MIS 300 Group Project Webpage

MIS 300 Group Project Webpage

THIS PAGE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION AND IS NOT YET IN FINAL FORM
CONTENT SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE

The group project is an important part of your grade in this course. This page has links to a variety of materials you will need to complete this project, organized into the following categories. Click the name of the report to view it here; some of the materials are to be printed out and signed and returned in hard copy; they are accessed through separate links.

MIS 300 Project - Requirements

The project in this course requires students to work in groups to "reengineer" a process in a client organization. Each project group will consist of five or six students all registered in the same CRN. Students will form their own groups. At various times during the course, each group will be called upon to provide an informal status report to the class. At the end of the course, each group will make a brief (15- or 20-minute), formal, in-class presentation on their project. Groups will sign up for their "in-class" presentations from the available time slots for their instructor. Not all students in the group are required to participate directly in the presentation to the class. However, all the members of a group are required to attend their group's presentation and are strongly urged to attend other groups’ presentations.

Each group will locate an organization that has a business challenge in which information plays a major role. Students will locate their own clients. Relatives or friends who are in business are suitable candidates, as are student groups including clubs. It is not generally allowed for the client “organization” to be a single individual who is not in business. Be sure all group members agree with your selection before approaching the candidate organization. It is highly recommended that you have a backup candidate organization in mind in the event that your first choice cannot commit to the project. Candidate organizations include any of the following:

Small businesses (can be a one-person company, including a new entrepreneur)
Departments of large businesses
Non-profit organizations
Student clubs

Student groups will work with the client organizations and perform the following tasks:

Define the business problem/opportunity
Determine the client's information needs
Propose an updated or new business process
Justify a solution (develop the formal business case)
Design and build a prototype computer solution on a microcomputer
Document the improvement
Evaluate user acceptance

All interviews that might be conducted in conjunction with this term project will be for the benefit of developing professional skills and knowledge and are not intended for academic publishing purposes.

The prototype computer application must have at least two items of software as its basis, selected from among the following:

Database management (e.g. create databases of information capturing the essence of the events involved in the problem and generate reports concerning the problem and show this operating in your demonstration)

Spreadsheets (e.g. analyze the results of a database query search in a spreadsheet and show this operating in your demonstration)

Text processing (e.g. mail-merge and show this operating in your demonstration)

Open-source, freely available software available on the Internet (e.g. use a currency conversion service to convert data in your reports or queries to other currencies and show this operating in your demonstration)

Internet/WWW (e.g. design relevant Web pages that would connect to the database in the full-scale operational system - you are not expected to show the linkage operating in your demonstration)

Your project group will demonstrate your solutions to your clients who will evaluate the solution for technical accuracy, relevancy and sufficiency as well as usefulness and usability. At the end of the academic term or after your group’s presentation to your business client, your group will leave a copy of your prototype software and user documentation with your client. You will have no obligation or responsibility to perform any additional development or maintenance work on the delivered software or documentation.

In addition, each group will make a presentation of the solution to the rest of the class. The latest version of Microsoft Office is available in the SBA’s microcomputer labs, but students may feel free to use any software they have legal access to so long as your prototype can be demonstrated to your client and the class.

The true value of your project is in making a business case for your client to implement the full-scale operational application based upon the prototype software you created and showing how it fits into the organization as an innovation in a general plan for technology management.

The deliverables for the project include the following:

Three progress reports, graded as pass/fail. Each worth 1% (total 3%) of group project mark.

Final report, detailing the business process and improvement, justifying the design and detailing the results (applies the theory of the course to your real-world case). Worth 50% of group project mark.

Software demonstration/project presentation, lasting 15 or 20 minutes, illustrating the process being improved as well as the working software. Worth 20% of group project mark.

Client evaluation of the software application's functionality. Each group will design its own evaluation form to be completed by the client. Your instructor's evaluation of this form (i.e. the questions you are asking your client to complete on the form) will be worth 2% of the group project mark. The client's perceived value of the application, the software and its user documentation will be assigned by the client (on your form) and be worth 10% of the group project mark.

Individual peer evaluation of each participant by all members of the group. Worth 15% of the group project mark.

Prototype files.

Please refer to the other sections of the Group Project link on the course website for more specific details regarding the various components of the assignment.

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MIS 300 Project - Final Report Guidelines

Required Elements: The following items must appear in your report. Mark deductions will occur if an item is missing.

1) Cover Sheet with course name and number, instructor, project company, date, group number, student names, and a disclaimer paragraph as stated below. Note: this disclaimer paragraph is also available (click here) in RTF format to facilitate a copy-and-paste operation.

