CIS 500 Week 3 Assignment 1
CIS 500 Week 3 Assignment 1
CIS 500 Week 3 Assignment 1. You’ve just left an all-hands meeting at your company*. The CEO was very upset at the rise of shadow IT projects – a major indicator that the company’s internal information system has failed to meet its needs.
Because the current information system is inadequate, inefficient, and outdated, the CEO is inviting everyone in the organization to propose a new operational, decision support, or enterprise information system to replace it. The executives have allocated $5 million to fund the most promising idea.
This is your chance to make a difference in the company (not to mention your own career). Write your proposal as a memo that the entire C-suite will review. Include at least these points, in your own words, to be persuasive:
- 1. Identify the main functions of your proposed information system and why they are important to the business.
- 2. Describe what types of data your information system will hold and how data quality will be ensured.
CIS 500 Week 3 Assignment 1
- 3. Explain how the old information system handles the functions you mentioned, the problems that occur, and why your information system will handle things better.
- 4. Offer evidence of feasibility: Show that similar information systems have been built successfully and that they save more money than they cost.
The executives are busy, so keep your memo to 1-4 pages and avoid any extraneous content.
*You may use a current or former employer, but do not disclose anything confidential. Or, you can pick another organization if you are familiar with their internal (not customer-facing) information systems. You can disguise the organization and populate it with famous names. Made-up companies are problematic because of the amount of detail and realism they require.
CIS 500 Week 3 Assignment 1
Grading for this assignment will be based on answer quality, logic / organization of the paper, and language and writing skills, using the following rubric.
Points: 150 |
Assignment 1: The CEO’s Challenge |
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Unacceptable |
Fair |
Proficient |
Exemplary |
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Criteria |
Below 70% F |
70-79% C |
80-89% B |
90-100% A |
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1. Identify the main |
Inadequate or no |
Proposed an |
Proposed an |
Explained the |
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functions of your |
information system |
information system |
original information |
stylistic choices for |
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proposed information |
system |
architecture of |
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system and why they are |
Limited information |
Somewhat |
information system |
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important to the |
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on the system |
identified the main |
Identified the main |
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business. |
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proposed, |
functions |
functions of the |
Connected main |
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inadequate detail |
system |
functions of system |
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Weight: 20% |
Importance of main |
to business needs |
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(30 points) |
and shadow IT |
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Main functions and |
functions are |
Explained the |
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importance unclear |
unclear |
importance of each |
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function to the |
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business |
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2. Describe what types of |
Inadequate |
Described data |
Described the data |
Explained the |
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data your information |
description of data |
types, somewhat |
types in the system |
system storage and |
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system will hold and how |
types |
connected to the |
interaction with data |
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data quality will be |
system |
Explained how the |
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ensured. |
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Inadequate |
system would hold |
Considered the |
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connection of data |
Somewhat |
each data type |
impacts of cost and |
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Weight: 25% |
storage to the |
explained the data |
maintenance on |
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(37.5 points) |
system |
storage in system |
Proposed how data |
data quality |
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quality would be |
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Inadequate |
Reasonable |
ensured |
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explanation of data |
explanation of data |
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quality measures |
quality measures |
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3. Explain how the |
Limited description |
Somewhat |
Explained how the |
Described why |
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functions you mentioned |
of old system, no |
explained functions |
main functions are |
inefficiencies of |
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are being handled by the |
explanation of |
handled by the old |
being handled by |
maintenance in the |
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old information system, |
functions |
information system |
the old information |
old system persist |
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the problems that occur, |
system |
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and why your information |
Inadequate problem |
Reasonable |
Provided options for |
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system will handle things |
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identification with |
description of |
Described the |
keeping the system |
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better. |
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old system |
problems of the old |
problems of the old |
separate, |
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system |
system |
integrating with old, |
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Weight: 25% |
Limited justification |
or scaling up/down |
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(37.5 points) |
based on business |
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for selecting new |
Reasonable |
Justified why the |
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needs |
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system over the old |
justification for how |
new system can |
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one |
the new system is |
handle things better |
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better than the old |
than the old system |
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4. Offer evidence of |
Inadequate or |
Identified one |
Identified similar, |
Explained what |
|
feasibility: Show that |
unsuccessful |
similar, successful |
successful |
makes the |
|
similar information |
system selected |
information system |
information systems |
information system |
|
systems have been built |
identified similar to |
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successfully and that |
Limited |
Somewhat |
Demonstrated cost |
yours |
|
they save more money |
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demonstration of |
demonstrated cost |
savings comparison |
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than they cost. |
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cost savings |
savings comparison |
Demonstrate how |
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Defended how the |
the new system |
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Weight: 20% |
outperforms similar |
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Inadequate defense |
Reasonable |
new system could |
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(30 points) |
systems |
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of the new system |
comparison of the |
operate similarly to |
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to others |
new system to other |
successful systems |
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systems |
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5. Clarity, persuasion, |
Unclear structure, |
Somewhat clear |
Clear structure, |
No grammatical |
|
proper communication, |
not persuasive, |
structure, limited |
persuasive writing, |
errors, plain |
|
writing mechanics, and |
major grammatical |
persuasion, |
minor or no |
language, |
|
formatting requirements |
errors |
grammatical errors, |
grammatical errors, |
organized by topic, |
|
language too simple |
length and format |
references business |
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Weight: 10% |
or too wordy |
within requirements, |
needs, connects to |
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plain language |
technical specs, |
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(15 points) |