Vous êtes sur la page 1sur 22

PROFESSIONAL ISSUES IN IT 1

Professional Issues in IT

SOUAD MOHAMED TAHA ABDULLAH


PROFESSIONAL ISSUES IN IT 2

Acknowledgment

The success and outcome of this research project required a lot of guidance and

assistance from many people, and I am extremely privileged to have got this all along with the

completion of my paper. All that I have done is only due to their assistance, and I would not

forget to thank them. I want to express my special thanks of gratitude to my professor, especially

because he gave me the golden opportunity to do this wonderful research project on the topic

professional Issues in Information Technology, which also helped me in doing a lot of research

and I came to know about many new things. Also, I would like to thank my parents and friends

who helped me a lot in finalizing this project within the limited time frame.
PROFESSIONAL ISSUES IN IT 3

Table of Contents

Task 1..........................................................................................................................................................5
a. Computer Ethics..................................................................................................................................5
b. Professional Computer Expert Expectations........................................................................................5
c. Green IT Policy.....................................................................................................................................5
d. Intellectual Property Rights.................................................................................................................6
e. Professional Bodies..............................................................................................................................6
Task 2..........................................................................................................................................................7
a. Project Management Lifecycle.............................................................................................................8
b. The Project Initiation Phase.................................................................................................................8
c. Risk Planning........................................................................................................................................9
d. SWOT...................................................................................................................................................9
Task 3........................................................................................................................................................10
a. Risk....................................................................................................................................................10
b. Risk Management..............................................................................................................................10
c. Primary Risks......................................................................................................................................11
d. International Risk Management Standard ISO 31000........................................................................11
e. Qualitative versus Quantitative Risk Analysis....................................................................................11
f. Risks Probability.................................................................................................................................12
Task 4........................................................................................................................................................12
a. Methods of Releasing Software to Use..............................................................................................12
b. Most Feasible Method.......................................................................................................................13
C. Training Approaches..........................................................................................................................13
Task 5........................................................................................................................................................14
a. Service Level Specification.................................................................................................................14
b. Service Level Agreement...................................................................................................................15
c. Benefits and Problems of Outsourcing...............................................................................................15
d. IT Service Management (ITSM) Metrics.............................................................................................17
Part 6.........................................................................................................................................................18
a. Factors influencing Software Quality.................................................................................................18
PROFESSIONAL ISSUES IN IT 4

b. Software Quality factors....................................................................................................................18


c. Measurement of Software Quality.....................................................................................................19
d. Software Quality................................................................................................................................20
e. Most Important Quality Measure......................................................................................................20
References.................................................................................................................................................21
PROFESSIONAL ISSUES IN IT 5

Professional Issues in IT

Task 1

a. Computer Ethics

There is a need for Jim Page, Paro Ltd.’s managing director, and the warehouse manager

to consider ethical issues that may arise from creating a new system linking the computerized

estimating system and stock system in the warehouse. Common issues to be considered include

failure of a computer, the privacy of data, crimes that may be conducted through crimes such as

hacking. Other ethical problems that may arise are theft of software products, sabotage

perpetrated through viruses, issues to do with the copyright of the softwares, and replacement of

the human workforce with computers.

b. Professional Computer Expert Expectations

The IT expert hired plays a vital role in the computerization process, and they will be expected

to:

 Install all software necessary to run the entire system.

 Give recommendations for hardware equipment required, such as the acquisition of energy-

efficient computers with an Energy Star.

 Train and educate the Paro Ltd employees on how the new system works and ideal practices

that will help them work with the system better.

 Develop a software that will link the stock records and the computerized estimating system

c. Green IT Policy
PROFESSIONAL ISSUES IN IT 6

Green IT policies should be implemented at Paro Ltd. to help the organization to achieve

sustainable use of resources to ensure environmental conservation. Paro Ltd may take up

initiatives such as :

 Shift to renewable resources such as wind and solar energy as opposed to using non-

renewable energy that increases emissions in the environment that lead to global

warming.