This report is submitted in accordance with the formal requirements for the course MIS 300 in the School of Business Administration at Oakland University. This report has been prepared as part of an academic exercise under the guidance of the Instructor, Dr. Paul Licker, and contains information only and not advice. Please note that one or more students prepared this report and recommendations are implemented solely at the responsibility of the client or involved organization. The authors, the Instructor, the School of Business Administration, and Oakland University assume no responsibility for the results obtained in its implementation.

2) Executive Summary

3) Table of Contents

4) Table of Figures (if required)

5) Ten components (as described in the list below, including any diagrams or figures you may require)

6) Appendix

Any materials that you would like to include as examples, screen shots, or diagrams that are not immediately necessary to understand the material you have written but which would, in your opinion, make it more useful. Materials in appendices is not graded.

****7) Prototype files (Your files should be submitted via the email. However, another option is to create a CD and attach the CD with your final report (however, email is by far the preferred medium). The deadline for this submission is the same as for your final report. In most cases, the version of the software that you are submitting will be the version used in your in-class presentation. You can submit your files at any time up to the due date but only submit one version. Be sure to provide the password if it is required to run your application! Your software will be kept on file but not graded.)

The following guidelines are designed to assist you with the writing of the report.

The text of the report is to be double-spaced, with 1" margins, typed or printed on 8-1/2" x 11" (white paper if it must for some reason be submitted in hard copy), to a maximum of 20 pages (inclusive of any diagrams or figures; but, exclusive of the appendix). The executive summary and table of contents/figures are not included in the 20-page count. Only the first 20 numbered pages will be graded. Where appropriate, you may reference pages in the Appendix; these will not be included in the 20-page limit. If you wish, you can divide the appendix into logical units of more than one (e.g. Appendix A, Appendix B, etc.).

Each of the ten components described below will count 5% of the final report mark. This results in the total value of the report being 50% of the overall project mark. The content of the appendix is not used directly in calculating your mark except where deductions are applied.

Most components relate to the full-scale system, not your prototype (e.g. feasibility – obviously your prototype is feasible ☺). With most of the components, you are introducing the concept or model, discussing all the options, applying the concept or options with relevant evidence from your case to arrive at a recommendation, explaining how that recommended option would be carried out in your particular case, describing a managerial concern unique to that option, and suggesting how to mitigate the risk of that concern from becoming a serious problem. These factors should be present and discussed in the appropriate components.

Your instructor assumes the role of the business owner/manager when reading your report so don’t assume that the reader knows all about the MIS theory. In this role one is looking to see how successfully one can understand your report through all its sections, plus how convincing and consistent the report is through all the sections. Inconsistencies amongst sections of the report will be penalized.

HOWEVER, your instructor also reads the report as your MIS instructor and, in that role, one is looking to see how successfully you explained the MIS theory, applied it to your specific case with appropriate evidence from your case to support your recommendations, explained a managerial concern unique to the recommendations made throughout the report, and described how to minimize those stated concerns.

TEN COMPONENTS

A general description and guideline for each of the ten components, plus the appendix, are as follows:

1) Company's information need

• General description of the organization and its business environment (e.g. industry, marketplace; remember that your instructor doesn’t know your case).

• Description of the current information system (not necessarily a computerized information system)

• What is the problem or challenge or opportunity? (how, in what way, why do you say this)

• Who is affected within and/or outside the company? (not people’s names but positions, what is the extent)

• What is the business impact? (company doesn’t have your application/solution now so why should they worry; relate to a competitive advantage model)

• You’re setting the stage, convincing the reader (i.e. your instructor as the owner/manager) to read on and learn about your approach to a proposed full-scale operational system.

2) Information requirements analysis

• How did you discover the information requirements for your particular company? (techniques you used)

• Why did you use the option(s) you did?

• What ones did you not use and why?

• Any concerns with the method(s) you did use?

• Why do you say that and how did you (or could you) address these concerns (i.e. minimize a risk)?

• Briefly, what are the specific requirements in your case? (If you described this well in Item 1, no need to repeat here.)

• You can have this section of the report apply only to your prototype, not the proposed full-scale system.

3) Feasibility

• This section applies to the full-scale system.

• Economic. (cost/benefit analysis, what’s the overall approximate cost, can you justify that, could the company afford it in your opinion, what’s the breakdown of your overall cost?)

• Technological. (what specific technology is required, is any of it not currently available in the marketplace?)

• Organizational. (does the organization have the will to implement this and how will - or can - the application be maintained after installation?)

• Schedule. (how long to build and be ready for installation, is there a seasonal consideration for your company?)

• The above factors are related to each other as a change in one can impact another.

4) Description of proposed system from the user's viewpoint

• What initiates the business process?

• Who enters the data and how done?

• When entered? (e.g. batch scheduled, real time)

• Who runs queries & why? (can refer to Appendix)

• Who runs reports & why? (can refer to Appendix)

• When are reports run? (e.g. scheduled, on demand)

• Distribution of reports and medium used?

• All the above questions relate to the full-scale system.

