Reason for System Project

The starting point for modifying an information system is called System Request which is formal
way of asking for assistance from IS department. A system request might purpose Enhancements
for an existing system, the Corrections of problems or the Development of an entire system. The
main

Reasons for the System Requests are

 Improved services to customers

 Better performance

 More information for making decision

 Stronger control

 Reduce the cost

Improved Services

System request often are aimed an improving service to customers or users within the company.
Allowing mutual fund investors to check their account balance on a web site, order the products
by using credit card etc. The purpose is that provides valuable services and increase customer
satisfaction.

Better Performance

The current system might not meet performance requirements. For example it might be slow to
respond to data inquiries at certain time, have limited flexibility or be unable to support company
growth. Performance limitations also results when a system that was designed for a specific
platform becomes obsolete when new hardware is introduced.
More Information

The system might produce information that is insufficient, incomplete or unable to support the
company’s changing information needs. For example a system that tracks customer’s orders might
not be capable of analyzing marketing trends.

Stronger Control

A system must have effective controls to ensure that data is accurate and secure some common
controls include password, various levels of user access and encryption of data so it can not be
read easily. Sophisticated controls can include devices that scan a Person’s Retina or to use its
Finger Prints as well as Voice Pattern. While weak control can allow data entry errors or
unauthorized access. A control must be effective without being excessive. If a system requires
redundant data input or takes too long to verify every data item then internal user or customer can
complain that system is not user friendly.

Reduce Cost

The current system could be expensive to operate or maintain as a result of technical problems,
design weakness or the changing demands of the business. It may be the new system is more cost
effective and provide better support for long terms objectives.

Evaluation of System Request

May organization assign the responsibility for evaluation systems requests to a group of key
managers and user who form a System Review Committee or Steering Committee or Computer
Resource Committee or Computer Policy Committee?

The objective of committee is to use judgment and experience of several managers to evaluate the
system projects. In some companies one person is responsible for system development and
maintenance decisions this is often in small companies or firms where only one has information
technology skills.

Evaluation of Projects
In most of organization the IS department receive more system requests than it can handle so the
system review committee evaluate the request and set priorities with a limited staff

 Which of these projects should be considered for further study

 What criteria should be applied

 How should the committee decide priorities

Overview of Feasibility

A system request meets several tests to see whether it is worth while to proceed further. The series
of tests is called Feasibility Study and it is vital part of every system projection.

Feasibility study uses three points

 Operational Feasibility

 Technical Feasibility

 Economic Feasibility

Operational Feasibility

An operationally feasible system is one that will be used effectively after it has been developed. If
users have difficulty with a new system it will not produce the expected benefits. Operational
feasibility depends on following issues

 Does manager support the project

 Does user see the need of change

  Will the new system require training for users if so the company is prepared to provide the
necessary resources of training current employees?

 Will the system affect adversely in any way by the new system

Technical Feasibility

A system request is technically feasible if the organization has the resources to develop or
purchase, install and operate the system. We take under consideration the following points

 Does the organization have equipments necessary for the system if not then it can acquire
without difficulty

 Does the proposed equipments have enough capability for future needs if not can it be
expanded

 Will the combination of hardware and software supply adequate performance

Economic Feasibility

A system request is economically feasible if the projected benefits of the proposed system are
much then the estimated costs involved in developing or purchasing, installing or operating it. To
determine the economic feasibility the analyst need to estimate costs in each of the following areas.

 People ,including staff and users

 Hardware and equipment

 Software including in house development

 Formal and informal training

 Licenses and fees

 Facility Costs
Determining Feasibility

The first step in the evaluation of a system is to determination of feasibility. Any request that is
not feasible should be identified as soon as possible. For example a request might require hardware
or software that that company already has rejected for other reasons. You should keep in mind that
system request that are not currently feasible can be resubmitted as new hardware, software or
expertise becomes available similarly development cost might decrease.

Conversely an initially feasible project can be rejected later as the project progress condition often
change as economic condition might shift and cost might turn out to be higher than anticipated
some time manager and users lose confidence in a project

Criteria used to evaluate feasible system requests

After rejecting systems requests that are not feasible the system review committee must establish
priorities for the remaining items. Most companies give priority to projects that provide the greatest
benefit at the lowest cost in the shortest period of time.

Discretionary project (open, choice)

Projects where managements has choice to choose one or two projects in the current time are called
discretionary projects

Non discretionary project

Projects where managements has no choice it mean only one project is available that is feasible is
called non discretionary project
 System Development Techniques

In addition to understanding business operations, systems analyst must know how to use a variety
of techniques. Although structured analysis and design is still most common method of system
development but many companies use other techniques to develop information system such as

JAD (Joint Application Development)

RAD (Rapid Application Development)

O-O (Object Oriented)

JAD

The JAD team usually meets over a period of days or weeks in a special conference room or at an
off site location. The objective is to analyze the existing system work on potential solution and
agree on requirements of the new system. The group usually has a project leader and one or more
members who document and record the results and decision.

