Newsletter No. 134
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FreePint
"Helping 58,000 people use the Web for their work"
http://www.freepint.com/
ISSN 1460-7239 3rd April 2003 No.134
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IN THIS ISSUE
EDITORIAL
MY FAVOURITE TIPPLES
By Emma Finney
FREEPINT BAR
In Association with Factiva
a Dow Jones & Reuters Company
JOBS
Contract Manager
Picture Researcher
Information Officer (Web Content)
Strategic Research Professional
TIPS ARTICLE
"Genetically Modified Foods: Official Information Sources"
By Rupert Lee
BOOKSHELF
"The Librarian's Internet Survival Guide:
Strategies for the High-Tech Reference Desk"
Reviewed by Bekke Aaron
FEATURE ARTICLE
"Information Systems - Never Just Technology"
By Neil Lynch
EVENTS, GOLD AND FORTHCOMING ARTICLES
CONTACT INFORMATION
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**FREE TRIAL OF COGENTA'S RESEARCH DIRECTOR TO FREEPINT MEMBERS ONLY**
Research Director is a desktop research management environment giving a
single point of access to your internal and external information
sources, even including subscription databases and the Deep Web. Create
your own 'intelligent agents' to do the research for you; run multiple
search queries simultaneously; store and manage your research and more.
This is far more than a meta-search tool. For your free trial, go to:
http://www.cogenta.com/form/free_trial.htm
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>>> ABOUT FREEPINT <<<
FreePint is an online community of information researchers. Members
receive this free newsletter twice a month packed with tips on
finding quality and reliable business information on the Internet.
Joining is free at <http://www.freepint.com/> and provides access to
a substantial archive of articles, reviews, jobs & events, with
answers to research questions and networking at the FreePint Bar.
Please circulate this newsletter which is best read when printed out.
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EDITORIAL
In the last issue of FreePint I reiterated my belief that the
information profession now has a much greater reach than at any time
in the past. I noted that a few professionals, publications,
educational establishments and associations 'get it', but many don't.
I'm delighted to say that my comments have been the cause of more than
a little dissension in certain ranks. It's great that others are
coming forth with their own perspective on how they discovered the
information industry:
"Your experience was to be in the information professional world
and slowly realize that others were out there using the skills in
different professions. My experience was to be in a different
profession and slowly come to realize that there were information
professionals! When I started out in this area in 1988, I knew
there were librarians but I had no idea that there were independent
information professionals or special librarians."
http://www.freepint.com/go/b23047
The main issue I think is one of perception. How aware are the
majority of the population of the importance and utility of
information skills? Shouldn't they know about some of the important
information issues that *will* affect them:
"I often feel frustrated by how little the general public know
about developments in the information world and how they could be
affected by them - it's small comfort to think 'well if only they
knew'. On the other hand, it's an uphill struggle. The coverage
in the information press (and virtual communities like this one)
goes completely unnoticed in the mainstream press."
http://www.freepint.com/go/b22250
OK, so we're agreed. It's time for action. FreePint is getting things
started by welcoming a new member to the team...
Annabel Colley is joining FreePint as press and publicity officer.
Annabel joins us from the BBC where she was a senior broadcast
journalist managing the BBC Current Affairs department's websites
and Interactive TV output. Originally trained as an information
professional, she has worked in BBC libraries and in investigative
journalism at the BBC 'Panorama' programme. Annabel was the Special
Library Association's 'European Special Librarian of the Year'
in 2001, and can be contacted at <Annabel.Colley@FreePint.com>.
So, we're thinking hard about the issues, and we're acting on them.
I hope you will do likewise and that we can count on your support.
Cheers
William
William Hann BSc(Hons) MCLIP
Founder and Managing Editor, FreePint
Email: <william@freepint.com> Tel: +44 (0)1784 420044
Free Pint is a Registered Trademark of Free Pint Limited (R) 1997-2003
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*** Library + Information Show 2003 - Biggest + Best ***
LiS is the original, biggest + best event for all librarians and
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existing ones. Put this together with the comprehensive, free seminar
programme and the opportunity for you to meet Roger McGough and Joanne
Harris, spending a day at LiS will prove to be invaluable.
