The University has introduced

August 31, 2018

Faculty of Technology – Coursework Brief 2017/18

Module name:

Fundamentals of BI Systems

Module code:

IMAT 5166

Title of the Assignment:

Summative Assessment 1: BI Systems Business Case

This coursework item is:

Summative

(with formative, ‘must attempt’ presentation)

This summative coursework will be marked anonymously

No
Why not anonymously marked?

The University has introduced the requirement to anonymously mark all assessment work. However, it recognises that, for some forms of assessment, anonymous marking is neither possible nor appropriate. Following prior consultation between students and staff, it has been agreed that this assessment will not be marked anonymously as it comprises work individually negotiated with the tutor and there will be individual interaction with the tutor to acquire formative feedback. Thus, this work cannot be marked anonymously as the work will be individually identifiable by your assessing tutor.

IMAT 5166 Fundamentals of BI Systems

Tasks:

Based on, or within, an organisational environment of your choosing1, provide a business case for a proposed BI system development for that organization. This could be a completely new BI system proposal (if there was none already present within your chosen company) or provide proposed changes to the existing BI System within your chosen company. The business case should allow senior management within the selected organization to effectively assess the feasibility of your proposal. It should cover at least the following:

  • An overview of the BI system proposal, which may include the management information it will provide, the possible data source(s) and the underlying technical architecture.

  • How the BI system proposal aligns with the organisation’s corporate strategy.

  • A competitor analysis of existing BI systems, and what this means for the BI systems proposal for your chosen company.

  • An overall statement of the current position with respect to MSS within the organization and how the BI system proposal overcomes any weaknesses in these systems.

  • Cost Benefit Analysis.

  • Risk Assessment.

Non-technical, as well as technical, aspects should be considered where appropriate.

(Note: If you do not have all the information you need regarding any aspects of MSS/BI systems within your company, you may need to make some reasonable assumptions and amplify the descriptions accordingly, as you may have to do with the company description1.)

In addition, you MUST provide two ‘appendices’ to the business case. Although not forming part of a typical BI system business case, these are required to (a) provide the overall context for your business case, and (b) to show you understand the features and typical categorizations of MSS.

Appendix 1 should provide a concise and clear overview of the selected organization, which should at least include:

  • Its purpose, including corporate vision and strategy.

  • Its overall structure.

  • Its existing IS/IT infrastructure.

This overview should be around 1,000 words. It can contain one or more figures, tables, etc. as appropriate (text in these is not included in the calculation of overall word length).

Appendix 2 should provide a detailed assessment of FOUR of the existing MSS within your target organisation. For EACH of the four identified MSS, you should provide the following information:

  • What the MSS is called by the organisation

  • Key points that explain the purpose and function of the MSS in terms of management support.

  • A short explanation of the data sources for the MSS

  • The categorisation of the MSS (may be more than one, if it has subsystems that have different characteristics)

  • Key arguments to justify why the MSS is categorised as it is.

There is no word limit for the four MSS assessments; the important point is that quality rather than quantity is provided. Bullet points and/or descriptions should be clear and relevant. Arguments for the categorisation(s) given should be clear, concise and convincing! You should use the Table structure provided on the last page of this coursework brief to present your work.

You can provide this assessment, or parts of it, in another equivalent form. For submissions involving other forms of submission (e.g., presentation with voice-over), the same content, conciseness and persuasive arguments are required. The only difference is that you have more control over how you ‘present’ the work. It is strongly recommended that you discuss your submission format with the module tutor as soon as possible, under these circumstances, to ensure its equivalence and feasibility.

Deliverables:

There are two formal deliverables to this assessment; one formative (individual BI Business case presentation) but must be attempted to ensure the full range of marks are available, and one summative BI Systems Business Case (as described above).

A copy of the marksheet for the summative assessment, completed with your self-evaluations on the criteria listed (please use percentages), should be submitted with your BI Systems Business Case. (You are also permitted to attach a small amount of additional and appropriate evidence to support one or more your claims, should this be necessary.)

The formative presentation is a ‘must attempt’ component. Failure to attempt this component will result in you obtaining a maximum of 50% (bare pass) award for the BI systems business case. It provides you with the opportunity to gain valuable feedback from both your tutor and your peer group regarding your work on your BI system business case so far. It also allows you to learn from each other and share knowledge/examples. Finally, it provides a milestone for your own assignment work plan by which point you know you have to have done significant work on the BI systems business case. (The tutor will provide you with more information regarding the presentation later in the Module).

You may also be asked to attend a short viva with one or more tutors. You may be selected for a viva for a variety of reasons; for instance, to verify that the work you have submitted is understood/written by you, to clarify aspects of the work to aid marking or just because you were randomly selected. Your mark may go up or down as a result of a viva. Failure to attend a viva regarding a summative assessment component, when you have been asked to do so, may result in you obtaining zero marks for that summative assessment component.

1 Some students will have an existing company upon which to base their assignment. Maybe this is a company that they have worked for, or that a family member owns or works within. Given the nature of most BI systems, it is better to consider a medium or large company as the focus of your coursework.

Unfortunately, not all students will have access to such a company. In this case, the student needs to consider what information can be collected about a suitable company by other means. The Internet is sometimes a good place to start, and company websites usually contain some information as to the nature of the company and its origins, and possibly its mission/objectives. You may find that there is more information on organisations within the public sector (rather than the private sector), such as schools, universities, hospitals, councils. When it comes to the MSS in particular, there may need to be some creativity (assumptions made) as to their specific purpose and functions. References, for example trade or academic journal articles, may be sourced so as to enhance descriptions of the IT systems at the company being investigated. Remember to appropriately cite, and to provide all the details of, your source references within your submission.

Unless agreed with the tutor, all students are to study a different organisational setting.

Table structure for Appendix 2: MSS Assessment

MSS name

MSS purpose and function

MSS data source(s)

MSS Categorisation(s)

Justifications for the categorisation(s) given

1.

Sources of data include…..

This system is a ……

2.

3.

4.
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