RAD

This is a technique that reduces the time needed to design new information system like JAD. It
also uses the team approach but goes further. The RAD process does not stop at requirements
determination but continues through system design and implementation. The primary advantage is
that system can be developed more quickly with significant cost savings. And disadvantage is that
RAD stresses the mechanics of the system itself and does not place enough emphasis on the
company’s strategic business needs. The risk is that a system might work well in the short term
but the long-term objectives for the system might not be meet.

OBJECT –ORIENTED ANALYSIS

Where as structured analysis treats processes and data as separate components, object-oriented
analysis (O-O) components data and the process that act on the data into things called objects.
System’s analyst use O-O to model real-world business process and operation. The result is a set
of software objects that represent actual people, things, transaction, and events. Using an O-O
programming language, a programmer then writes the code that creates the objects.

An object is a member of a class, which is a collection of similar objects. Objects possess

characteristic called properties, which the objects inherits from its class or possess on its own.

MODELING

Modeling produces a graphical representation of a concept or process that systems developers can
analyze, test, and modify. A system analyst can describe and simplify an information system by
using a set of business, data, object, network, and process models.

A business model, or requirements model, describes the information that a system must
provide. A data model describes data structure and design. An object model describes objects,
which combine data and processes. A network model describes the design and protocols of
telecommunications links. A process model describes the logic that programmers use to write
code modules. Although the models might appear to overlap, they actually work together to
describe the same environment from different points of view.

PROTOTYPING

Prototyping tests system concepts and provides an opportunity to examine input, output, and user
interfaces before final decisions are made. A prototype is an early working version of an
information system. Just as an aircraft manufacturer test a new design in a wind tunnel, systems
analysts construct and study information systems prototypes. A prototype can serve as an initial
model that is used as benchmark to evaluate the finished system, or the prototype itself can develop
into the final version of the system. Either way, prototyping speeds up the development process
significantly.
A possible disadvantage of prototyping is that important decisions might be made too early, before
business or IT issues are understood thoroughly. A prototype based on careful fact finding and
modeling techniques, however can be an extremely valuable tool.

COMPUTER-AIDED SYSTEM ENGINEERING (CASE) TOOLS

Computer-aided systems engineering (CASE), also called computer-aided software

engineering, is a technique that uses powerful software, called CASE Tools, to help system s
analyst’s develop and maintain information systems. CASE tools provide an over all framework
for systems development and support a wide variety of design methodologies, including structured
analysis and object-oriented analysis.

Because CASE tools make it easier to build an information system, they boost it productivity and
improved the quality of the finished product.

In addition to traditional CASE tools system developers often use project management tools, such
as Microsoft Project, and special –purpose charting tools, such as Microsoft Visio, which is shown
in figure 1-23. a system analyst’s can use Visio to create many different types of diagrams,
including block diagrams. Building plans, forms and charts, maps, network diagrams, and
organization charts, Visio is described in more detail in Part 2 of the Systems Analyst’s Toolkit.

SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT METHODS

There are various methods for developing computer-based information systems. Structured
analysis is the most popular method, but a newer strategy called object-oriented analysis and
design also is used widely. Each method offers many variations. Some organizations develop their
own approaches or adopt methods offered by software suppliers, CASE tool vendors, or
consultants. Most IT experts agree that no single, best system development strategy exists. Instead,
a systems analyst should understand the alternative methodologies and their strengths and
weaknesses.

STRUCTURED ANALYSIS
Structured analysis is a traditional systems development technique that is time-tested and easy to
understand. Structured analysis uses a series of phases, called the systems development cycle
(SDLC), to plan, analyze, design, implement and support an information system. Although
structured analysis evolved when most systems were based on mainframe processing, it remains a
dominant systems development method.

Structured analysis uses a set of processes models to describe a system graphically. Because it
focuses on processes that transform data in useful information, structured analysis is called
a process-centered technique. In addition to modeling the processes structured analysis includes
data organization and structure, relational database design and user interfaces issue.

Process modeling identifies the data flowing into a process, the business rules that transform the
data, and the resulting output data flow.

JOINT APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT AND RAPID APPLICATION

DEVELOPMENT

In the past, IT departments sometimes developed systems without sufficient input from users. Not
surprisingly, users often were unhappy with the finished product. Over time, many companies
discovered that systems development teams composed of IT staff, users, and managers could
complete their work more rapidly an produce better results. Two methodologies became
popular: joint application development (JAD) and rapid application development
(RAD). Both JAD and RAD use teams composed of users, managers, and IT staff. The difference
is that JAD focuses on team-based fact-finding, which is only one phase of the development
process, while RAD is more like a compressed version of the entire process.

OTHER DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES

In addition to structured analysis and O-O methodologies, you might encounter systems
development techniques. For example Microsoft Offers an approach called Microsoft Solution
Framework (MSF), which document the experience of its own IT teams.

Using an MSF, systems analysts design a series of models, including a risk management model; a
team model, and a process model, among others. Each model has a specific purpose and output
that contributes to the overall design of the system. Although the Microsoft processes differ from
the SDLC phase-oriented approach, MSF developers perform the same kind of planning, ask the
same kinds of fact-finding questions, deal with the same kinds of design and implementation
issues, and resolve the same kinds of problems. MSF uses O-O analysis and design concepts, but
also examines a broader business and organizational context that surrounds the development of an
information system.