ISP550
INFORMATION SYSTEMS
ENGINEERING
TOPIC 1: INTRODUCTION TO
INFORMATION SYSTEMS ENGINEERING
MARCH2024 – AUGUST2024
Learning Objectives
• Define Information Systems Engineering
• Describe the systems development life cycle (SDLC)
• Describe the system development methodologies such as agile
methodologies, eXtreme Programming, Scrum and RUP
• Describe the roles of an information system engineer
Definition
Information systems are computer-based infrastructures, organizations,
personnel, and components that collect, process, store, transmit,
display, disseminate, and act on information.
Information systems generally
provide computer-based assistance to
people engaging their environment as
illustrated in Figure 1, where
engagements and environments are
often too complex and dynamic to be
handled manually.
Definition
Complex, dynamic engagements and environments require people to analyze and draw conclusions from an
abstracted representation of the world, which enables them to make discrete decisions to achieve a desired effect
in the world commensurate with their roles, tasks and capabilities.
The abstraction is sometimes portrayed as a hierarchy (Figure 2) known as the Data, Information, Knowledge, and
Wisdom (DIKW) paradigm.
Ackoff, R. L., “From Data to Wisdom,” J. Appl. Syst. Anal. 16, 3–9 (1989).
Cleveland, H., “Information as Resource,” The Futurist, 34–39 (Dec 1982).
Definition
Data
• are the smallest symbolic units that describe measured or estimated phenomena.
• i.e.: sensors produce large volumes of data, but very little is understood by humans.
Information
• information is a more abstract understanding of the data derived by fusing data
• lowest layer where the symbolic units are interpretable by humans.
Knowledge
• symbols are sufficiently abstract to enable people to make decisions about and interact
with their environments.
• combination of information with necessary data and judgment of historical patterns
(experience).
Wisdom
• is knowledge combined with insights and common sense.
• It is typically achieved by humans based on knowledge, information, and data.
• hard to derive automatically from lower-level information representations.
TERM INFORMATION SYSTEMS ENGINEERING
CONFERENCE ON ADVANCED INFORMATION INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL ON
SYSTEMS ENGINEERING (ISE COMMUNITY) SYSTEMS ENGINEERING (INCOSE)
Information systems engineering is situated at -Information Systems Engineering is an interdisciplinary
the intersection of information systems, approach and means to enable the realization of
databases and software engineering. successful information systems.
-The term was coined around 1990, possibly in -ISE focuses on defining customer needs and
connection with the start-up of the later so successful required functionality early in the development cycle,
CAiSE (Conference on Advanced Information documenting requirements, then proceeding with
Systems Engineering) series of conferences. design synthesis, and system validation and
deployment while considering the complete problem:
It is notable that there are indeed three research
communities corresponding to each of the above- - Operations & Maintenance, Performance, Cost &
mentioned fields:- Schedule, Test, Realization, Training & Support,
-ISworld, DBworld and SEworld Disposal, Social aspects
Information Systems Engineering: What Is It? (Wangler and Backlund, 2005)
TERM INFORMATION SYSTEMS ENGINEERING
• Information Systems Engineering There are at least three broad areas of
integrates all the disciplines and knowledge that are needed for successful
specialty groups into a team effort work in information systems engineering (cf.
forming a structured development Iivari [19]):
process that proceeds from concept to • knowledge of information systems
production to operation. domains and applications,
• knowledge about methods, models, and
• Information Systems Engineering tools for business and systems
considers both the business and the • analysis and design, deployment, and
technical needs of all customers with operations and maintenance,
the goal of providing a quality • knowledge of the technology needed for
product that meets the user needs. building systems and integrating
• them with legacy components.
