DE LA SALLE JOHN BOSCO

COLLEGE
B.Sc. (Information Technology)

2nd Semester

SYSTEM ANALYSIS
AND DESIGN
Course References:
1. System Analysis and Design (10 th edition Global)
by: Kenneth E. Kendall & Julie E. Kendall ; ISBN: 1-292-28415
2. System Analysis and Design in a changing world (7 th edition)
by: Satzinger & Jackson & Burd ; ISBN: 978-305-11720-4
3. System Analysis and Design (12 th edition)
by: Shelly Cashman ; ISBN: 978-357-1178-1
4. System Analysis and Design (2022 series)
by: Prof. Dr. Girish Kathuria Amity Global Business School University
Vikas Publishing 2021 original published
 BLOCK I: SYSTEM CONCEPTS AND SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT LIFE CYCLE
UNIT 3 SYSTEM ANALYST- ROLES OF A SYSTEMS ANALYST

3.1 OBJECTIVES

After going through this unit, you will be able to:

 Know about the system analyst

 Discuss about the different types of skills
 Understand the role of system analyst
 3.2 SYSTEM ANALYST

 The person who plays a major role in the analysis, design and development of the system is termed as a system
analyst.

 The role of a system analyst has been emerging with the changing technology.
 The main responsibility of the system analyst is to bridge the gap between the user and the software developer.
 He understands both the business and the computing.
 An analyst must possess various skills to effectively carry out his responsibilities.
 These skills are basically divided into four categories:
• analytical skills,
• technical skills,
• management skills
• interpersonal skills.
3.2.1 Interpersonal Skills

 To perform systems analysis, the system analysts must have different skills to perform their tasks.
 These skills are mainly categorized into two types:
a. Interpersonal skills
b. Technical skills

that are needed for developing and analysing a system respectively.

The interpersonal skills enable the system analyst to handle the relationships with their surrounding business
people.

The interpersonal skills help system analysts to build trust and solve conflicts with the users.

The various interpersonal skills of system analyst includes the following:

 Communication: It enables the system analyst to communicate with the users in terms of speaking,
listening, feeling or reacting to maintain harmony and coordination.
 Understanding: It enables the system analysts in attaining a strong understanding of the company
goals and objectives that helps in identifying problems which may arise during the
system development process. It also enables the analyst to assess the remedies for the
identified problems.
 Selling: It enables the system analyst to contribute in selling ideas and provide innovative
solutions to solve problems using computer systems.
The technical skills of the system analyst lay stress on the methods, techniques and operations involved in system analysis.

Some of the technical skills of the system analyst are:

 Creativity: It helps the system analyst to convert the ideas of system development into planning for system
development.

 Problem Solving: It enables the system analyst to reduce the number of problems at the elemental level of system
analysis, so that if there is a large number of problems, alternative solutions can be considered.

 Project Management: It enables the system analyst to manage the project handling of the development system that
may include preparing schedules, coordinating the people involved in the project and
managing costs and expenditure.

 Dynamic Interface: Dynamic interface helps the system analyst to consider both technical and non-technical
requirements in optimum combination for the development of the system.

The above process requires a lot of deliberation, time, personal skills and interaction of the systems analyst with the users, to arrive at the right conclusion. The System or process you want to develop may be as
 System analysis is a process of analysing the existing system in order to gather the data that determines the scope, functionality and focus
of the proposed system.

 The purpose of system analysis is to transform the input, such as system charts and user policies into structured specification.
 System analysis involves representing the user environment with system analysis tools, such as Entity-Relationship (E-R) diagrams,
functioning diagrams and data diagrams.

