CASE Presentation

1
Introduction
by Audrey Bollinger Krissy Krebs Maja Mitrovic
2
Outline

• Overview of CASE
• Global Issues
• Oracle Designer 2000
• Cultural Differences
• Limitations
• Conclusion
• Recommendations
• Future Directions
• Quiz

3
Abstract

• A variety of attitudes and concepts have been
  examined internationally concerning claims that
  Computer-Aided Software/Systems Engineering
  (CASE) tools increase information systems quality
  and enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of
  systems development. Almost all past CASE
  studies have been conducted within a single
  nation. The purpose of this paper is to
  delineate differences in adoption and
  implementation aspects of CASE tools across
  national boundaries. We will illustrate the
  issues that are common to all nations and
  contrast cross-cultural differences in dealing
  with them. This new culture-neutral perspective
  of CASE tools adoption and implementation has a
  future value to managers in any organization
  considering the CASE tools as a software/systems
  development solution.

4
Research Question

• Are there any differences in how countries deal
  with major issues associated with the adoption
  and implementation of CASE tools?

5
Assumption

• There will be cross-cultural differences
• CASE tools are effective instruments for
  software/systems development
• CASE tools will not be obsolete in the near future

6
What is CASE?

• An approach to building systems that uses a
  formalized set of diagramming techniques to
  determine business users requirements and then
  translate these requirements into working
  systems.
• Tools and techniques that support the systems
  development methodology and all of its phases.

7
Advantages of CASE Tools

• Ensure consistency, completeness, and conformance
  to standards
• Encourage an interactive, workstation environment
• Speeds up development process
• Allows precision to be replicated
• Reduces costs, particularly in maintenance
• Increases productivity
• Makes structured techniques practical

8
System Development Methodologies Phases

• Analysis
• Design
• Construction
• Implementation
• Maintenance

9
Representative Methodologies
10
Types of CASE

• Upper CASE (front end) Software products that
  support the analysis and design portion of a
  systems development methodology.
• Lower CASE (back end) Software products that
  support the construction and implementation parts
  of the methodology.

11
CASE Tools Available
12
Oracle Designer 2000

• A toolset for recording definitions of user needs
  automating rapid construction of flexible,
  graphical, client/server applications.
• Ensures companies build the right application by
  visually modelling business processes, which
  facilitates communication between application
  developers and business managers, so requirements
  can be agreed upon before development starts.

13
Features of Designer 2000 (1 of 2)

• Combines business and design modelling into an
  fully integrated modelling and generation
  environment with single user interface
• Supports entire development process for wide
  choice of target databases types of
  applications
• Uses application logic and reusable module
  components for 100 generation of sophisticated
  client/server applications.
• Enables design capture of existing systems.

14
Features of Designer 2000 (2 of 2)

• Central repository enabling easy team work and
  project management
• Provides framework in which cooperative
  generators share and synchronously maintain
  design information.
• Java and XML industry standard support
• Automatic application generation DHTML,
  Developer 2000, Visual Basic, C
• Object-oriented analysis and design

15
Industry Standards

• Unified Modelling Language (UML)
• Object Management Group (OMG)
• Meta Object Facility (MOF)
• Stream-based Model Interchange Format (SMIF)
• Java
• Extensible Markup Language (XML)

16
Diagramming Tools

• Entity relationship diagrams (ERD)
• Process models
• Dataflow diagrams
• Function hierarchy diagrams

17
Generator Targets (1 of 2)

• Server Side
• Oracle 8/Oracle 7 database
• Personal Oracle Lite
• Rdb
• ANSI 92
• DB2/2 and MVS
• Microsoft SQL Server
• Sybase

18
Generator Targets (2 of 2)

• Client side
• Seamless cooperative generation of Oracle
  Developer forms, reports, libraries
• Generation of Visual Basic applications
• Generation of WebServer applications
• Generation of MS Help integrated with other
  generated applications

19
Development Approaches Supported by Oracle
Designer (1 of 2)

• End-user driven (RAD)
• Create tables with Design Editor
• Generate table definitions or recover from
  existing database
• Generate Oracle Developer Application
• Generate Dynamic HTML with Web Server Generator
• Design driven

20
Development Approaches Supported by Oracle
Designer (2 of 2)

• Information driven (IE)
• Process Model driven
• Business process reengineering
• Entity-relationship modelling
• Impact analysis with matrix diagrams
• Repository management

21
Cost to License Designer 2000

• Internet Development Suite (includes Designer,
  Forms Developer, Reports Developer, Jdeveloper,
  Discoverer, Portal)
• Perpetual, Named user, multi-server - 4,995
• Perpetual, named user, single-server - 3,995
• Personal copy - 39.95
• Trial - free