 Invest in cloud computing which allows sharing of data and applications

 Use recyclable products such as the acquisition of computers from firms that accept old

computers.

d. Intellectual Property Rights

One of the steps that Paro Ltd should take to ensure that the software produced by

System5 belongs to the company is copyright protection. A significant reason why Paro Ltd.

should take the step is to ensure the protection of copyrights of the program that will be

developed for them. The protection of copyrights ensures that the distinct elements of a product

remain the property of the company. Paro Ltd should register th software that will be produced

with their attorney to help to protect it from theft from rogue operators.

e. Professional Bodies

ISACA is a professional body in the IT industry whose standards can be employed when

introducing the new system at Paro Ltd. The body is responsible for enhancing an acceptable

development and adoption of information systems. ISACA has developed a Code of Professional

ethics that that serves as a guideline fo how professionals in this conduct their operations. The

body requires the following conduct from its members:


PROFESSIONAL ISSUES IN IT 7

 Be diligent and exhibit professional care when executing their duties

 Exhibit competence by applying the skills and knowledge they have in this field.

 Conduct stakeholder education as a measure to enhance their understanding of the

information system and technology

 Protect information gathered when executing their duty to enhance the privacy and

confidentiality of clients’ information. Furthermore, members are expected to ensure that the

information collected is only used for the intended purpose unless when ordered otherwise by

a court order.

 Lawfully meet the needs of a client while maintaining the highest standards possible

 Disclose accurate information of the results yielded from the execution of a project. They

should ensure they do not distort results when reporting the progress or results of a project.

System5 employees must uphold some of the standards mentioned above because they are a

sure way of ensuring that they remain professional. Abiding by such standards, attracts various

stakeholders to your firm.

Task 2
PROFESSIONAL ISSUES IN IT 8

a. Project Management Lifecycle

Initiation

Planning

Execution

Closure

b. The Project Initiation Phase

 Conducting a feasibility assessment that involves problem identification and evaluating

whether the project will address the problem.

 Determining the scope of the project involves defining how deep or broad the project will be

 The deliverables of the project are then determined to by defining the products and services

that the project will offer

 Key stakeholders are identified because they influence the operations of the project

 A criterion is applied to determine the costs and benefits that will be accrued by the project

thereby developing a business case (Stark, 2015)

 Proper documentation is conducted of all the initial stages, such as the aim of the objective,

and a working agreement is struck between contractors working on the project and the

owners.
PROFESSIONAL ISSUES IN IT 9

c. Risk Planning

During the planning phase, risks that are involved in a project are planned for by:

 Doing a projection of the barriers that may halt the progress of a project

 Communication with your team to inform them of their roles and responsibilities

Risk handling can be conducted through:

 Mitigation-involves taking some measures that will reduce the damage that risk can cause

 Transfer-involves bringing in a third party such as an insurance company to cover costs

 Avoidance-appropriate measures are taken to reduce the likelihood of the riks occurring

d. SWOT

A SWOT analysis can be described as a tool used by business entities to develop

strategies that aid them in standing out from other players in the business. The tool describes the

strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that a business may face. The strengths and

weaknesses of business are considered to be internal factors that affect business success. The

internal factors may include but not limited to the business location, the skillset of the workers,

and the company’s intellectual property. The business often has control over these factors. A

company’s strengths are the desirable attributes that help the company to stand out from the rest

in the same industry. A company’s weaknesses are the negative attributes that serve as barriers to

business growth and success.

On the other hand, the threats and opportunities that may be present for a company are

considered to be external factors that affect the success of a business. Such factors include

consumers’ shopping habits, degree of competition, and price of inputs. Companies have little or

no control over such factors. Threats significantly reduce the chances of a company being

successful. On the other hand, the exploitation of business opportunities may help a company to
PROFESSIONAL ISSUES IN IT 10

grow and beat other competitors. A two-by-two grid is used when presenting these four aspects

of a company that is necessary when coming up with a strategy to remain relevant in business.

An ideal representation of Paro’s SWOT analysis is as follows:

Weaknesses
Strengths
Missing Information Technology department
Have a modern computerised estimating software
Poor communication channel
Paper-based system for stock taking at the warehouse
Effective management

Paro Ltd SWOT Analysis


Opportunities Threats
Incorporate new system to enahnce timely delivery Client poaching from competitors with beter etchnolgy
and retain clients and service delivery
Lawsuits from clients due to failure to meet deadlines
Denting the image of the company ue to clients getting
unsatisfied

Task 3

a. Risk

A risk is an uncertain event that may have both negative and positive impacts on the

objective of a project. Positive risks are toe whose occurrence positively impacts the objectives,

whereas negative risks are those that derail the project goals

b. Risk Management

Risk management to the measures that a team undertakes to identify, assess, prioritize

risks as procedures aimed at minimizing ad gaining control of the impacts. The procedures

further hep in advancing realization that may be available for an entity.


