Organization of processes for the production of information systems. Part 4. Implementation of the information system

    IX Implementation of the information system


    There is nothing harder, more dangerous and more uncertain than leading the introduction of a new order of things, because each innovation has ardent enemies who lived well in the old way, and sluggish supporters who are not sure whether they can live in a new way.
    N. Machiavelli

    And now the interesting and saturated part of the project, projection, creativity and creation in the project comes to an end. The harsh everyday life of protecting your decision in the real atmosphere of a particular enterprise begins, and what is not less important, everything is also within the framework of the current legislation.

    First, the sold product must be deployed on equipment prepared for the organization of its trial operation.

    1. Deployment of the system at the test site


    In accordance with the designed technological architecture reflected in the documentation, server, communication and other equipment, as well as system software, are purchased. The components of the information system are mounted in a single hardware-software complex at the sites where its industrial use is planned.

    Due to the fact that in large projects, a large amount of equipment is involved on which the software is scattered across nodes, nodes, and even clouds, this process must be accompanied by full-scale documentation. For example, tables with addresses of servers, workstations, access methods, etc. are included in the technical documentation. Component diagrams are used for visual presentation, giving an understanding of the location of network nodes, the distribution of components of their interaction, etc. But measures must still be defined that regulate all kinds of changes in the infrastructure, allowing to eliminate the consequences of failures of various elements of the system.


    Figure 19. - An example of a technical description of the implementation phase

    This is all extremely important, since the next stage at these operating sites will begin to push a lot of specialists from the implementation and support team, and they should not each time get the information necessary for work from different, even informed sources. Therefore, the documentation should be kept up to date and changed simultaneously with changes in the system settings, changes in the architectural solution, etc.

    It is useful to “combat” sites for the industrial operation of the system, to deploy and test stands that simulate work close to real. Well, suddenly there will still be comments requiring the release of new releases. All of course, professionals, responsible people and all that, but still it’s better to drive the updates on the test bench first. So just in case.

    Meanwhile, 90% of the time has already passed ...



    2. Training of customer personnel to work with the information system


    As has been mentioned many times, in large projects, special attention is paid to the quality of documentation, including the instructions of users of the system. Most often, user instructions are divided into segments by type of activity, specialization, etc. This allows you to focus attention in the document on important points and not load users with unnecessary information.

    Since a significant number of different customer employees can be involved in training, which, in turn, cannot ensure training at the same time to ensure the continuity of business processes, who must be trained in different functional responsibilities and for other valid reasons, it is necessary to carefully plan the training process . It is also useful to divide students into groups into categories that require the use of different approaches and the depth of training, based on the level of their initial preparedness. As a result, the compiled training schedule should be agreed with all interested parties, and approved by the customer’s management, as mandatory.



    And we at the design stage warned that training the customer’s personnel is not only a very responsible task, but also very time-consuming ...

    3. Identification of deficiencies and defects of the information system


    Very often in large projects, testing the final release does not reveal all the problem areas of the solution. The reason for this may be: huge amounts of data in fact in “combat” conditions, the manifestation of unique combinations of business rules in real business processes, features of the operation of specific equipment, specific combinations of system components, load balancing between distributed nodes, etc.

    Often the situation is further complicated by the fact that the introduction of new systems in the initial stages does not in any way eliminate the need to perform work on old systems. That is, users duplicate data in both systems. Sometimes it is necessary to migrate existing relevant data from obsolete storage to new ones, and the structure and format of information is usually very, very different. For example, if the new data structure does not have enough information to fill in the required details, they are filled with some data assigned by default, and then manually adjusted by users. And this is only a small fraction of what we have to deal with in real projects.

    A separate topic is integration solutions, in which failures can occur in a chain using various components developed by two, three or more teams. It is extremely difficult to find the culprits in this situation, since defects most often arise at the junction of integration elements, due to inconsistencies identified during implementation. And here it is important not to look for the guilty for punishment, but to quickly and constructively agree on joint concessions of developers of docked components, and effectively solve the problem.

    Given all of the above, the trial operation phase is most often saturated with emotional outbursts and mutual complaints, both between development teams and with customers. In this case, the role of architects and system analysts is very important, who must quickly localize the problem, propose a solution to it and coordinate it with all interested parties. To perform such work, in addition to basic professional skills, it is also necessary to have the talent of a negotiator and knowledge of the basics of management.

