ITEC 1010 Information and Organizations Chapter 12 Systems Development.

ITEC 1010 Information and Organizations

Chapter 12

Systems Development


Overview of Systems Development

Participants Initiating systems development Information systems planning Establishing objectives for systems

development Systems development and the Internet Trends in systems development and

enterprise resource planning


Participants

Stakeholders Individuals/organizations who are beneficiaries of the

systems development effort Systems analyst

Professional who specializes in analyzing and designing business systems

Users Individuals who interact with the system regularly

Programmer Individual responsible for modifying or developing

programs to satisfy user requirements


Systems analyst

Managers

Vendors and suppliers

System stakeholders

Users Technicalspecialists

Programmers


Systems Analyst

A programmer or consultant who designs and manages the development of business applications. Typically, systems analysts are more involved in design issues than in day-to-day coding. However, systems analyst is a somewhat arbitrary title, so different companies define the role differently.


Typical Reasons to Initiate a Systems Development Project

Desire to make moreeffective use of information

Problems with existing systems

Desire to exploit new opportunities

Increasing competition

Organizational growth

Merger or acquisition

Change in market orexternal environment

Perception of potential benefit by individualcapable of initiating

change

Systems developmentprocess initiated


Planning

Information systems planning The translation of strategic and

organizational goals into systems development initiatives

Creative analysis The investigation of new

approaches to existing problems

Critical Analysis The unbiased and careful

questioning of whether system elements are related in the most effective or efficient ways

Strategic plan

IS planning

Systems developmentinitiatives


Steps in IS PlanningStrategic plan

Developing overall objectives

Identify IS projects

Set priorities & select projects

Analyse resource requirements

Set schedules and deadlines

Develop IS planning document

Previously unplannedsystem projects


Establishing Objectives for Systems Development

Performance objectives Quality or usefulness of the output The quality or usefulness of the format of the output The speed at which the output is generated

Cost objectives Development costs Costs related to the uniqueness of the system

application Fixed investments in hardware and related equipment On-going operating costs of the system


Systems Developmentand the Internet

Applications being moved to the Internet Sales Order placement Product information access

Building a static Web site Intranet tools

NetDynamics SilverStream Web-Logic Novera Netscape Communications


Systems Development Life Cycle

Systems investigation Problems and opportunities are identified

Systems analysis Existing systems and work processes are studied

Systems design Defines how the information system will do what it must do to

solve the problem Systems implementation

System components are assembled and the new or modified system is placed into operation

Systems maintenance and review Ensures the system operates and is modified to keep up with

business changes

It’s a“cycle”


Systems maintenanceand review

(evaluate results of solution)

Systems implementation(place solution into effect)

Systems design(select and plan best solution)

Systems Analysis(understand solution)

Systems investigation(understand problem)


Cost tomake aparticularchange

Investigation Analysis Design Implementation Maintenanceand review

Time


Prototyping

Operational prototype Accesses real data files, edits input data, makes necessary computations

and comparisons, and produces real output Non-operational prototype

A mockup or model that includes output and input specifications and formats

Rapid application development (RAD) Employs tools, techniques, and methodologies designed to speed

application development, automates source code generation, and facilitates user involvement in design and development activities

Joint application development (JAD) Involves group meetings in which users, stakeholders, and IS

professionals work together to analyze existing systems, proposed solutions, and define requirements for a new or modified system.


Rapid Application Development A programming system that enables programmers to quickly build working programs. In general, RAD systems provide a number of tools to help build graphical user interfaces that would normally take a large development effort. Two of the most popular RAD systems for Windows are Visual Basic and Delphi.

Historically, RAD systems have tended to emphasize reducing development time, sometimes at the expense of generating efficient executable code. Nowadays, though, many RAD systems produce extremely fast code. Conversely, many traditional programming environments now come with a number of visual tools to aid development. Therefore, the line between RAD systems and other development environments has become blurred.


Prototyping: The Iterative Life Cycle

Determinerequirements

Analysealternatives

Specifydesign

Implementdesign

User review

Iteration 1Determine

requirements

Analysealternatives

Specifydesign

Implementdesign

User review

Iteration 2Determine

requirements

Analysealternatives

Specifydesign

Implementdesign

Changeover

Iteration 3 (final)


General Model of PrototypingSystems development initiated

Investigate and analyse problemsufficiently to develop

workable solution

Develop prototype

Put prototype into operation

Refine and modify prototype

Complete component or system


End-User Systems Development Life Cycle

End-user systems development life cycle Any systems development project in which the

primary effort is undertaken by a combination of business managers and users


Factors Affecting Systems Development Success

Managing change Requires the ability to recognize existing or potential

problems and deal with them before they become a serious threat to the success of a new or modified system

Use of project management tools Schedule Milestone Deadline Critical path Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT) Gantt chart



Selected Project Management Software Packages

Software Vendor

BeachBox ’98 NetSQL Partners

Job Order Management Software Inc.

OpenPlan Welcom

Project Microsoft

Project Scheduler Scitor Corp.