Information Systems Engineering: What Is It? (Wangler and Backlund, 2005)
Developing Information Systems and the Systems Development Life Cycle
Systems development methodology
◦ A standard process followed in an organization to conduct all the steps necessary to
analyze, design, implement, and maintain information systems
The systems development life cycle (SDLC)
◦ The traditional methodology used to develop, maintain, and replace information systems
◦ Features several phases that mark the progress of the systems analysis and design
efforts
Figure 3: Systems Development Life Cycle
Phases of the SDLC (1 of 3)
Planning
◦ Need for a new or enhanced system is identified
◦ Needs are identified, analyzed, prioritized, and arranged
◦ Determine the scope of the proposed system
◦ Baseline project plan is developed
Analysis
◦ System requirements are studied from user input and structured
◦ Requires careful study of current systems, manual and computerized, that might be
replaced or be enhanced
◦ Output is description of the alternate solution recommend by the analysis team
Phases of the SDLC (2 of 3)
Design
◦ The analyst converts the alternate solution into logical and physical specifications
Eg: User interface, storyboard
◦ Logical Design
◦ The design process part that is independent of any specific hardware or software platform
Eg: flowchart, diagram, ERD,
◦ Physical Design
◦ The logical specifications of the system from logical design are transformed into technology-specific details
from which all programming/system construction can be accomplished
◦ Choices of language, database, and platform are many times already decided by the organization or client
Eg: programming language used, database technology used, multimedia technology used, sensor devices
Phases of the SDLC (3 of 3)
Implementation
◦ Occurs when the information system is coded, tested, installed, and supported in the organization
◦ New systems become part of the daily activities of the organization
Maintenance
◦ The phase in which an information system is systematically repaired and improved
◦ Organization’s needs may change over time requiring changes to the system based on user’s needs
Products of SDLC Phases
Phase Products, Outputs, or Deliverables
Planning • Priorities for system and projects; an architecture for data, networks, and selection hardware, and information
systems management are the result of associated systems
• Detailed steps, or work plan, for project
• Specification of system scope and planning and high-level system requirements or features
• Assignment of team members and other resources
• System justification or business case
Analysis • Description of current system and where problems or opportunities exist, with a general recommendation on
how to fix, enhance, or replace current system
• Explanation of alternative systems and justification for chosen alternative
Design • Functional, detailed specifications of system elements (data, processes, inputs, and outputs)
• Technical, detailed specifications of all system elements (programs, files, network, system software, etc.)
• Acquisition plan for new technology
Implementation • Code, documentation, training procedures, and support capabilities
Maintenance • New versions or releases of software with associated updates to documentation, training, and support
Heart of Systems Development
Current practice combines analysis, design, and
implementation into a single process
Figure 1-7: Heart of Systems
Development
There are two general approaches
to the SDLC
Predictive Approach
• Waterfall model
• Assumes the project can be planned and that
The System Development the information system can be developed
according to the plan
Life Cycle (SDLC) • Requirements are well understood and/or
low technical risk
Adaptive Approach to the SDLC
• Iterative model
• Assumes the project must be more flexible and
adapt to changing needs as the project
progresses
• Requirements and needs are16 uncertain and/or
high technical risk
The SDLC Traditional Waterfall Problems
o Once one phase ends another
Figure 1-8: Traditional Waterfall SDLC
begins, going downhill until
complete
o Makes it difficult to go back
o Results in great expense to
make changes
o Role of system users or
customers narrowly defined
o Focused on deadlines
Agile Methodologies
Agile methodologies share three key principles:
1. A focus on adaptive rather than predictive
methodologies
2. A focus on people rather than roles
3. A focus on self-adaptive processes
Table 1-2: The Agile Manifesto (1 of 3)
The agile methodologies group argues that software development methodologies adapted from
engineering generally do not fit with real-world software development
The Manifesto for Agile Software Development (Table 1-2)
◦ Seventeen anarchists agree
◦ We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it.
Through this work we have come to value:
◦ Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
◦ Working software over comprehensive documentation
◦ Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
◦ Responding to change over following a plan
Table 1-2: The Agile Manifesto (2 of 3)
◦ That is, while we value the items on the right, we value the items on the left more. We
follow the following principles: (12 Agile Principle)
1. The highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of
valuable software.
2. Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness
change for the customer’s competitive advantage.
3. Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with
a preference to the shorter timescale.
4. Business people and developers work together daily throughout the project.
5. Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support
they need and trust them to get the job done.
6. The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a
development team is face-to-face conversation.
7. Working software is the primary measure of progress.
Table 1-2: The Agile Manifesto (3 of 3)
8. Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances
agility.
9. Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers,
and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.
10. Simplicity—the art of maximizing the amount of work not done—is essential.
11. The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-
organizing teams.
12. At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then
tunes and adjusts its behaviour accordingly.
--Kent Beck, Mike Beedle, Are van Bennekum, Alistair Cockburn, Ward Cunningham, Martin Fowler, James Grenning, Jim Highsmith,
Andrew Hunt, Ron Jefferies, Jon Kern, Brian Marick, Robert C. Martin, Steve Mellor, Ken Schwaber, Jeff Sutherland, Dave Thomas
(www.AgileAlliance.org)
Agile Methodologies—Not for Every Project
Agile methodologies are not for everyone
Fowler recommends an agile process if your project involves
◦ unpredictable or dynamic requirements
◦ responsible and motivated developers
◦ customers who understand the process and will get involved
Table 1-3: Five Critical Factors that Distinguish Agile and Traditional Approaches to
System Development
Factor Agile Methods Traditional Methods
Size Well matched to small products and teams Methods evolved to handle large products and teams.
