Chapter 6Decision Support System

Development

Turban, Aronson, and Liang Decision Support Systems and Intelligent

Systems, Seventh Edition

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Agile Development

Agile development is a relatively new form of rapid prototyping, a RAD method. There are a number of these lightweight programming methodologies: extreme programming XP.Extreme programming are probably the most popular examples of agile processes these methods attempt to bypass much of the formalism inherit in the SDLC, and prototype. Most of the IT organizations are using agile software development processes.Agile methods are ideally suited for project that have unclear or rapidly changing requirement.

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Agile Development

Motorola Inc. has used elements of XP in some of its development organization, but found that it wasn’t useful for global development projects. Such projects require large team. Some developers feel that using extreme programming will drive higher quality and rapid application development.

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Agile Development

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Agile Development

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Agile Development

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Agile Development

• Rapid prototyping• Used for:

– Unclear or rapidly changing requirements

– Speedy development

• Heavy user input• Incremental delivery with short time

frames• Tend to have integration problems

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DSS Development Methodology

• Prototyping

• Iterative design

• Evolutionary development

• Middle out process

• Adaptive design

• Incremental design

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DSS Prototyping

• Short steps – Planning– Analysis– Design– Prototype

• Immediate stakeholder feedback• Iterative

– In development of prototype– Within the system in general– Evaluation integral part

• Control mechanism

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DSS Prototyping

• Advantages– User and management

involvement– Learning explicitly

integrated– Prototyping bypasses

information requirement– Short intervals between

iterations– Low cost– Improved user

understanding of system

• Disadvantages– Changing requirements– May not have thorough

understanding of benefits and costs

– Poorly tested– Dependencies,

security, and safety may be ignored

– High uncertainty– Problem may get lost– Reduction in quality– Higher costs due to

multiple productions

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DSS Development Methodology

Evolutionary developmentEvolutionary is an integral part of the development process and is the control mechanism for the entire iterative design process. The Evolutionary mechanism is what keeps the cost and effort developing a DSS consistent with its values. At the end of the evolution a decision is made on whether to refine the DSS or to stop it.

If the prototype is ok we move to the formal implementation of the DSS, which could include all the users training, and so on. All the analysis, design, construction, implementation, and evaluating steps are repeated in each successive refinement.

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DSS Development Methodology

Iterative designThe Iterative design approach produces a specific DSS applications. The process is fairly straightforward for a DSS designed for personal support. The process becomes more complicated, Although not invalid, for a DSS the provide group support or organizational support. Specifically, there is a greater need for mechanism to support communication among users and developers. There is also a need for mechanisms to accommodate personal variations while maintaining a common core system that standard for all users.

Why prototyping

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Why prototyping

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Change Management

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Change Management

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Change Management

• Crucial to DSS• People resistant to change• Examine cause of change• May require organizational culture shift• Lewin-Schein change theory steps

– Unfreeze• Create awareness of need for change• People support what they help create

– Move• Develop new methods and behaviors• Change the magnitude and direction of the forces.

– Refreeze• Reinforce desired changes• Establish stable environment

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Change Management

The ISA (Ideal State Analysis) process essentially follows the Lewin-Schein change theory in the following 3 steps:

1.Create the ideal future state.2.Perform an honest assessment of the current state.3.Develop a number of creative alternatives to bridge the gap between the current state and the ideal state.

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DSS Technology Levels

The classifications of technology levels is important not only for understanding the development of DSS but also for developing a framework for there use.

There are 3 DSS technology level:

1.DSS primary tools2.DSS integrated tool (generator)3.Specific DSS. // HR InfoNet system ex.

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DSS Technology LevelsDSS primary tools

At the lowest level of DSS technology are the primary tools. These fundamental elements facilitate the development of either a DSS generator or a specific DSS. Examples of DSS tools are programing languages, graphics, editors, query systems and random-number generators. Also include in this category are new web programming systems (jave, .Net, PHP) that contain objects that enhance the development of web based DSS/BI.

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DSS Technology LevelsDSS integrated tool

A DSS integrated tool or DSS generator is an integrated development software package that provides a set of capabilities for building a specific DSS quickly, inexpensively, and easily. A generator has diverse capabilities ranging from modeling, report generation, and graphical display to performing risk analysis. These capabilities are integrated into an easy to use package. A popular PC-based generator is excel.

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DSS Technology Levels

• DSS primary tools– Fundamental elements

• Programming languages, graphics, editors, query systems

• DSS generator (engine)– Integrated software package for building specific DSS

• Modeling, report generation, graphics, risk analysis

• Specific DSS– DSS application that accomplishes the work

• DSS primary tools are used to construct integrated tools that are used to construct specific tools

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