PROFESSIONAL ISSUES IN IT 11

c. Primary Risks

Paro Ltd mat will be faced with three primary risks that include schedule risks, budget

risks, and technical risks. Schedule risks are those that arise because the execution of a project

may take time and wrong estimation of the completion time. Additionally, the deficiency of

workers may result in the delays in completion of a project, thereby leading to schedule risks.

Paro Ltd may also be faced with technical risks that entail failure in the functionality and

performance of a system. Lack of modern efficient technology and too much sophistication of a

system may result in the technical risks. Paro Ltd. is vulnerable to this risk because it does not

have an IT department that could help in addressing this risk.

Finally, Paro Ltd. will be faced with the budget risk that arises when the costs of

execution of a project goes beyond the initial estimated budget. Wrong budget estimation during

the planning phase is a common factor that results in budget risks.

d. International Risk Management Standard ISO 31000

ISO31000 contains guidelines on how best to conduct risk management in such a way that an

entity will sail through a risk event. The standard lays out a holistic approach that aids in

companies deal with risk by:

1. Foregoing an activity as a measure of avoiding a risk event(Pillay & Jefferies, 2015).

2. Eliminating the source of the risk

3. Adjusting the probability

4. Adjusting the results

e. Qualitative versus Quantitative Risk Analysis


PROFESSIONAL ISSUES IN IT 12

Quantitative risk analysis refers to the assessment and documentation of the likelihood

and the consequences of speculated risks of a project. The approach here makes use of the

probability of occurrence of a risk and the repercussions that the risk has on the goals of the

project. On the flip side, quantitative risk analysis involves assessment of the effects of potential

risk projects on a project's goals numerically. The effects have to be quantified to evaluate the

possibility of achieving specific objectives of a project. The approach requires probabilistic

values for each risk factor and the quantitative description of the impacts.

In a nutshell, qualitative risk analysis uses a subjective evaluation of risk occurrence against the

potential severity of the risk impacts, whereas quantitative risk analysis uses appropriate data that

can be verified to come up with numerical values that aid in making predictions of the outcomes

of a risk event.

f. Risks Probability

Metric Scale (%) Risk levels Type of risk


<10 Low
10-30 Moderate Technical Risk and Budget

Risk
>30 High Operational risk

Task 4

a. Methods of Releasing Software to Use

1. Plan release

At this stage, the project gets structured systematically from the begin until the end to

help the team stays in track (Abrahamsson, Salo, Ronkainen, & Warsta, 2017). A systems

development life cycle (SDLC) can aid in coming up with a release plan.
PROFESSIONAL ISSUES IN IT 13

2. Build release

At this point, the project is matched to meet the needs stated n the release plan. It is done

once the release plan has been finalized.

3. User acceptance testing

User acceptance testing involves giving end users a chance to use the software and give

feedback(Abrahamsson, Salo, Ronkainen, & Warsta, 2017). The public or team players are

helpful in this undertaking.

4. Prepare release

The stage involves implementing feedback gathered in UAT and using it to come up with

the final product.

b. Most Feasible Method

The plan release method would be ideal for Paro Ltd., which applies the Systems

Development Life Cycle to enhance the efficiency and quality of the end-product. More to that,

the method displays workflow which the stakeholders and the team can refer to.

C. Training Approaches

Training is crucial in enhancing the adaptation of a new system within an organization. Roper

training of the employees at Paro Ltd will need to be undertaken by System5 once they have

developed the new software. Training enhances the acceptability of a new system within an

organization, improves job satisfaction among workers, and optimizes new technologies. With
PROFESSIONAL ISSUES IN IT 14

proper training, an entity can increase its productivity, and this is a sure way of getting

successful. Paro Ltd employees may be trained using the following methods:

 Video-based learning-this form of training involves the use of video that has a voice that

guides the trainee on various aspects of the software.

 Scenario-based learning- this form of training involves the creation of situations that the

trainee can relate to based on the position that they hold at the workplace.

 Interactive learning- this form of training gives room for the trainees to interact and hold

conversations that are meaningful in enhancing their understanding of a new system.

 Role-based simulation- this form of training gives workers a chance to get hands-on

experience without being put in the real world situation.

