http://www.merlot.org:80/merlot/ A search of MERLOT materials Copyright 1997-2013 MERLOT. All rights reserved. Sat, 25 May 2013 18:20:48 PDT Sat, 25 May 2013 18:20:48 PDT http://www.merlot.org:80/merlot/images/merlot.gif http://www.merlot.org:80/merlot/ 44 34 http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=77773 A common business problem is the ?paper shuffle? that occurs in the workplace. Businesses need a way to address this problem by reducing the amount of paper flow required by any given business process. This case study explores the development of a PDA application that supports the documentation requirements of responding to service calls received within an Information Technology (IT) department. The PDA application will replace the paper documents currently used to support this process. The main objective of this project was not the development of the application itself; in fact, only a prototype was developed. The primary objective was to investigate whether solutions that address simple business functions and integrate with existing information systems can be developed for PDAs and what level of IT skill was needed to develop such an application. The resulting prototype for this project was done using a trial version of an off-the-shelf product. The case study can be simulated in an IS course to allow students to make their own assessments about the viability of building PDA applications for the workplace. http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=77775 A common business problem is the ?paper shuffle? that occurs in the workplace. Businesses need a way to address this problem by reducing the amount of paper flow required by any given business process. This case study explores the development of a PDA application that supports the documentation requirements of responding to service calls received within an Information Technology (IT) department. The PDA application will replace the paper documents currently used to support this process. The main objective of this project was not the development of the application itself; in fact, only a prototype was developed. The primary objective was to investigate whether solutions that address simple business functions and integrate with existing information systems can be developed for PDAs and what level of IT skill was needed to develop such an application. The resulting prototype for this project was done using a trial version of an off-the-shelf product. The case study can be simulated in an IS course to allow students to make their own assessments about the viability of building PDA applications for the workplace. http://www.merlot.org/merlot/viewMaterial.htm?id=77479 New modes for efficiently and effectively accessing data are being investigated and implemented to support a variety of business processes. The Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) is leading this revolution. While there is much hype as to the simplicity of building software to run on these devices, there is a lack of information related to the processes entailed in successfully developing these types of systems. This case study explores the development of a PDA solution for data accessibility to support the work of a Facilities Planning and Design Services department. The system was developed using traditional system analysis techniques coupled with rapid application development practices. All software incorporated into the solution is commercially available off-the-shelf. This case study serves as a framework of a systems development project to support college level system analysis and design courses. Suggested follow-up activities are also included.