<http://www.lishow.co.uk/pint> 30th April + 1st May 2003, ExCeL, London
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>>> FreePint Freedom of Information Exchange <<<
22nd July 2003, London, UK
This seminar will provide an overview of the Freedom of Information
Act. The session will cover: practical issues to consider when
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Freedom of Information regimes; the role of the publication scheme;
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<http://www.freepint.com/exchange/fi220703.htm>
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MY FAVOURITE TIPPLES
By Emma Finney
* If I need music at work I listen to last night's John Peel radio
show from Radio 1 <http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/audiovideo/>.
* RDN have developed subject-based tutorials which are perfect for
getting to grips with an unfamiliar subject
<http://www.vts.rdn.ac.uk/>.
* Publist has listings of over 150,000 print and electronic journals
which can be useful for tracking small press publications
<http://www.publist.com>.
* University of Wolverhampton's UK map has direct links to
all Universities and FE colleges
<http://www.scit.wlv.ac.uk/ukinfo/uk.map.html>.
* I confess, I love motor sport and ITV covers better than most
websites <http://www.itv-f1.com/>.
Emma Finney is the Information Adviser for Physics, Chemistry &
Biomedical Sciences at Sheffield Hallam University. She works with
students and academics.
Submit your top five favourite Web sites. See the guidelines at
<http://www.freepint.com/author.htm>.
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FREEPINT BAR
In Association with Factiva
a Dow Jones & Reuters Company
Spam seems to have been the topic du jour every day at the FreePint
Bar for a while now. Posters have been wanting to get their
definitions sorted out; defining exactly when commercial email is
unsolicitied <http://www.freepint.com/go/b22997>. After you've
sorted our your 'definitions', you need to address the 'ethics'
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If you're not an instigator but a receiver of spam, then maybe you
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The FreePint Bar is a fantastic free resource where members help each
other with information-related queries <http://www.freepint.com/bar>.
Help for students on information-related courses is available at the
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To sit back and let the postings come to you, sign up for the
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****Subscribe to Factiva's InfoPro Alliance Newsletter****
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sessions for advanced searchers
<http://www.factiva.com/infopro>
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FREEPINT JOBS
<http://www.freepint.com/jobs>
FreePint Jobs -- information-related jobs in one place.
* VACANCY SEARCHING -- free search and set up a weekly alert profile.
* VACANCY RECRUITING -- post a vacancy for GBP 195 (EUR 285, USD300).
This week's selected listings are below. All new jobs are posted to
the Bar and Bar Digest (circulation 10,000+). This week's is at
<http://www.freepint.com/go/b23144> and last week's at
<http://www.freepint.com/go/b23049>.
Here are some of the latest featured jobs:
Contract Manager
Chance to work on major RM contract to digitise government records;
3 mgt roles avail, to run the contract and the indexing processes.
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Picture Researcher
Corporate comms role for enthusiastic picture researcher
with a media background.
Recruiter: Recruit Media
<http://www.freepint.com/go/j2397>
Information Officer (Web Content)
Information Officer (qualified) with HTML and web authoring skills
to do research and enquiry work. New vacancy.
Recruiter: Glen Recruitment
<http://www.freepint.com/go/j2398>
Strategic Research Professional
Researcher with strategy experience required. Experience in public
sector or general financial services sector.
Recruiter: Intelligent Resources
<http://www.freepint.com/go/j2401>
[The above jobs are paid listings]
Find out more today at <http://www.freepint.com/jobs>
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Since group communication and support online have become so
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TIPS ARTICLE
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/030403.htm#tips>
"Genetically Modified Foods: Official Information Sources"
By Rupert Lee
Anyone, professional or amateur, with an interest in GM foods will
sooner or later need to find sources of government information on the
subject. Governments are involved in GM food technology in two main
ways: regulation and support. On the one hand, they have produced a
huge volume of laws and regulations restricting the activities of GM
technology research and its commercial application. On the other, they
provide funding for much of the research in the laboratories of
universities and institutes.
Readers of this article may need to answer questions such as these:
What are the current laws about separating and labelling GM products?
