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Webstore Implementation and Maintenance Plan
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Webstore Implementation and Maintenance Plan
Introduction
System implementation is one of the most critical stages of the wholesome system development process that ensures the webstore at the end of the day is complete operation. Implementation involves the construction of the system from scratch or construction of a new system from an existing one. Some of the activities involved in system implementation include coding, testing, installation, documentation, training, and support. Coding in itself involves the conversion of the physical design specifications into executable computer code. Testing, on the other hand, is carried out using various strategies to verify and validate the product being implemented. With testing, the development team can possibly perform it alongside coding or wait until coding is completely done. After testing, the process that follows next is the installation, which mainly encompasses processes and strategies involving the replacement of the old system with a new one. In software development, a critical stage like implementation, which involves a couple of activities, must be put into a proper plan to avoid the risk of running out of time or even resources.
Subsequently, there is maintenance planning, which can be defined as an end-to-end process that not only identifies but also addresses eventualities ahead of time. It encompasses identifying tools and parts essential for the optimum working of the system and making sure everything goes as planned. Information system maintenance planning focuses on four major activities, which include obtaining requests related to maintenance, the transformation of such requests into necessary changes, designing the changes, and finally implementing those changes. In respect to Pine Valley Furniture’s webstore implementation plan as well as the maintenance schedule, there is a little peculiarity given the unique processing needs of the company. Since the final decision concerning details of implementation and maintenance of the PVF webstore is squarely the prerogative of the board, it is necessary they carryout out a review on the existing plan thereby eliminating some of the tasks believed to be redundant while adding some uniquely relevant to the company’s business strategy.
Plan Review
Conventionally, enterprises intending to venture into e-commerce at the beginning do so through the marketplaces then, later on, weigh options of developing their own webstores. This decision makes a lot of sense, given the magnitude of the initial work that developing an independent webstore involves. Also, reasons such as the wide base of ready clientele, a broad range of payment options, a fully developed shipment infrastructure, and a lot more advantages have always done businesses to go for existing marketplaces over developing an independent webstore from scratch. However, PVF made a decision to go for the latter decision citing reasons specific to its business model. Based on such, the already developed implementation and maintenance plan for the company’s webstore is full of generalities that the board of directors has since narrowed to address the company’s specific business strategy going forward. Below details, some of the recommendations suggested to the plan subject to the review process.
Recommendations
In view of the project product’s implementation and maintenance, the board made determinations in regard to the installation strategy best fitting the newly developed website, consequently issuing justification for the selected strategy over the others. Comparing the strategies was one important undertaking as it gave a full perspective of what each and every strategy could possibly offer the implementation and maintenance process of the new product, especially given the uniqueness surrounding the venture. Other issues that the recommendations tried to look into included the various documentations that need to be in place, training of users, and support unit as well. Also of significance is the testing plan, alternative organizational structure, methodologies of measuring quality as well as change request handling process and configuration management.
Installation Strategy
System installation refers to the process of program or hardware configuration with the intention of making it ready for execution. Conventionally, there are four types of installation strategies that have been in use for a longer time. These strategies include direct installation, single location installation, parallel installation, and phased installation. Direct installation involves a change from the old dispensation to the new one while completely disengaging the old system immediately. The new system starts operating (Phogat & Gupta, 2017). Almost opposite to it is the parallel installation, which involves the use of the old system alongside the new system until such a time that the management sees it wise to turn it off. Single-location installation strategy, on the other hand, involves trying out an information system at one site than relying on the experience from that one site to install the rest of the remaining sites in the organization. This strategy is also referred to as the pilot installation. The last strategy on the cards is phased installation, which is all about changing from the old system to the new dispensation incrementally beginning with a single or functionally light parts of the system then gradually moving to the remaining parts until the whole system becomes fully installed.
Parallel Strategy and Justification
In PVF, the board recommended the use of a parallel installation strategy. The board has gone through the four system installation strategies while taking into account the strengths and weaknesses of each preferred parallel installation strategy over the rest. It was the only strategy that gave room for a precautionary measure that the board greatly identified with. There was a general need to carry out the installation of the new system while also taking precaution with allowing critical processes to continue running on the old system due to its reliability (Lau, 2019). The installation process, in its own right, has to be thought through to avoid the danger of introducing mistakes that were originally avoided in the whole process. To ensure this, the board put forward certain considerations pertaining to key elements such as data conversion where things like error correction and loading from the old system are given great attention. The board also took note with the planned system shutdown the PVF business cycle intricacies.
