Reflective Log
As you start to research into possible case studies, and then later as you plan your report, you should keep a reflective log. This should chart the progress of your thinking during the course of the Semester. For instance, after each lecture session you should critically reflect on how the material presented helps you to identify issues relevant to the case studies under consideration. As you come across sources and possible case studies note these down, and then outline the reasons for continuing with some of them and discarding others. Bear in mind the requirements for part 2 of the assignment when compiling your log.
The reflective log details the progress of your thinking. Here are some ideas for what to include:
? written reflections
? annotated photocopied sections of relevant documents you have researched (do not include more than 20 pages in total of researched material in your submission)
? clippings and ideas collected from lectures and other sources
? notes/jottings and diagrams
Obvious questions to start the reflective process are: Why was this case study chosen? What issues does it exemplify? How can the module materials be applied to the case study ? e.g. ideas about risk, quality, management, security, usability, and so on. How could things have been done differently?
There are no definitive answers to these questions. You need to develop your own understanding!
The real value of this part of the assignment will be shown in the way in which it informs your formal report. You may reference sections of your log in the formal report.
 
Part 2 case studies
1. Case study: Thousands of children at risk after NHS computer fault (26 Feb 2006)
As many as 3,000 babies and toddlers may have gone without crucial vaccinations because a privatized NHS computer system has failed to monitor which children are due for jabs and whether they have received them.
The study (NHS computer fault Factors: A Revisit) analyses and identifies the failure factors of IT projects in the UK NSH.
An Observer investigation has found that the child health information system, introduced last summer as part of the government’s ?7 billion IT programme, has derailed the country’s entire vaccination programme, leaving health staff resorting to slips of paper to work out who needs immunising. Several women whose babies were stillborn have received letters asking them to take their babies for their first vaccinations.
Discuss each case study in the light of the NAO materials. For instance if a case study is from the public sector, how does its success/failure reflect upon the effectiveness of the NAO? Or did the case study predate the NAO, in which case have the relevant lessons been learned and incorporated into current practice and advice?
Reference
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2006/feb/26/health.medicineandhealth1
http://www.theregister.co.uk/
http://www.zdnet.co.uk/
http://www.computerweekly.com/Home/Default.aspx
http://www.computing.co.uk/
 
2. Case study: U.K. government hit with another large computer failure
DWP admits multiple fraud system failures 9 hours of disruption in 2010
IT system failures continued to plague the U.K. government this week, when as many as 80,000 civil servants working for the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) had to deal with what is being described in the local press as the biggest computer crash in government history.
Microsoft Corp. and Electronic Data Systems Corp. (EDS) run the DWP’s network as part of a $3.8 billion information technology contract.
Discuss each case study in the light of the NAO materials. For instance if a case study is from the public sector, how does its success/failure reflect upon the effectiveness of the NAO? Or did the case study predate the NAO, in which case have the relevant lessons been learned and incorporated into current practice and advice?
Reference
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/04/09/fraim_downtime/
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/97853/U.K._government_hit_with_another_large_computer_failure
http://www.zdnet.co.uk/
http://www.computerweekly.com/Home/Default.aspx
http://www.computing.co.uk/
case studies Formal Report word limit: 3500
Using your reflective log as a resource, write a formal report aimed at an academic audience to address the following topic areas:
 Outline the two case studies that you have selected ? explain why they were chosen. Then discuss the management and quality issues that they raise, relating these issues to the module materials, and research literature and sources;
 Discuss each case study in the light of the NAO materials. For instance if a case study is from the public sector, how does its success/failure reflect upon the effectiveness of the NAO? Or did the case study predate the NAO, in which case have the relevant lessons been learned and incorporated into current practice and advice?
 Discuss the ways in which the issues raised by both case studies could have been addressed in a more effective manner, relating these recommendations to the module materials and relevant literature, including the materials derived from the papers for discussion. Credit will be given for illustrating your answer with examples of how concepts and techniques introduced in the module or derived from your reading could have been applied to some of the management and quality issues you have identified in part (i).