What are the exact regulations covering the planting of experimental
plots of GM crops? Where are these experimental plots located? What
publicly-funded research institutes are currently researching in GM
technology, and what projects are they working on? Who are the
Government's advisers on GM food issues, and what are they telling the
Government? How does the British Government's policy on GM foods
compare with other nations'?
British Government Information Sources
======================================
It is often said that although Britain is a democracy, its government
is highly secretive. In fact, a great deal of government information
is publicly available, if one knows where to look for it. In
particular, the websites of government departments and other official
bodies are often rich sources of information. However, the design of
these sites can be rather opaque: they do not always flag up very
clearly what information is there, or what pages it is to be found on.
There is also the problem of identifying precisely which department is
responsible for providing any piece of required information.
The main source of government documents is The Stationery Office
<http://www.tso.co.uk/>. This site sells White Papers, Acts of
Parliament, and other legislative documents, including EU Directives.
Click on Online Bookshop and then on Search. A search for documents
mentioning the phrase GENETICALLY MODIFIED recently retrieved 119
titles.
British Government Policy - Safety and Labelling
================================================
Standards of food labelling and safety are set by the EU Novel Foods
Regulations 257/97 and 1139/98, subsequently tightened by Regulations
49/2000 and 50/2000. These require that any food containing more than
1% GM soya or maize, or more than 1% any other GM organism judged to
be 'Not Equivalent To an Existing Food' be so labelled. Responsibility
for implementing these regulations is given to the Food Standards
Agency <http://www.food.gov.uk/science/sciencetopics/gmfoods>. The
Agency is advised by the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and
Processes (ACNFP) <http://www.food.gov.uk/science/ouradvisors/novelfood/>.
In order to comply with government policy, manufacturers and retailers
have to keep GM produce separate from non-GM. They may consult a code
of practice for management of GM crops and supply of information of GM
produce, drawn up by SCIMAC <http://www.ukasta.org.uk/news/scimac>, a
consortium set up by the National Farmers' Union and several trade
associations.
Safe Handling
=============
The Government is advised on safety issues relating to
the handling of GM organisms by the Health & Safety Executive, and
specifically its Advisory Committee on Genetic Modification
<http://www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/hsc/iacs/acgm/index.htm>. However, its
main remit is the safety of contained (i.e. laboratory) use of
genetically modified bacteria and the like, and it is not so concerned
with GM foods.
GM Crops in the Environment
===========================
British policy on GM crops in the environment has to comply with EU
Directive 90/220 on Deliberate Release of Genetically Modified
Organisms. This is incorporated in British law, as part of the
Environmental Protection Act 1990, and regulations subsequently
brought in under its provisions. Its major requirement is that before
a GM plant variety can be grown as a crop, experiments have to be
conducted to see if it poses any threat to the environment.
Implementation of this policy is the responsibility of the Department
of The Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA), and specifically the
Advisory Committee on Releases into the Environment (ACRE)
<http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/acre>.
This site is a most important source of information; it contains the
text of reports produced as input to government policy, which are not
readily available elsewhere: e.g. Cross-Pollination in Relation to
Farm Scale Evaluations of Genetically Modified Maize in Wales (2001);
A Response to Concerns about the Presence of GM Oilseed Rape Pollen in
Honey (2002); and several other titles. It is also a prime source of
information on applications for permits to release genetically
modified organisms into the environment, to market GM foods, and also
trial sites for GM crops. These applications are described in the
site's Meetings section, in the agendas and minutes of meetings.
In addition to ACRE's page, the DEFRA website also has a very useful
GM section <http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/gm/index.htm>. This
includes a page on farm-scale evaluations (FSEs), i.e. sites of
experimental plots of GM crops, with an up-to-date list of where these
are located; and also the page Monitoring Large-Scale Releases of
Genetically Modified Crops (EPG 1/5/84), a report published in
December 2002 on FSE programme.
Government-sponsored research
=============================
Not all research into GM crops is conducted by commercial companies.
Universities and government-funded research institutes are also active
in this field. Funding for research into GM foods comes mainly from
DEFRA and from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research
Council (part of the Office of Science & Technology
<http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk>, itself part of the Department of Trade &
Industry). Click on Discussion Documents for several publications
relating to GM technology in agriculture: Ethics, Morality and
Animal/Crop Biotechnology; Genetically Modified Crops and the
Countryside; GM Agriculture in the UK?; etc. The OASIS website
<http://dataserv.bbsrc.ac.uk/oasis.htm> lists research projects funded
by the BBSRC during the last three years.
