a. What is the great divide in the systems development process? What causes the gap?

The "great divide" is the gap between the information needs of business managers and the information produced by IS. The great divide occurs because of the following:

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  Many systems are seriously outdated and do not produce the needed information.
  

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  Better-educated end users are demanding more powerful information systems and better results from information systems that aren’t performing.
  

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  Poor communications among system designers, end users, and business managers results in the development of ineffective information systems.
  

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  IS people who do not understand operations and the management of the business.
  

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  A first step in effective systems design is a thorough business analysis to understand how a business operates and how its business functions relate. This helps systems professionals and business managers to communicate effectively when developing an integrated system.
  
  

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  Businesses could hire managers with a systems background so they can be a liaison between the systems department and the finance and accounting departments, helping business managers to communicate their needs clearly.
  These managers should be willing and able to get involved in the IS development process.
  

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  More involvement and interaction between the systems staff and end users. End users should take an active role in the development process. In particular, designers should work closely with end users to assess needs and to develop specific working solutions.
  

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  A more integrated approach to systems development involving all the necessary parties: designers, programmers, business managers, and end users.
  

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  Management should provide employees with the training needed to make the system work right.