Advantages and Disadvantages
A comparison of strengths and weaknesses among the four strategies of installation validated the board’s decision even further. The direct installation strategy has the advantage of promptness but fails to take care of the utmost caution required by larger systems such as the one for PVF’s webstore. The pilot installation strategy, on the other hand, has similar advantages as those of the parallel installation strategy. However, it presents numerous challenges with data conversion as it opens doors to the introduction of other vulnerabilities to the system. The strategy splits the system into various modules then installs each module independently, thereby increasing the chances of entry of bugs (Lau, 2019). The only problem with the parallel installation strategy is the high costs associated with its implementation, given the high number of human resources needed to oversee both the running of the two systems.
Documentation
The board of directors also reached a decision on documentation, which involved the preparation of two types of documents to the effect. The two types included system documentation and user documentation.
System Documentation
It was to the interest of the board that a system document is detailing information concerning design, specifications, as well as the internal workings and functionalities of the system. This document is prepared by the development team and captures every single detail of the significant stages of development right from requirements elicitation and analysis all the way to the last stage, which is deployment. System documentation serves the purpose of helping programmers and analysts to be able to understand and maintain the webstore after it has been installed. Contrary to user documentation, system documentation is a security document that cannot be entrusted with random people or published publicly. It contains the system’s source code plus other integral system elements.
User Documentation
The board also recommended the preparation of user documentation, commonly referred to as the user manual. The document is used to help system users understand how the system is operated. User documents exist in different types, namely; the procedures manuals, reference documents, and tutorials. This type of documentation mainly focuses on the usability of the system and not the general functionality of the system. PVF Company will publish on its website user documentation to increase the possibility of its accessibility among users.
User Support and Training
System users are critical components that have great influence as far as the success of the system is concerned. It is to this realization that the PVF Board of Directors saw it wise to detail a recommendation on user training and support. Support mainly involves the provision of ongoing educational assistance as well as problem diagnosis skills and solution assistance necessary to information system users (Będkowski et al., 2017). Given that the webstore system for the company was developed in-house, materials for support and the associated jobs will have to be internally designed. There is no uniqueness in doing that as every developer that goes for in-house development often avoids situations that can lead to sourcing of tools for support from outside at all costs. It is also recommended that the company management to avail necessary computing infrastructure that would see the successful implementation of all necessary resources that would be needed in carrying out primary user work. Some of these tools may include networking devices, computers, firewalls, and others.
When it comes to training the users, there are certain particular topics that must be covered regardless of the purpose of the system. These topics include; the system use, key concepts of an information system, general computing concepts, organizational concepts, system installation, and management, and others deemed necessary. The electronic performance system support system (EPSS) is also another software area that contains the software’s educational information (Będkowski et al., 2017). The EPSS can exist in numerous forms, including texts, the shell of an expert system, or hypertext jumps to reference materials. While the board was in total agreement that providing support and training to system users is so critical that there is no way to overlook it, the board was also cognizant of the fact that providing the same usually turn out to be an extremely expensive task especially when everything is restricted to help desk. In that case, the board advised on automating the support process to make it less expensive. Some of the ways to automate a support process include adopting the internet-based online support forums, using knowledge bases, or even voice response systems.
Testing Plan
The test plan, as recommended by the board, covers the scope, resources approach, and schedule of the activities lined up. The testing scope comprises all the modules forming the webstore while, on the other hand, the resources entail the technical skills provided by system testers together with all necessary documentations detailing requirements (Ravitch, 2016). The board recommended the testing process to last for four days, where the fast three days to be spent on testing the various units of the webstore system. The fourth day will be dedicated to integrated testing upon which the results will determine the day for hand over.
Alternative Organizational Structure
Since the mainstream structure is the newly developed webstore that provides PVF Company with total controls overall business functions, the board thought it wise to include an alternative structure to the organization. This alternative structure involves switching to a marketplace with key operations compatible with those of PVF. The main motivation for having alternative structures is due to the need to increase flexibility while shifting tasks. However, it will reduce the control that the PVF has on its key operations.
Quality Measurement
PVF’s webstore being a web-based business model, system quality will be pegged on three main issues; navigation quality, search engine quality, and quality of expert search. All that will be measured against issues such as how fast cans a user is able to find the desired information if the result matches what the user was looking for.
Configuration Management
The diagram below illustrates the company’s configuration management process
References
Będkowski, J., Majek, K., Pełka, M., Masłowski, A., Coelho, A., Goncalves, R., … & Sanchez, J. M. (2017). ICARUS training and support system. Search and Rescue Robotics: From Theory to Practice, 211.
Lau, R. J. (2019). U.S. Patent No. 10,296,445. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Phogat, S., & Gupta, A. (2017). Theoretical analysis of JIT elements for implementation in the maintenance sector. Uncertain Supply Chain Management, 5(3), 187-200.
Ravitch, D. (2016). The death and life of the great American school system: How testing and choice are undermining education. Basic Books.
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