The graduate program in Computing and Information Systems emphasizes the application of state-of-the-art computing technologies to business, engineering, and scientific problems.  By the time that you begin your design project capstone course, you should have a solid foundation in computing and information systems topics.  In reviewing your course work, you will find that the foundation core courses provide both a managerial as well as a technical focus.  The capstone project you elect to complete should complement your selected area of specialization. Thus, the project may be very managerially oriented or very technically oriented.

The primary purpose of the capstone design project is to enable you to prove your ability to design information systems at the Master's level to the faculty.  You may ask, What does this mean?  This is best explained explained by contrasting Master's level capstone courses with a Bachelor's level capstone course.  The objective of an undergraduate computing program, whether it is within Computer Science or Computer Management and Information Systems, is to provide students with the basic skills needed to fill entry level computing positions, typically programmer/analyst, entry level systems programmer, and software support specialist, among others.  These positions emphasize builder skills, thus the graduate of a Bachelor's program in computing must be a capable systems builder.  This means the new graduate must possess the skills necessary to determine information requirements, convert the information requirements into a set of logical computer system design specifications, and then use a computer language or physical design tool to convert the logical specifications into a working information system, typically as a member of a project work team which someone like yourself might supervise.

The purpose of your Master's courses is not to provide you basic builder skills; rather, they insure that you have the advanced technical background necessary to be adept as a manager of computing technology and/or as the individual expert to whom the undergraduate builder will turn when a very technical issue or problem arises.  Throughout your course work you have also completed courses that emphasize builder skills, but the emphasis has more depth and detail than that provided to the Bachelor's student.  Additionally, you are expected to attain a mastery of the material that goes well beyond that expected of undergraduate students.  As the manager and technical expert, if you do not know the solution to the problem, you will know where to obtain the resources to solve the problem.  Thus, in addition to knowing how to build systems, Masters level graduates must possess the skills necessary to determine what systems are worth building, to allocate resources among competing projects, to manage project design and development activities, to track development progress and to evaluate the performance of subordinate builder personnel, among other managerial and technical functions.  As a Masters student, it is assumed that you possess the basic foundation skills needed to build working information systems. CIS faculty have little interest in evaluating these basic builder skills.  Rather, the faculty are concerned wit h either: (1) your ability to manage the systems design and development process at the masters (middle management) level, or (2) your ability to provide advanced technical solutions to computing problems.  Regardless of the approach taken in your design project, managerial or technical, the faculty will evaluate your technical skills to the extent that they represent advanced design skills which an undergraduate would not be expected to possess.

Table 1 outlines general objectives for graduate students completing the capstone project requirement.  The extent to which you meet these objectives in your design project will determine whether your project is deemed acceptable by the faculty.  Some of the objectives may be difficult or impossible to meet depending upon the nature of your project, thus every project does not have to meet every objective.  For example, if you are developing an information system on an individual basis (not as a project team leader), then you will not be able to demonstrate competency in objective #8.  You should discuss which objectives are applicable to your project with the faculty member who is serving as the Chair of your project committee.  Your ability to meet some of the other objectives will also depend upon the scope of your project. Project scope is discussed in the next section.

TABLE 1

Objectives for Graduate Students in an Capstone CIS Project Development Course

1. Demonstrate the ability to assess the feasibility of a project proposal for automation in terms of current systems design theory. This includes determining information requirements using appropriate analysis techniques.

2. Demonstrate the ability to identify, evaluate, and select among systems design alternatives including software and hardware selection, where appropriate.

3. Apply advanced technical skills as appropriate to complete logical design activities.  For example, this could include the conversion of information system requirements to a set of logical computer system design specifications using state-of-the-art computer aided software engineering (CASE) tools.

4. Apply advanced technical skills as appropriate in order to complete physical design activities.  This includes using an appropriate computer language or physical design tool to develop components of a working information system or directing a work team in the use of a language or physical design tool.

5. Describe an appropriate software test design strategy and develop a testing plan to insure the functionality of the working information system.  This includes displaying appropriate skills in testing components of a working information system.

6. Select an appropriate implementation strategy.  This includes a plan for training end-users in the use of a working information system.

7. Apply management strategies and techniques for project management including project control, implementing project work standards, estimating task duration and scheduling project tasks, and ensuring quality assurance.

8. Evaluate team member builder skills and work to best utilize and improve on the skill sets of project team members.

9. Manage the relationship between the project design team and members of the organizational functional area that will use the completed information system.  Where a student is the sole member of the design team, this objective may still be met, though the relationship is restricted to the single student and members of the organizational functional area.

10. Complete a post implementation project evaluation and write a project report outlining all phases of the design effort. Identify project design successes and failures.  Analyze the causes underlying the successes and failures in terms of current systems design theory. This includes a post implementation evaluation of the information system.

