Competitors and Technology|Computer Science
Milestone One Guidelines and Rubric
Overview: This assignment is the first milestone that you will complete for your final project. In this milestone, you will address the following:
· You will begin drafting parts of your final project, focusing on your business requirements, competitors, and technology.
· This assignment is an important practice opportunity for you to create a draft, and to get feedback from your instructor to improve your final draft.
· The rubric reflects that this is a practice opportunity. You should focus on getting the necessary information into your draft. No draft is perfect.
· This milestone aligns with sections I, II, and III of your final project. Use the questions in the critical elements as a guide.
· You are free to work in the Final Project Template document or on a separate word document for your drafts.
o It is recommended you use the template to ensure you do not miss any items you need to address. The critical elements are highlighted in yellow in the template.
· The decision matrix is not required for this milestone; however, you will be submitting the decision matrix in Milestone Two. It is recommended that you use the template provided to help narrow your technology recommendation.
Prompt: Imagine that you work for the small brick-and-mortar business described in the final project case scenario. The owner of your business wants to focus on generating new revenue through e-commerce, but she knows that this change in operations requires the company to integrate new technology. To gain an understanding of what the business might need for technology, she has asked you to create a business systems analysis. In this analysis, you will clearly introduce the problem that your business is facing. Then, you will determine the business requirements for solving that problem, including the requirements that any new technology needs to meet.
Your goal in the final project is to establish an e-commerce presence, but you must improve the current technology first. Use the Decision Matrix document as you conduct your research for assistance organizing your thoughts. (You will submit the completed decision matrix in Milestone Two.) For additional resources on developing the decision matrix, refer to:
· Decision Matrix: What It Is and How to Use It: This article defines the decision matrix and discusses how leaders evaluate and prioritize all of their options when considering solutions to a difficult task.
· Decision Matrix Analysis: This article explains how to use a decision matrix analysis, a useful technique for making a choice when many factors must be balanced.
· Decision Matrix Example: Use this resource to view an example of a completed decision matrix.
Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:
I. Introduction: In this section, you will briefly introduce the small business from the case scenario, and the problem that it is trying to solve.
A. Clearly state the problem that the business owner is seeking to solve. Be sure to address the question of what your business ultimately wants to do.
B. Identify and briefly describe the two technologies from the list provided that you will research in your business systems analysis.
AI. Business Requirements: In this section, you will determine what the business requirements are to solve the stated problem, and establish the criteria that will help form your technology recommendations. You will also articulate why the business owner should undertake the project of integrating new technology.
A. Explain the objectives of undertaking this project to integrate new technology. In others words, what should the project accomplish, and how does it support the goal of your business?
B. Provide a project description that explains the purpose of the project. Be sure to address the following:
i. What does your business need to do to satisfy the objectives?
ii. What are the desired results at the end of the project?
iii. Why is it important for your business owner to consider implementing new technology?
C. State the key technological requirements that will be required of any new technology in order to effectively solve your business’s problem. In other words, what specifically does the technology need to be capable of doing? (These are the technology requirements in the decision matrix.)
BI. Competitors and Technology: In this section, you will describe two competing companies that operate in the same industry as your business. You will also explain how a company uses the two technologies that you are investigating to determine if the technology may be appropriate for your business to use. Remember that a list of competing companies was provided to you in the final project case scenario.
A. Technology One: Select one company in the same industry as your own that uses this technology. Briefly describe what that company does and how it uses this technology to support its business in general. Include specific examples.
B. Technology Two: Select one company in the same industry as your own that uses this technology. Briefly describe what that company does and how it uses this technology to support its business in general. Include specific examples.
C. Referring to what you learned in your research on the companies above, explain one specific way in which one of the companies is benefitting from technology, and describe the potential benefit to your business if you were to adopt the same approach.
Rubric
Guidelines for Submission: Your rough draft should be 3–4 pages in length and should follow APA formatting, including double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, and one-inch margins.
Critical Elements
Minimal or No Errors (100%)
Significant Errors (75%)
Missing from Draft (0%)
Value
Introduction: State
States the problem that the
States the problem that the
Does not state the problem
12
the Problem
business owner is seeking to
business owner is seeking to
that the business owner is
solve, with minimal or no
solve, but response is unclear
seeking to solve
errors
or contains inaccuracies
Introduction: Two
Identifies and briefly describes
Identifies the two technologies
Does not identify the two
12
Technologies
the two technologies that the
that the student will research
technologies that the student
student will research in
in business systems analysis,
will research in business
business systems analysis, with
but does not describe them, or
systems analysis
minimal or no errors
description contains
inaccuracies
Business
Explains the objectives of
Explains the objectives of
Does not explain the objectives
12
Requirements:
project to integrate new
project to integrate new
of project
Objectives
technology, with minimal or no
technology, but explanation is
errors
cursory or illogical or contains
inaccuracies
Business
Provides a project description
Provides a project description
Does not provide a project
12
Requirements:
that explains the purpose of
that explains the purpose of
description
Project Description
the project, with minimal or no
the project, but description is
errors
illogical, contains inaccuracies,
or is missing required
components
Business
Describes the key technological
Describes the key technological
Does not describe the key
12
Requirements:
requirements that will be
requirements that will be
technological requirements
Technological
required of any new
required of any new
that will be required of any
Requirements
technology to effectively solve
technology to effectively solve
new technology
the business’s problem, with
the business’s problem, but
minimal or no errors
description is missing key
requirements or contains
inaccuracies
Competitors and
Briefly describes what the
Briefly describes what the
Does not describe what the
12
Technology:
selected competing company
selected competing company
selected competing company
Technology One
does and explains how it uses
does and explains how it uses
does or explain how it uses the
the technology to support its
the technology to support its
technology to support its
business, and includes specific
business, but does not include
business
examples with minimal or no
specific examples, or examples
errors
are inappropriate, or
explanation is cursory or
contains inaccuracies
Competitors and
Briefly describes what the
Briefly describes what the
Does not describe what the
12
Technology:
selected competing company
selected competing company
selected competing company
Technology Two
does and explains how it uses
does and explains how it uses
does or explain how it uses the
the technology to support its
the technology to support its
technology to support its
business, and includes specific
business, but does not include
business
examples with minimal or no
specific examples, or examples
errors
are inappropriate, or
explanation is cursory or
contains inaccuracies
Competitors and
Explains one specific way in
Explains one specific way in
Does not explain one specific
12
Technology:
which one of the competing
which one of the competing
way in which one of the
Benefitting From
companies is benefitting from
companies is benefitting from
competing companies is
Technology
technology, and describes the
technology, but does not
benefitting from technology
potential benefit to the
describe the potential benefit
business from the scenario if
to the business from the
they were to adopt the same
scenario, or description is
approach, with minimal or no
cursory or illogical
errors
Articulation of
Submission has no major
Submission has major errors
Submission has critical errors
4
Response
errors related to citations,
related to citations, grammar,
related to citations, grammar,
grammar, spelling, syntax, or
spelling, syntax, or
spelling, syntax, or
organization
organization that negatively
organization that prevent
impact readability and
understanding of ideas
articulation of main ideas
Total
100%