The BBSRC also provides at least part of the funding for a number of
research institutes, of which the following are involved in GM food
projects: The Institute of Food Research <http://www.ifr.bbsrc.ac.uk>;
Rothamsted Research <http://www.rothamsted.bbsrc.ac.uk> (formerly the
Institute of Arable Crops Research); The Roslin Institute
<http://www.ri.bbsrc.ac.uk> (birthplace of Dolly the cloned sheep); The
Rowett Research Institute <http://www.rowett.ac.uk/>. These Websites
all contain at least some information about the projects the
institutes are currently engaged on.
Government Information
======================
The Rest of the World
---------------------
All the industrialised nations have at least some policy and
legislation concerning GM foods. The Robert Koch Institut in Germany
maintains a web page
<http://www.rki.de/GENTEC/GENENG/GENTEC_E.HTM?/LINKS/GOVERNMENT_ENG.HTM&1>
containing links to the relevant departments of governments
worldwide. The design of this page is a little confusing: keep
scrolling down the right-hand side, and these links will appear
eventually.
The USA
-------
The American GM food industry is likely to dominate the world
for the foreseeable future, so the US Government's policy's on GM
technology will be of particular interest.
The main general source of US government information is agNIC
<http://agnic.umd.edu/>, a gateway to sources on agricultural
biotechnology run by the University of Maryland. It has replaced the
old Biotechnology Information Centre <http://www.nal.usda.gov/bic>,
which is still available as a source of documents up to 2001.
The responsible departments are: the US Department of Agriculture; the
Food & Drug Administration; the Environmental Protection Agency. The
Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the US Department
of Agriculture <http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/biotech/> regulates the
movement, import, and field testing of GM crop plants. The home page
has a Search facility: a recent search for the phrase GENETICALLY
MODIFIED retrieved 354 documents.
The Centre for Food Safety and Nutrition of the Food & Drug
Administration <http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/biotechm.html> is
responsible for the safety of GM foods, under the terms of the Federal
Food, Drug & Cosmetic Act.
The Environmental Protection Agency administers a wide variety of
legislation covering environmental matters. Its website
<http://www.epa.gov/epahome> provides links to a plethora of
information. Its Browse facility provides both a Short and a Long list
of topics, but GM organisms do not appear by name in any of these: the
best way to find documents on the subject is by using the Search
facility (NB: when using Search facilities on any Websites or search
engines, it is worth remembering that although the initials GM usually
stand for Genetically Modified in Britain and Europe, in America they
more often mean General Motors).
Non-Governmental Sources
========================
This article is about information produced by officialdom. However,
this will always be biased by the dictates of Government policy. For a
more rounded picture, or for other points of view, one has to go to
non-governmental organisations as well. Below are a few useful and
(generally) authoritative sources:
The Royal Society <http://www.royalsoc.ac.uk>. Effectively a society
of the great and the good among British scientists. It has issued
position statements and press releases on GM food issues.
GeneWatch UK <http://www.genewatch.org> is a debating forum/pressure
group, more informative than some.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
<http://www.rspb.org.uk/> has conducted its own research on the
environmental impact of GM crops. Use the Search facility to find its
policy statements.
New Scientist magazine <http://www.newscientist.com/> has a section on
GM foods in its list of Hot Topics.
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Rupert Lee works in the Research Services department of the British
Library, as Bio-medical Information Specialist. A former zoologist,
his job consists of doing online literature searches for fee-paying
customers; helping with quick enquiries free of charge; and anything
else that needs his expertise. His booklet: How To Find
Information - Genetically Modified Foods (published by the British
Library, 2000) is still in print; this article covers the same
ground as Chapter 4, brought up to date. He has also written a
popular science book: The Eureka! Moment - 100 Key Scientific
Discoveries of the 20th Century (British Library, 2002).
