Wits University information systems final-year students demonstrated IT-based business solutions they had designed and built during an Information Systems Project Exhibition held on the campus on Friday.
The project exhibition, part of the School of Economic and Business Sciences, was launched in 2004. Twelve teams, each comprising three to five students, were required to develop business solutions for small to medium enterprises (SMEs). The students spent 10 months completing the projects.
"The students were tasked with designing a solution that met their client`s needs. The project helps them engage in real world business information and management problems. The overall winner will be judged on how the solution solved the client`s business problem, creativity and innovation. The planning, analysis, design and implementation phases is also taken into account," says Maria Jakovljevic, organiser and information systems lecturer at Wits.
"The system has to improve the SME`s functionality," she says, adding that some of the students have become part of their client company`s IT department.
The students admit that it has been a busy year for them, but say they are grateful for the experience.
Projects provided solutions for the retail, fitness, construction, property development, transportation, media, sporting and tourism sectors. Most of the companies were using a paper-based system to record their daily business processes.
"The most outstanding project will be eligible to compete for Microsoft`s Project Firefly. The winner of Project Firefly will compete in an international competition, being held in Japan in 2006," says Jakovljevic.
The Wits project winners will be announced this week.
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