 It is the responsibility of the systems analyst to carry out all the activities of the system analysis phase which includes the following
functions:

o Identifying and understanding the various operations handled by the existing system.
o Understanding the user requirements.
o Verifying the efficiency of the working methods applied to the participants, such as users, analysts, designers and programmers of system
development.
o Verifying the changes that are implemented in the process of system development.
o Determining the tools required for system analysis.
o Verifying that the workload allocation is logical and whether or not the users have to take part in both the systems, existing and new,
simultaneously.
o Verifying that whether the documents are easily understandable by the user or not.
o Deciding the scope and focus of the new system.
o Deciding the functions of the new system.
The various roles of the system analyst includes the following:

1. Change Agent: In this role, the system analyst is viewed as an agent of change where the analyst introduces the
changes in the system to the users.

2. Investigator and Monitor: As an investigator, the analyst defines a problem by analyzing the available system

information to deduce the errors or loop holes in the system and provides the corrective
changes
for the system. Again, as a monitor, the analyst is continuously involved in
checking
the corrected system for further errors or drawbacks.

3. Architect: This role involves creating a detailed physical design of the system on the basis of
the user
requirements.

4. Psychologist: This role enables the analyst to assess the perception of the users about the system and helps
evaluate their responses and feedback.

5. Motivator: This role enables an analyst to provide sufficient motivation to the new users that
help them work
on a newly implemented system.
3.2.2 Analytical Skills

An analyst must have the ability to see things as systems. He should have the ability to identify and analyse the problem in an effective way
so that an optimal solution of the problem can be provided for a specific organization. .

Analytical skills include the following:

1. Systems Thinking: An analyst must have the ability to determine the components, boundaries, purpose,
environment, interfaces, input, output and constraints of the system to be built.

2. Organizational Knowledge: An analyst should have the understanding of the working of the organization.
He should also have the knowledge of specific functions, internal policies,
strategies and
tactics of the organization.

3. Problem Identification: An analyst must be able to identify the problem by comparing the existing situation
and the desired situation.

4. Problem Analysing and Solving: An analyst should be able to analyse the problem by collecting all relevant
information. He should be familiar with numerous design approaches required
during
the development of software so that various design alternatives can be
formulated. At
the same time, he should also be able to translate user’s ambiguous
requirements into
precise specifications. He should be able to choose the best solution among the
various
3.2.3 Technical Skills

An analyst must have the ability to understand how computers, networks, databases, operating systems, etc., work together as a
system.

He should also know their potentials and limitations.

He must have a good understanding of a wide variety of hardware and software technologies including:

1. Computers, such as Personal Computers (PCs), microcomputers, workstations, minicomputers and

mainframe computers.

2. Computer networks, such as Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area System Analyst Network
(WAN),
Virtual Private Network (VPNs), administration and security.

3. Operating systems, such as UNIX, Mac/OS and Windows.

4. Data communication protocols and standards, such as File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and HyperText
Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

5. Programming and database languages, such as C++, Java, eXtensible Markup Language (XML),
Structured Query Language (SQL), and so on.
 6. Software applications, such as Microsoft Office.
7. Information systems, such as databases, Management Information System (MIS), decision support
systems, and so on.
8. System development tools and environments, such as report generators, office automation tools, and
so on.

3.2.4 Management Skills

Management skills include project management, resource management, risk management and change management.
1. Project Management: A system analyst should be able to determine the tasks and resources needed for
a project and how these tasks and
resources are related to each other. He should
assist management in keeping track of
progress of the project to meet due date
and budget requirement.
2. Resource Management: A system analyst should be able to effectively manage the resources required for
the project, including time, equipment,
hardware, software, people, money, etc.
3.Risk Management: A system analyst should be able to identify and minimize the risks involved in
the project.
4. Change Management: A system analyst should be able to manage the transition of the system from one
state to another.
 3.3 ROLE OF SYSTEM ANALYST: SYSTEM PLANNING AND INITIAL INVESTIGATION

• The system planning phase usually begins with a formal request known as system request which describes problems or desired changes
in an information system or a business process.

• In many organizations, system planning is an integral part of overall system development life cycle.

• A system request comes from a top manager, a planning team or a department head.

• The purpose of this phase is to perform a preliminary investigation to evaluate business opportunities or problem.