 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of a range of advanced and contemporary approaches to information systems management and quality.
 Analyse problems and scenarios objectively using appropriate concepts and techniques.
 Identify solutions to information systems issues by applying appropriate strategies, methods and techniques.
 Review and critically evaluate current perspectives, methods and strategies in information systems management and quality enhancement, relating them to the existing knowledge base in organisations.
 Demonstrate practical skills in information systems management and in the implementation and review of quality standards.
National audit Office [NAO]
Attached is an article from The Guardian (5 January 2008) which mentions a number of UK Government IT Failures. (NB The title of the article is ?Not Fit for Purpose?.) This mentions 5 different projects. For your assignment you need to look for examples of IS systems (failures or successes) in the private or public sectors, in the UK or elsewhere, which may or may not include one or more of those referred to in the article itself. Your aim is to select 2 case studies for use in the formal report ? see below.
You will also be directed to various materials published by the National Audit Office [NAO].
As well as BBC, Newspapers and other sources here are a few others to help get you started:-
http://www.theregister.co.uk/
http://www.zdnet.co.uk/
http://www.computerweekly.com/Home/Default.aspx
http://www.computing.co.uk/
Discuss each case study in the light of the NAO materials. For instance if a case study is from the public sector, how does its success/failure reflect upon the effectiveness of the NAO? Or did the case study predate the NAO, in which case have the relevant lessons been learned and incorporated into current practice and advice?
1. Case study: Thousands of children at risk after NHS computer fault (26 Feb 2006) in UK.
As many as 3,000 babies and toddlers may have gone without crucial vaccinations because a privatized NHS computer system has failed to monitor which children are due for jabs and whether they have received them.
The study (NHS computer fault Factors: A Revisit) analyses and identifies the failure factors of IT projects in the UK NSH.
An Observer investigation has found that the child health information system, introduced last summer as part of the government’s ?7 billion IT programme, has derailed the country’s entire vaccination programme, leaving health staff resorting to slips of paper to work out who needs immunising. Several women whose babies were stillborn have received letters asking them to take their babies for their first vaccinations. Please read this article online: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2006/feb/26/health.medicineandhealth1
2. Case study: U.K. government hit with another large computer failure – DWP admits multiple fraud system failures 9 hours of disruption in 2010.
IT system failures continued to plague the U.K. government this week, when as many as 80,000 civil servants working for the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) had to deal with what is being described in the local press as the biggest computer crash in government history.
Microsoft Corp. and Electronic Data Systems Corp. (EDS) run the DWP’s network as part of a $3.8 billion information technology contract. Please read this article online: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/97853/U.K._government_hit_with_another_large_computer_failure
Your report should typically be 3500 words in length and should be presented professionally.
Whilst Descriptive narrative is necessary for this type of assignment, this is PhD level and we will be looking for evidence of research and critical evaluation. You will be expected to research appropriate literature and show evidence of this within your assignment.
A professional level of presentation is expected and marks will be deducted for poor quality of presentation
Consideration will be given to the following:
You are assessed on your ability to research a given subject area and evidence that research correctly in your report.
The distinction is drawn between descriptive narrative and critical evaluation. Descriptive narrative is required for providing context and evidence of your knowledge of the subject area under investigation. Critical evaluation is required to demonstrate work at PhD level. You should be analytical in your writing to demonstrate not only your knowledge but also your understanding and insights regarding the subject area.
 
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jan/05/computing.egovernment
Not fit for purpose: ?2bn cost of government’s IT blunders
? Catalogue of abandoned projects over seven years
? ?1.6bn wasted by work and pensions ministry
?Bobbie Johnson and David Hencke
?The Guardian,
?Saturday January 5 2008
The cost to the taxpayer of abandoned Whitehall computer projects since 2000 has reached almost ?2bn – not including the bill for an online crime reporting site that was cancelled this week, a survey by the Guardian reveals.
