Unit 4: Understanding the Problem (Concept of Ideality)

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Unit 4 Understanding the Problem (Concept of
Ideality)

• CSEM04 Risk and Opportunities of Systems Change
  in Organisations
• Prof. Helen M Edwards

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Overview

• Understanding the Problem
• Understanding the Problem
• Understanding the Problem
• The Concept Of Ideality
• Student Activity

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Understanding the Problem

• In this context
• understanding the impact of the systems change
  project.
• Need clear understanding of
• what the system is to achieve (in terms of
  business value)
• what exists currently (IT, organisationally,
  culturally)
• what needs to change
• How proposed systems change fits with this

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Understanding the Problem

• Elements required at start of project
• (Contextual) systems analysis
• Requirements analysis
• these outside the scope of the module
• expected that concepts understood
• Cost-benefit analysis
• Risk identification and analysis
• Opportunity identification and analysis
• these covered within the module

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Understanding the Problem

• Elements required during project
• Project management
• Active risk/opportunity management
• covered within the module
• Elements required after project
• Project post-mortem.
• covered within the module

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The Concept Of Ideality

• Defined as the end point, the purpose, the main
  function we are seeking 
• All functionality / benefits 
• Everything we want (must haves / nice to haves)
• Everything we dont want
• Where when we want our functionality. The real
  functionality - Why do we want this? 
• Ideal Outcome  
• Everyones Ideal Outcome
• Identify conflicts in Time and Space 

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The Concept Of Ideality

• Ideal Outcome
• a vision of the perfect end result
• no constraints
• no we cant have this because
• Think like Leonardo da Vinci who said
• Think of the end before the beginning.
• Thinking about what you want rather than what you
  currently have.
• Deliver more for less, finding solutions to
  problems for a minimum of cost and harm.
• The concept of an Ideal Outcome frees thinking
  away from constraints and why something cant be
  done, to what might be possible and how to
  achieve it.

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The Concept Of Ideality

• Everyones Ideal Outcome
• makes you look at the problem from everyone
  elses point of view (whoever is relevant,
  customer, manufacturing engineer, designer,
  shareholder etc.) 
• Understanding the conflicts between all
  stakeholders and resolving conflicts /
  contradictions is one of the great powers of
  TRIZ. 
• Altshuller said Every great invention is the
  result of resolving one or more contradictions. 
  
• once everyones input is considered we can then
  look at how to reduce conflicts between
  stakeholders for the companys problems.     

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The Concept Of Ideality

• The best solution to a problem
• increases the benefits of your system
• while simultaneously reducing both the
  disadvantages and costs.
• Part of achieving the ideal is using all the
  resources available to you, e.g.
• using very inexpensive resources,
• In this context resources includes hardware,
  software, organisational knowledge, consultants,
  staff, etc.
• In this context an example would be a systems
  change project that achieves its objectives
  without additional external investment (by
  improving internal workflow, business practices)
  
• See Clay, M, Edwards, H.M., and Maguire, J.
  (2003). Establishing the Strategic Context of IT
  Projects - A Case Study from the Automotive
  Industry. Electronic Journal of Information
  Systems Evaluation,
• turning anything harmful in the system into
  something useful.
• In this context an example would be converting
  someone who is resistant to the project (but
  influential) into a systems champion.

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Student Activity

• Self study read about some of the basic
  checklists for systems failure/success
• starting point
• Moynihan, T. (2002) Coping with IS/IT risk
  management the recipes of experienced project
  managers. Practitioner series, Springer, London.
• Sauer,C and Cuthbertson, C (2005) The State of IT
  Project Management in the UK 2002-2003. Computer
  Weekly Report.
• Risk module (COMM80)website http//osiris.sunderl
  and.ac.uk/cs0hed/comm80.html