Super Project Computer Associates


Use of Computer-Aided Software Engineering (CASE) Tools

CASE tools automate tasks required in a system development effort and enforces adherence to the SDLC

Upper CASE tools Tools that focus on activities associated with the early stages of

systems development Lower CASE tools

Tools that focus on the later implementation stage of systems development

Integrated-CASE (I-CASE) tools Tools that provide links between upper- and lower-CASE

packages, allowing lower-CASE packages to generate program code from upper-CASE package generated designs


CASE

Short for Computer Aided Software Engineering, a category of software that provides a development environment for programming teams. CASE systems offer tools to automate, manage and simplify the development process. These can include tools for:

• Summarizing initial requirements • Developing flow diagrams • Scheduling development tasks • Preparing documentation • Controlling software versions • Developing program code

Various companies offer CASE software capable of supporting some or all of these activities. While many CASE systems provide special support for object-oriented programming, the term CASE can apply to any type of software evelopment environment.


ISO 9000

An international standard used by IS departments to ensure quality standards exist and are maintained in their products and services


Systems Investigation

Identify potential problems and opportunities and consider them in light of the goals of the company

The investigation team Managers and stakeholders IS personnel

Task Undertake feasibility analysis Establish system development goals Select system development methodology Prepare system development report


Feasibility Analysis

Technical feasibility Can the hardware, software, and other system components be

acquired or developed to solve the problem? Operational feasibility

Can the project be put into action or operation? Schedule feasibility

Can the project be completed in a reasonable amount of time? Economic feasibility

Does the project make financial sense? Net present value

The preferred approach for ranking competing projects and determining economic feasibility


The Systems Investigation Report

A report that summarizes the results of the systems investigation and the process of feasibility analysis and recommends a course of action

Steering committee An advisory group consisting of senior

management and users from the IS department and other functional areas


Systems Analysis

Typical table of contents from a systems investigations report:

Table of Contents

1. Executive summary

2. Review of goals and objectives

3. System problems and opportunities

4. Project feasibility

5. Project costs

6. Projects benefits

7. Recommendations


Sources of Data

Internal Sources

• Users, stakeholders, managers

• Organization charts

• Forms and documents

• Procedure manuals and policies

• Financial reports

• IS manuals

• Other measures of business processes

External Sources

• Customers

• Suppliers

• Stockholders

• Government agencies

• Competitors

• Outside groups

• Journals, etc.

• Consultants


Data Collection

Structured Interview Unstructured Interview Direct Observation Questionnaires Statistical Sampling

Identify data sources

Data collection

Follow-up & clarification


Data Analysis

Data analysis Manipulating collected data so that it is usable for the

development team members participating in systems analysis Data modeling

A commonly accepted approach to modeling organizational objects and associations that employ both text and graphics

E.g, ER (entity relationship) diagrams Activity modeling

A method to describe related objects, associations, and activities Data flow diagram

A diagram that models objects, associations, and activities by describing how data can flow between and around them


ER Example

PlayMember Game of Golf

MID

Name AddressDatepaid Date Time Score

1

MID


Data Flow Diagram

Schematic description of business processes Premise: for every activity there is some

communication, transference, for flow that can be described as a data element

DFDs show “logical” sequences (not physical processes)


Entity symbol Data-flow lineProcesssymbol Data-flow line Data store

Member

Member

Member

AssignTee time

Checkmember

in

Sortscores

Calculatehandicap

Schedule

Member card

Scores

Tee time

Reservation request

Course access

Member ID

Score card

Handicap

Available times

Group information

Membertee time

Date

Score card

Tee time


Application Flowchart

Charts that show relationships among applications or systems

Order processingapplication

Inventory controlapplication

Invoicingapplication

Marketing analysisapplication


Grid Charts

A table that shows relationships among the various aspects of a systems development effort

Databaseapplications

Customerdatabase

Inventorydatabase

Supplierdatabase

Accounts receivabledatabase

Order processingapplications

Inventory controlapplication

Marketing analysisapplication

Invoicingapplication

X X

X X

X X

X

X


Requirements Analysis

An assessment used to determine user, stakeholder, and organizational needs

Goals and missionof the organization

Systemsrequirements

Strategytranslation


Screen Layout Charts

May be tailored for… Frequent users who require little descriptive

information, or Infrequent users who require more descriptive

information


ITEM NO. QTY UNIT PRICE DOLLARS DISCOUNTS

XXXXXXX XXXX XX XXXXX XXXXXX XX XX XX







ORDER ENTRY

ORDER

NO.

CUSTOMER

NO.

SALES

PERSON REGION COMMISSION

NET

DOLLARS

XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXX XXX XXXXX

For frequent users…


Which online option would you like to perform?(Please enter an ‘X’ to make a selection)

_DATA ENTRY Enter transaction and reportrequests for later processing

_RETRIEVALS Review online information from thedatabase: bill of materials,where-used, routing, item data

For infrequent users…


The Systems Analysis Report

Strength and weaknesses of existing system from a stakeholder’s perspective

User/stakeholder requirements for the new system

Organizational requirements Description of what new information

systems should do to solve the problem


Typical Table of Contents for a Report on an Existing System

Johnson & Flores, Inc.Systems Analysis Report

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Background InformationProblem or Need StatementData CollectionData and Requirements AnalysisRecommendationsAppendixes of Documents, Tables, and ChartsGlossary of Terms


End of Chapter 12

Chapter 13

ITEC 1010 Information and Organizations Chapter 12 Systems Development.

Documents

systems development

systems analysts

existing systems desire

system slide

organizations chapter

organizations steps

organizations typical

system elements