The failure of the multimillion pound police site marks the latest chapter in the government’s litany of botched IT projects, with several costly schemes biting the dust. Major blunders overseen by Downing Street have included the Child Support Agency’s much-derided ?486m computer upgrade – which collapsed and forced a ?1bn claims write-off – and an adult learning programme that was subjected to extensive fraud.
Top of the ministries for wasting public money is the Department for Work and Pensions, which squandered more than ?1.6bn by abandoning three major schemes – a new benefit card which was based on outdated technology; the upgrade to the CSA’s computer which could not handle 1.2m existing claims; and ?140m on a streamlined benefit payment system that never worked properly.
The Guardian’s survey of abandoned projects is not exhaustive and the total of ?1.865bn is likely to be a considerable underestimate of the actual cost to taxpayers because neither Whitehall nor the National Audit Office, parliament’s financial watchdog, keep definitive lists of which schemes go wrong.
Neither does it include the major modifications required to fix new systems that have failed to perform as required. One example is the pilot work done on the new ?12bn NHS computer system – where outdated technology was installed at Bexley Hospital in south London, and has had to be replaced after it was found to be "unfit for purpose". Another is the huge modification required to the new computerised single payments system for farmers run by Defra’s Rural Payments Agency, where the government has had to set aside some ?300m to meet possible EU fines for wrong payments to thousands of farmers.
The abandoned police site, which was launched in 2003, allowed the public to report non-urgent crimes and provide photographic and video evidence through the internet. The system – linked to police forces around the country – then prioritised the information and distributed it to the correct forces.
It was being used to report around 30,000 crimes a year but began to falter when defence technology company, Qinetiq, was brought in to build a replacement in 2005. Costs began to spiral and the new system was deemed to be unfit for purpose, resulting in suspension of the service last March and final closure in December. The deal is now subject to a legal dispute, with Qinetiq claiming that it has completed the work it was contracted to do. The National Police Improvement Agency, which manages IT systems for the police, would not say how much money had been spent on the portal, but documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act showed that running costs had risen above ?5m a year in 2006.
The replacement system was not fit for live use due to "a range of serious defects and delays", a spokeswoman said. "It is not possible to issue more details as it is now subject to legal proceedings." A senior Whitehall official has questioned the heavy spend and high rate of failure.
Joe Harley, programme and systems delivery officer at the Department for Work and Pensions, said that the government’s ?14bn annual spend on IT could be used to build thousands of schools every year, or to employ hundreds of thousands of nurses in the NHS. "Today only 30%, we estimate, of our projects and programmes are successful," he told a conference. "It is not sustainable for us as a government to continue to spend at these levels. We need to up the quality of what we do at a reduced cost of doing so."
The extensive list of failed projects calls into question other major government IT programmes, such as the proposed ?5bn ID cards scheme.
Price of failure: Where the money went
Benefit claims
Set up in December 2003 to streamline payment of benefits. Aimed to save ?60m by picking up new and repeat claims by phone and the internet. The system was shelved in 2006 after it failed to work. Cost: ?140m
Broadband procurement
Stephen Timms, e-commerce minister, led the 2004 project to pool public-sector buying power to get cheaper broadband deals. But after it was found the ?3.5m savings made from the scheme were far smaller than the projected ?200m cost the DTi shut the project. Cost: ?15m
Immigration casework
A computer system of 2001 meant to clear the backlog of immigration casework for the Home Office, was scrapped after missing its deadlines. Cost: ?77m
Independent learning accounts
The 2001 system offering adults ?150 for educational use was abandoned after fraudsters coined millions in fake applications. Cost: ?97m
Pathway
This project to introduce a benefits payment card in 2000 was scrapped after four years of expensive development when government experts realised the magnetic swipe technology that it was based on was already out dated. Cost: ?1bn
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