• The preliminary or initial investigation is a critical step because the outcome will affect the entire development process.

• A key feature of preliminary investigation is a feasibility study that reviews anticipated costs and benefits and recommends the actions
based on operational, technical, economic and time factors.

• Suppose you are a system analyst and you receive a request for system change or improvement.

• Then the first step of system analyst is to determine whether it launches a preliminary investigation at all.

• After an investigation, you might find that the information system functions properly but users need more training to be made aware of
the systems functioning.

The entire system development process from input to output stage is documented, as proper documentation of the development process is very useful in future
Preliminary investigation is the first step in SDLC.
It begins once a project request is made.
The purpose of this preliminary investigation is to evaluate the project request.
Such investigation only helps in the collection of information for committee members to evaluate the merits of the project requests leading
to an informed decision about the feasibility of the proposed project.
Systems analysts carry on the work of preliminary investigation with an aim to achieve the following objectives:
1. Clarification and understanding of the project request.
2. Determination of the size of the project.
3. Cost assessment and decision on benefits of alternative approaches.
4. Determination of the technical and operational feasibility of alternative approaches.
5. Report of the investigation to the management.
6. Recommendations on the acceptance or rejection of the proposal..
During the preliminary investigation, a systems analyst gathers data through the following three primary methods:
1. Reviewing organization documents.
2 Onsite observations.
3. Conducting interviews.
a. Reviewing Organization Documents

• This is the first approach that a systems analyst adopts.

- He first learns about the organization involved in the project.

For example, while reviewing an inventory system proposal he gathers information to know
about the working of the existing system in the department and about the people directly
associated with the inventory system.

The analyst obtains details by examining the organization’s charts and also carries out studies
of written operating procedures. These procedures define important steps involved in receiving,
managing and dispensing stock. After gathering information at the first step, the analyst moves
on to actual locations to collect data by onsite observation. Thus, the analyst or a group of
analysts directly observe the activities of the system.

The purpose of this onsite observation is to get a close fee of the real system studied.
b. Onsite Observation

• During this phase of observation, the analyst is able to observe the office environment, the workload of the system, the
users involved in the operation, the methodology adopted for work and the facilities provided by the organization to the
users.
c. Conducting Interviews

• The two techniques of investigation discussed till now reveals to the analyst the way a system operates
but these may not provide enough details to take a decision on the merits of a system’s proposal.

• Also, they do not reveal the users’ views on the current operations. These details can be gathered only by personal
interaction with the users. The analyst then resorts to interviews to gather these details. Interviews give more information
to the analyst about the nature of the project request whether it is technically, economically and operationally correct.
When a request for an information system arrives, the preliminary investigation, which is the first
activity, begins.

This comprises of following three parts:

a. Clarification of request.
b. Feasibility study.
c. Approval of request.
 1. Clarification of Request: Requests that come from employees and users in the organizations are not clear
and it is difficult to decide the scope of work. This warrants the need
to examine
and clarify properly before carrying out system investigation.

2. Feasibility Study: It is an important outcome of the preliminary investigation which determines

whether the system, for which the request has been made, is feasible
or not.

Feasibility study has three aspects as follows:

a. Technical Feasibility: This is related to the technicality of the project. This ponders over the
question whether the work for the project can be done with the existing equipment,
the
current software package and the available human resources.

In case, a new technology is required, it is essential to know whether it is possible to

develop
it further.

Technical issues, which are generally pointed out during the feasibility stage, are
as follows:
1. Availability of necessary technology.
2. Technical capability to procure data and to use a new system
equipment.
3. Possibility of future upgradation if developed.
4. Technical guarantees for accuracy and reliability over and above
 b. Economic Feasibility: Every organization wants to develop a system that gives it some benefit in terms
of financial return and that too at a reasonable cost.

So economic feasibility addresses issues related to the creation of the system to make the costs
affordable and acceptable.

Another important question is whether the cost of not creating the system is so great that it is
advisable to undertake the project.

