“Just a little longer…I want to be sure this is working correctly before I change over,” says Buffy, the owner of three bathroom accessories boutiques called Tub ’n Stuff. Her accountant, who helped her set up a new accounting information system, is desperately trying to persuade Buffy to change over completely to the new system. Buffy has insisted on running the old and new systems in parallel for an entire year.

Question

a. Briefly describe the general problems involved in using a parallel conversion strategy for implementing a new information system.
b. In a paragraph, try to convince the owner of Tub ’n Stuff that a year of running a system in parallel is long enough. Suggest a way to end Tub ’n Stuff’s dual systems that will provide enough reassurance to Buffy. (Assume the new system is reliable.)

Answer 1

a. Some of the general problems that can be encountered with a parallel conversion strategy for implementing a new information system are:

1) The cost of running two systems at the same time
2) Double work load
3) Difficulty of making comparisons with output from the old system
4) Refusal to convert to the new system entirely because of familiarity with the old system

b. Running the system in parallel for a year has been very expensive. To be fully assured that the new system is running well and is reliable enough, a post-implementation test can be conducted. If the system passes the evaluation test, it should be safe enough to stop using the old system.