Introduction to Systems

Analysis and design

Systems Analysis and design - Week 01
Aim…

• Define a system
• Types of systems & their characteristics
• Systems Development Stages
• Who are the Actors
What is a System?
A group of interrelated elements
organised as an identifiable whole so as
to function together to achieve a
desired result.

Characteristics of a System
• Interrelated Components
• has a purpose
• Has a boundary
• Exists with in an environment
• Has interfaces
• Exists within constraints
• Has inputs and outputs
Types of Systems
• Natural
• Physical
• Living
• Man-made
• Computer systems

• Common behaviors?
Computer Systems
Man-made automated systems

Common Characteristics
• Require hardware
• Involve software
• Enforce business rules
• Process data into information
• Human interaction?
Computer Systems
Man-made automated systems

System Characteristics
• Specialized vs General
• Systems & Sub-systems
• Resource requirement
• Tend to grow
What is information system?

What?
An information system is a collection of software,
hardware, procedures, data and computer networks
used by people in organizations.

Why?
An information system is used to collect, store,
manage and distribute data to support specific
activities.
 Data vs. Information?

• Data consists of raw facts

• Information is defined as:
• Knowledge derived from data
• Data presented in a meaningful context
• Data processed by summing, ordering, averaging, grouping, comparing, or other
similar operations
• A difference that makes a difference
• Information is a collection of facts organized (or processed) in such a way that they
have additional value (i.e., a list of the class grades based on the exam score)
• In a way, information is data that has been transformed into a more useful
form
• Turning data into information is a process performed to achieve a defined
outcome and requires knowledge
• Information is subjective; Information in one person’s context is just a data
point in another person’s context.
 Main Characteristics of Good Information

• Accurate
• good information is based on correct and complete data, and it
has been processed correctly as expected.
• Timely
• Information should be given in a timely manner. A report that is
6 weeks late is most likely useless.
• Relevant
• Information should be relevant both to the context and to the
subject.
• Just barely sufficient (information overload
• Information needs to be sufficient for the purpose it is generated,
but just barely so.
• Worth Its Cost
• Information is not free. It costs money to develop a system, and
to maintain it.
11 Attributes of Information

Usability Quality Delivery

• Relevant • Accurate • Timely

• Simple • Verifiable • Accessible
• Flexible • Complete • Secure
• Economical • Reliable
 Exercise - Often confused

• My calculator always does multiplication correctly

in never makes an error. My calculator is __________
• What attribute is described?
• However, I dropped it in the sink and sometimes it
won’t turn on.
• My calculation is not _________
• What attribute is described?
 Exercise - Accuracy vs. Reliability

• Accuracy – true, free from error

• Precision – refers to the level of accuracy
• 1/3 = 1.333 is accurate
• 1/3 = 1.333333 is more precise
• Reliability – in IS, it refers to how often
information is accurate.
• An information source could be error free but might not
work all the time.
 Exercise - Weather Forecasting

• How much do you trust the weather forecast?

• Are weather-persons
• reliable,
• accurate,
• both, or
• neither?

• Do you make decisions based on weather forecast?

 Exercise - Accurate vs. Reliable

• Weatherman A can predict tomorrows temperature

to the exact degree
• but only 40% of the time.
• other 60% he cannot interpret the raw data
• Weatherman B can predict tomorrows temperature
but it may be off by 5 degrees
• But, his system works 95% of the time
• Who is more accurate?
• Who is more reliable?
 Exercise - TPS – transaction processing system

• I put the TPS reports on the website so everyone

can access them.
• This makes the TPS reports more ________.

• The TPS reports are PDF files which cannot be

modifed easily, so we also provide the TPS data in
standard XML format which can be converted to
any other format.
• The XML format is more ___________.
 Exercise - Some attributes are enemies!

• My student evaluation report includes 23 answers

from all 31 students. Its hard for me to tell if my
evaluations are good or bad, but at least the data is
__________.
• The student evaluation report includes only my
average score, which is very _______ and easy to
interpret, but I’d like all the data.
What is Systems
Development?
A process of …
planning, analysing, designing,
implementing, testing and deploying
an information system.

