Helens Trading Card Company Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Helens Trading Card Company - Case Study Example We will examine the role that a Systems Development Methodology and its associated System Development Life Cycle (SDLC) will play in designing an information system for Helen's company. To have insight into the background, I will portray it briefly. Helen started off her company when an online trading card company asked her to buy and sell its cards for it. Initially, we can say that it was very small scale because before that, she would only buy trading cards for her son. Soon afterwards, she started her own company and became an authorized trader. This meant that now she now had more information to manage and use. Her company must have been small because trading cards is not a large-scale business as it is. But she still had information to manage hence she needed a system that would help her deal with all this information about her stakeholders. This, indeed, would be an Information System. Helen has a few requirements for which she needs an information system. According to these requirements, a Systems Development Methodology and its associated model, the JAD model, in our case will be used to develop this information system. Helen needs a system that will enable her to store details about the individual trading cards which she has for sale, as well as packs of structure decks, and games mats, etc. She needs a system that will store information about her received orders. ... Why are we discussing her requirements It is important to understand these requirements as the first step towards developing a system, using any model of the Systems Development Methodology. If we fail to understand the requirements, we will certainly fail to provide her what she wants and then no matter, what model or methodology is used, the system will fail (Pressman, R.S., 2005). Information System - What is it An Information System is a framework or a structure of any sort that would enable and facilitate Helen to process her data and manage her information. There are many different kinds of systems that keep changing as technology grows (Betts, G., 2007). She has so much information about the companies that she buys from, the customers that she sells to, the orders that she receives and the products that she makes. It will much simpler for us if we break down all these requirements and view them in isolation. First of all, Helen needs to deal with the information regarding her suppliers. A supplier could be any company or person which Helen purchases cards from. Helen wants to store information about what she has bought, who she bought it from and how much she paid for it. According to most analysts, her requirements fit perfectly with a Supply Chain Management System. She will be able to handle her suppliers effectively with this. But if she is handling only her suppliers, where does her customer and order management fit For this, she could invest in a Customer Relationship Management System. This way she can understand her customers, give them value and retain profitable ones. Those who are not profitable can be studied