A system developed technically and installed properly must be profitable for the organization.
Financial benefits should be equal to or more than the cost of the system.

The analysts ponder over various queries of financial and economic nature during the preliminary
investigation to estimate the following:

1. The cost of full systems investigation.

2. The cost of hardware and software.
3. The benefits in the form of reduced costs of operation or fewer costly errors.
4. The cost if the proposed system is not developed.

c. Operational Feasibility: This feature of feasibility study is related to its operational aspect wherein
the working of the hardware, the software and the
human resource is to
be taken into account.
So, the question of whether the system will work if it is developed and implemented comes naturally.

Another aspect related to human resource is whether there will be resistance from users who may not agree to
accept the changes.

Proposed projects can be beneficial if turned into information systems meeting the requirements of operation
for the organization.

Important aspects of assessing the operating feasibility are as follows:

1. Enough support for the project from the management as well as users. There may be resistance if people
are accustomed to the present system and are not ready to think of any alternative system and resist a
change.

2. If an existing business methodology does not suit the users, a change takes place. This brings about a
better and useful system in operation.

3. Users’ involvement in the planning and development of the new system as a project is very much
required. Involvement from the early stages, i.e., from the start of the project and during the
development stage too, reduces the chances of resistance to a great extent.

If users feel that the proposed new system is not in their interest or may not produce the desired results, or is
feared that it will have an adverse effect on the overall working personnel, then, there will be a sharp reaction and
resistance to the installation of a new system.
Issues that appear minor in the beginning may grow and assume major proportions later on when the system is implemented.

This warrants a careful consideration of the system’s operational aspects.

Feasibility studies are carried out by a selected group of people having expertise in information systems techniques.

They have the ability to understand the parts of the business or organization involved or affected by the project, and have enough skill in the
systems analysis and design process.

To be judged feasible, a proposal for the specific project must pass all these tests. Otherwise, it is not considered a feasible project.

1. Approval of Request: Teams carrying out feasibility studies may not find all requested projects feasible. Out of
so
many project requests, only a few may be found worth pursuing. Only those project found feasible and
considered as desirable get listed in a schedule.

Information Gathering

A systems analyst must obtain a clear understanding of an existing system in order to decide how much improvement can be made with the
new system in the context of fact finding techniques. Many people understand the specific operations in a system but may not understand the
entire system or vice versa. It is the responsibility of the analyst to understand the existing system before making any changes. This will help
the analyst to evaluate the performance of the new system compared with the previous system.
Figure 3.1 shows what the systems analyst has to decide.

Many methods are available that help the systems analysts to collect information about the existing system. For example, the systems analyst
can review documents, conduct interviews and questionnaires and perform onsite observations and Joint Application Development (JAD)
operations.
Systems analysts usually apply more than one of these techniques to ensure an accurate and comprehensive investigation of the existing
system.
Another important technique that helps in collecting information related to a software system is sampling. Sampling is a technique that helps
collect information related to a large software system by investigating smaller and randomly selected items of the software. Sampling reduces
costs, speeds up the data gathering process and improves effectiveness. Figure 3.2 shows information gathering methods.
While collecting information about the existing system, the systems analyst should determine how that system came into existence.

After conducting the preliminary investigation, the analyst must be in a position to answer the following questions:
1. How was the system designed and installed?
2. Who implemented it?
3. Will anyone try to justify or defend the existing system and thus slow up the change to a new system?
Information Gathering Tools

Various kinds of reports and records that store information related to the existing system are maintained in an organization.

These reports and records can provide valuable information regarding the organization, its operations and activities, to the systems analysts.

A review of available documentation is a logical starting point when seeking insight into a system.

It helps people gain some knowledge about the organization or operations by themselves.

Procedure manuals and forms are excellent sources of information because they describe the format and functions of the present system.
Update manuals can provide a lot of information, which saves a lot of time.

Recent developments in the area of Information Technology (IT) have made it possible to avail all the updated documentations about most of
the systems within a short span of time.

