Chapter 12 Implementation

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Chapter 12Implementation
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Learning outcomes

• Produce a plan to minimize the risks involved
  with the launch phase of an e-business
  application
• Define a process for the effective maintenance of
  an e-business system
• Produce a simple web page with links to other
  pages
• Create a plan to measure the effectiveness of an
  e-business application.

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Management issues

• What actions can we take to minimize the risks of
  implementation?
• How do we achieve transition from previous
  systems to a new e-business system?
• What techniques are available to measure the
  success of our implementation?

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System implementation issues

• Acquisition techniques
• Site implementation tools
• Content management and updating
• System changeover
• Localization
• Evaluation and monitoring.

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Figure 12.1 Sequencing of implementation and
maintenance for the dynamice-business application
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Systems acquisition options

• Bespoke development. The e-commerce system is
  developed from scratch.
• Off-the-shelf (packaged). An existing system is
  purchased from a solution vendor. In the
  e-business context this approach is often
  achieved by external hosting via an applications
  service provider.
• Tailored off-the shelf development. The
  off-the-shelf system is tailored according to an
  organizations needs.

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Activity see case 12.1 CMS

• For purchase
• Wide range of choice
• Wide range of features built-in with continuous
  development of new features
• Quicker to deploy in basic form e.g. Diageo
  implemented 5 portal sites in six weeks
• Range of hosting options internal or third
  party
• Cost lower than external for initial purchase and
  upgrading as Internet technology changes
• Generally scale better for large numbers of users.

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Activity see case 12.1 CMS

• Against purchase
• May not meet requirements for creation and
  updating process or display exactly
• Initial and ongoing costs. However modification
  of a open source CMS such as Zope (www.zope.org)
  may give the best balance between cost and
  flexibility. Such systems have been used by large
  organizations such as NATO.

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Figure 12.2 An example online customer service
form
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Figure 12.3 Possible web page layout options
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Figure 12.5 Using scripting to produce dynamic
web content for form processing
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Testing
Type of testing Description
Developer tests Code level tests performed by developers of modules
Feasibility testing Tests a new approach, often near the start of a project to make sure it is acceptable in terms of user experience
Module (component) tests Checks individual modules have the correct functionality i.e. correct outputs are produced for specified inputs (black-box testing)
Integration testing Checks interactions between groups of modules
System testing Checks interactions between all modules in the system
Database transaction taken Can the user connect to the database and are transactions executed correctly
Performance/capacity testing Tests the speed of the system under high load
Usability testing Check that the system is easy to use and follows the conventions of user-centred design described in Chapter 11
Acceptance tests Checks the system is acceptable for the party that commissioned it
Content or copy testing Tests the acceptability of copy from a marketing view
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Figure 12.6 A content update review process
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Changeover options
Method Main advantages Main disadvantages
1. Immediate cutover. Straight from old system to new system on a single date Rapid, lowest cost High risk. Major disruption if serious errors with system
2. Parallel running. Old system and new system run side-by-side for a period Lower risk than immediate cutover Slower and higher cost than immediate cutover
3. Phased implementation. Different modules of the system are introduced sequentially Good compromise between methods 1 and 2 Difficult to achieve technically due to interdependencies between modules
4. Pilot system. Trial implementation occurs before widespread deployment Essential for multinational or national rollouts Has to be used in combination with the other methods
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Figure 12.7 Typical structures of an e-commerce
site steering group
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Management issues with maintenance

• Deciding on the frequency and scope of content
  updating
• Process for managing maintenance of the site and
  responsibilities for updating
• Selection of content management system
• Testing and communicating changes made
• Integration with monitoring and measurement
  systems
• Managing content in the global organization.

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Figure 12.8 A summary of the performance
measurement process
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Figure 12.9 The five diagnostic categories for
e-marketing measurement from the framework
presented by Chaffey (2000)
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Figure 12.10 Attrition through e-commerce site
activities
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Figure 12.11 Examples of different measures of
visitor volume to a web site
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Figure 12.12 Different types of data within a
performance management system for Internet
marketing
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Figure 12.13 Web analytics tool IndexTools used
to assess page popularity in Dave Chaffeys site
(www.davechaffey.com)