• An application does not exist in a vacuum – it supports a business process and involves input, processing and output.

• You should reference your report’s Appendix which contains sample input and output screens.

• Note anything special, if appropriate, about the design of the prototype that would be relevant to a user.

5) Controls and Ethics

• Recommendations for application controls (input, processing, output) in your case? (what ones, why needed, how achieved?) If you wish, for part of this particular discussion you can refer to your report’s Appendix and that necessarily would imply your prototype.

• Recommendations for operational controls and security in your case? (what ones, why, how would you handle them?)

• Ethics and privacy concerns in your case? (what ones, why, how would you handle them?)

• This section applies to the full-scale system.

6) Development

• At this point in your prototype experience, with the knowledge you have gained, what do you recommend as the appropriate approach for continuing forward and ultimately ending up with the full-scale operational application?

• Discussion of the options for continuing the development of the system/application you have started, why you recommend the approach you do, and the implications of the method for your client’s situation.

• If your prototype is, in fact, evolutionary and has resulted in the complete operational system, still discuss all of the theory for application development and implications.

• Recommendation for managerial control processes during application development?

• If you recommend that the operational system should not be developed and implemented, still discuss all of the theory for application development and implications. In addition, be very clear as to why you recommend abandoning the application.

7) Implementation

• If your client were to proceed with the development of the full-scale system and, therefore, install it at some point in time, what implementation strategies typically are available?

• Which strategy do you recommend and why?

• Implications of the one you recommend?

• Recommendation for managerial control processes once installed and operating?

8) Technology Life Cycle

• Explain what this concept is about.

• Apply all aspects of the model to your case. (If there is more than one user of the application, you can focus on one typical person in your case.)

• Assess your client’s situation for wider or more thorough use of your proposed application.

• What specific problems or challenges might there be in your company’s case and why?

• Managerial recommendations to deal with these problems?

9) Technology use

• Explain what this concept is about.

• What skills, attitudes, and knowledge should users of this application have?

• Assess your client’s ability to provide users who have these skills, attitudes and knowledge.

• What specific problems or challenges might there be in your company’s case and why?

• Managerial recommendations to deal with these problems?

10) Lessons Learned: What you would do differently next time

• You should discuss MIS concepts and group dynamic issues.

• What did you learn from this project?

• What principles or frameworks studied in the course were particularly applicable for you to successfully complete your project?

• What went well for you and why?

• What did not go as well as you initially thought or what surprised you and why?

• What would you do differently if you were to do a similar type of project again and why?

• You will be graded on the content, applicability and presentation of your thoughts – this component is a reflection for the whole group, not one particular individual in the group.

Deductions

Each section is worth five (5) points, but deductions from the overall report mark will be made as follows:

Item:	Maximum Deduction:
Executive Summary	2, if missing or inadequate
Cover Page Details	1, if missing or inadequate
Table of Contents	1, if missing
Format	1, if disgusting
Spelling, Punctuation, Grammar, Usage	Up to 5, if illiterate
Flow, Interest, Style	Up to 2, if difficult to read, full of jargon or boring

And remember:

- All pages numbered

- Reasonably consistent style of writing (quite relevant to group work)

- No contradictions within the report (quite relevant to group work)

- All group members have read and approved the submitted report since their names are on it (very relevant to group work)

- Not handed in late (unless very extenuating circumstances and instructor has been consulted ahead of time)

- Appropriately bound if hard copy (not paper-clipped)

Click here to view grading form

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The following is a legal document necessary to have to absolve the University and the SBA from any damages that might be caused. Not that we expect any damages, but in a litigious society, we need these sorts of protections!

CLIENT APPLICATION AGREEMENT

NOTE: BY SIGNING THIS DOCUMENT YOU MAY WAIVE CERTAIN LEGAL RIGHTS, INCLUDING THE RIGHT TO SUE

To: School of Business Administration, Oakland University

Participating Organization: _____________________________________________________________________________________________

Organization Address: ________________________________________________________________________________________________

I agree as follows:

1. Academic nature of project. I understand that the School of Business Administration of Oakland University offers a course (MIS 300) that includes business information systems projects conducted by the students of the Oakland University. The program is academic in nature and exists solely for the benefit of the participating students. These students do not claim to be professionals or experts in any areas and therefore can only provide me with information and not advice.

2. No guarantee of student placement. Upon completion, this agreement only guarantees the application to be part of the undergraduate Business Program; it does not guarantee placement with a student or student team in said Program.

3. No responsibility for use of project results. Any use or reliance which I make of the business information or software that I receive is at the sole responsibility of myself. The Project Office accepts no responsibility for any damages suffered as a result of decisions or actions based on the information or software that I receive from the students.

4. Permission to investigate for project purposes. I expressly consent to the gathering of non-confidential information by the students. I understand that a consultant-client relationship is not being formed.

