Ism 5014

The purpose of this case study is to evaluate and identify objectives, assess the current situation, identify root causes, define options, and select an optimal solution for the Department of Corrections.

Identify Objectives

The state Department of Corrections (DOC) is currently upgrading their information system to interact with new federal government’s system. The DOC has hired Robin a senior consultant for a large consulting firm to perform such upgrades that cost $100 million and is partially being funded by the federal government (case). While many are opposed to the idea for various reasons the project is underway.

The single most important objective in this case is the concern for the system errors that may arise from such technology. Employees fear that possible system errors can lead to the release of inmates. Additionally, many employees, such as Donna for example, prefer to do work the old fashioned way and do not seem to accept the changes brought upon by technology. Moreover, the governor does not agree with the decision to continue spending more money on information systems for the DOC even though the decision was made prior to his election (case). Additionally, the senior consultant that was hired, Robin, has never worked for the state government and is not familiar with the legal system which is highly important given that vital information must be included in the new upgrades in order to have both systems linked.

Assess Current Situation

Currently the expectations and needs for the project are not being clearly understood by the hired consultant, Robin. While Robin has worked with such projects in the past, she has never worked for the government and knows very little about the state legal system. Developing software that will be linked to the federal government’s system can be challenging since certain legal ramifications need to be taken into consideration. Additionally, many employees are not keen with having to switch over to the new...