System Analysis And

Design

1 Chapter One: Basic concepts in Information

System development
 Topics

 System Analysis and Design, System, Information systems, System thinking

 Types of Information Systems

 Participant in Information System Development

 Roles and qualities of System Analyst

 System development methodologies, Processes/Phase

 Some Basic Definitions

 Systems Analysis and Design: What is it?

 Systems analysis
Process of studying an existing system to
determine how it works and how it meets user
needs
 Systems design
Process of developing a plan for an improved
system, based upon the results of the systems
analysis
 Cont…

 System analysis and design is a step by step complex method where by computer

based information systems that can perform basic business functions are developed

and maintained.

 It can also be defined as a standard set of activities, methods, best practices,

deliverables, and automated tools that stakeholders use to develop and maintain

information systems.

 System AD is used to analyze, design and implement improvements in the

functioning of businesses that can be accomplished through use of computerized

information systems.
 Cont…
 It is based on two skills/knowledge

 Understanding of organizations objectives, structure and process

(domain Knowledge)

 Knowledge of how to exploit information technology for advantage

 Out come of such SAD

 An application software (information systems) to improve

users/employee efficiency

 From the definition it is easy to understand that ‘System’, specifically

‘information system’ is a core concept.
System

 A system is an interrelated set of components with an

identifiable boundary, working together for some purpose.
 Cont…
 Characteristics of a system
 Components - either an irreducible part or an aggregate of parts (subsystem)
 Interrelated Components- the function of one is tied to the function of the other
 Boundary- the limits of the system with in which the system is contained, and that
separates it from other systems.
 Purpose- The components work together to achieve some overall purpose: the system’s
reason for existence
 Environment- Everything outside the system’s boundary
 Interfaces- the point at which the system meets its environment
 Input- What the system takes in from the environment to function
 Output- The result of the function of the system
 Constraints- limits to the system in terms of its capacity
Example

 Viewing a car as a system helps us determine what the problem

is and fix it by breaking the system down in to its components.
 It is also important to consider the relationship one subsystem has
with another in doing so.
Exercise

 Identify something as a
system
 Identify and describe its
characteristics ( the 9
characteristics discussed)
Other Important system
concepts
 Decomposition- being able to break down a system into its
components. It also helps to build different parts of the system at
different times or by different individuals.
 Modularity- relatively uniform size components or chunks.
Cont…

 Coupling- the extent to which subsystems are dependent on each

other. Subsystems should be as much independent from each other as
possible.
 Cohesion- the extent to which a module or a subsystem performs a
single function. When we have highly cohesive modules, each
module accomplishes one and only one function. This makes the
module reusable in future programs. Take a biological system as an
example. It has highly cohesive modules. It is possible to transplant
a heart or kidney.
Cont…

 Systems thinking
 Is a mind set or way of viewing a world as a system. Actually,
systems thinking is just one part of the skills a systems analyst
requires
 it helps to see the big picture; it also helps to break problems down to
their components to avoid complexity.
 It minimizes the effect a change in one module will have on another.
 It emphasizes on the relationship and the process that goes inside
rather than constituent parts or just the sum of the parts. Accordingly
 “A system is bigger than the sum of its components”
Information system

 Is an arrangement of people, data, processes, communication,

and information technology that interact to capture, transmit,
store, retrieve, manipulate and/or display information needed to
support and improve day-to-day operations in a business as well
as support the problem solving and decision making needs of
management and other users.
Types of information systems

 IS can be classified into various types based on their function:

 TPS
 MIS
 DSS
 ESS
15

 Transaction Processing Systems (TPS)

 perform and record the daily routine transactions necessary to
conduct business, such as sales order entry, hotel reservations,
payroll, employee record keeping, and shipping.
 TPS are the foundation of other information systems
 16

 Management Information Systems (MIS)

 provide middle managers with reports on the organization’s current performance.
 the information is used to monitor and control the business and predict future
performance
 MIS summarize and report on the company’s basic operations using data supplied by
transaction processing systems.
 Most MIS use simple routines, such as summaries and comparisons, as opposed to
sophisticated mathematical models or statistical techniques.
17
18

 Decision Support System (DSS)

 support more non-routine decision making
 They try to answer questions such as these:
 What would be the impact on production schedules if we were to double
sales in the month of December?
 What would happen to our return on investment if a factory schedule
were delayed for six months?
19

 Executive Support Systems (ESS)

 help senior management make strategic decisions
 In addition to drawing summarized information from internal MIS
and DSS, ESS are designed to incorporate data about external events,
such as new tax laws or competitors.
Cont…

 Other Systems
 E-commerce Applications: Business to Customer, Business to
Business, and Customer to Customer
 Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems- integrate many ISs
existing at various levels of management and used for various
functions.
Participants in Information
System Development
 Usually system development is a team work and project based.
 Who do you think are the stakeholders (participates) in IS design
and development?
 How do each of these stakeholders participate?
Cont…

 System owners- pay for the system to be built

and maintained.
 They own the system, set priorities for the system,
and determine policies for its use. In some cases,
system owners may also be system users.
 System users- are the people who actually use
the system to perform or support the work to
be completed.
 System users define the business requirements and
performance expectations for the system to be built.
Cont…