5. Confidentiality. Any information, software or project papers submitted by myself or by the students to the School of Business Administration will be kept by the Instructor of the course for one year and will then be destroyed unless stipulations are made via a separate agreement. No reproduction of information will occur without prior consent. All contact information from the Client Application Agreement, including name, address and type of project assigned may be kept by the Instructor indefinitely, even if your project is not placed with a student group, in order to be a more effective and useful set of student projects.

6. I have read and understood this agreement and am aware that by signing this agreement I am waiving any rights to legal action I might otherwise have against the Project Office, School of Business Administration, Oakland University, any individuals or employees retained by these entities, and the students assisting me.

Signed this _______________day of _________________________________200___

Participant’s Name (print)_________________________________________________

Participant’s Signature:___________________________________________________

Witness_______________________________________________________________

This is a letter you can use from your instructor to motivate clients to participate. If you do not like the wording of this letter you can certainly use your own, but in that case you must not indicate that the letter comes from the course instructor. Failure to observe this particular rule will result in your having a zero for this project! A .doc version of this letter is available by clicking here.

RE: LETTER TO PROSPECTIVE CLIENTS

Thank you for your interest in sponsoring our students on a project for their introductory Management Information Systems course (MIS 300). The School of Business Administration of Oakland University and I both think it is important that all our graduates have some exposure to how information systems are developed in support of improving business processes. Therefore, we appreciate your cooperation in providing our students with a way to familiarize themselves with “real-life” business and thus increase the value of their undergraduate education.

One of the requirements in this course is that students come to understand a business process, develop a proposal for how to improve it, make a convincing business statement arguing for the improvement and actually implement a prototype solution. As our students come from a variety of backgrounds and this course is at an introductory level, they cannot promise to act as Business Reengineering consultants. They have been asked to find and describe a relatively simple, but non-trivial, business process in a real organization. They will then work with your organization briefly to understand the process and document it. The students will be asking for your cooperation in two ways. Initially, they would like to talk to individuals in your organization who can explain the process to them, so that they can document it and then suggest improvements utilizing a database, not a spreadsheet. Secondly, as part of the grading process in this course, the student team will demonstrate to you their improvement to the process. At that time, one or more individuals within your organization must review the “implemented” application (typically a stand-alone database prototype) and evaluate it using a form that the student group will create and supply. You are not asked to evaluate their academic written report. These are all the responsibilities of the “client” in this project assignment.

Our students have been asked to tread as lightly as possible and to respect your need for confidentiality and lack of disturbance. At the end of the academic term or after the database demonstration to you, the team will leave with you a copy of their prototype database software and user documentation. If you wish, you may request a copy of their academic written report; but, it will not contain any instructor comments or assessment feedback. Keep in mind that their database software is an academic prototype (and may not run on your computer system) and their academic report is based on the theory as presented in this course. If you require them to sign company confidentiality statements to obtain access to documents or people, you may ask them to do so. However, the students should not require any confidential data for the purposes of this project and course. Even though each student has signed a School of Business Administration confidentiality agreement, there is no need for you to disclose any confidential information. It is essential that the students fit into your work requirements. Therefore, please be explicit in telling them where they cannot go and what they cannot have access to. They have been given recommended timelines for their projects this term. If you choose, the students will share with you these and other guiding materials they will use to complete this project.

Please remember that the students are not professional consultants. They can make no promises to create a product that you will actually find useful. As well, they cannot warrant the validity or performance of any software, documentation or procedures they create. Solutions they produce will almost certainly involve only common microcomputer packages (typically Microsoft Office 2003). Their “implemented” solutions are not meant to be installed as operational software on your computers in the form the students produce them. Nor are they expected to complete or further develop the application beyond the course requirements.

The student team should not require much more from you, other than some time and your willingness to assist the Oakland University School of Business Administration in improving the quality of the education we provide to future business graduates.

As an operational requirement, I have included with this letter a “release” form developed by the School of Business Administration Project Office. If you are in agreement, please sign this form and return it to the students at your earliest convenience. You may also fax this form directly to me at 248-370-4275

On behalf of the School of Business Administration, I would like to thank you for taking the time to participate in this project with our students. If you would like to speak with me about any matter brought up in conjunction with this project, please contact me by email at licker@oakland.edu or by phone at 248-370-2432.

- Consensus doesn't mean 100% agreement, but everyone has been heard and can support the team's decision.

- Ground rules are meaningless unless all team members buy into and actively live them.

- How do we self-correct? How do we follow-up on obligations? What kind of climate do we want in our team? - How do we achieve that?

- What other guidelines are important for us? Informing each other, scheduling, travel?

1) Ask how to frame the approach. (e.g. "We need your advice on how to do that in an effective way.")

2) State the purpose of the meeting so that the topic becomes depersonalized, avoiding the use of the words "I/we" and "you". (e.g. "The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the last report.")