Paro Ltd should explore the scenario-based form training because I enhance understanding of

where and how the software is to be used

Task 5

a. Service Level Specification

Service Level Specification describes a set-out standard to which a service must be

delivered. The SLS is accompanied by an agreed performance monitoring regime that uses Key

Performance Indicators (Alqahtani, Solaiman, Patel, Dustdar, & Ranjan, 2019). More to that, it

includes the aims of a service being offered and the service performance. SLS also sets out the

quality and performance targets for standards that need to be complied with technically and even

standards relating to policy.

b. Service Level Agreement


PROFESSIONAL ISSUES IN IT 15

A service level agreement (SLA) helps to list the expectations of the type of service and

the quality of services that one should receive when they are outsourcing. SLA indicates the

expectations of clients by using metrics that the service will be measured on and the penalties in

case of a failed service agreement. SLA includes essential service and management elements.

Service elements refer to the specifics of the service being provided, such as obligations of all

parties, whereas the latter consists of the definition of measurement standards and

methods(Alqahtani, Solaiman, Patel, Dustdar, & Ranjan, 2019).

c. Benefits and Problems of Outsourcing

Paro Ltd may enjoy the following benefits by outsourcing software development include:

Time-saving

It enhances the speed of developing software that a company needs, thereby creating time

for focus on other business activities.

Improve the quality of products

System5 is made up of a qualified team that will ensure that the best quality software is

produced for use at Paro Ltd. Additionally, the development of quality software will enhance the

services that Paro Ltd will be delivering to clients by being timely.

Better development process

outsourcing a competent computing team will surely improve the development process

moreso because Paro Ltd does not have an IT department that could have addressed this issue at

hand.
PROFESSIONAL ISSUES IN IT 16

Cut costs

It helps to cut down on costs since there is no need to invest in infrastructure and other resources

that are needed for the development of the new software.

Enhances efficiency

System5 has a team of skilled computing professionals who know best how to achieve the

business goals that Paro Ltd has set(Globerman & Vining, 2017). More to that, they have the

experience that is needed to come up with an effective system.

On the other hand, outsourcing has its share of challenges which include:

Resistance from end-users

The service providers often try to make abrupt changes in processes and technology, which may

not be welcome by the clientele staff. Resistance would result, and this has the potential of

reducing productivity at Paro Ltd.

Lack of collaboration

The client staff, may not cooperate with the service providers say in providing reliable feedback

on the software[ CITATION Dan19 \l 2057 ]. If this were to happen, the software developed might

not service its business goals, and this would significantly lower the efficiency of new

technologies.

The clash between the culture of the client and service provider

The client and service provider may be having disparities in the organizational culture, which is a

hindrance effective software development. Culture disparities reduce the productivity of both

entities.

Unavailability of service providers to provide training


PROFESSIONAL ISSUES IN IT 17

The service providers may not be readily available to guide how to work with a new system, and

this may reduce the ease of the client to use new software. If this were to happen to Paro Ltd,

then the efficiency of the new technology would significantly decrease.

d. IT Service Management (ITSM) Metrics

Critical Success Factors(CSF) and Key Performance Indicators are indeed IT Service

Management metrics. ITSM may involve getting measurements that illustrate if a

particular procedure is efficiently advancing defined objectives. For each process in IT

Service Management, there must be 3-4 Critical Success Factors that have to happen for

the entire process to be successful. Every CSF has well-defined 3-4 KPIs, which are

measurements that may be used as proof of achievement[ CITATION Ste172 \l 2057 ]. ITSM

measurements occur in four categories that include performance, value, quality, and

compliance. The CSF and KPIs have to be documented properly so that there is no

uncertainty as to their source and calculation. Processes involved in CSF and KPIs aid in

advancing the objectives of a process and encouraging particular desired behavior.

e. Standards of ISO/IEC 20000-1: 2018 Service Management

The ISO/IEC 20000-1:2018 contains guidelines for companies to establish, implement,

and improve service management systems. The code includes a shared ISO high-level

structure that aids in assuring the usefulness and interconnectivity of ISO management

standards. The standard emphasized a deeper understanding of customer’s needs and

offers better values for customers in service delivery and allowing continual

improvement. Through the standards laid out, the development of the new system will be

impacted in need to enhance visibility in enhancing the continual improvement of the

proposed software. Getting the ISO/IEC 20000 certification is beneficial since it


PROFESSIONAL ISSUES IN IT 18

increases credibility and gives you a competitive edge, enhances market access, improves

productivity, and ensures continual improvement.

Some of the standards that may be applicable for Paro Ltd is clause five that deals with

the leadership. It dictates that the top management should establish and communicate

service management policy. The policy should be effective enough to communicate roles

and responsibilities. Another standard is laid out in clause nine that states that there

should be an evaluation of an SMS by monitoring, measuring, and analysis of a system.

