Dr William Venters MAR 4.33

This course is compulsory on the MSc in Management of Information Systems and Digital Innovation. This course is available on the CEMS Exchange, Global MSc in Management, Global MSc in Management (CEMS MIM), Global MSc in Management (MBA Exchange), MBA Exchange and MSc in Operations Research & Analytics. This course is available as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.

This course may be capped/subject to controlled access. For further information about the course's availability, please see the MG Elective Course Selection Moodle page (https://moodle.lse.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=3840).

A basic knowledge of computing, including hardware and software. 

The course provides students with a practical and theoretical insight into the processes and practices of developing contemporary digital systems and technologies. The course reflects the diversity of contemporary information systems contexts; discussing how we should manage the development of digital systems and services. The course focuses on new technologies and practices including cloud computing, Software as a Service, mobile and ubiquitous information technology, innovating customer relationship management, DevOps and Agility. The changing architectures of information systems towards an Internet based cloud computing services are key themes of the course. Attention is however also given to the development of traditional information management systems which remain important within enterprises. The course also discusses the development challenges in small start-ups leveraging existing development platforms. Particular attention is given to problem structuring and problem design issues within such complex settings using Soft Systems Methodology and the Unified Modeling Language as a toolkit. Agile methods form a core part of the teaching. To ensure that students gain practical experience we include a one-week intensive Sprint project run during reading week in which outside consultants present a "real-world" case study of systems development and the groups undertake to rapidly analyse and design a proposal for a technical solution. This allows students to support their theoretical understanding with a strong practical experience of the pressures and difficulties of systems development today. The group sprint project provides a realistic experience of developing systems within a consulting role and is supported by classes and question and answer session and face to face discussion. Students gain an understanding of the benefits and difficulties of working within and leading a small team under pressure.

20 hours of lectures, 5 hours of lectures and 10 hours of seminars in the AT.

8 hours of these lectures, and 5 hours of classes will occur be during the “Bootcamp” Sprint week which runs during reading week (Week 6) of AT.

In its Ethics Code, LSE upholds a commitment to intellectual freedom. This means we will protect the freedom of expression of our students and staff and the right to engage in healthy debate in the classroom.

Students discuss articles, practice systems development techniques, and critically evaluate their success. Formative feedback is provided on class participation. Formative feedback is provided within the Sprint Project by outside experts.

•  Avison, D. & G. Fitzgerald, Information Systems Development: Methodologies, Techniques and Tools, McGraw Hill, 2006.
• Beck, K. and C. Andres (2005). Extreme Programming Explained. Addison-Wesley; Benkler, Y. (2006): The Wealth of Networks. Yale University Press.
• Beynon-Davis, P. (2019) Business Information Systems, Red Globe Press *This is a textbook on information systems and well regarded. We do not use a textbook in this course and will not refer to this book but if you feel more comfortable with an easy to access textbook on key ideas this is a good place to start.
• Checkland, P. and J. Poulter (2006). Learning for Action. John Wiley and Sons.
• Evans, D. S. & R. Schmalensee (2016): The Matchmakers. Harvard Business Review Press.
• Fowler, M. (2004): UML distilled. Addison-Wesley Professional.
• Ghobadi, S., & Mathiassen, L. (2016). Perceived barriers to effective knowledge sharing in agile software teams. Information Systems Journal, 26(2), 95-125.
• Greenfield, A. (2017). Radical technologies: The design of everyday life, Verso Books.
• Jarvis, J. (2009): What Would Google Do? Collins.
• Kim, G (2019) The Unicorn Project: A Novel about Developers, Digital Disruption, and Thriving in the Age of Data”
• Kim, G., Behr, K., & Spafford, G. (2022). The Phoenix Project: A Novel about IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win. Trade Select.
• Knapp, J., J. Zeratsky and B. Kowitz (2016). Sprint: How to solve big problems and test new ideas in just five days, Simon and Schuster.
• Mathiassen, L., J. Pries-Heje, & O. Ngwenyama (2000): Improving Software Organizations. Addison Wesley.
• Melville, N., & Kohli, R. (2021). Roadblocks to Implementing Modern Digital Infrastructure: Exploratory Study of API Deployment in Large Organizations 54th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences.
• Monson-Haefel, R. (2009): 97 Things Every Software Architect Should Know. O'Reilly Media, Inc.
• Paternò, F., & Santoro, C. (2019). End-user development for personalizing applications, things, and robots. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 131, 120-130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2019.06.002.
• Polyviou, A., Pouloudi, N., & Venters, W. (2023). Cloud computing adoption decision-making process: a sensemaking analysis. Information Technology & People. https://doi.org/10.1108/itp-02-2022-0139.
• Polyviou, A., Venters, W., & Pouloudi, N. (2023). Distant but close: Locational, relational and temporal proximity in cloud computing adoption. Journal of Information Technology. https://doi.org/10.1177/02683962231186161
• Reis, E. (2011): The Lean Startup. Crown Business.
• Rittinghouse, J.W. & Ransome, J.F. (2009): Cloud Computing. CRC Press.
• Rolland, K., Mathiassen, L., & Rai, A. (2018). Managing Digital Platforms in User Organizations: The Interactions Between Digital Options and Digital Debt. Information Systems Research, 29(2), 419-443. https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.2018.0788.
• Rinta-Kahila, T., Penttinen, E., & Lyytinen, K. (2023). Getting Trapped in Technical Debt: Sociotechnical Analysis of a Legacy System’s Replacement. MIS Quarterly, 47(1), 1-32. https://doi.org/10.25300/misq/2022/16711.
• Sommerville, I. (2010): Software Engineering. Addison Wesley.
• Vial, G. (2019). Understanding digital transformation: A review and a research agenda. The Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 28(2), 118-144. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsis.2019.01.003.
• Wang, P. (2021). Connecting the Parts with the Whole: Toward an Information Ecology Theory of Digital Innovation Ecosystems. MIS Quarterly, 45(1), 397. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.25300/MISQ/2021/15864.
• Willcocks, L., W. Venters, & E. Whitley (2014): Moving To The  Cloud Corporation. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Exam (50%, duration: 2 hours) in the spring exam period.
Project (50%) in the AT.

A two-hour unseen examination taken in the ST (50%). The team 'boot camp' project in Week 6 of the AT (50%).