7 phases of system development

• Investigation
• Analysis
• Design
• Implementation
• Testing
• Deployment
• Maintenance and review
Actors in systems development

• Users
Who are the actors • Managers
• Business Analyst
in systems • Systems Analysts
development? • Technical Architects
• System Designers
• Developers
• Testers & QA
people
• Others
Users

• Direct interaction with the system

• May be product owners
• Inputs to requirements
• Usually more than one
• Differing skills
Project Managers
• Higher level requirements
• Resources
• Schedule
Business Analysts (BA)
• Identify and evaluate options for improving business
systems
• High level feasibility study
• Define business requirements
• Produce reports on analysis
• Involvement is sooner at & higher level than the SA.
• On changes to the People, Organisation, Processes and
the Technology
System Analysts (SA)
• Understand the role of the software in the processes
• Investigate the current system(s)
• Document ‘as is’ system using standard models
• Define new system requirements
• Requirements analysis
• Involvement is at a lower level than the BA

• Output: Requirements Spec

System Analysts (SA)
SA’s other roles

• Design and Document

• Design systems to meet requirements
• Implementation
• Documentation
• Training
• Testing,
• Handover
• Review
• Review of live system
• Review of development method
• Lessons learnt
• What next
SA’s Skills and Qualities

• Effective written and verbal communicator

• Able to use an appropriate range of analysis and modelling
techniques
• Able to use appropriate tools
• Methodical
• Take personal responsibility for quality
Technical Architects/Designers

• Designing the solution’s technical architecture

• Defines overall structure of the technical solution so that
non-functional requirements will be met, including:
• Performance
• Operating system / network / database
Developers
• Understand the specification
• Design the components
• Design the testing
• Write the code
• Test the component
Testers and QA

• Planning
• Specifying
• Executing
• Recording
• Checking
Others?
• Operations personnel
• IT admin, network, security, data
• 3rd-party suppliers
• Auditors
• etc
 How roles may be structured
• A typical traditional
structure might be:
• Project manager (PM)
• Business analyst (BA)
• Systems analyst (SA)
• Designers/Developers
• Supporting roles, e.g.
• Testers
• DBA
• Technical architect
Systems
Development
Stages

1. Initiation
2. Feasibility study
3. Requirements
analysis
4. Design
5. Implementation
6. Testing
7. Deployment &
Evaluation
8. Maintenance
Systems development stages
Define the project
scope.

Deliverables? Initiation
• Scope definition/vision
document
• Project plan

Stakeholders?
• Product owners
• Managers
• BAs/SAs
Systems development stages
Is the project
viable?

Feasibility study
Deliverables?
• Feasibility study report. • Technical
• Economic
• Schedule
• Operational
• Legal
Stakeholders? • social
• System analysts
• Product owners
• Managers
Systems development stages
What are we
building?

Deliverables? Requirements
• Requirements Analysis
specification

Stakeholders?
• System analysts, BA
• Managers
• users
Systems development stages

Design solution

Deliverables? Design
• System architecture
• Detained design

Stakeholders?
• Technical architects
• Designers
• System analysts
• Developers
Systems development stages
System
construction

Deliverables?
• Software code Implementation
• Hardware
• Documentation

Stakeholders?
• Developers
• Designers
• System analysts
Systems development stages
Correctness,
Completeness,
Quality

Deliverables?
• Test plan Testing
• Test data
• Test results
• V&V documents

Stakeholders?
• Testers/QA
• Developers
• Designers
• System analysts
Systems development stages

System Release

Deliverables?
• Application Deployment &
• Deployment
instructions
Evaluation

Stakeholders?
• Developers
• System analysts
• Project managers
• Users
Systems development stages

System Release

Deliverables?
• Updated
software/hardware Support &
• Documentation Maintenance

Stakeholders?
• Users
• Project managers
• Developers
• System analysts
 What we covered …

• Defined Systems

• Types and characteristics of systems

• Overview of Systems development

stages

• Actors and their roles in Systems

development
What we covered …

• Systems development stages

• Activities
• Who is involved
• Key deliverables
Questions?
Remember to complete all the seminar activities