The scope of an acceptable Master's level project can vary considerably.  The scope of the project should be such that it can be completed in a single semester, if possible.  Still, many students do not complete their project within a single semester for a variety of reasons.  It is more important that the project exhibit sufficient characteristics of difficulty in terms of an analysis and design exercise or a software development or research exercise such that it enables you to adequately demonstrate Master's level competency as an information systems manager, designer or developer.  Rather than attempt to describe an acceptable project scope, we offer the following examples of acceptable Masters level projects.  These examples do not specify the only acceptable types of projects. They merely describe some typical types of acceptable projects.  Occasionally unique opportunities arise which offer you the ability to demonstrate Master's level competency in some extraordinary fashion.  Project Type 6 is an example of such an opportunity.  Your faculty committee will be able to provide guidance on the acceptability of any specific project proposal.

Project Type 1: Direct the development efforts of a small team of entry level CIS professionals.  This type of project should include as a minimum the development and implementation of a simple working information system for a small local firm or a university department.  It may also consist of the redesign and implementation of an existing information system.  The scope of this type of project usually includes all phases of the typical systems development life cycle to include a post implementation follow-up.

Project Type 2: Develop a small system for a university or college department or agency as an individual.  This feasibility of this type of project to serve as an adequate test of your ability to demonstrate competency to design at the Master's level is very limited.  This type of project tends to focus on using builder type skills that may only be relevant to those required for an undergraduate project.  Such tasks will not demonstrate Master's level competency.  The acceptability of this type of project may be best answered by your faculty committee. In general, the acceptability of the project will depend upon the extent to which you must interact with functional area personnel who will use the working information system that is produced as a result of your project. To the extent that you must interact with functional area personnel, this type of project may or may not effectively simulate a work team environment.  The scope of this type of project usually includes all phases of the typical systems development life cycle to include a post implementation follow-up.  It does not include Objective 8 from Table 1.

Project Type 3: Develop detailed logical design specifications for a significant information system in a larger firm. The scope of this project may be limited to completion through and including the logical design phase of the typical systems development life cycle. The end product is not a working information system. Rather, it is a set of detailed logical design specifications which may be used by any competent CIS analyst/programmer to complete the project. The end product must include a well thought out plan for completing the project through implementation, although you will not actually perform the physical design, testing, and implementation tasks. You must still meet objectives 7, 9, and 10 in Table 1.

Project Type 4: Direct the efforts of a work team implementing a logical information systems design which was developed earlier by a systems analyst. This type of project is only acceptable when you serve as the project team leader, assistant project team leader, or in an important position within the project team such as a technical manager or senior technical analyst. It is not an acceptable project type for an individual work effort because it will usually fail to provide a vehicle by which you can demonstrate Master's level project management and design competency; however, if the project requires a project team, then the project will normally be acceptable because you will undoubtedly be involved in questions which require some modification of the logical design in order to meet the constraints presented by typical physical design tools and programming languages. Equally important is that you will be managing a project team and this directly demonstrates Master's level management competency.

Project Type 5: Direct the efforts required to implement a working information system for a small local firm, a department in a larger firm, or a department in a university where the information system architecture is built around the acquisition of an off-the-shelf software package. The scope of this project includes all phases of the typical systems development life cycle except that the physical design phase may be restricted to acquiring and installing the software package. The installed information system must still be tested to insure that it performs satisfactorily and end-users must still be trained on how to use the system. All of the objectives of Table 1 will be met except objective 8. Objectives 3, 4, 5, and 6 are deemed to be satisfactorily met by the process you use in selecting and implementing the software package.

Project Type 6: Demonstrate expert Master's level competency in the application of specialized information systems technology by developing a working information systems prototype or full-scale information systems. As an example, consider expert systems technology. You might serve as a sole individual designer or as a project team leader in building a prototype or working expert information system that demonstrates the efficacy of the expert systems technology in solving a specific type or set of business problems.

Project Type 7: Demonstrate expert Master's level competency by conducting an empirical research project directed at developing an improved understanding of some facet of the Computing & Information Systems field. This is not actually a project. Rather, it is a research effort in the traditional sense of a Master's thesis. This alternative to the project design requires an individual research effort. Few students elect this alternative; however, it can be very rewarding and you can expect to work very closely with your committee chairperson. The objectives of Table 1 are deemed to be satisfactorily met by the research process.
 

It is your responsibility to select a project. You are also responsible to ask faculty to serve as members of the committee charged with the responsibility of evaluating your capstone project work. You should proceed by using the following four-step method.

1. Identify a project which appears to be appropriate. In order to determine if the project will enable you to adequately demonstrate Master's level competency, you should complete a project feasibility study. This study will also provide evidence that the work system under consideration is amenable to automation as a computer-based information system. Do not take this step lightly. It is probably the most important phase of the entire project.

2. Write the first chapter of the project report. Writing this chapter will enable you to justify the project's feasibility. Guidelines for completing the feasibility study are provided later in this manual.