3) Pair authentic negative with authentic positive factors and avoid the words "I/we" on the negative side and use the word "you" on the positive side. (e.g. "The last report was missing three key items. Your reports are usually very complete and well done.")

4) Summarize by showing impact and avoiding the words "I/we" and "you". (e.g. "The missing items caused several hours of rework to occur on the project.")

5) Listen and consider their version of the facts. (e.g. "How does it look from your side?")

6) Problem solve and get an action plan with personal accountability, using the words "I/we" and "you". (e.g. "We need an action plan from you to ensure that future reports are complete.")

1) As a group, discuss group dynamic problems that could occur to hinder the success of your project and the cohesiveness of your group. For some examples, see the Teamwork Guidelines article under the Group Project menu option on the course website.

2) List these and, for each one, write a brief explanation of how you intend to resolve that problem, if it occurs.

What we are looking for is a brief document that each member of your team acknowledges by signing the one paper copy that is handed in to your instructor. This document outlines that you have met, that you have discussed some of the issues we covered in class that can be problematic for groups and group projects, and that you have identified any approaches that you think might be helpful at this point

In the past in projects of this sort, a variety of issues and suggestions have been made visible. They include such things as defined meeting times, rotating chairmanships, keeping minutes to document decisions, having some penalty (like buying donuts) for late attendance, turning off cell-phones, using e-mail and/or web tools to coordinate, using a consensus approach to decisions, parking egos outside team discussions/processes, being polite but assertive when necessary, recognizing individual strengths/weaknesses, providing peer support to other team members, respecting each other as individuals but united as a team for a short period of time to achieve a specific goal, etc.

The purpose of this exercise is to ensure that each team member is aware that such issues may arise and that, together, there are processes to address them if and when they do occur. The act of discussing and committing to paper potential problems, along with their solutions, often can prevent these issues from later occurring and adding undue additional stress within the group.

The following document and form serve to inform you of expected and recommended student conduct while working on projects "in the field" (i. e., the outside world). Please download and print the .doc version of these pages (click here), staple together or print double-sided, complete the entries below, and deliver to your instructor within the first three weeks of classes. Your signed document will be kept on file at the School of Business Administration for one year.

The following guidelines and procedures are intended to cover the most important aspects of student conduct when working on academic projects. If you are unclear regarding any of the aspects of this code, consult with your Instructor. Failure to adhere to this code may result in a lowered grade and severe academic penalties.

1. Conflict of Interest. The first guideline is use common sense. If you are unaware of what amounts to a conflict of interest, you should discuss this with your Instructor immediately. Any connections with competitors or other conflict situations should be divulged. Always tell potential clients about the nature of the work you will be doing, and the name and telephone number your instructor.

2. Students are responsible both to the organization in which they are working and to Oakland University. The project is an academic rather than a consulting assignment and this fact should be made perfectly clear to all clients at the outset. This means that under no circumstances are students permitted to accept payment for their work or divert any of the workload to private consulting groups.

3. Under no circumstances should students solicit information from competing firms that is not part of the public domain. For example, under no circumstances should data be requested from firm B, a competitor of firm A, when students are working in firm A, by approaching firm B and representing themselves as being a student group from the School of Business Administration at Oakland University. This type of behavior will be subject to reprimand as it reflects negatively on both the School of Business Administration and our graduates.

4. Confidential Information. A student may be required by their client to sign a confidentiality agreement before working on the project. By signing this agreement, typically the student agrees not to discuss or reveal any of the proprietary information that is revealed to him or her during his or her work on the project outside the scope of that agreement. If a client requires you to sign a confidentiality agreement, all students in your group must do so. Be sure you understand what you are signing and that the client’s document will still allow you to satisfy the academic requirements of the course project. Consult with your instructor if you are unsure. Students working within an organization must be very sensitive to the proprietary nature of the data that may be supplied to them in confidence. All copies of confidential information must be returned to the company at the end of the project. However, please note that you have no need to work with your client's actual data values. You are developing a prototype and, as such, your data files can be populated with simulated values.

5. In order to facilitate learning within the School of Business Administration, students are permitted to discuss generally their projects within the classroom and with other students outside of their group. Students are not to pay or otherwise motivate other students or outside parties to work on the project, especially concerning the design and construction of the prototype. This is an academic assignment constituting part of an Oakland University course.

6. Limitations. Never solicit clients or gain their support on the basis of potential end results, no matter how confident you may be that your efforts will help the organization. The work being done by students may or may not be useful to the organization in question. The organizations that become involved in student projects need to understand that it is an academic project, which focuses on student learning. The organizations should be informed of this fact from the onset.

7. Students should never guarantee results or recommendations. It should be made clear to involved parties that you, the Instructor, nor the University is responsible for any more than doing the best job possible to complete the academic project while protecting the integrity of both the organization and the University.

