Systems Development: Design, Implementation, Maintenance, and Review - Principles of Information Systems - page 564

Figure 13.13

The Value of Investment in
Design

$250,000
200,000
150,000
100,000
50,000
0

Good
design

Poor
design

Maintenance cost

Design cost

SYSTEMS REVIEW

Systems review , the final step of systems development, is the process of analyzing systems
to make sure that they are operating as intended. This process often compares the perfor-
mance and benefits of the system as it was designed with the actual performance and benefits
of the system in operation. In some cases, a formal audit of the application can be performed,
using internal and external auditors. 69 Systems review can be performed during systems de-
velopment, resulting in halting the new systems while they are being built because of
problems. 70 A payroll application being developed for a national health service, for example,
was almost $170 million over budget. As a result, work on the application that serves about
37,000 workers was halted so the entire project could be reviewed in detail.
Problems and opportunities uncovered during systems review trigger systems develop-
ment and begin the process anew. For example, as the number of users of an interactive
system increases, it is not unusual for system response time to increase. If the increase in
response time is too great, it might be necessary to redesign some of the system, modify
databases, or increase the power of the computer hardware.
Internal employees, external consultants, or both can perform systems review. When the
problems or opportunities are industry-wide, people from several firms can get together. In
some cases, they collaborate at an IS conference or in a private meeting involving several
firms.

systems review
The final step of systems
development, involving the analysis
of systems to make sure that they
are operating as intended.

Types of Review Procedures
The two types of review procedures are event-driven and time-driven (see Table 13.5). An
event-driven review is triggered by a problem or opportunity such as an error, a corporate
merger, or a new market for products. In one case, a large insurance company operating in
Louisiana was ordered by a Louisiana court to pay a client over $500,000 in wind damages
and over $2 million in fines for not paying the claim in a timely fashion. 71 This helped trigger
an event-driven review that resulted in new software claims programs.

event-driven review
A review triggered by a problem or
opportunity such as an error, a
corporate merger, or a new market
for products.

Table 13.5

Event Driven Time Driven

Examples of Review Types

Problem with an existing system Monthly review

Merger Yearly review

New accounting system
Executive decision that an
upgraded Internet site is needed
to stay competitive

Review every few years
Five-year review