Before you begin this assignment, be sure you:

1. Have completed all previously assigned readings, particularly those assigned in Weeks 3 and 4 of the class.
2. Re-read the “Kelly’s Salon Case Study” and the Stage 1 &2 assignments, and review the “Walmart Example.”
3. Review Instructor feedback from previous assignment submissions.

Overview of IT Requirements for a System to Improve the Process atKelly’s Salon

For your Case Study Stage 1 assignment, you performed a Five Forces Analysis and justified Kelly’s chosenstrategy for competitive advantage and the business process that she would like to improve through the application of technology.

For your Stage 2 assignment, you identified the inputs, processing, and outputs of Kelly’s selectedbusinessprocess.  Those inputs, processing, and outputs form the functional (business) requirements for an IT system to improve the process.

In Stage 3, you will define theIT requirementsby evaluating their applicability and importancein a new system to be implemented to improve the identified business process for Kelly’s Salon. Therequirements that are identified as relevant to the business process will form the IT (technical) requirements for a system.  In evaluating and selecting an IT system, both the functional (business) requirements and the IT requirements need to be considered.  The areas that need to be consideredin developing the IT requirements are listed below in the Table of IT Requirements.Depending on the specific process being improved and the data it uses, the areas listed will vary in both relevance and importance.  For example, in a system to handle applications for Social Security, security and privacy are extremely important; but for a system to list what movies are being shown, privacy is not applicable at all. Your analysis must relate to the process Kelly seeks to improve.

When both the functional (business) and technical (IT) requirements are identified, the system requirements are complete enough that you can then begin looking for a specific solution to meet the needs of Kelly’s Salon.  Researching and finding an appropriate system to improve the process at Kelly’s Salon will be done in Stage 4.

Analysis of IT Requirements:

• IT Requirement: The areas to be considered are listed in the table.  Be sure to research each term to ensure understanding as to whether and how it would apply to theKelly’s Salon process being improved and the data it uses.  A table of sources of the definitions of the requirements is provided below to assist you.  Be sure you use a definition that applies to IT and this assignment, and not a generic definition of the term.
• Rankings: High/Medium/Low Importance or Relevance or Not Applicable (N/A): You will rank each requirement as to how important or relevant it is to the process being improved and the data it uses.  Each will be ranked as High, Medium or Low, or Not Applicable to the process and its data.
• Explanation of Ranking: Using the definition of the term you researched and the ranking you selected, provide an explanation and tell how this requirement applies to the Kelly’s Salonprocess and the data it uses, or why it does not apply.  All requirements must be ranked and a thorough explanation that demonstrates understanding of the topic must be provided.Please note that even N/A items require an explanation.  A minimum of three good sentences should be used for each explanation.

The responses that you enter into the table for each requirement must be aligned to the specific business process to be improved and the data it uses, and must be appropriate to the Kelly’s Salon business. Be sure to consider the type of data (inputs and outputs – from Stage 2) that the system will handle as you determine the applicability and importance of each consideration.  If a requirement is not relevant to the process, mark it “N/A.”  Remember to provide a thorough explanation for every item under consideration, including those marked N/A.

Do not try to create a reason if there is none, but carefully analyze each requirement and determine whether it applies and how.  Explanations must provide enough information to convey the reasoning behind the ranking and to demonstrate that you understand the requirement.  DO NOT copy definitions into the table; use your own words to explain the terms.

Assignment: Kelly’s Salon Stage 3:  Create a document that includes:

1. Introduction

At the top of your paper, show the generic strategy for competitive advantage that Kelly selected and the business process she has chosen to improve (see the Stage 1 assignment), using the following format:

Generic Strategy for Competitive Advantage:    xxxxxxx (just name the strategy)

Business Process to Be Improved:    xxxxxxxxx (just name the process)

1. Table of IT Requirements

• Copy the table below into your paper.
• Rank each requirementas High, Medium or Low in Importance/Relevance or Not Applicable (N/A) to a system to improve the process,
• Explain each ranking, as described in the table, including explanations for N/A.
• Definitions of the IT requirements are listed in Course Resources tableabove.

Formatting: 

For academic writing, the writer is expected to write in the third person. In third person, the writer avoids the pronouns I, we, my, and our. The third person is used to make the writing more objective by taking the individual, the “self,” out of the writing. This method is very helpful for academic writing, a form in which facts, not opinion, drive the tone of the text. Writing in the third person allows the writer to come across as unbiased and thus more informed.

• Submit one document that includes the Table of Requirements.
• Table entries should be single spaced.
• Use APA formatted citations and references for any external sources used.
• Include a title page, and a reference page if references are included.
• Compare your final work to the rubric to be sure you have met content and quality criteria.
• Submit your paper as a Word document, or a document that can be read in Word.
• Your submission should include your last name first in the filename: Lastname_firstname_Stage _3

GRADING RUBRIC: