CSU07211/ITU07211: Advanced

Systems Analysis and Design

Chapter 1. The Design Phase

Dr. Tinabo
 Assessment
Test ……….20% marks.
Presentation and Quiz …10 % marks
Assignment …………..10% marks
- Group assignment with 3 - 5 students

Final semester exam ………60% marks

SYLLABUS
SDLC PHASES
SDLC
 Chapter 7 Outline
 Transition from requirements to design.
 System acquisition strategies.
- Custom development.
- Packaged software.
- Outsourcing.
Influences on the acquisition strategies.
Selecting an acquisition strategy.
TRANSITION FROM REQUIREMENT TO
DESIGN
 The purpose of the analysis phase is to figure out
what are the business needs. The purpose of the
design phase is to decide how to build it.
 During the initial part of design, the business
requirements are converted into system
requirements that describe the technical details for
building the system.
 System requirements are communicated through a
collection of design documents and physical process
and data models.
(cont’d)
 Activities of the design phase
(cont’d)
 The nonfunctional business requirements
influence the system requirements.

 At the end of the design phase, the final

deliverable called system specification is
created.
(cont’d)
System specification outline
SYSTEM ACQUISITION STRATEGIES
There are three primary ways to
approach the design of a new system:
1. Develop a custom application in-house.
2. Buy a packaged system and (possibly)
customize it; and
3. Rely on an external vendor, developer,
or service provider to build or provide
the system.
 Custom Development
 Custom development – building a new system
from scratch.
 Pros of custom development:
- It allows developers to be flexible and creative in
the way they solve business problems.
- It allows to take advantage of current
technologies that can support strategic efforts.
- It builds technical skills and functional knowledge
within the organization.
(cont’d)
 Cons of custom development:
- It requires a dedicated effort that include
long hours and hard work.
- It requires a variety of skills, but high skilled
IS professionals are difficult to hire and
retain.
- The risks associated with building a system
from the ground up can be quite high.
 Packaged Software
 Many organizations buy packaged software that has
been written for common business needs.
 It can be much more efficient to buy programs that
have already been created and tested, and a
packaged system can be bought and installed quickly
compared with a custom system.
 Packaged software can range from small single-
function tools to huge all-encompassing system such
as enterprise resource planning(ERP) applications.
(cont’d)
 One problem of packaged software is that companies
utilizing packaged software must accept the
functionality that is provided by the system.
 Most packaged applications allow for customization
or the manipulation of system parameters to change
the way certain features work.
 A custom-built add-on program that interfaces with
the packaged application, called a workaround, can
be created to handle special needs.
(cont’d)
 Systems Integration refers to the process of
building new systems by combining packaged
software, existing legacy systems, and new
software written to integrate them.
 The key challenge in systems integration is
finding ways to integrate the data produced by
the different packages and legacy systems.
 Outsourcing
 Outsourcing means hiring an external vendor,
developer, or service provider to create or
supply the system.
 Outsourcing firms called application service
providers (ASPs) supply software applications
and/or services over the Internet.
 Software as a service (SaaS) is an extension of
the ASP model.
 Outsourcing has many advantages such as a
low cost of entry and a short setup time.
(cont’d)
 Risks of outsourcing:
– Compromising confidential information
– Losing control over future development
– Losing important skills of in-house
professionals.
 You should never outsource what you do
not understand.
 Carefully choose an outsourcing firm
with a proven track record.
(cont’d)
 Three types of outsourcing contracts:
- Time and arrangements: pay for
whatever time and expenses are needed
to get the job done.
- Fixed-price contract
- Value-added contract: the outsourcer
gains some percentage of the completed
system’s benefits.
(cont’d)
Outsourcing Guidelines
 INFLUENCES ON THE ACQUISTION
STRATEGY
Project characteristics that influence the choice
of acquisition strategy
 Business Need
 If the business need for the system is
common and the technical solutions
already exist, packaged software is a
solution.
 A custom solution should be explored
when the business need is unique.
 Outsourcing is used in situations where
the business need is not a critical
element of company strategy.
 In-House Experience
If in-house experience exists for all
the functional and technical needs of
the system, it will be easier to build a
custom application.
A packaged system may be a better
alternative for companies that do not
have the technical skills to build the
desired system.
 Project Skills
The skills that are applied during
projects are either technical (e.g.,
SQL) or functional (e.g., e-commerce).
Different design alternatives are more
viable, depending on how important
the skills are to the company’s
strategy.
 Project Management
Custom applications require
excellent project management and a
proven methodology.
There are so many things that can
push a project off track, such as
funding obstacles, staffing, and
overly demanding business users.
(cont’d)
 The project team should choose to
develop a custom application only if it is
certain that the underlying coordination
and control mechanisms will be in place.
 Packaged and outsourcing alternatives
also must be managed; however, they
are more shielded from internal
obstacles.
 Time Frame
 When time is a factor, the project team
should probably start looking for a
system that is already built and tested.
 If a custom alternative is chosen, and the
time frame is very short, consider using
techniques like timeboxing to manage
the problem.
 An outsourcing solution could take as
long a custom development initiative.
 SELECTING AN ACQUISITION
STRATEGY
 To implement the strategies, additional
information is needed.
- What tools and technologies are needed for a custom
development project?
- What vendors make products that address the project
needs?
- What service providers would be able to build this
application if outsourced?
 One helpful tool is the request for proposal
(RFP), a document that solicits a formal
proposal from a potential vendor, developer,
or service provider.
(cont’d)
 RFPs describe in detail the system or service
that is needed, and vendor respond by
describing in detail how they could supply
those needs.
 For smaller projects with smaller budgets, a
request for information (RFI) may be
sufficient, as it is shorter and less detailed.
 When a list of equipment is so complete that
the vendor needs only provide a price, a
request for quote (RFQ) may be used.
Developing an Alternative Matrix
 The alternative matrix combines several
feasibility analyses into one matrix.
 It contains technical, economical and
organizational feasibilities for each
system candidate, pros and cons, and
other information.
 The matrix is a grid with alternatives
across the top and different criteria along
the side.
(cont’d)
 Sometimes, weights and scores are added to
create a weighted alternative matrix.
 Score” that communicates how well each
alternative meets the criteria.
 The score assigned is a subjective assignment.
 To avoid a biased analysis, each analyst
develops ratings independently.
(cont’d)
Sample Alternative Matrix Using Weights
 SUMMARY
 Transitioning from requirements to
design
- The design phase develops the blueprint for the
new system.
- The main deliverable from the design phase is the
system specification.
 System acquisition strategies
- Custom application in-house.
- Packaged system.
- Outsourcing.
(cont’d)
 Influences on acquisition strategy
- Each acquisition strategy has its strengths and weaknesses.
- Consider such issues as the uniqueness of business need, in-
house experiences, and the importance of project skills.
- Score” that communicates how well each alternative meets the
criteria.
 Selecting an acquisition strategy
- An alternative matrix can help the design team make the
decision regarding the specific acquisition strategy.
- The request for proposal and request for quote are ways to
gather accurate details regarding the alternatives.