website paiken:research

Conclusion of Analysis Phase

While the Information Engineering project with Extra Attic can be termed a "work in progress", we can see successful, positive steps already completed. While the project is complete as to the Analysis Phase, there are still other aspects to be considered. Other concerns; the other facilities, user training, and the financial systems issues are still to be handled, but those issues were considered during solutions evaluation, and thus should be comparitively easy items to address.

Hopefully, this site and the Case Study example were able to illustrate a few thoughts about Information Engineering as a discipline. First, it is a highly cognitive process. The Business Driver approach uses Data Dependancy Analysis to eliminate the subjectivity usually found in Information Systems Analysis. Every project will be different, and while various tools have been developed to guide the analyst, there is no "one size fits all" solution. Second, one of the greatest skills an analyst can have is strong problem solving skills. Identifying the problem is important, but the process does not stop there. Having the initiative to take the next step, to begin seeking out alternatives, overcoming "roadblocks" in the analysis or alternative generation is key. During the Extra Attic project, the analyst found conflicting information regarding technologies, as well as pro and con references of softwares...even among references provided by the vendor directly! In fact, the solution that was implemented was not necessarily the first choice of the analyst, however the client was very impressed by the demo, and pushed this alternative. The point is that the analysis is not a 1-2-3 type scenario where one stage leads flawlessly into the next. As shown in the Spiral model, and the Modeling Iterations / Solution Evaluation section of this site, multiple iterations of model generation and solution evaluation are to be expected. Also of note is the fact that this example details only the top two levels of the Information Modeling pyramid, Strategic Level Models and Tactical Level Models.

While outside the scope of this site, additional issues in an Information Engineering project may include:

• Development (Although not relevant for this project, in many situations an entirely new application may need to be developed.
• Implementation - This concerning not just hardware/software installations, but data conversion
• Training

Each of these issues may be cause for a re-thinking of aspects of the Analysis Phase. By definition, an Information System is an series of integrated components (hardware, software, people, data and procedures), brought together to achieve an intended purpose. Thus, these components do not exist in a vaccuum, and the Analyst must take care to ensure they can and will function together as intended. Information Engineering seeks to achieve the optimal combination of these components, with the goal being to improve an organization's bottom line thru the most efficient and effective derivation and use of their greatest assest, information.

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The author of this site would like to thank Dr. Peter Aiken, Innovative Business Solutions, Inc., and Extra Attic Inc. for their assistance in this project. Also, Drs. Paul Fuhs and Robert Mann for their input.

Dave Weiss, Feb. 1999