8. All clients must sign a waiver of liability. This waiver (Client Application Agreement) explains that what they are receiving is business information compiled by students. Students are not professionals in the context of these projects that exist principally for their benefit. By signing the form, clients waive their legal right to sue if they should be unsatisfied with the project in any way. Take the time to discuss the waiver with your client and ensure that they have a full understanding of what it involves. By requiring your client to sign the waiver you are protecting yourself and the School of Business Administration from possible legal action. If a client does not wish to sign the waiver, please let your Instructor know and suspend your work with the client until the matter is resolved.

9. Course Requirements. At times during the project each group may make a report to the Instructor or the class about the project. The nature of the problem, the potential solutions, roadblocks, how the work might have been done differently are all vital aspects of the projects, and are insights that can be passed on to the benefit of your classmates.

10. Depending on the degree of involvement, the supporting organization may wish to receive a copy of the final report. Comments by the Instructor are not normally made available to the organization. Instructor feedback is provided solely for the benefit of students. However, if you have had significant involvement with the organization, you may wish to meet with them to discuss your final report. But remember, your client does not assess your written final report for academic purposes. Your client does assess your working database prototype solution and will receive a copy of that software along with its user documentation.

11. Any interviews that might be conducted in conjunction with this course project will be for the benefit of developing professional skills and knowledge and are not intended for academic publishing purposes.

This is the first of two forms that ask you to evaluate your peers' performance on the project. Only one form will be submitted per group. It's an open assessment, meaning that everyone notes what everyone else thinks. Click here to download this form in .doc format.

You are now past the midpoint, in time, with your group project. You may have spotted signs of possible group dynamic challenges. For example:

Hopefully any such issues have been dealt with effectively, perhaps with the aid of your "What Are You Going To Do?" group issues list. When this assessment sheet is submitted by the due date, you will have only a few weeks of time remaining in your project. You should have a firm sense of direction as to how you will complete all the components of this project within your timeline.

Therefore, you are to discuss the above items and any other concerns with all of your team members. Then conduct an open, midpoint peer assessment for each of your members. This exercise is also intended to prepare you for the Final Peer Assessment, at the end of the project, when your assigned evaluations will be used in determining part of each individual's project mark. A low evaluation on this midpoint form acts as an indicator to those particular team members. There is still time to raise that number and agree on approaches before the end of the project. If there are group problems that you cannot resolve, please contact your instructor who will act as a facilitator. Note: the number on this Midpoint Peer Assessment form will not be used directly in determining a student’s peer component for the project; only the number assigned on the Final Peer Assessment form will be used (unless the group is unable to complete the Final form).

This sheet is to be completed, signed and submitted to your instructor by the due date. If it is not possible to do so, you will not be penalized. However, in this event, you must notify your instructor by the due date and provide the reason for your delay and the revised date for your group’s submission.

The total of the "Average" column must equal the total of the "Actual" column.

This is the final peer assessment form. Same rules as the midpoint form. Click here to download the final peer assessment form in .doc format.

Your project is now essentially completed. Your last responsibility is to conduct an open and fair assessment of each member's contribution to the success of this project. You have had ample time over the last three months to identify and deal with any group issues. The "What Are You Going To Do?" group issues report, the three progress reports, and the "Midpoint Peer Assessment" form were designed to assist you in recognizing and dealing with group dynamic issues.

Please fill out the table below in consultation with all your group members. Your assigned percentages will act as a strong guideline for your instructor in determining each student's peer component mark. It is highly recommended that you do not complete this form until your project is totally finished and ready to be submitted, that is, when your in-class presentation, your client presentation, and your bound report are completed.

Remember that if someone is assigned greater than 100% then someone else must be assigned less than 100%. Numbers greater than 100 will be carried through in calculations for that individual's peer mark component of their final project mark.

This sheet is to be completed, signed and handed in to your instructor by the due date. If you wish, you may attach this form to your report. If it is not possible to meet the Final Peer Assessment due date, you may submit this form late without penalty. However, no term work may be accepted after the university’s official end of term date. If the form cannot be completed, all members of the group must notify their instructor in advance of the official end of term date.

The total of the "Average" column must equal the total of the "Actual" column.

The following is a general-purpose progress report form for you to use. You are asked for only three such reports, although it is a good idea to keep track of the work at all stages of a project. Use point form if desired. This form is submitted ELECTRONICALLY, so it is not really necessary to print it out, but you may wish to do so; you can download a copy of this form in .doc format by clicking here. Keep a printed version if you wish but distribute it to all group members whatever form you desire to have.

