Term Paper on "Information Systems Management in Practice"

Term Paper 4 pages (1769 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Information Systems Management in Practice

Case Abstract:

The case is a classic example of how you might be having the best product with the expectation that users might just waiting to lap it up and still there might still be chances that it does not find the slightest favor among its intended users. Banking and Loan Insurance Software System - BLISS was launched by Integra, a large company in the life insurance sector in Canada with the intent of gaining access in the market for loan insurance in small Credit Unions - CUs throughout Canada. The company was prepared to provide the software free of cost to the CUs on the reciprocal hope that they will be commercializing Integra's loan insurance products in an exclusive manner. Eyeing on this hope, Integra joined hands with Intex Consulting, the Canadian subsidiary of a huge global Information Systems - IS integration company which wanted to make forays into the banking business of Canada. From the technical aspect, the software system fitted the bill, but some how down the line it failed to find acceptance among the intended users. Each partner had made an investment of a whopping 1.3 million and after a year of thorough efforts, the project had to be terminated midway. The cause of failure can be attributed to a complex interplay of factors like the urgency of appreciating the needs beyond the micro level user needs; the urgency of conscious participation of every interested party in a huge complex project and most importantly understanding the significance of specific contribution of every partner working in a strategic alliance and impediments encountered while treading into uncharted territory with a new and untested IS product.

Case Questions:

1. Two main problems in the case:-

The first problem is the lack of a uniform data-processing setting under the computerized file system. Each province, Central and sometimes each individual Credit Union - CUs was running its own information systems. At the time of opportunity study, a number of technological alternatives were seen. In this scenario, the innovation of the project comprises of developing a software application which can be sold and deployed at the consumer institution with the least of adaptation and customization and concurrently with the task to support the maximum of data-processing environments already functioning. Besides a number of companies were responsible for the hardware support for the banking software. A pertinent point to be noted is that the client part of the software was required to be compatible with various combinations of hardware and operating systems which were functionally not present. The second problem is the fragmented nature of the Canadian banking sector. Although the Loan and Mortgage Insurance model was successful in Quebec, the company experienced major obstacles while implementing it in the remaining regions of Canada. (Information Systems Management in Practice)

2. Factors affecting the problems in the case:-

As regards the causes of the first problem it is seen that at the technological level, the organizations selected were using a quite incongruent it technological infrastructure. The system hardware and the applications varied from one region to another, from one group to another and frequently even within a particular institution. Integra even carried out opportunity researches that showed that these institutions employed at least ten different technological platforms which was the primary factor for the cause of the problem. In this perspective, the BLISS project, as perceived in its original form, consisted in developing a software solution which could be implemented at these institutions with the least customization while looking to support the broadest variety of existing it already functioning. Coming to the factors of the second problem, the banks in Canada except Quebec carried out their business under an umbrella federal charter and the charter gives the participating institution the privilege to function from anywhere in Canada, while a provincial charter gives access only to the provincial territory and the Credit Unions - CUs functions under the provincial jurisdictions which has been a bottleneck as regards the diversification. While in the province of Quebec, the Credit Unions are well integrated into bigger federations and use standardized central banking systems, the CUs in other Canadian provinces function in a perplexing assortment of banking systems functioning at the local or regional levels. Hence due to the market diversity in the remaining areas of Canada and the compactly unified form of its own systems within the Quebec market, Integra was devoid of the means to connect the banking systems of these institutions to its loan insurance systems.

3. Managerial, organization and technological issues and resources in the case:

crisis management team was formed by Integra whose crucial responsibility was to locate the causal factors for the problems to arrive the project to the stage of completion. Jim Cochran, newly designated Vice President for Product Development decided to meet the Credit Unions - CUs to find out the causes which led to the CUs for withdrawing from the project. The cause ultimately boiled down to the fact that the CU Central Managers were not open to the idea of 'rank outsiders' treading on to their territorial associations with the Credit Unions. After a thorough finding, Jim Cochran understood that the Credit Unions would at no point carry on with the BLISS system in the present shape. The technological front also the targeted establishments were employing an it infrastructure. The hardware and the applications ranged widely throughout the entire gamut of organization and it was seen that organization was using 10 different technological platforms which was the primary issue for the cause of incompatibility. On the resources front a huge investment running into 1.3 million dollars has been wasted and there was little hope that this could be recouped. (Information Systems Management in Practice)

4. Role played by different players in the overall planning, implementation, and management of the it applications:-

With close to 8 million dollars allocated annually for it operating budget, Integra's it function has enough Information System - IS project management. In the course of the year, it management has implemented thorough project management techniques for which large and complex IS projects were able to be completed. As regards Intex is concerned, it concentrated solely on the technical features of the project depending on Integra's experience and knowledge in the loan insurance market for the application and operational specifications. The partners streamlined everything to make sure the timely development of an adequate answer: giving a high priority status to the project: undertaking a comprehensive evaluation of unification needs for the insurance, loan and banking systems; making sure of a firm synchronization of the project by a coordination committee formed by the Project Director, Carl Gagnon, the business project leader Stephanie Lemaire, the development team leader, Judith Tremblay, and Intex Consulting's Project Manager Tom Delany. The development initiative was subdivided among two teams. Integra's Judith Tremblay was the leader of the first team who worked on the loan insurance module and to be integrated into Intex's loan systems and on varied interface modules to connect with the BLISS system and Integra's back-office insurance system. It Managers sensed that they were obviously united with the business strategy and that they had the wholesome support of the higher management.

Possible alternatives, and pros and cons of each, for dealing with the problems:

In looking for alternatives, it would have better served the overall interests of both Integra as well as the CUs if in the initial stages there has been a pilot study by taking in a couple of CUs to access their willingness and continued interest in the project. (Information Systems Management in Practice) This apart, to do away with the problems arising out of the intricate combinations of software and hardware, a possible alternative which would have served the purpose better was to have a single hardware platform across all CUs as a single hardware platform can have advantages including integrating them with the central computer at Integra, different operating systems for users, machines can be configured to operate each functioning system and creates conditions for field-replaceable units for users. (Merging Windows NT and UNIX on a single hardware platform)

6. Recommendation to be made to the management:-

The important suggestion to be made to the Chief Information Manager - CIO that even though the software was technically suitable, however it was unsuccessful in catering to the needs of the user group. A valued suggestion would be to engage in a system testing in the first place before going to make it scaleable for extensive use. (Information Systems Management in Practice) it all concludes down to the pertinent issue of selecting a device that one can rely on, feel comfortable with using it and learn to use it along with a support source that would be behind the product presently as well as in the future. (How to Decide Which EAV / EDS System is the best for my clinic?) on the financial front, it is recommended that a proper risk assessment… READ MORE

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