Advantages and disadvantages if CASE Technology
CASE tools provide the following important advantages:
Improved productivity. Sony reported that CASE tools increased productivity by over 600%. CASE can generate bug - free code from system specifications as well as automate repetitive tasks. Using an integrated CASE tool, a programmer at Baptist Medical System developed a system in one week that was estimated to take four months.
Improved program quality. CASE tools simplify the enforcement of structured development standards, thus improving the quality of development and reducing the threat of serious design errors. CASE tools also can check the internal accuracy of the design and detect inconsistencies.
Cost savings. Savings of 80% to 90% are possible. At DuPont, an application estimated to require 27 month at cost of $270,000 was finished in 4 month for $30,000. Over 90% of the code was generated directly from design specifications.
Improved control procedures. CASE tools encourage the development of system controls, security measures, and system auditability and error - handling procedures early in the design process.
Simplified documentation. CASE tools automatically document the system as the development process progresses.
Some of the more serious problems with CASE technology include the following:
Incompatibility. Some CASE tools do not interact effectively with other system.
Cost. CASE technology is expensive, with some packages in excess of $300,000. As a result, many small companies cannot afford integrated CASE tools.
Unmet expectations. According to a Deloitte & Touche survey, only 37% of the chief information officers using CASE believe they achieved the expected benefits.
SUMMARY AND CASE CONCLUSION
A company can use many different strategies to obtain a new AIS. First, as the quality and quantity of vendor - written software increase, more and more companies are purchasing canned software. Second, they can use their information systems departments to develop their software or allow end users to develop their own software. When vendor - written software does not meet all of a company's needs, some companies buy the software and then modify if themselves or, preferably, ask the vendor to make the needed modifications. Third, companies can hire an outsourcing company to handle data processing activities.
There are many ways to speed up or improve the development process. One way to improve the development process is business processes reengineering, which is the thorough analysis and redesign of business processes and information systems to achieve dramatic performance improvements.
A second way to improve and speed up the development process is to design a prototype, a simplified working model of a system. A prototype is quickly and inexpensively built and is given to users to test drive so they can decide what they like and dislike about the system. Their reactions and feedback are used to modify the system, which is again given to the users to test. This iterative process of trial usage and modification continues until the users are satisfied that the system adequately meets their needs.