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Related FreePint links:
* 'Food and Drink' articles in the FreePint Portal
<http://www.freepint.com/go/p52>
* Post a message to the author, Rupert Lee, or suggest further
resources at the FreePint Bar <http://www.freepint.com/bar>
* Read this article online, with activated hyperlinks
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/030403.htm#feature>
* Access the entire archive of FreePint content
<http://www.freepint.com/portal/content/>
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FREEPINT BOOKSHELF
<http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf>
"The Librarian's Internet Survival Guide:
Strategies for the High-Tech Reference Desk"
Written by Irene E. McDermott
Reviewed by Bekke Aaron
Originally written as instalments for McDermott's monthly "Internet
Express" column in Searcher magazine, this book is divided into two
parts: "Ready Reference on the Web: Resources for Patrons" and "The
Librarian as Information Technician: Working with the Medium and the
Machines".
Part One explains search engines, online news and reference sites,
free full-text resources, and teaches readers how to use the Web to
find people, health and medical information, financial information,
and how to go "cyber-shopping". Part Two informs readers about using
Web-based electronic mail, teaching others how to use the Internet,
troubleshooting computer problems, creating and maintaining Web pages,
and making the Web accessible to people with disabilities.
The author draws on her experience as Reference Librarian and Systems
Manager at the San Marino Public Library in California. Before earning
her library degree from UCLA, she was a research editor for Salem
Press.
The majority of each chapter is an annotated 'webliography', with the
title, URL and brief description of each website. Probably to appear
friendly and approachable to novice Web users, McDermott's writing
style is so positive that it's almost perky but she did make me laugh
when observing that librarians have become bartenders because "prying
fixated patrons off the Internet after only one hour is like cutting
off alcoholics after a couple of drinks".
Screenshots of various websites (three for each of the 15 chapters)
illustrate the book. Internet newbies will appreciate the handwritten
annotations on some screenshots that help explain how to set up web-
based e-mail account, send your first email message, clear your
browser cache, and delete browser cookies.
For someone who hasn't had time to become an Internet expert, this
book is a good introduction, but even experienced surfers will learn
useful information about some new Websites. While the URLs are still
fresh, my colleagues and I will be reading it during slow nights at
the Reference Desk.
Related websites
----------------
McDermott's book is a collection of her monthly columns for Searcher:
the Magazine for Database Professionals, published by Information
Today Inc. Some full-text articles, but not all of McDermott's
columns, are available online for each issue
<http://www.infotoday.com/searcher/>.
Download PowerPoint slides for Irene McDermott's lecture at the
Library of Congress, Washington, DC and view a 90-minute Real Player
cybercast of the October 25, 2002 event
<http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/lectures/mcdermott.html>.
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Bekke Aaron is a doctoral student in educational technology at Purdue
University and works at their Undergraduate Library Reference Desk.
Surfing the 'Net since 1994, she has taught computer classes and
workshops for Purdue students and K-12 teachers.
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Related FreePint links:
* Find out more about this book online at the FreePint Bookshelf
<http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf/survival.htm>
* Read customer comments and buy this book at Amazon.co.uk
<http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/157387129X/freepint0c>
or Amazon.com
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/157387129X/freepint00>
* "The Librarian's Internet Survival Guide: Strategies for the
High-Tech Reference Desk". ISBN 157387129X,
published by Information Today, written by Irene E. McDermott
* Search for and purchase any book from Amazon via the FreePint
Bookshelf at <http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf>
* Read about other Internet Strategy books on the FreePint Bookshelf
<http://www.freepint.com/bookshelf/strategy.htm>
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FEATURE ARTICLE
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/030403.htm#feature>
"Information Systems - Never Just Technology"
By Neil Lynch
If you're involved with a system that never needs change, never has
'bugs', and is always available, you can ignore this article. For the
rest of us, I hope this provides some guidance.
In November 2002 FreePint published an excellent article by Joe
Tarrant on becoming a systems librarian
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/281102.htm>. As Joe pointed out, all
computing systems are socio-technical in nature, i.e. successful
systems must satisfy conflicting needs of people yet still add value
and be technically feasible. Joe discussed the essential technical
aspects of systems (hardware, software, networks) and how a successful
systems librarian could address them.
My comment on Joe's article was: "A good article that needs a
follow-up to go beyond the technology to some of the other important
aspects of being/becoming a 'systems librarian'". This is that
follow-up article.