 System analysts- facilitate the development of

information systems and computer applications
by bridging the communications gap that exists
between non-technical system owners and
users and technical system designers and
builders.
 System designers- are the technical specialists
who design the system to meet users’
requirements. In many cases, system designers
may also be system builders.
Cont…

 System builders are the technical specialists who construct,

test, and deliver the system into operation.
 IT vendors and consultants who sell hardware, software and
services to businesses for incorporation into their information
systems.
 Systems Analyst

 Professional computer employee who performs analysis and design

 Change agent
 Overcome reluctance of users to change
 Systems Analyst
Functions

Communication
 Oral presentations
 Written documentation

Planning and design

 Plans and designs new system
 Involved from beginning of project to final implementation of the system
System Analyst

Necessary skills required

 Analytical skills
 Technical skills
 Management skills
 Interpersonal skills
 Cont…
 Analytical skills
 Systems thinking
 Organizational knowledge- how organizations work
 Example a payroll system developed for a Government Unit
wouldn’t work for a private company
 Problem Identification- a problem is the difference between
an existing situation and a desired situation. Being able to see
the real problem from an organizational perspective.
 Problem analyzing and solving- finding out more about the
problem, formulating alterative solutions, choosing the best
alternative, devising a plan for its implementation.
Cont…

 Technical skills- programming languages, operating systems,

database systems, data communication systems, system
development tools, web development languages, CASE tools
Cont…

 Management skills
 Project management- prevent projects from coming
in late or going over budget
 Resource management- delegating work, using
resources effectively and efficiently
 Risk Management- identifying risk in an IS
development process and minimizing it. For
instance, use of standard or commonly used
technology will be less risky.
 Change management- helps people make a smooth
transition from one information system to another.
Cont…

 Interpersonal skills
 Communication skills- interviewing, listening,
written and oral presentations
 Working in a team,
 facilitating groups-guiding groups to work
together
 Managing expectations- educate pessimists and
temper the expectations of others.
 System Development Approaches,
Methodologies and Phases/Processes
 Organizations use a standard set of steps, called a systems development
methodology, to develop and support their information systems.
 The systems development life cycle (SDLC) is a common methodology for
systems development in many organizations that marks the phases or steps of
information systems development
Phase 1: Systems Planning and
Selection
 The primary activities of this phase are:
 identifying the need for a new or enhanced system and
 Selection of projects that are perceived to meet the objectives of
an organization
 Information system needs of an organization may result
from:
 Requests to deal with problems in current procedures
 The desire to perform additional tasks
 The realization that information technology could be used to
capitalize on an existing opportunity
 Once a project is selected a plan is designed that lays out
important issues such as:
 Feasibility study
 Scope
 Schedule
 The plan is finally presented to the management to proceed to the
next phase.
Phase 2: Systems Analysis

 During this phase, the analyst thoroughly studies the

organization’s current procedures and the information systems
used to perform different tasks.
 The activities generally included in the analysis phase are:
 determining the requirements of the system
 Requirement structuring and elimination of redundencies
 generating alternative initial designs to match the requirements
 The output of the analysis phase is a description of the alternative
solution recommended by the analysis team
Phase 3: Systems Design

 During systems design, analysts convert the description of the

recommended alternative solution into logical and then physical
system specifications.
 Logical design is not tied to any specific hardware and systems
software platform.
 During physical design decision is made regarding:
 programming language
 database systems
 hardware platform
 operating system, and
 network environment the system will run under.
 The final product of the design phase is the physical system
specifications
Phase 4: Systems Implementation and
Operation
 During systems implementation and operation, you turn system
specifications into a working system that is tested and then put
into use.
 Implementation includes coding, testing, and installation.
 During operation, programmers make the changes that users ask
for and modify the system to reflect changing business
conditions.
Alternative approaches to
development
 Prototyping
 computer-aided software engineering (CASE) tools
 joint application design (JAD)
 rapid application development (RAD)
 participatory design (PD)
 Agile Methodologies
Prototyping

 Prototyping is the process of designing and building a scaled-

down but working version of a desired system
 The key advantages of the prototyping technique are:
 it involves the user in analysis and design
 it captures requirements in concrete, rather than verbal or abstract
form
Computer-Aided Software
Engineering (CASE) Tools
 Computer-aided software engineering (CASE) refers to
automated software tools used by systems analysts to develop
information systems.
 The general types of CASE tools include:
 Diagramming tools
 Computer display and report generators
 Documentation generators
 Code generators
Joint Application Design

 joint application design (JAD) is a process the purpose of which

is to structure the requirements determination phase of analysis
and the reviews that occur as part of the design
 Users, managers, and systems developers are brought together for
a series of intensive structured meetings run by a JAD session
leader
Rapid Application Development

 Rapid application development (RAD) is a Systems

development methodology created to radically decrease the time
needed to design and implement information systems.
 Focus is more on system functional and user interface
requirements at the expense of detailed business analysis and
concern for system performance issues
Participatory Design

 participatory design (PD) emphasizes the role of the user much

more than do traditional techniques such as structured analysis
and structured design
 Each user has an equal voice in determining system requirements
and in approving system design
Agile Methodologies

 Agile Methodologies a family of development methodologies

characterized by
 short iterative cycles and extensive testing
 active involvement of users for establishing, prioritizing, and
verifying requirements and
 a focus on small teams of talented, experienced programmers.