Reliance on tacit knowledge limits scalability Hard to tailor down to small products
Criticality Untested on safety-critical products Methods evolved to handle highly critical products
Potential difficulties with simple design and lack Hard to tailor down to products that are not critical.
of documentation
Dynamism Simple design and continuous refactoring Detailed plans and Big Design Up Front, excellent for
are excellent for highly dynamic environments highly stable environment but a source of expensive
but a source of potentially expensive rework for rework for highly dynamic environments
highly stable environments
Personnel Requires continuous presence of a critical mass Needs a critical mass of scarce experts during project
of scarce experts definition but can work with fewer later in the project,
Risky to use non-agile people unless the environment is highly dynamic
Culture Thrives in a culture where people feel Thrives in a culture where people feel comfortable
comfortable and empowered by having many and empowered by having their roles defined by clear
degrees of freedom (thriving on chaos) practices and procedures (thriving on order)
Agile in Practice
Three primary factors critical for success
◦ Delivery strategy: Continuous delivery of working software in short
time scales
◦ Following agile software engineering practices
◦ Team capability: Agile principle of building projects around motivated
individuals
Agile development offers managers and programmers more choice in
their efforts to produce good systems that come in on time and under
budget
Figure 8: eXtreme Programming
eXtreme Programming (1 of 2)
o Short, incremental development cycles
o Focus on automated tests written by programmers
o Emphasis on two-person programming teams
o Customers to monitor the development process
o Relevant parts of eXtreme Programming that relate to design specifications are
1. How planning, analysis, design, and construction are all fused into a single phase of
activity
2. Its unique way of capturing and presenting system requirement and design
specifications
eXtreme Programming (2 of 2)
oCoding and testing are related parts of the same process
oAdvantages include
◦ Increased communications among developers
◦ Higher levels of productivity
◦ Higher quality code
◦ Reinforcement of other practices in eXtreme Programming
◦ Include code-and-test discipline
Figure 9: Scrum
Scrum (1 of 3)
Originated in 1995 by Sutherland and Schwaber
Most popular methodology for agile (58%)
◦ Scrum framework includes
◦ Scrum teams with associated roles, events, artifacts, and rules
◦ Each team consists of three roles
◦ Product owner
◦ Development team
◦ Scrum master
Scrum (2 of 3)
o Scrum designed for speed and multiple functional product releases
o Primary unit is the Sprint (runs two weeks to a month)
o Starts with an eight-hour planning meeting
oWhat needs to be delivered by the end of the sprint
oHow will the team accomplish that work
o Daily Standup: A 15-minute meeting held to evaluate progress made
within the past 24 hours and what needs to be done
Scrum (3 of 3)
◦ At the end of the sprint, two additional meetings
◦ The Sprint Review: (4 hours) focusing on the product, what has been
accomplished, and what needs to be done
◦ The Sprint Retrospective: (3 hours) focusing on team performance and
how it can improve
◦ Three primary artifacts in the Scrum process
1. Product Backlog: Listing of potential requirements
2. Sprint Backlog: Listing of only items to be addressed in a particular
sprint
3. Increment: Represents the sum of all the Product Backlog items
completed during a sprint.
Object-Oriented Analysis and Design (OOAD)
o Based on objects rather than data or processes
o Combines data and processes (called methods) into single entities call objects
o Object: A structure that encapsulates attributes and methods that operate on
those attributes
o Inheritance: Hierarchical arrangement of classes enabling subclasses to inherit
properties of superclasses
o Object Class: Logical grouping of objects that have the same attributes and
behaviors
Relational Unified Process (RUP)
o Relational Unified Process (R U P) is an object-oriented systems
development methodology
o Based on an iterative, incremental approach to systems development
o RUPs four phases (each can be further divided)
o Inception
o Elaboration
o Construction
o Transition
Figure 1-9: Phases of OOAD-Based Development
Roles of an Information System Engineer
….not a job title, but a role that people play:
Summary
Define Information Systems Engineering
Describe the information systems development life cycle (SDLC)
Describe the agile methodologies, eXtreme Programming,
Scrum and RUP
Describe the roles of an information system engineer