22
Named User Minimums Calculator

• Total cost for Internet Development Suite with 1
  computer, 1 CPU at 550 Mhz 89,910

23
Global Issues

• Financial
• Environment
• Methodology
• User/Personnel
• Managerial
• Vendor

24
Financial Issues

• Cost of Acquiring CASE Tools
• Difficult cost benefit analysis (returns not
  instantaneous no short term tangible benefits)
• The main reason for the high cost of software
  software technology is labor intensive
• Harder for software developers to keep up with
  hardware development (automated production)
• Amount of money committed to implementation and
  development

25
Environment Issues (1 of 2)

• Computer Hardware Used
• Expensive hardware platforms required to run the
  tools
• Software Used
• Operating Systems
• Integration
• Network support

26
Environment Issues (2 of 2)

• User Involvement
• Successful innovation implementation depends on
  acceptance by the end users, which in the case of
  systems development practices is the systems
  professional

27
Methodology Issues (1 of 7)

• Is the organization using a methodology
• If a methodology exist within the organization,
  is it being used (i.e. Progressive)
• Type of methodology used

28
Methodology Issues (2 of 7)

• CASE tools used to guide an analyst through a
  particular methodology methodology companion
• Levels of methodology support vary greatly from
  one CASE tool to another
• View of many IS professionals CASE tools do not
  adequately support the methods as promised
• Due to high expectations and perceptions

29
Methodology Issues (3 of 7)

• Lack of methodologies to integrate techniques and
  tools
• Little support in helping the analyst and
  organization determine if particular tool and
  methodology are integrated
• Lack of integration between tools

30
Methodology Issues (4 of 7)

• Methodology Support
• Restrictive - designer encouraged
• Guided - designer encouraged but not enforced
• Flexible - complete freedom

31
Methodology Issues (5 of 7)

• CASE Tools Restrictivness - Degree of limitations
  to a subset of all possible processes
• Rule properties examined
• Timing - Level 1 (creation) and Level 2
  (restriction)
• Invocation - Automatic versus Request
• Enforcement - Mandatory versus Override

32
Methodology Issues (6 of 7)

• CASE Tools Development Guidance - Degree of
  guidance through assistance in using methods
• Active - unsolicited (Level 1 and Level 2)
• Passive - solicited (Level 1 and Level 2)

33
Methodology Issues (7 of 7)

• Alternative to restrictiveness and guidance
  within CASE tool is the complete lack of support
  for methodology or a particular methodology rule
• Analyst is left with the responsibility of
  adhering to the rules of the chosen methodology

34
User/Personnel Issues (1 of 6)

• Training
• Cost
• Steep Learning Curve
• Extensive/Time Consuming
• Systems Development Technology training required
  before CASE training

35
User/Personnel Issues (2 of 6)

• Competency/Current Information Technology
  knowledge
• Organization
• IS Department
• Number of IS employees
• Number of IS employees skilled in CASE

36
User/Personnel Issues (3 of 6)

• Staff Turnover
• CASE reduced the dependence of the organization
  on individuals with particular knowledge of
  existing hardware and software configurations and
  existing systems
• System designers and developers become more
  replaceable and interchangeable
• Trained staff is more marketable

37
User/Personnel Issues (4 of 6)

• Discipline of the Developers
• Follow methodology
• Staff often focuses on using CASE tools rather
  then building systems

38
User/Personnel Issues (5 of 6)

• Developer Resistance
• CASE tools perceived as a threat to their
  valuable, hard-acquired skills and expertise.
• Also perceives as a form of dumbing down
• Depersonalization of the software development
  process.

39
User/Personnel Issues (6 of 6)

• Communication
• User to Analyst
• Analyst to Developers

40
Managerial Issues (1 of 3)

• High managerial commitment
• Sponsorship by a high level executive
• Analysts are often agents of change, perhaps more
  so when dealing with their expertise
• Unfortunately individuals with the higher skill
  level are not more likely to adopt technology
  without management intervention

41
Managerial Issues (2 of 3)

• Amount of time dedicated to implementation vs.
  time spent on maintaining current system
• Importance of Information Technology within the
  organization
• Project Management
• Establish and stick to requirements
• Develop and follow the time line for
  implementation

42
Managerial Issues (3 of 3)

• Organization of activities related with the IS
• Centralized
• Decentralized
• Distributed

43
Vendor Issues (1 of 3)

• Financial Stability
• Existence Time
• More than few years
• Image
• Tool Reputation
• Number of Installations