I am an 'information systems professional' (IT background) and have
too often seen subject matter experts encounter problems when trying
to build/operate information systems. The information management
problem they were originally trying to solve has become lost in the
complexities of the technology.
Don't get me wrong, enthusiastic and knowledgeable business experts,
willing to expand their IT knowledge, are important to the success of
any system. But just as I do not have the knowledge to develop or
maintain a library, I think it is a difficult for a librarian (or any
professional) to "pick up" the knowledge necessary to successfully
develop/manage a system throughout its life.
The following brief descriptions are some of the knowledge areas that
need to be considered in conjunction with Joe's paper. You may decide
they do not apply to your system, and that is fine, but their omission
needs to be a conscious decision.
My emphasis is related to supporting an existing system. However
these topics, together with others such as development, testing and
training, can add value at any stage during system's life cycle.
1. Planning and Budgeting
-------------------------
* Project Planning and Resource Management:
Plan your change. Know what it is you are trying to achieve, how long
it is going to take, how much it will cost and how many people you
need. It is more than producing a quick Gantt chart. You need to
monitor progress, and manage the expenditure of time and money against
your plans.
* Budget for Support
Without ongoing attention, production systems 'die'. This support may
be as simple as regular backups; adding or removing registered users;
maintaining operational efficiency (e.g. re-formatting the database to
improve performance); fixing bugs; or making improvements. It is
essential to budget for these activities (money, people, impact on
other systems, etc.).
Enhancements to your system, bug fixes, changes to software, and
changes to hardware are inevitable. While some can be planned, some
'happen'. Make provision for both.
2. Change Management
--------------------
Be very afraid of anyone who says "it's only a little change". Record
"all" potential changes in scope, or design, or those resulting from
testing. Evaluate proposed changes against need, costs, benefits and
impact (including potential risks), and assign a priority. Lack of
formal evaluation is the single biggest cause of failure in IT
systems. The result is often a change in scope that doesn't provide a
benefit or is high risk.
The AT&T example in Lee's book (see references) describes an extreme
example of the damage a small change can cause. The fix worked for a
while but eventually caused AT&T to lose US$75 million in revenue.
As a stakeholder in a system, make sure that you are part of the
change approval process. Depending on complexity and risk, changes
may take from hours to months to implement. In one organisation,
except for emergencies, it takes 9 months for even relatively small
changes: systems are large, complex, and sensitive to customer
complaints. In this environment, extensive regression testing and
sign-off by all stakeholders is not negotiable.
Substantial, or high impact change, may become projects in their own
right.
3. The Vision - the concept behind the system
---------------------------------------------
* Business case (cost - benefit analysis)
Keep the original intent in mind when changing a system. Changing
your library catalogue system into a library financial management
system may meet changed needs, but be aware of the impact of those
changes. Estimating these impacts on your organisation and
stakeholders, including the costs and benefits over the life of the
system, helps you decide whether the change should, or should not, be
made.
The systems concept should identify those who have a stake in the
system, including those who will pay for it, those whose working lives
are changed by the system (customers/clients/patrons), the image
aspects of the system, the relationships with existing systems etc.
Opportunities for computerising products and services needs to be
balanced against organisational impacts.
* Conceptual Analysis and Systems Requirements
When modifying a system you will need to refer back to existing
specifications. As a system owner/developer you may already have
this knowledge. For anyone else, the lack of specifications may mean
the system becomes a mystery tour. Making changes in the absence of
specifications will almost certainly create unintended consequences.
The question of whether you use a soft systems methodology
(Checkland), structured methodologies (Alter), or an object oriented
approach (Larman) is less relevant than representing the more
important system elements in a way that is understandable to others.
All these approaches are intended to improve information gathering,
analysis and modelling to produce a specification for the proposed
system. Models are essential but do not solve the problem. As
succinctly stated by George Box: "All models are wrong. Some models
are useful."
Modelling helps to identify stakeholders, their concerns and
relationships; scenarios help identify the processes the system is
expected to provide; while more technical analysis such as use cases,
improve our understanding of a system and help demystify inherent
complexity.
