Supporting Large Projects in a Small College Computer Systems

Management Program

Ellen L. Walker

Oberta A. Slotterbeck

Hiram College

{walkerel, obie}@hiram.edu

Computer Systems Management

• Program for non-traditional students who take classes on weekends

• Required courses come from Computer Science, Management and Communication

• Goal is to prepare students for technology management roles

Goals for Projects

• Systems development is best learned by doing it (under realistic conditions)

• All phases of the development life cycle should be included

• Realistic projects don’t neatly fit into one-semester chunks, allowing time for instruction as well as implementation

Large University Solutions

• Multiple-semester course sequences leading to projects (capstone or otherwise)

• Large interdisciplinary service-learning projects and/or projects for external clients

• “Drop-in” project courses that continue every semester, matching students to existing teams

• Bringing undergraduate students into ongoing software-intensive research efforts

Small College Constraints

• Fewer faculty– Courses offered less often

• Fewer staff resources– No graduate students– Little or no administrative support

• Limited laboratory facilities

• PLUS (for us) - limited contact hours for non-traditional students

Our Approach: Multiple Project Courses

• Major group project courses (12 weeks)– Teams develop project from start to finish– “Just in time” learning lockstep with development– Clients are real or realistic (role play by faculty)

• Focused phase courses (3 weeks)– Fill in “holes” in the development cycle– Smaller scope projects, but within larger context

where possible

• Capstone project (12+ weeks)

Computer Systems Management Project Courses

• Major Group Project Courses– Systems Analysis– Database Design

• Focused Courses– Project Management– Interface Design– Verification & Testing– Software Evolution– Software Evaluation

Project Team Composition

• Team size: 3-5 students (4-6 teams / class)• Mixed populations

– Traditional: 18-22, full-time students, 11% women– Weekend: older, working full-time, 42% women

• Multiple levels of experience (SO, JR, SR)• Membership:

– Self-chosen (Sys. Analysis, Proj. Mgmt, Verif.)– Assigned (Database, Interface Design)

Systems Analysis

• All teams given the same scenario (case study by Lisa Miller)– Vague, oversized specification– Hypothetical company memos, meeting notes, etc.

• Deliverables (phases)– Problem definition report– Model of existing system– Models of proposed systems (high, med, low cost)

• Oral presentations & class discussion at each phase

Systems Analysis (Cont’d)

• Case study was complex enough that teams’ results were significantly different

• Project stopped short of implementation and testing

Database Design

• Clients recruited from the college community– Professor ensured that scope was reasonable, but

didn’t rewrite specifications– Clients had wide range of background; most fairly

non-technical

• Student teams developed and delivered databases for clients– Of four projects in 2002, three are still in use

2002 Databases

• Alumni Relations Contact Tracking (web-enabled)

• Community Service Tracking• Weekend College Schedule Management• Biology Department Data Collection

Database Design (cont)

• Phases– Requirements analysis & ER diagram– Relational Models and Normalization– Queries, Forms and Reports– User interface and User Documentation

• Clients signed off on each phase– Students had to explain their deliverables!

• Oral presentations & demonstrations of all databases with clients present

Database Design (cont’d)

• Teams developed user-level interface at the very last minute (generally by using MS Access wizards)

• Little or no time for testing• Little or no acceptance testing or user training

Focused Projects

• Fill in the gaps left by the larger projects– Project Management– Interface Design– Verification and Testing– Software Evolution

• Provide focus on a single phase– “Lightweight” but complete projects emphasizing

one phase only– Focused projects in context of a larger one– Focused projects linked to other courses’ projects

Focused but Complete Projects

• Interface Design:– Interactive web page assignment that requires

user modeling, prototype development, and user testing with real users.

• Testing & Verification:– Evaluate automated testing tools

• Software Evaluation:– In-class evaluation and comparison of web-based

map software

Focused Projects in Context

• Projects associated with Hiram’s adoption of Banner (integrated administrative software)– Project Management: Develop project plans and

feasibility analyses for implementing automated advising or web-based registration

– Software Evaluation: Study and Role-play aspects of the Banner selection

– Software Evolution: Consider how to maintain “legacy” functionality during and after the switch

Linked Projects

• User Interface & Database– User interface team project to develop a (better)

interface for an existing database

• Testing and Verification & Systems Analysis– Use Problem Definition Report and proposed

system from Systems Analysis, perform a mock walkthrough

• Project Management & Systems Analysis– Develop Project Plans for Systems Analysis

proposals

Capstone Projects

• Each student find his/her own project• Projects include both technical and management

components• Projects come from work, from hobbies or friends’

businesses. – Evaluation and installation of new product marking system– Database-driven business management system for dog

breeding business– Web-based front end for existing inventory management

system

• Two recent capstones extended database projects to meet client’s additional needs.

Deliverables

• Expected to include all phases from requirements through customer acceptance testing

• First deliverable is an acceptable written proposal for the project

• Intermediate deliverables stated in the proposal (usually follow Systems Analysis and/or Database course structure)

• Final deliverable is proof of acceptance and a formal presentation and demonstration of the system and its development process. (A celebration!)

Why not a group capstone project?

• Students work on capstone projects at their own pace. Some start before the “official” semester.

• Not many students work at the same employer, preventing “work projects” in groups.

• Students appreciate the chance to “do it all”, for self-confidence and resume building.

• Students have already completed several group projects of different scopes, with different groups of people.

Lessons Learned

• There is never enough time to “finish” the project in a course, especially when learning concepts “just in time”

• No affordable single project course meets all needs, but a selection of projects of varying scopes can come close

• Linking courses by projects is valuable but difficult

• Capstone is a second chance to “get it right”

Acknowledgement & Web Page

This material is based on work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 9952749. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Materials are available at http://cs.hiram.edu/~walkerel/ccscne2002.html