The existing forms can provide a clear understanding about the transactions that are handled in the organization.

An input form can be used to identify the various data items captured for processing.

An output form or report can be used to evaluate the performance of the process or to notice the different information products that are being
generated from the system.
When the analyst analyses the existing forms, the following question must be pointed out:

1. Who are the users of the forms?

2. How important are these forms to the users? System Analyst.

3. Do the forms contain all the required information?

4. Is it required to add or delete any item?

4. What is the frequency of use of each form?

5. How many users receive the forms?

6. Is it readable or ambiguous?

7. Does the information in the forms help the users to take decisions?

8. How does it help the user in decision-making?

Analysing Quantitative Documents

- Reports such as sales reports, production reports, and inventory reports are used for decision-
making. It helps the decision maker to spot the trend. It supply a strategic overviews of the organizational
plan.

- Aside from these key reports, decision makers also use many summary reports to provide background
information and spot exceptions to normal circumstances.

Performance Reports

- It provides information related to the performance of the system. It helps in analyzing the varying trends in the performance and
in implementing the required changes.

The main functions of the performance reports are as follows:

1. They report the actual versus the intended performance.
2. They help the systems analyst to access the size of the gap between the actual and intended performance.
3. They indicate whether this gap is widening or narrowing.
4. These performance reports show goal
Records

- Records are maintained to help the systems analyst determine the functioning of the system.
- The records are maintained daily, monthly or yearly based on the requirements and the time period specified for
analysing the reports.
The main functions of records are as follows:
1. They provide a periodic update of what is occurring in the organization if updated in a regular manner.
2. They help the analyst to check for errors in amounts and totals.
3. They help in observing the number and type of transactions.
4. By inspecting the records, the systems analyst can think about improving or changing the recording form design.
5. It helps find instances when computers can simplify the work further, for example calculations and data
manipulations.
Data Capturing Forms
- Data capturing forms help in collecting specific information regarding the requirement of the system.

- The factors that should be considered while using data capturing forms is as follows:
1. The organizational system is to be understood before changing the information flow in the organization.
2. Blank forms, along with their instructions for completion and distribution, can be compared to filled-in forms for
analysing the collected information. Also, one needs to verify whether the people, who are supposed to receive the
forms, actually do get them and if they follow standard procedures for using, storing and discarding them.
Analysing Qualitative Documents

- Analysing qualitative documents helps you to understand how the organizational members are engaged in the process of organizing.

- The various types of qualitative documents include memos and signs on bulletin boards and in work areas, manuals and policy handbooks.

Memos
- Memos are qualitative documents that help in providing details regarding the daily activities of the organization.

- Maintenance of memos on daily basis helps in understanding the environment of the organization.

- The functions of a memo are as follows:

1. Memos provide an insight into the metaphors that guide the organization’s thinking. While analysing memos, it
should be determined who sends the memos and who receives them.

2. Memos in print or on e-mail present a lively, continuing dialog in the organization.

3. Memos represent the clear picture of the values, thoughts and beliefs of the employees of an organization.
Manuals

- Manuals are qualitative documents that pertain to the working area of any system.
- These manuals can be based on the functioning of an organization or the system and these manuals help in
analysing their performance.
Some facts related to manuals are as follows:
1. Systems analysts should examine the organizational manuals, computer system manuals and
different kinds of online manuals.
2. Manuals present the ideal way in which machines and people are expected to System Analyst behave.
3. Examining the current manuals helps determine the way things ought to happen.

Policy Handbooks
Policy handbooks are documents that provide information regarding the policies and rules of the organization or the system.
The following are the facts related to the policy handbook:
1. They indicate the company’s ideal way of doing things and achieving goals.
2. Some computer policies may appear on the screen whenever a particular program is run.
3. Sometimes, the members are not aware of some particular policies.
4. Policies are sometimes purposely sidestepped in the name of efficiency or simplicity.
Onsite Observation

- Observation allows analysts to gain information they cannot obtain by any other fact finding methods. With thorough
observation, you can gain first hand information whereas by reviewing the documents, you get only secondary information.

