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Dear Sir or Madam:
Thank you for your interest in sponsoring our students on a project for their introductory Management Information Systems course (MIS 300). I and The School of Business Administration of Oakland University 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.
Sincerely,
Paul S. Licker, Ph.D.
Professor, Management Information Systems
School of Business Administration, Oakland University