Systems Analysis & Design

Sixth Edition

Chapter 1
Chapter Objectives
● Discuss the impact of information
technology on business strategy
and success
● Define an information system and
describe its components
● Use profiles and models to
understand business functions
and operations
● Explain how the Internet has
affected business strategies and
relationships
● Identify various types of 2
information systems and explain
Chapter Objectives
● Explain systems development
tools, including modeling,
prototyping, and CASE tools
● Distinguish between structured
analysis and object-oriented
methodology
● Describe the systems
development life cycle
● Discuss the role of the information
technology department and the
systems analysts who work there3
Introduction
● Companies use
information as a
weapon in the battle
to increase
productivity, deliver
quality products and
services, maintain
customer loyalty, and
make sound decisions
● Information
technology can mean
the difference
between success and 4
failure
The Impact of Information
Technology
● Information Technology
– Combination of hardware and software
products and services that companies use
to manage, access, communicate, and
share information
– A vital asset that must be used effectively,
updated constantly, and safeguarded
carefully

5
The Impact of Information
Technology
● The Future of IT
– Accounted for almost 30 percent of
economic growth in 2003
– Online population worldwide increased
106 percent between 2000-2004

6
The Impact of Information
Technology
● The Role of Systems Analysis and
Design
– Systems Analysis and Design
• Step-by-step process for developing high-
quality information systems
– Systems Analyst
• Plan, develop, and maintain information
systems

7
The Impact of Information
Technology
● Who Develops Information
Systems?
– In-house applications
– Software packages
– Internet-based application services
– Outsourcing
– Custom solutions
– Enterprise-wide software strategies
– How versus What

8
Information System
Components
● A system is a
set of related
components
that produces
specific
results
● A mission-
critical
system is one
that is vital to
a company’s
operations
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Information System
Components
● Hardware
– Moore’s Law
● Software
– System software
– Network operating system
– Application software
– Enterprise applications
– Horizontal system
– Vertical system

10
Information System
Components
● Data
– Is the raw material that an information
system transforms into useful information
– Tables
– Linking

11
Information System
Components
● Processes
– Define the tasks and business functions
that users, managers, and IT staff
members perform to achieve specific
results
● People
– Users, or end users, are the people who
interact with an information system, both
inside and outside the company

12
Understanding The Business
● Business Profile
● Business Models
– Business models
– Business process
– BPR (business process reengineering)

13
Understanding The Business
● New Kinds of
Companies
– Companies are classified
based on their main
activities:
– Product-oriented
– Service-oriented
– Brick-and-mortar
– Dot-com (.com) or
Internet-dependent

14
Impact of the Internet
● E-Commerce (I-Commerce)
● B2C (Business-to-Consumer)
● B2B (Business-to-Business)
– EDI, XML, HTML
● Web-Based Development
– WebSphere, .NET
– Web services

15
How Business Uses Information
Systems
● In past, IT managers divided
systems into categories based on
the user group the system served
– Office systems
– Operational systems
– Decision support systems
– Executive information systems

16
How Business Uses Information

Systems
● Today, it makes more sense to
identify a system by its functions,
rather than by users
– Enterprise computing systems
– Transaction processing systems
– Business support systems
– Knowledge management systems
– User productivity systems

17
How Business Uses Information
Systems
● Enterprise computing systems
– Support company-wide operations and
data management requirements
– Enterprise resource planning (ERP)

18
How Business Uses Information
Systems
● Transaction
processing
systems
– Efficient because
they process a set
of transaction-
related commands
as a group rather
than individually

19
How Business Uses Information
Systems
● Business support
systems
– Provide job-related
information to
users at all levels
of a company
– Management
information
systems (MIS)
– Radio frequency
identification
(RFID)
– What-if
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How Business Uses Information
Systems
● Knowledge management systems
– Called expert systems
– Simulate human reasoning by combining a
knowledge base and inference rules
– Many use fuzzy logic

21
How Business Uses Information
Systems
● User productivity systems
– Technology that improves productivity
– Groupware
● Information systems integration
– Most large companies require systems
that combine transaction processing,
business support, knowledge
management, and user productivity
features

22
Information System Users and
Their Needs
● A systems analyst
must understand
the company’s
organizational
model in order to
recognize who is
responsible for
specific processes
and decisions and
to be aware of
what information
23
is required by
Information System Users and
Their Needs
● Top managers
● Middle Managers and Knowledge
Workers
● Supervisors and Team Leaders
● Operational Employees
● Strategic plans

24
Systems Development Tools
and Techniques
● Systems analysts must know how
to use a variety of techniques such
as modeling, prototyping, and
computer-aided systems
engineering tools to plan, design,
and implement information
systems
● Systems analysts work with these
tools in a team environment

25
Systems Development Tools
and Techniques
● Modeling
– Used to describe and simplify an
information system:
– Business model
– Requirements model
– Data model
– Object model
– Network model
– Process model