- This method is really useful when analysts want to observe how transactions are handled, when and where the documents are
captured, how the data flows or how activities are carried out, and so on.

- Observation is the process of recognizing and noting people, objects and occurrences to obtain information.

- The objective of an onsite observation is to get as close as possible to the actual system being studied. As observers, analysts follow certain
rules.

Steps for Observation:

1. Decide what is to be observed.

2. Decide the level of activities.
3. Create categories for capturing key activities.
4. Prepare materials for observations.
5. Decide the time for observation
Onsite Observation Methods
When human observers are used, the specific alternative observation methods are considered. These are as follows: (
i) Natural Observation: It takes place in a setting, such as at an employee’s workplace.
(ii) Contrived Observation: It takes place in a setup by the observer, such as laboratories.
For example, checking bugs in an individual system and checking the progress of trainees in a training program.
(iii) Obtrusive Observation: It takes place with the knowledge of the respondent.
For example, visiting of external auditor in the organization comes under obtrusive observation.
(iv) Unobtrusive Observation: It is held without the knowledge of the respondent. For example, surprise internal audit
comes under unobtrusive observation.
(v) Direct Observation: It takes place when the observer observes the system at work by physically being present at the
actual workplace.
(vi) Indirect Observation: It makes use of secondary devices, such as video cameras to capture information.
For example, daily proceedings of the bank may be observed with the help of a video camera.
(vii) Structured Observation: It takes place in a formal way in which each activity in the observation process is
predefined.
For example, tracing the route of the sales invoice in a system.
(viii) Unstructured Observation: The observer observes whatever might be pertinent at the time.
For example, if the observer wants to create a list of activities of the production supervisor by observing him from
a remote location.
Time and Event Sampling
- Time sampling is also an information collection technique that helps the systems analyst maintain a definite time interval between two
subsequent observations of various activities, managers and decision-makers.
- For example, observing a System Analyst decision-maker during five randomly chosen ten minute intervals throughout a week.
- Time sampling cuts down the bias that might affect that observation which made just any time.
- This sampling gives a representative view of the activities that occur frequently. Event sampling involves sampling of entire events, such as
meetings and conferences.

Time Sampling Advantages

The advantages of time sampling are as follows:
1. It reduces the chances of faults.
2. It provides a descriptive view of activities. Disadvantages The disadvantages of time sampling are as follows:
3. It gathers data in a fragmented form.
4. It overlooks uncommon but important decisions.
Event Sampling Advantages
The advantages of event sampling are as follows:
1. It examines the behaviour of various events of a software system.
2. It examines the important event of a software system more clearly.
Disadvantages
The disadvantages of event sampling are as follows:
1. It is time consuming.
2. It does not provide the descriptive sample of frequent decisions.

Physical Environment Observation

- This means systematically examining the offices of decision-makers since offices are their primary workplace.
- Decision-makers influence and in turn are influenced by their physical environment.
- The method for the STRuctured OBservation of the Environment (STROBE) provides a standard methodology
- A few key points are as follows:

Office Location

The following points need to be kept in mind regarding office location:

Accessible: It tends to increase interaction frequency and informal messages.
Inaccessible: It decreases the interaction frequency and increases task-orientated messages.

Stationery Office Equipment

- No file cabinets or bookshelves imply that the decision-maker keeps very little personal information.