3. Contact the faculty member you feel is best qualified to serve as chairperson of the faculty committee. Base your selection of a committee chairperson on the faculty member's special research interests and selected area of specialization within the computing field.  The faculty member will evaluate the feasibility study and assess the acceptability of the project. If the faculty member finds the project acceptable, the faculty member may or may not agree to serve as Chairperson. In some cases, the faculty member will recognize that a different professor would better serve as the Chairperson. In this cases, you will be directed to the other faculty member and repeat this step in the project selection process. Once a faculty member agrees to serve as Chairperson, proceed to Step Four below. If the faculty member provides an opinion that the project is unacceptable, you have two options. Under option one, you can elect to contact a different faculty member for an opinion as to the appropriateness of the project. If this second faculty member finds the project acceptable, then you will proceed with step 4 below. If the second faculty member finds the project unacceptable, you can again contact another faculty member for an opinion. You could proceed with this approach until you exhaust the faculty available. Under option two, you discard the feasibility study and identify a new project. This, of course, requires another feasibility study. This may appear to be a lot of extraordinary work and a potential waste of time. In fact, your ability to select a project worthy of Master's level work is the first step in completing this capstone requirement. Quite simply, if you cannot differentiate between Master's level projects and those which could be completed single-handedly by an undergraduate student, then your ability to complete the capstone requirement is in question.

4. After obtaining agreement by a faculty member to serve as Chairperson, you must contact at least two additional faculty members. The number beyond three is actually unlimited, although in reality there is seldom a reason for having more than three members on your committee. You should select committee members who will be best able to provide you advice as you complete the project. In some cases, it may be advantageous to have additional faculty members because you feel the need for expert advice in a functional area related to the project, for example an Accounting professor if the project deals with selecting and implementing an accounting information system, or a Nursing professor if the project deals with implementing a hospital personnel information system.
 

The Graduate School publishes guidelines for preparing the thesis report. Since your project is not a "thesis," you are exempt from these guidelines. Your project report is not submitted to the Graduate School. The review of your report is solely completed by the your design project committee.  Occasionally students complete a significant part of their project and then are forced to drop the project in lieu of an alternative. This can occur, for example, whenever you are completing a project for a local business and the business declines to continue in participation. If this happens, your committee may determine that the work you have completed satisfactorily meets the project requirements for the Master of Science in CIS degree. This will only happen if you have completed the primary tasks necessary to demonstrate Master's level competency. Alternatively, you may be forced to select a new project and begin the project requirement anew. As you can see, it is to your advantage to work diligently to complete the project so as to avoid this type of misfortune. You may elect to drop a project in lieu of an alternative project. If this happens, you must re-file a new form with a new committee. This requires you to repeat the process of selecting a Chairperson and faculty committee, even though you may end up with the same committee members.
 

The Graduate School requires a formal defense of your Master's project. The defense takes the form of a presentation to your committee members as well as any other interested members of the faculty. The defense may be open to students at your discretion, but generally other students are excluded. You should prepare a 15 to 20 minute presentation of your project, keeping in mind that your committee members have already read the completed document. The presentation should include audio-visual aids as necessary. It is your responsibility to schedule the actual date and time of the defense.  The Graduate School places restrictions on when the defense can be held.  It must take place during an active school term.  Once a date and time that is acceptable to your committee is determined, your committee chairperson will call the Graduate School and schedule the defense. This must be accomplished by your committee chairperson. The Graduate School requires a minimum two week notice prior to the actual date of the defense; thus, if you expect to complete the project in a given term, the defense must be scheduled at least two weeks prior to the last day of classes for that term.

You may find yourself unable to complete the project in a single term.  If this occurs, you will be given a grade of "deferred" and will continue to work on the project. The Graduate School publishes limits on the length of time you are allotted to complete the project requirement.  It is your responsibility to complete the project within the allotted time.

The actual written project report will vary considerably depending on the type of project you complete.  Your committee chairperson will provide you guidance.  Additionally, a written set of guidelines is available for projects that follow the traditional systems development life cycle.  These include Project Types #1 through #5 as listed above.  Such projects tend to include a feasibility study, analysis of existing information systems/technology, logical systems design, physical systems design, testing and implementation, and post implementation analysis.

A set of written guidelines is not available for Project Type #6 as listed above.  The varied nature of these projects often requires students to develop a report organization that matches the work completed.  As an example, one of our students completed a design project that involved the development of an Oracle Tool Kit for System Tuning.  This project provided a web-based interface to database tuning information.  The project was deemed worthy of Master's Level work because the Tool Kit provided functionality not normally provided by database administrator tools provided by major relational database management system products like Oracle, and the project developed by the student yielded a product that would be useful for database administrators in real world applications.  The general organization for a project report of this nature is to divide the report into sections or chapters including:: (1) project purpose, (2) other software or products similar to the one being developed, (3) logical/physical design of the software, (4) testing and implementation, and (5) post implementation analysis of the project.  Of course, additional sections may be added where necessary, or sections listed here may be deleted if they are not necessary.

A set of written guidelines is also not available for projects that are classified as Project Type #7.  These empirical research projects are expected to follow a traditional research paradigm and your committee chairperson can provide you with numerous library references that describe the type of report that is usually prepared for the research project you are conducting.

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