The Support P1 Project is a continuation of the Information Systems Analysis project initiated in IS 421 (Winter1999). Three of the four original members of the project are now on the current team; two new members have joined the team. The Executive Summary below describes the final deliverable submitted in the analysis phase.

Zurich Kemper Life has used the PeopleSoft Financial Modules for the past two years to manage the financial operations of the company. The software maintains the General Ledger and Accounts Payable functions for financial reporting and generates checks as well. As the financial modules have gained acceptance, requests to create and modify software have increased. Until this point, the technical support staff informally took requests in-person, by phone or e-mail. But Management in both the Information Technology and Financial Operations departments has asked our team to standardize this process by implementing a tracking system to handle the requests efficiency.

The new tracking system needs to address the following issues:

Through interviews with the decision-makers in the Information Technology and Financial Operations departments, our team has collected the data needed to develop a new information system to manage these issues. Using the FAST Methodology, we have analyzed the data and processes of this system. Our report details our findings and recommendation to continue into the development phase of this project. With existing Lotus Notes database technology, the software will be a feasible and efficient alternative to the present chaos.

Based on the fact that we are all mature adults that cannot be fired and are not getting paid, our Team Manager will act as a coordinator or consensus-builder. In other words, we will manage ourselves in a consensus-building management model. We basically worked with this model last term, deciding together who is responsible for what portion of the project, then allowing people to do their portion of the project. The team manager will be responsible for:

* Coordinating a team-wide consensus for action in each phase.

* Allowing all suggestions to be heard by the team.

Adam Oxer will take this role.

We will be documenting our project on a Web site that all team members will access, but only the Webmaster can modify it. The Webmaster will be responsible for the information on the Support P1 Web Site. That includes the following:

* The archive of the material from the Analysis Phase of the Project

* The archive of e-mail messages that our team sends to each other over the course of the Design Phase of the project.

* The archive of notes created in our team meetings.

* The archive of e-mail messages and notes when interacting with our client.

* Deliverables, written code and other output created by our team.

Zeeshan Khan will take this role.

In the Analysis Phase of the project, one of our team members was an "insider" or employee of our client firm. This term, we are without this inside edge, but will continue the project . The Business Analyst will communicate with our former team member, Kamran Hussain, who has agreed to act as our client in this project. The Business Analyst will work as the anchor person between the client and the team, continuously verifying that the project meets the client's requirements.

Adam Oxer will take this role.

The Database Administrator will work with the client to make sure that data are kept clean and accurate.

Julio Salazar will take this role.

This role will be performed by a team member who turns the knowledge of the team into documentation for the end-users. In our situation, the end deliverable will be easy-to-use online help documentation.

Sophia Clay will take this role.

This person in this role will coordinate the written material that needs to be output in Deliverable B.

Julio Salazar will take this role.

Our intentions are to use MS Access to design this system. The System Designer will be responsible for creating the design prototype, given the project requirements.

Juan Casillas will take this role.

The person in this position will be using the Graphical User Interfaces available in MS Access to create easy-to-use screens.

Juan Casillas will take this role.

By using MS Access, much of the code is created by the application. Any custom coding will be done by the person in this position.

Juan Casillas will take this role.

The team will communicate through e-mail and at group meetings. Each e-mail will be sent to the repository to be archived.

Regular group meetings will be conducted to discuss team progress and project issues. The frequency of these meeting will depend on how the team proceeds through the different phases. At each group meeting, someone will be designated to take notes and those notes will also be put in the repository. All team members will have access to all project documents and databases once the repository, in the form of a Web site, is created.

The repository or Web site, will be the Webmaster's responsibility. As noted under the Webmaster's role.

The Business Analyst will do communication with the client. This has been described in the Business Analyst's role. While e-mail will be the most common form of communication, the telephone will be used in urgent situations

A one-on-one meeting between the Business Analyst and the client will be scheduled if a detail/issue cannot be solved through e-mail or by phone.

In any phase of the project, a presentation for the client will be put together, if requested.

Using the FAST methodology, our team will manage the SupportP1 Project through the configuration, procurement and design phases. At each phase of the project, the team will include a feasibility checkpoint. This will be the point where we will discuss our opinions with the client regarding continuing or ending the project.

The Team Manager will be responsible for coordinating the team members through the phases of the project. He will make sure that project is completed within the allocated time and meet the user requirements. We will follow the guidelines and deadlines that are provided in the course outline.