Properties
Office related properties are as follows:
1. Small equipment, for example Personal Computers (PCs) or calculators.
2. Trade journals and newspapers.
Source of information frequently used can be,
1. External, for example journals or newspapers.
2. Internal, for example reports or policy handbooks.
Office lighting and color can be,
1. Incandescent lighting allows easy personal communication.
2. Bright lighting allows formal communication.
3. Clothing worn by decision-makers.
Interviews
- Your personal ability to talk with other people and listen to them is probably the most important asset you have for getting along in the
business world.
- As a systems analyst, it is one of the most important tools for gathering primary data for a personal interview.
- It is an excellent way to understand what is happening in a system by interviewing and talking directly with responsible individuals who
perform various activities in an organization.
- Interviewing is a common method used by systems analysts for collecting data on information requirements.
- An interview is a directed conversation with a specific purpose that uses a ‘Question and Answer’ format.
- Analysts use interviews to collect information from individuals or from groups.
- The respondents can be internal users as well as external users.
- Advantages compared with other techniques:
(i) It is flexible. The analyst can go for an informal interview where the subject/ area is not much known to him.
(ii) It validates information. The analyst can observe not only what subjects people talk but also how they express it.
(iii) Many people enjoy it. Usually people enjoy being interviewed when all they have to do is talk, especially
expressing their opinions, if the time permits.
(iv) By seeking opinions, it is easier to discover a key problem.
(v) Expressed feelings help the analyst to understand emotions and attitudes (may be you can get a hint whether the
project will succeed or not).

* includes Chief Executive Officer (CEOs), Vice Presidents, Chief Technical Officers (CTOs), managers, supervisors, other technical staffs, remote users and mobile users, etc.
Questionnaires
Interviews are one of the best tools to collect information from a limited number of people. However, sometimes the systems analyst needs to
gather information from a large number of people regarding certain issues.

In such situations, the most efficient way to obtain information is through questionnaires. It can help capture more data that is reliable.

Various tasks that are performed in the questionnaire technique are as follows:  Acquiring information before conducting the interview.
1. Gaining information in order to prove facts found in the interview.
2. Acquiring information on how users feel about the current system.
3. Checking for problems that remain unsolved.
4. Studying the expectations of people from a new or modified system.
Types of Questions

The following are the types of questions:

(i) Open-Ended: These are questions that can be easily and correctly interpreted. They are more objective and less leading and mean to
encourage a full answer.

(ii) Closed-Ended Questions: These are the questions that are used when the systems analyst is able to effectively list all possible responses to
the question. All possible responses of the closed questions should be mutually exclusive.
3.4 SUMMARY