Your Progress Reports are to be submitted via email. Please note: It will be very helpful if you follow a standard naming convention when submitting your report. For the “Subject” field enter the appropriate progress report number (e.g. “Progress Report 1”), followed by your full group number (e.g. “Group x-y” where x is your CRN and y is the group number in the class). Although this same information is present within your submitted text file, it is not visible to the instructor until your file is opened. By adhering to these guidelines, your instructor can easily identify your group’s documents. Thanks for your attention to this matter.

It is not necessary to write long descriptions when completing this report; point-form responses are satisfactory. You should be accurate with your responses and be sure all members of your team receive copies and have approved the contents. It is highly recommended that the team keep a copy of each report. It may be helpful when the time comes to complete the peer assessment forms. One way to do this is to cc: each member of the group when emailing.

This file is in in a format to facilitate a copy-and-paste operation for you. The steps you can follow are:

(1) Highlight the entire document (CTRL-A),
(2) Copy the highlighted area to your Operating System’s clipboard (CTRL-C),
(3) Open a word processor (preferably MS Word),
(4) Start a new document,
(5) Paste the contents of the clipboard into your new document (CTRL-V),
(6) Type your responses in the boxes,
(7) Save the document on your hard drive with an appropriate name,
(8) Send an email to your instructor (licker@oakland.edu)
(9) Attach your file
(10) Send the email

Ten percent of your group project mark (or four percent of your overall grade!) depends on the evaluation of your solution by your client. This is reported on a form. However, you design this form and an additional two percent of the group project mark is the quality of this form as judged by your instructor. Remember that your client is evaluating your project in more aspects than just the how the prototype looks. However, please note that your client is not responsible for reading and assessing your written report.

If possible, the evaluation form should be submitted to your instructor with your project report. The evaluation need not be confidential to the instructor. Your client may discuss openly their evaluation with you. This type of feedback is encouraged. Your client must sign the form.

The following are requirements and guidelines for the assessment form that you will produce.

5) A question that states: “Overall evaluation on a scale from 0 to 10 where 10 is the highest.” This evaluation number, provided by your client, will be recorded by your instructor as your client’s assessment mark. If you wish, you can tell this to your client. The number can be a fraction (e.g. 8.5).

8) A disclaimer noting that you do not warrant the solution or the software and that you make no promises to improve the solution to meet criteria explicitly mentioned or implied in your evaluation form.

10) If you have questions to be answered on a scale (e.g., 1 to 10), be sure to place anchors on the scale (i.e., labels on the lowest and highest points appearing on the scale). These labels must be English phrases or words and not just numbers; therefore, it is clear as to the direction of the scale.

2) Appropriate other questions for the evaluation (other than the required "overall" one). Your instructor will consider the merit of these other questions. In addition, your instructor will determine if there are relevant questions that you should have placed on your form but failed to do so.

Be sure to provide ALL the required components of the form plus your appropriate assessment questions. Especially be certain to include the Contact Name and full postal address for your client. The MIS 300 Instructor will be sending a thank-you letter to each client on behalf of the students, instructors, and the School of Business Administration.

If possible, submit your completed and signed form with your written report. If your client cannot complete the assessment on time for the report submission, that’s understandable and you will not be marked late for this “client evaluation form” component of the project. However, your written report is still due on the stated delivery date. Please note that the signed client evaluation form must be submitted by the university’s official end of term date or a mark of zero will be awarded for this component of the project.

Note, some forms will be submitted electronically, others (those that have to be signed) are to be handed in to the instructor. THIS IS A GENERIC TIMELINE. Return to top to find a link to the specific timeline for the current semester.

9 Decision making, policy requirements, use cases. Chapter 7 (Management Support)

One component of this course is a real-world, applied course project (done in groups and focusing on the design and development of a prototype information system or application for a small organization). The purpose of having this component is six-fold:

1. To develop and exercise project management skills, especially focused in the area of information systems management

2. To understand how IT professionals work and what shapes their ability to respond to users’ needs by playing the role of various IT professionals during a complete application development cycle

3. To develop group cooperation skills and to understand how groups function in the context of a development exercise

5. To develop and exercise critical thinking, writing and presenting skills in the context of attempting to convince others of the value of an idea and an implementation

Any interviews that might be conducted in conjunction with this term project will be for the benefit of developing professional skills and knowledge and are not intended for academic publishing purposes. At the end of the academic term or after the student team’s presentation to their business client, the team will leave a copy of their prototype software and user documentation with the client.

The Group Project is done in teams of 5 or 6 students. The tasks of the project involve:

· Interacting with a business client (typically a non-IS person) from an IS perspective

· Making recommendations on all aspects of an IS, from an information requirements analysis through to diffusion of innovation and what you would do differently the next time with a similar project

· Demonstrating the working prototype solution, with emphasis on the business fit

· A 15-minute class presentation and a separate presentation to the client company (typically at the client's site)

Delivery of the group project final report and the file(s) of the prototype after the submission deadline will result in a penalty of 10 marks per day (24-hour period) late up to a maximum of three calendar days. This deduction will be applied to the final report mark assessed by your instructor. For example, if your report was graded at 43 out of 50, a one-day late penalty will reduce that mark to 33 out of 50. Submissions more than three days late will not be accepted and, in that case, the final report mark will be recorded as zero. The final report is a group effort and all members of the group will receive the same mark, i.e. all members of the group will suffer any applied penalty.

