Reference no: EM132683059

BIT352 Systems Implementation and Service Management - Melbourne Polytechnic

Assignment Requirements

There are five (5) sections to this assignment. The final assignment has a word limit of 2000 words. In each section you are to;

1. Describe the theory involved at a 3rd year academic level
2. Apply the theory to the Compton Fresh Produce Pty Ltd Case Study.
3. Gathering information: Use the lecture notes, tutorial work, Internet, and other sources (textbooks, magazines, journals, personal contacts etc.) to find examples of Service Level Agreements. Ensure you cite the sources of your information correctly. Using this information, make recommendations as outline in the requirements.
Please note this point about plagiarism Any material that is found to be plagiarised will result in your assignment being graded as a fail.

Case Study Background

The case study to be used when answering questions for this section is attached as Appendix A.

You are the manager in charge of the implementation phase of the project at Compton Fresh Produce Pty Ltd. Senior management have heard a lot about other projects in businesses where new computer systems were poorly implemented. They want the new systems to operate properly right from the very beginning and they are insistent that you provide details of the implementation.

You are to provide answers to the following questions in an effort to reassure Senior Management at Compton Fresh Produce that the implementation of the new systems will run smoothly, that the systems will operate properly and that staff will quickly utilize the new functionality.

Question One - Organisational Change

Senior Management at Compton Fresh Produce in the rural cities of Grovers Mill and Orbost have informed you that they are concerned about staff accepting and utilizing the new systems. Some staff are not technically competent and some of them are so use to the existing systems they do not want to change. There are other reasons that may not be obvious. Other staff at various levels of management and in different areas within the organization are quite comfortable with the idea of a new system.

Additionally, at the Orbost facility processing shed that has just been acquired by Compton Fresh Produce, Senior Management has learned that there is significant resistance to change both at the facility and within the local community.

i. Provide an overview of the Lewin/Schein Change Management Model which was studied in seminars this semester. Your answer should provide details of the major stages and the importance of change agents throughout the process.

ii. Using the Lewin/Schein Change Management Model as a guide, outline the measures you would take to help with the implementation of change at both Compton Fresh Produce sites (Grovers Mill and Orbost). Your answer will need to identify:
• internal and external factors
• measures to assist with change and reduce resistance
• measures to help ensure that the new systems are used productively.

Question Two - Product Development, Usability and Acceptance testing

Senior Management want to be assured that appropriate testing will be undertake at all stages in the systems implementation within the time and cost restraints of the project. You are required to provide a detailed outline of the implementation's testing processes. Using your knowledge of testing as detailed in seminars this semester, outline the testing your team will undertake in this implementation.

Your answer should include:
i. A brief overview of the overall test plan.
ii. You should detail the major stages of the implementation that will need to be tested.
iii. The testing strategy that you will undertake at each stage.
iv. Details of who will be involved and/or conduct the testing.
v. A detailed outline of acceptance testing (including Alpha and Beta testing)

Question Three - The Service Desk

Compton Fresh Produce currently have a small IT department that maintains their computer systems. Maintenance requirements will be significantly expanded when the new systems are introduced, and it will be more complicated with the addition of a new facility at Orbost. Compton Fresh Produce have recognized that the on-going support for the new systems needs to be better managed. They have heard a lot about IT Service Desks and how they can help. However, they have a very limited knowledge of how it operates.

Imagine that you have been asked to prepare a presentation to Senior Management of Compton Fresh Produce on the issue of establishing an IT service support system incorporating a Service Desk and operating under ITIL principles. Prepare a draft of what you might say in your presentation. It should include things such as:
i. What is meant by a Service Level Agreement (SLA) and the things that they should investigate before deciding on the best form of service support?
ii. What is meant by ITIL including its main focus and guiding principles?
iii. The benefits (and possible disadvantages) that come from a service support system operating under ITIL principles.
iv. An outline of how Compton Fresh Produce might implement an IT Service Desk

Question Four - Documentation and Training

Deployment of a new system is far more than just a cut over from the old system. To provide value to a business, the new system must be used effectively as quickly as possible after release. A key component of deployment is documentation and training.

At Compton Fresh Produce you are responsible for organizing the documentation and training for the new system. Prepare a broad overview that outlines the documentation and training requirements for the new system so that the system will be used by the organisation (including users) without unnecessary delay.

Your answer should include:
i. An outline of the different forms of the documentation required for the system. Hint: your outline must include all the documentation for the system not just user documentation. Identify the form (paper etc.) of each type of documentation.

ii. A training outline you will undertake for the different groups. It should include details of the type of training you intend to undertake, how you intend to conduct your training and the timeline of training events. You must justify your decision. This may involve more than users of the system.

Question Five - System Release and Deployment

This is a large project with several key components. Each component will impact on various aspects of the business. In addition, many of the components are interdependent and require the successful implementation of other components of the system. Careful thought will need to be given to the appropriate cut over strategy

There are many ways to cut over from an old to new system.
i. Outline and describe the four (4) different forms of cut over - pilot, phased, parallel or direct (or plunge) - that you have studied in seminars this semester.

ii. Outline what you believe would be an appropriate cut over strategy for the key components of the system developed under this project. Note, it is possible that there will be different approaches at different stages of the project. You will need to justify the reason for your choice.

Presentation

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