Assignment Overview
In the case for this module, you will be considering the part played in the implementation of new information technologies by the large bulk of legacy systems — that is, all those earlier cutting-edge technologies that have inconveniently acquired substantial constituencies in parts of IT and other parts of the organization and consequently refuse to die on schedule. A particularly vivid illustration of this is provided by the legacy language called COBOL and its implications for information systems change and integration. As indicated in the introduction, COBOL has been around a long time and has seen many applications, incarnations, and host platforms come and go. It must be doing something right to have survived so many vicissitudes; on the other hand, one might argue that it has visited many of those same vicissitudes on other perhaps more worthy languages, and survives more by virtue of inertia than by virtue of its own merits. In any event, it constitutes a fact of life in most organizations to one degree or another, and is likely to be something that the implementer of new technology will need to know something about. In fact, skill at COBOL programming is particularly in demand at many companies – you might consider it as a sideline!
The required background materials (and also the optional ones – see Background page) contain a number of sources that discuss the current status and prospects of COBOL and its role as a principal component of legacy systems:
Jess Bisbal, Deirdre Lawless, Bing Wu, and Jane Grimson (n.d.), Legacy information system migration: A brief review of problems, solutions and research issues, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland, Retrieved from http://www.cs.tcd.ie/publications/tech-reports/reports.99/TCD-CS-1999-38.pdf
The COBOL Center website (2010) Retrieved December 15, 2011 from http://infogoal.com/cbd/cbdhome.htm
Thibodeau, P. (2010, April 21) One firm’s story: The mainframe goes, but Cobol stays behind. Techworld.com. Retrieved from http://www.techworld.com.au/article/343803/one_firm_story_mainframe_goes_cobol_stays_behind
VanLengen, C.A. and J.D. Haney (2009, April 16) Creating Web Services for Legacy COBOL Information Systems Education Journal volume 7, number 28 Retrieved from http://www.isedj.org/7/28/ISEDJ.7%2828%29.VanLengen.pdf
Taking Cobol to the Cloud (2008, November 14), Retrieved from http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Application-Development/Taking-COBOL-to-the-Cloud/
As noted earlier, you should consult material from the Background Readings or related other materials you find yourself .
Case Assignment
When you’ve read through the case articles noted above and other related material, scanned the websites, and thought about it carefully, please compose a short (ca. 5-7 page) paper on the topic:
How the implementation of your technology is likely to be affected by the presence of legacy systems in similar or other parts of the implementing organizations?
Whether or not they involve COBOL specifically, the issues you discuss will involve similar kinds of earlier technology, and the issues that are raised by COBOL integration are likely to be evident in your case as well. Try to draw on the COBOL illustration as a way of focusing your attention on legacy systems integration. Try to identify potential points of friction between specialized IT tools and legacy systems.
Your paper should be short (5-7 pages, not including cover sheet and references) and to the point. Take a definite stand on the issues, and develop your supporting argument carefully. Using material from the background information and any other sources you can find to support specific points in your argument is highly recommended; try to avoid making assertions for which you can find no support other than your own opinion.
Refer to the Student Guide to Writing a High-Quality Academic Paper if you are uncertain about formats or other issues.
Assignment Expectations
Length: Follow the number of pages required in the assignment excluding cover page and references. Each page should have about 300 words.
Your assignment will be evaluated based on the Rubric.