44
Vendor Issues (2 of 3)

• Will the vendor provide
• Installation
• Training
• Support/Maintenance
• Consultation

45
Vendor Issues (3 of 3)

• Documentation/Manuals
• Detailed
• Complete
• Easy to understand

46
Cultural Differences (1 of 4)

• Work discipline
• Autonomy in the Western world
• Regimented and strict in the Eastern world

47
Cultural Differences (2 of 4)

• Demographic issues
• Gender
• Race

48
Cultural Differences (3 of 4)

• Organizational philosophy
• Traditional hierarchy
• Age of management team

49
Cultural Differences (4 of 4)

• Market Aspects
• Maturity
• Scope

50
Limitations (1 of 3)

• Research is based on secondary data
• Study is qualitative
• Geographical scope
• Amount of research performed for different
  countries
• Lack of standards for CASE tools

51
Limitations (2 of 3)

• The difference in data type
• Time span (survey versus longitudinal study)
• Time study implemented
• Issues covered

52
Limitations (3 of 3)

• Rapid changes in IT industry
• Millennium shift
• CASE technology addresses many of the fundamental
  problems of software construction. It deals
  primarily with meta-data that makes it more
  capable of integrating together different
  development tools

53
Conclusion (1 of 4)

• Overall, no one problem was not found to be major
  for most organizations
• ICASE tools are the most highly regarded as the
  organization that use them report fewer major
  problems than other types of tools users.

54
Conclusion (2 of 4)

• Initiating the use of technology is an easier
  undertaking than broadly assimilating it into
  organizational systems
• CASE may require not only its modification to
  suit the organizational needs, but also
  substantial modifications in organizational
  practices and procedures to foster a conducive
  environment for increased use

55
Conclusion (3 of 4)

• The lack of use of common outcome measures is one
  of the most important reasons behind inconsistent
  results reported about CASE usage and impacts.
• This may have discouraged organizations from
  using CASE.

56
Conclusion (4 of 4)

• Research Question
• Are there any differences in how countries deal
  with major issues associated with the adoption
  and implementation of CASE tools?
• Findings
• From the reviewed past research, there is no
  apparent difference in coping with issues
  associated with CASE tools adoption and
  implementation that is due to countrys culture.

57
Recommendations (1 of 4)

• System is built to harmonize with the corporate
  strategy, not to respond to immediate local
  business need.
• IS becomes strategic and proactive, instead
  reactive.

58
Recommendations (2 of 4)

• New technology should be introduced based on the
  sound plan
• Plan should be approved by management of the
  organization with substantial commitment from all
  levels of management and IS personnel

59
Recommendations (3 of 4)

• Organizations interested in spreading the use of
  CASE should carefully evaluate how their
  organizational systems, procedures, and
  management practices may be constraining the
  internal spread of technology
• Must know your organization and its needs, in
  particular the infrastructure and the level of
  discipline of the IT department
• Clear understanding of the tools purpose must
  exist
• Must be a common vision of the systems
  development environment in which the tools will
  be used

60
Recommendations (4 of 4)

• Management should not look at CASE tools as a
  solution to their problems, rather they should
  concentrate on the people issues associated with
  implementation
• Adequate training for the development staff must
  be provided
• Engagement of skilled consultants is required
• Compatibility of the chosen CASE tools with
  personalities and expertise of the people who
  will be using it

61
So What?

• If the benefits of CASE tools are so clear, and
  there are few staffing problems associated with
  their introduction why is success not assured?
• There are staffing issues
• IS personnel (security blanket)
• Issues discussed must be considered the
  implementation has to be planned
• The payoff of CASE can be significant, however it
  arrives several years after the take-up of
  technology

62
Future Directions (1 of 2)

• CASE technology will start to deliver fully
  integrated environments for systems development
  or a set of components that integrate flawlessly
  with other software development products
• CASE technology will ultimately supersede 4GL
  technology

63
Future Directions (2 of 2)

• There is a need for a structured, uniform outcome
  measures that would aid IS managers in
  benchmarking and standardizing CASE technology
• There is also a need for a better classification
  of methodology support as provided by CASE tools

64
Famous Last Words (1 of 2)

• The view on CASE technology seems to be make use
  of it, but do not completely depend on it.
• The introduction of CASE is both a source of, and
  a catalyst for, change.
• Successful implementation of CASE tools appeared
  significantly to depend only on the methodology
  usage.
• Remember CASE is only a set of tools

65
Famous Last Words (2 of 2)
Thanks to CASE tools it is possible to develop
BAD systems quicker than before.