Part 6

a. Factors influencing Software Quality

The factors affecting the quality of software may be classified as product operation

factors, production transition factors, and product revision factors. Factors under the product

operation include integrity and usability, and for transition factors, there is portability and

usability(Subih et al., 2019). Finally, under revision factors, there is flexibility and testability.

b. Software Quality factors

The new system being introduced at Paro Ltd also needs to meet various software qualities, as

discussed earlier. The software should be modelled in such a way that it is efficient, correct,

reliable, integral and usable.

Correctness

The software system should produce the correct output that meets the needs of the client.

Such factors include how to complete data is, the output mission, how accurate data is and the
PROFESSIONAL ISSUES IN IT 19

volume of data that is available(Subih et al., 2019). More importantly, the data that is available

should be the most recent to ensure updates of the information.

Reliability

The reliability requirements are more concerned with the failure of the services of the software.

A determination of the maximum number of times that software should fail is conducted and in

can be used to refer to the entire system or an individual function.

Efficiency

Efficiency is concerned with the resources(hardware) that aid in performing functions of

a software system. The capability to process and those of data communication are some of the

aspects that are checked. Furthermore, storage capability also matters and is an essential

consideration.

Integrity

This factor deals with the software system security, that is, to prevent access to unauthorized

persons, also to distinguish between the group of people to be given read as well as write

permitted.

Usability

Usability requirements deal with the staff resources needed to train a new employee and to

operate the software system.

c. Measurement of Software Quality

Quantitative measurement of software quality methods are:

 Algorithms analysis

 Number of code lines


PROFESSIONAL ISSUES IN IT 20

Qualitative measurement of software quality methods are:

 The complexity of a software

 Functional points analysis

d. Software Quality

Software functional quality reflects how well it complies with or conforms to a given

design, based on functional requirements or specifications. That attribute can also be described

as the fitness for a piece of software or how it compares to competitors in the marketplace as a

worthwhile product (Subih et al., 2019).  Software quality describes the measure to which

software that has been developed meets the desired needs. Structural quality describes how much

the software meets the non-functional needs, such as maintainability. Non-functional

requirements refer to those that described how a given system should work.

e. Most Important Quality Measure

The most important quality measure is the functional points analysis. This is so because,

as indicated earlier, functional software quality reflects how well it complies with or conforms to

a given design based on functional requirements or specifications.


PROFESSIONAL ISSUES IN IT 21

References

Abrahamsson, P., Salo, O., Ronkainen, J., & Warsta, J. (2017). Agile software development

methods: Review and analysis. arXiv preprint arXiv:1709.08439.

Alcanja, D., 2019. The Challenges of Outsource Software Development. [Online]

Available at: https://medium.com/@danielalcanja/the-new-era-of-outsourcing-software-

development-c5c4099342b3

[Accessed 10 November 2019].

Alqahtani, A., Solaiman, E., Patel, P., Dustdar, S., & Ranjan, R. (2019). Service level agreement

specification for end‐to‐end IoT application ecosystems. Software: Practice and

Experience.

Globerman, S., & Vining, A. R. (2017). The outsourcing decision: A strategic framework.

In Global outsourcing strategies (pp. 27-40). Routledge.

Michael, S., Michael, B., & Thomas, S. (2019, April). IT Service Management Frameworks

Compared–Simplifying Service Portfolio Management. In 2019 IFIP/IEEE Symposium

on Integrated Network and Service Management (IM) (pp. 421-427). IEEE.

Pillay, M., & Jefferies, M. C. (2015). A revised framework for managing construction health and

safety risks based on ISO 31000. Proceedings CIB W099 Belfast 2015, 468.

Stark, J. (2015). Product lifecycle management. In Product lifecycle management (Volume

1) (pp. 1-29). Springer, Cham.


PROFESSIONAL ISSUES IN IT 22

Subih, M. A., Malik, B. H., Mazhar, I., Yousaf, A., Sabir, M. U., Wakeel, T., ... & Nawaz11, H.

(2019). Comparison of Agile Method and Scrum Method with Software Quality

Affecting Factors. Int. J. Adv. Comput. Sci. Appl, 10(5).

Watts, S., 2017. ITSM Metrics & KPI’s for Measuring Success. [Online]

Available at: https://www.bmc.com/blogs/itsm-kpis-metrics-success/

[Accessed 10 November 2019]

Vous aimerez peut-être aussi