26
Systems Development Tools
and Techniques
● Prototyping
– Prototype
– Speeds up the development process
significantly
– Important decisions might be made too
early, before business or IT issues are
thoroughly understood
– Can be an extremely valuable tool

27
Systems Development Tools
and Techniques
● Computer-Aided Systems
Engineering (CASE) Tools
– Framework for systems development and
support a wide variety of design
methodologies
– CASE tools

28
Systems Development Methods
● Structured analysis and object-
oriented analysis are both popular
methodologies for developing
computer-based information
systems
● A systems analyst should
understand the alternative
methodologies and their individual
strengths and weaknesses

29
Systems Development Methods
● Structured Analysis
– Uses a set of process models to describe a
system graphically
– Systems development life cycle (SDLC)

30
Systems Development Methods
● Object-oriented (O-O) analysis
– O-O analysis combines data & processes
into objects
– Object is a member of a class
– Class is a collection of similar objects
– Objects possess properties
– Methods change an object’s properties
– Messages request specific behavior or
information from another object

31
Systems Development Methods
● Joint Application Development and
Rapid Application Development
– JAD – Team based fact finding
– RAD – compressed version of the entire
process
● Other development methodologies
– Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF)

32
The Systems Development Life
Cycle
● SDLC used to plan and manage the
systems development process
● It includes the following steps:
– Systems planning phase
– Systems analysis phase
– Systems design phase
– Systems implementation phase
– Systems operation, support, and security
phase
– Deliverable or end product
33
The Systems Development Life
Cycle
● Traditionally pictured as a
waterfall model, but is also
presented as an interactive model
depicting real world practice and
the constant dialog among users,
managers, and systems
developers

34
The Systems Development Life
Cycle
● Systems planning
– Purpose is to identify the nature and scope
of the business opportunity or problem
– Systems request – begins the process &
describes problems or desired changes
– Systems planning includes preliminary
investigation whose key part is a
feasibility study

35
The Systems Development Life
Cycle
● Systems Analysis
– Purpose is to build a logical model of the
new system
– First step is requirements modeling, where
you investigate business processes and
document what the new system must do
– End product is the system requirements
document

36
The Systems Development Life
Cycle
● Systems Design
– Purpose is to create a blueprint that will
satisfy all documented requirements
– Identify all outputs, inputs, and processes
– Avoid misunderstanding through manager
and user involvement
– End product is systems design
specification

37
The Systems Development Life
Cycle
● Systems Implementation
– New system is constructed
– Write, test, & document programs
– File conversion occurs
– Users, managers, IT staff trained to
operate and support the system
– Systems evaluation performed

38
The Systems Development Life
Cycle
● Systems operation, support, and
security
– New system supports operations
– Maintenance changes correct errors or
meet requirements
– Enhancements increase system capability
– Well-designed system will be secure,
reliable, maintainable, and scalable
– SDLC ends with system replacement

39
Systems Development
Guidelines
– Planning
– Involve users throughout the development
process
– Listening is very important
– Create a time table with major milestones
– Identify interim checkpoints
– Remain flexible
– Develop accurate cost and benefit
information

40
Information Technology
Department
● The information technology (IT)
department develops and
maintains a company’s
information systems
● The IT group provides technical
support

41
Information Technology
Department
● Application Development
– Team may include users, managers and IT
staff members
● Systems Support and Security
– Provides hardware and software support
● User Support
– Provides users with technical information,
training, and productivity support
– Help desk

42
Information Technology
Department
● Database Administration
– Database design, management, security,
backup, and user access
● Network Administration
– Includes hardware and software
maintenance, support, and security
● Web Support
– Design and construction of Web pages and
presence
– Important for e-commerce
– Webmaster

43
The Systems Analyst Position
● A systems analyst investigates,
analyzes, designs, develops,
installs, evaluates, and maintains
a company’s information systems
● On large projects, the analyst
works as a member of an IT
department team
● Smaller companies often use
consultants to perform the work

44
The Systems Analyst Position
● Responsibilities
– Translate business requirements into
practical IT projects to meet needs
● Required Skills and Background
– Solid communication skills and analytical
ability

45
The Systems Analyst Position
● Certification
– Professional credential
● Career Opportunities
– Job titles
– Company organization
– Company size
– Corporate culture
– Salary, location, and future growth

46
Chapter Summary
● IT is a combination of hardware
and software that support
business
● The essential components of an
information system are hardware,
software, data, processes, and
people
● Companies are product-oriented,
service-oriented, or a combination
of the two
47
Chapter Summary
● Organization structure usually
includes levels. Each level has
different responsibilities and
information needs
● Systems analysts use modeling,
prototyping, and CASE tools.
Modeling produces a graphical
representation of the process,
prototyping involves creation of
an early working model, and CASE
tools assist in various systems
48
development tasks
Chapter Summary
● The Systems Development Life
Cycle (SDLC) consists of five
phases: systems planning,
systems analysis, systems design,
systems implementation, and
systems operation, support, and
security
● Systems analysts need a
combination of technical and
business knowledge, analytical
ability, and communication skills
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● Chapter 1 Complete