* The Systems Proposal
Alternative designs and development approaches can be considered once
you know what it is you want to do. A real business case can then be
made which examines purchase costs of hardware and software, support
costs (e.g. the help desk), costs of development, cost of running the
network, maintenance, ... the list goes on. The expected benefits
also need to be estimated for each alternative (identifying, if not
quantifying, intangible costs and benefits). Do you modify a system,
buy it, or build it? If you build, do you use your staff, contract
programmers, or engage a software company? Some of these options may
be obvious in your situation, but still need to be considered. You
may also need to consider whether particular functions are
cost-effective (i.e. development costs are outweighed by benefits
over the system's life).
4. Information and IT Architectures
-----------------------------------
Does your system duplicate information or functions in other systems?
If so, can you use that system and save yourself the effort? If you
need to duplicate data in your system (e.g. for performance reasons,
timeliness, accuracy), what are you doing to ensure this data is
consistent?
Are you using the same hardware and software as other areas of your
organisation? If not, have you costed the increased charges and reduced
levels of support this will incur?
* Configuration Management
The configuration of your hardware, system software and application
needs to be known and managed. You need to know which version of the
operating system, which 'service pack' (patch level), which version of
database software, which versions of software modules are used within
your system, and which version of screens so they can be matched with
your training notes and online help.
5. Quality Assurance
--------------------
Quality costs money (but will also save you money). Identify how you
are going to define, measure and test the quality you are trying to
achieve. A quality outcome is a product (a system change) that is
'fit for purpose' (meets clients needs) be it a highly polished
product or something that is 'throwaway'.
Measuring the success, or otherwise, of your change allows you to know
if the change was worthwhile and is the first step toward continuous
improvement (doing it better next time).
6. Risk Management
------------------
Identify and address any risks that may affect the success of your
system. Some risks will be beyond your control but many can at least
be ameliorated. You need to identify potential risks, assess the
likelihood of that risk occurring, and then assess the consequences
this risk will have on your system if it occurs. You need to
regularly review your risks and their consequences as they change over
time.
7. Implementation
-----------------
After successfully completing testing (possibly a full regression
test), and any training, you are ready to implement the new version of
your system. You may need any or all of new hardware/software,
distribution of documentation, and conversion of data from the
'existing' database to the new. Data conversion may be a large
exercise in its own right e.g. converting a single "address" field
into several fields (i.e. street number, street name, suburb). Will
your system work when implemented? Reduce the risk by parallel-running
both systems, or implementing in a pilot site, prior to full
production release.
Joe finished his article with a "welcome to the dark side". I hope
that this article provides a little light (even if only a narrow
pathway) to lift the gloom surrounding the 'dark side' of systems.
8. References
-------------
There are numerous texts on project management and software
engineering, most of which will provide good guidance in these areas.
Alter, S. (2002) Information Systems, The Foundation of E-Business,
4th Edition, Addison-Wesley, USA.
Box, George <http://www.engr.wisc.edu/ie/faculty/box_george.html>
Clarke, Roger (1990), Exploiting the Application Software Portfolio
Through Change Control and Configuration Management,
<http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/SOS/ChgeCtl90.html> [accessed
13 March 03]
Hoffer, J, et al (2002) Modern Systems Analysis and Design (3rd ed),
Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River
Larman, C (1998) Applying UML and Patterns, Prentice-Hall, Upper
Saddle River
Leonard Lee (1991) The Day the Phones Stopped Donald I Fine (New
York), Pages 71 to 97
Schwalbe, K (2002) Information Technology Project Management, Thomson
Learning, Australia
Tarrant, Joe "Ping, touch, head, tail: or, how to become a systems
librarian", FreePint Newsletter 126, 28 November 2002,
<http://www.freepint.com/issues/281102.htm>
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Neil Lynch joined the University of Canberra (UC) as a lecturer in
Information Systems in 2001 following more than 20 years as a
practising IT professional. Neil has extensive experience in client
liaison, IT project management and the design and support of
information systems. Neil's more recent experience was with internet
and intranet systems, including large scale internet text publishing.
Neil is currently teaching in the areas of human-computer interaction,
IT project management and the use of systems to support knowledge
management. Neil gained his first degree in Computing in 1981 and his
Masters of Information Technology in 1996.
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