• The person who plays a major role in the analysis, design and development of the system is termed as a system analyst.
• The role of a system analyst has been emerging with the changing technology. The main responsibility of the system analyst is to bridge the gap
between the user and the software developer.
• An analyst must possess various skills to effectively carry out his responsibilities.
• To perform systems analysis, the system analysts must have different skills to perform their tasks.
• These skills are mainly categorized into two types namely, interpersonal skills and technical skills that are needed for developing and analysing a
system respectively.
• The interpersonal skills help system analysts to build trust and solve conflicts with the users.
• The technical skills of the system analyst lay stress on the methods, techniques and operations involved in system analysis.
• Dynamic interface helps the system analyst to consider both technical and non-technical requirements in optimum combination for the development of
the system.
• System analysis is a process of analysing the existing system in order to gather the data that determines the scope, functionality and focus of the
proposed system.
• System analysis involves representing the user environment with system analysis tools, such as Entity-Relationship (E-R) diagrams, functioning
diagrams and data diagrams.
• Identifying and understanding the various operations handled by the existing system.
• Verifying the efficiency of the working methods applied to the participants, such as users, analysts, designers and programmers of system
development.
• The role of the system analysts has been emerging with changing technology and nowadays they have to perform a different number of roles according
to the changes in their responsibilities for system analysis.
• An analyst must have the ability to see things as systems. He should have the ability to identify and analyse the problem in an effective way so that an
optimal solution of the problem can be provided for a specific organization.
• An analyst must have the ability to determine the components, boundaries, purpose, environment, interfaces, input, output and constraints of the system
to be built.
• An analyst should have the understanding of the working of the organization. He should also have the knowledge of specific functions, internal
policies, strategies and tactics of the organization.
• An analyst must be able to identify the problem by comparing the existing situation and the desired situation.
• An analyst should be able to analyse the problem by collecting all relevant information.
• An analyst must have the ability to understand how computers, networks, databases, operating systems, etc., work together as a system.
• Computer networks, such as Local Area Network (LAN), Wide Area Network (WAN), Virtual Private Network (VPNs), administration and security.
• Information systems, such as databases, Management Information System (MIS), decision support systems, and so on.
• A system analyst should be able to determine the tasks and resources needed for a project and how these tasks and resources are related to each other.
• A system analyst should be able to identify and minimize the risks involved in the project.
• A system analyst should be able to manage the transition of the system from one state to another.
• The system planning phase usually begins with a formal request known as system request which describes problems or desired changes in an
information system or a business process.
• Preliminary investigation is the first step in SDLC. It begins once a project request is made. The purpose of this preliminary investigation is to evaluate
the project request. However, this investigation does not completely leads to the description of the business system.
• Requests that come from employees and users in the organizations are not clear and it is difficult to decide the scope of work. This warrants the need to
examine and clarify properly before carrying out system investigation.
• Feasibility Study is an important outcome of the preliminary investigation which determines whether the system, for which the request has been made,
is feasible or not.
• Issues that appear minor in the beginning may grow and assume major proportions later on when the system is implemented. This warrants a careful
consideration of the system’s operational aspects.
• Teams carrying out feasibility studies may not find all requested projects feasible. Out of so many project requests, only a few may be found worth
pursuing. Projects found feasible and considered as desirable get listed in a schedule.
• A systems analyst must obtain a clear understanding of an existing system in order to decide how much improvement can be made with the new
system in the context of fact finding techniques.
• Various fact finding methods are available that help the systems analysts to collect information about the existing system.
• Performance reports provide the information related to the performance of the system.
• Records are maintained to help the systems analyst determine the functioning of the system.
• Memos are qualitative documents that help in providing details regarding the daily activities of the organization. Maintenance of memos on daily basis
helps in understanding the environment of the organization.
• Manuals are qualitative documents that pertain to the working area of any system.
• Policy handbooks are documents that provide information regarding the policies and rules of the organization or the system.
• Observation allows analysts to gain information they cannot obtain by any other fact finding methods.
• The objective of an onsite observation is to get as close as possible to the actual system being studied. As observers, analysts follow certain rules.
• Time sampling is also an information collection technique that helps the systems analyst maintain a definite time interval between two subsequent
observations of various activities, managers and decision-makers. For example, observing a decision-maker during five randomly chosen ten minute
intervals throughout a week. Time sampling cuts down the bias that might affect that observation which made just any time.
• The method for the STRuctured OBservation of the Environment (STROBE) System Analyst provides a standard methodology and classification for
the analysis of those organizational elements that influence decision-making. STROBE allows other systems analysts to apply the same analytic
framework to the same organization.
• The formal approach is purely businesslike which follows a systematically logical plan with no idle talk or undue friendship. The legalistic approach
follows a ‘Thumb Rule’ approach.
• Questionnaires help in the collection of a huge amount of data about what problems they are experiencing with their work and about what they expect
from a new or modified system.
• The project involves a large number of people and you want to know what proportion of a given group approves or disapproves of a particular feature
of the proposed system.
• The analyst wants to determine the overall opinion before the systems project is given any specific direction.

3.5 KEY WORDS

• System analysis: A process in which data are collected and then interpreted to identify the problems within the system.

• Project management: It enables the system analyst to manage the project handling of the development system that may include preparing
schedules, coordinating the people involved in the project and managing costs and expenditure.

• Dynamic interface: It helps the system analyst to consider both technical and non-technical requirements in optimum combination for the
development of the system.

• Interviewing: A common method used by system analysts for collecting data on information requirements.

• Memos: Memos are qualitative documents that help in providing details regarding the daily activities of the organization.

• Policy handbooks: Policy handbooks are documents that provide information regarding the policies and rules of the organization or the
system.