smoothly, it is advised to follow these five process that go along the project life cycle.

The first process is the initiation process. It is the part where needs or problems are identified, and the project is assigned to a manager after a project charter is created.

The second process concerns planning. In fact, both manager and the project team need to brainstorm and design the most plausible way to approach the project.

The third process is the execution. Indeed, it is the part where deliverables are created for the project, and the project moves to the practical part.

The fourth process concerns monitoring and evaluation. After that the project began, the manager has the responsibility to monitor and control the work done by the team to make sure that the project is going in the right path.

The final process concerns closing. It is obvious that after the end of the project, it is advised to make sure that all of the tasks have been done for the project. It is a kind of double check.

Personally, studying the ISM course is a project, and of course to succeed in this project, I tried to follow those processes. When working with my team, I was a team leader, so I tried to monitor and evaluate the tasks we were doing for the course. By the writing this final paper, I am still in the execution part. Therefore, managing IT project exists everywhere, it is just how a person could perceive it or not.

Closing – at the end of each phase and at the end of the entire project, project closure happens to ensure that all of the work has been completed, is approved, and ultimately transferred ownership from the project team to operations.

 

2. Use the knowledge and skills you gained while working on the WileyPlus SAP ERP simulation assignments, the EBeer SCM simulation exercises, and the course material to answer the following:                                                                    (approximately 1 page            Total 5 points)

1) What are the advantages and disadvantages of implementing and using ERP systems?                                                                                                                            (2 points)

2) What are the challenges that organizations face when managing supply chain dynamics and the related business processes? Explain how you propose to address these issues by the use of enterprise systems.                                                                           (3 points)

 

3. Based on the CAIS article “Tutorial: Big Data Analytics” Watson (2014) that we discussed in class:                                                                            (approximately 1 page Total 5 points)

1)    Explain briefly the main business objectives of big data analytics and the main challenges and risks involved.                                                                                            (2 points)

2)    Describe briefly how you would apply big data analytics to a private or government organization to gain the objectives discussed above.  Use your experience of SAP Lumira exercises to explain how you would use data visualization techniques.  (3 points)