exercises

13. socio-organizational issues and stakeholder requirements

EXERCISE 13.1

A group of universities has decided to collaborate to produce an information system to help potential students find appropriate courses. The system will be distributed free to schools and careers offices on CD-ROM and will provide information about course contents and requirements, university and local facilities, fees and admissions procedures. Identify the main stakeholders for this system, categorize them and describe them and their activities, currently and with regard to the proposed system, using the CUSTOM framework.

answer

  • Primary - potential students, careers officers
  • Secondary - university admissions staff, schools liaison officers
  • Tertiary - students' families, local businesses, lecturers on specific courses

Example description for Careers Officer: (using CUSTOM, reduced form, p 461 of Human-Computer Interaction)

Current system

  1. Stakeholder has to provide information to potential students on available courses. Success is measured by student understanding and satisfaction and by the numbers of students matched to appropriate courses.
  2. Stakeholder is satisfied by finding a suitable course to meet a student's needs and finds it stressful when information is not available or accessible to meet this need.
  3. Stakeholder understands the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) system and knows how to find course details from manuals. Stakeholder has basic IT skills using a PC.
  4. Stakeholder enjoys work and feels valued by the organisation. Stakeholder is comfortable with technology.
  5. Stakeholder works alone. The only workgroups that are relevant are with class teachers who are consulted intermittently about individual students.
  6. Tasks include (1) interviewing students, (2) researching courses and opportunities, (3) writing summary information sheets, (4) liaising with universities and teachers. Some tasks (e.g. 2 & 3) are discretionary and can be done when the stakeholder has time. Others are fixed (1) or event driven (4). Some tasks may be fragmented by interruptions of enquirers 'dropping in'.
  7. Stakeholder is bound by confidentiality of individual student details and considers the responsibility of advising students on their futures a significant one.
  8. Stakeholder is working in a heated office environment in a school.

Proposed system

  1. As before. Stakeholder has to provide information to potential students on available courses Success is measured by student understanding and satisfaction and by the numbers of students matched to appropriate courses.
  2. Stakeholder is satisfied by finding a suitable course to meet a student's needs and multimedia system helps to facilitate this. Stakeholder must be assured that the information on the system is accurate and current.
  3. Stakeholder understands the UCAS system and knows how to find course details from manuals. Stakeholder has basic IT skills using a PC. Stakeholder must understand how to navigate the multimedia system.
  4. Stakeholder is comfortable with technology. However stakeholder may feel less valued as multimedia system allows students to access information directly.
  5. As before. Stakeholder works alone. The only workgroups that are relevant are with class teachers who are consulted intermittently about individual students.
  6. Tasks include (1) interviewing students, (2) researching courses and opportunities, (3) writing summary information sheets, (4) liaising with universities and teachers. Some tasks (e.g. 2 & 3) are discretionary and can be done when the stakeholder has time. Others are fixed (1) or event driven (4). Some tasks may be fragmented by interruptions of enquirers "dropping in". Task 2. is now facilitated by multimedia system.
  7. As before. Stakeholder is bound by confidentiality of individual student details and considers the responsibility of advising students on their futures a significant one.
  8. As before. Stakeholder is working in a heated office environment in a school.

Other exercises in this chapter

ex.13.1 (ans), ex.13.2 (ans), ex.13.3 (tut), ex.13.4 (tut), ex.13.5 (tut)

all exercises for this chapter