    Meanwhile, we have reached the bottom allotted for the project time ...



    4. Coordination of changes in the process of implementing an information system


    If the work of some functional modules of the information system critically does not meet the needs and expectations of the customer, and solutions are found to overcome these problems, then they need to be fixed and agreed with the customer.

    The stage of agreeing on a new solution is very important, for at least two reasons.

    Firstly, if the volume of implementation of the changes exceeds the amounts provided for such risks in the project plan, it is necessary either to conclude additional agreements, or the team of executors will work at a loss. Often, performers are urged to make changes quickly, but they’ll take them into account and pay for the work on them later, in one package. But in fact, such cases usually lead to the fact that the customer after all completely forgets his promises, and announces the work done - by correcting the performers of their own mistakes.

    Secondly, any changes in some components of the system can lead to an inevitable change in interdependent components, which requires careful analysis and, possibly, redesigning a whole chain of subsystems. Otherwise, defects in the operation of the system as a whole are inevitable. This can occur, for example, in the failure of the module of an adjacent team of performers, and the customer already announces them as hack workers and breeders. The truth will certainly come up, but the sedimenter will remain.

    And paraphrasing Jerzy Lec: “When we reached the bottom of the allotted time, we knocked at the bottom ...”



    Since the time has expired, it is necessary to negotiate with the customer and convince him that he was not a gift in the project either, and part of the blame lies with him.

    5. Finalization of the information system based on the results of trial operation


    If during the trial operation decisions are made and agreed on to amend the developed software and hardware complex, then on the basis of them tasks are set for the executors to implement them. The process described in Section Part 3. The implementation of the design solution is repeated. But ...

    If at the stage of system design we discussed the negative impact of the full use of Scrum (1) methodology in large projects, then at this stage it fits perfectly. This is especially noticeable in projects in which the product transferred to the customer does not suit him for the most part. In other words, it’s time to panic and very quickly, “headlong” to make changes to the product that is already being exploited.

    Actually, the moment has come when the following conditions are relevant:

    1. The customer has already begun to really work with the system, he has allocated time for this, and he now clearly visualizes what he really needs. Accordingly, he is ready to work closely with the team of performers and he has a critical need for this;
    2. For the most part, the documentation is already ready and its change and addition may not be carried out as quickly as possible, but after the fact of successful implementation, it will be processed post factum.
    3. Improvements for the most part occur in separate modules, subsystems, circuits, which have a specific team of performers responsible for the segment. Therefore, user communication with developers is already localized, it is easy to establish high-quality feedback;
    4. Improvements and corrections must be carried out very quickly, in small queues with the transfer of the result to the customer who is vitally interested in them;

    It is very important that in the end, the project documentation was brought into full compliance with the innovations, and the team could easily find in it the actual solution for the analysis and design of subsequent changes.


    Figure 20. - Stage of implementation of the information system

    No comment ...



    6. Transfer of the information system to commercial operation


    When during the trial operation all controversial issues and misunderstandings about how the implemented system should function and how much it complies with the contract for its development are resolved, the parties sign acts on the implementation of the contract. The customer makes a full payment for the work performed. An agreement on the development and implementation of an information system can be considered fulfilled.

    The implementation goes into the phase of industrial operation. These relationships are most often legally regulated by a separate agreement or additional agreement to support the industrial operation of the system. Under this contract, preventive work can be done to diagnose the operation of system components, their interaction, eliminate minor failures, etc.

    7. Section Summary


    The stage of implementation of the information system is a moment of truth of the entire process of its production and will mark the start of the most difficult period for all project participants. It may include the following activities:

    1. Deployment of the system at the site of industrial operation, including the supply of equipment, installation of system software, installation of the current release of the implemented system, etc .;
    2. Training users to use the system, including administrators, equipment maintenance specialists, etc.
    3. Identification and elimination of deficiencies and defects identified during trial operation.
    4. Coordination of changes in the system and bringing it in line with contractual obligations;
    5. Signing of documents on the fulfillment of contractual obligations. The full calculation for the work performed;
    6. Putting the system into commercial operation;


    List of references
    1. Wolfson Boris- “Flexible development methodologies”
    2. Jacobson A., Butch G., Rambo J. - “Unified software development process” (2004)
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