Lab 3 of 7: Implementation Schedule

STEP A. Review the Case:

The 21st century has seen huge advancements in technology that continues to render manual application ineffective. Technology is now being used by many companies as a leveraging factor for their own limited infrastructure and Starwood Hotels and Resorts has not been left behind. The case in this scenario seeks to capture the essential requirements required of any information system change. The following are some of the aspects that is of importance for the business

· Handle increased traffic – The case notes that the hotel is set to experience an increase of 15% in their traffic.

· Fault tolerance - Fault tolerance is the ability to withstand defects in an information system. The hotel is marred with regular outages of service which is becoming a concern for them

· Customer service – This is of extreme importance for them due to the high-level service they offer and the guest they expect. The website should thus be able to integrate well with these requirements.

· Hip feel and appeal – This is all about trendy accommodations, style and edginess and the look must be represented in the website.

· Hand held devices – The website should be mobile friendly and should be able to seamlessly integrate with emerging technologies.

· Notifications – The website should be able to distribute messages seamlessly.

· New media – The website should be able to support new media such as video, virtual imaging etc.

The above mentioned should be addressed in the analysis, design and implementation of the system for the hotel and reservation system.

Implementation approaches

System changeover is the process of changing the old information system. There exist several changeover approaches as reviewed below.

i. Full approach – This is where the old system is retired and the new system takes effect immediately. It is a least expensive process and involves high risk pf data loss. When there is lack of adequate time and finances it can be a better option.

ii. Parallel approach – This method requires both system to run simultaneously. This occurs until such a time that the management and the staff are confident that the new system will work as scheduled. It is a low risky endeavor but it is highly costly and should be used when the system in question is critical.

iii. Pilot changeover – The pilot operation involves implementing the complete system at a selected location of the company. When the system proves successful in the pilot site then it will now be implemented in the whole company.

iv. Phased approach – Implementation usually works in different stages. It is normally seen as an approach that combines both direct cutover and parallel to pilot approaches. In this method, the risk of errors is limited to the implemented module as well as being less expensive than a full parallel.

STEP B. Recommend an approach:

From the above discussion about all four possible approaches, it is clear that parallel approach is not suitable for this project. To successfully implement this system, we will make use of different approaches that is phased, full and pilot to give hybrid approach of system implementation.

1. Handle increased traffic - Phased

a. In order to handle increase traffic of approximately 15% an upgrade to the web servers will be necessary. Additional servers are most likely needed.

b. These services be need to be re-evaluated frequently, because of the speed of change in technology.

c. Security and privacy issues need to be thoroughly considered.

2. Fault tolerance - Phased

a. System downtime is highly undesirable and the business should strive to solve this to increase their revenue. Upgrades is required to the existing systems for performance.

b. The systems hosting the website should undergo periodic maintenance to identify faults in the systems early.

3. New media – Phased

a. New media is simply additional components in the system. It should be implemented in phases

b. The system should be tested to ascertain whether it works well with new media such as 3-D images

4. Notifications – Full

a. Notifications is a simple functionality which should be easily added without affecting the system. Full implementation will work well with this feature.

b. The system needs to be checked to see whether it can support message sending from the platform.

5. Handheld devices – Phased

a. The website must function well with cell phones.

b. The website should be upgraded to handle new devices as they come to the market. Phased approach is the best approach for this.

STEP C. Justify your Choices:

The process of system implementation is not an easy task. It involves huge amounts of money as well as time. It is in this regard that an organization should strive to adopt an approach that will not consume their time as well as resources though spending is inevitable in system design and implementation. The following is the justification for my choice of system implementation approach above.

· Full approach is used since some of the functionalities to be added are simple and does not have any considerable amount of effects to the system when implemented as a direct cutover. Adding notifications is a simple process.

· Phased implementation is the common way of handling system implementation since the system can be tested before being full launched in the organization. It is easily managed and cost effective.

The approach used in this system is hybrid in nature. This is because it combines several techniques of system implementation to ensure smooth transition between the old system and the new one.

STEP D. Add to Calendar:

Select one of the implementation activities that you included in your document. Add this item to the calendar in the online collaboration tool (it needs to be sometime in the next 30 days). When you add your calendar item, give a brief explanation.

STEP E. Finish Up:

Format your document so that it is professional and presentable.

Put the lab02.doc file in this week’s dropbox.

END OF LAB