Please refer to the 2006 – 2007 Oakland University Catalog for details concerning the circumstances and consequences of academic misconduct and dishonesty. While all the factors outlined pertain to your conduct in your undergraduate program it is especially important to note that there are three areas of particular importance for this course:

(1) The use of improperly licensed software or the contravention of licensing provisions, especially in preparing course and assignment materials, may constitute a criminal act and, as such, will be reviewed under the Student Misconduct procedures.

(2) The Course Project is a group assignment for which a single submission is required from a team of students. If a student allows his/her name to stand on group work submitted when, in fact, there was essentially no contribution made or the student's contribution is misrepresented, then that student and the rest of the team may be guilty of academic misconduct and the situation will be reviewed under the Academic Misconduct procedures.

(3) Students are not to pay other students or outside parties to work on the project, especially concerning the design and construction of the database. This is an academic assignment constituting part of an Oakland University course.

At the end of the academic term or after your group’s presentation to your business client, your group will leave a copy of your prototype software and user documentation with your client. You will have no obligation or responsibility to perform any additional development or maintenance work on the delivered software or documentation.

*Project Team Number:*	CRN	Group ID
Client Organization (name):
Client Contact (name):
Progress Report Number:(1, 2, 3)
Reporter (your name):
Project on Schedule (check Pone box)	Yes	No
A. Meetings held and who attended (dates and names):	Date
	Attendees
B. Activities started and who is involved (items and names):



C. Activities completed (items):
D. Challenges encountered and our assessments / actions / decisions (descriptions):
E. Specific objectives and assignments for next reporting period (items with names of those responsible):




F. Things learned from the project activities during this reporting period (descriptions):

Week	Activities and Goals
1	Project groups formed (5-6 members). Exchange names, phone numbers. Decide on regular meeting times and locations. E-mail to your instructor a list of member names and email addresses (form below). Assess individual strengths and weaknesses in the context of an MIS project (such as work experience, programming, writing/editing, organizing, interests).
2	Determine the industry, primary and backup prospective client organizations, likely contact level, potential information needs. Establish phone contact with client organization representative. Explain the nature of the project and hand out "Letter to Prospective Clients" and “Client Agreement Form.”
3	Receive client go-ahead and arrange initial interview. Note: You should know your group dynamics by now. If anyone in your group has concerns, raise them with all members present. If necessary, arrange a meeting with your instructor when all members can attend and your instructor will act as a facilitator. Hand in to your instructor your Group Issues Report (on paper, one report per group, signed by all members) and your Student Code of Behavior for Field Projects form (one form per student, signed).
4	Submit Progress Report #1 (via email (see website)). Complete initial interview and write up the findings for your internal use. Determine the scope of the application discussed including general objectives and deliverables. Agree upon group approach and the roles of members in the group. If necessary, arrange for second client meeting to get further details.
6	Complete your business requirements analysis. Begin logical design (with Entity Relationship Diagram, Data Flow Diagram). Hand in to your instructor your signed Client Agreement form.
7	Complete your decision analysis and business case. Submit Progress Report #2 (via course website). Begin Prototyping based on use cases.
8	Note: this is Midterm Week. Focus on your exams and hopefully you are on schedule with your project.
9	Complete User Skill and Training Needs Document. Hand in to your instructor your Midpoint Peer Assessment form (on paper, one per group, signed by all members). Note: With over half the course completed, your group should be functioning well and everyone feeling comfortable with what has been accomplished and how the remainder of the work will be completed. Talk out your concerns with one another. Contact your instructor if conflicts cannot be resolved within your group.
10	Begin Implementation. Continue writing report for sections covered to date in lectures. Start planning and rehearsing in-class presentation.
12	Complete Prototype. Complete Test Report. Continue writing report for sections covered to date in lectures. Begin writing user documentation of prototype application. Submit Progress Report #3 (via course website).
13	Project presentations begin. Complete remaining sections of report. Design and submit Client Evaluation Form that later will be filled in by your client.
14	If possible, obtain client sign-off on your group-designed Client evaluation form. Review final report and complete finishing touches.
15	Submit completed project Final Report and prototype files (with Final Peer Assessment Form signed by all group members and your application evaluation form signed by your client, if possible)and signed Client evaluation form.

NAME	SIGNATURE	AVERAGE	ACTUAL
		100
		100
		100
		100
		100
		100
	Total (100 x number of members) =

Section:
Name	Email address