Systems Development I— Overview Ken Peffers UNLV March 2004
Dec 21, 2015
Responsibility of systems analysts and designers
• Technical quality of IS– timeliness– efficiency– accuracy
• Impact on the organization– effect on organizational
conflict– effect on decision making
Responsibility of systems analysts and designers
• User interface– allows user to interact with
system
• Process of design and implementation
Who is involved?
• Senior managers– strategic direction– funding – support/leadership
• Professionals– legal– procurement
Who is involved?
• Middle managers– access to people– support for analysis– Management control over the
project team
• Supervisory– Process information– Decision making detail
• Workers– task detail
The management of development
• Corporate strategic planning group– Responsible for achievement of
broad corporate objectives
• IT steering committee– Reviews and approves plans for IT
projects, consistent with strategic plans
• Project team– Responsible for implementing
system
The project team
• Systems analysts• Functional analysts• Application programmers• DB specialists• Communications
specialists
Steps in the SDLC Method
• Feasibility Study– Output: Project Proposal
• Systems Analysis– Output: Requirements
Specifications
• Systems Design– Output: Coding, database,
communications specifications, documentation, procedures
Steps in the SDLC Method
• Acceptance Testing– Output: testing
documentation
• Conversion– Output: working production
system
• Post implementation audit– Output: audit report
Waterfall Method
System R
equest
FeasibilityStudy
ProjectProposal
SystemsAnalysis
Requirem
entsD
ocument Desig
n
Coding, database,
comm
unications specifications, docum
entation, proceduresConversion
Testing W
orking System
Testing
Docum
entation PostImplementationAudit
Audit R
eport
The SDLC is also calledthe Waterfall Method
Why?
Every stage has a definite output. Why?
What is a sign off? Why is it done?
Feasibility study
• Evaluation of feasibility– Technical—Can it be done?– Implementation—Can we do it?– Economic—Is it worth the cost?– Financial—Can we manage the cost?– Strategic—Is it what we should be
doing?– Operational—Is it desirable within
managerial/organizational framework?
Project Proposal Output from feasibility study
• Project overview• Problem definition• Findings, expected
benefits, recommendations• Costs, schedules, personnel
Systems Analysis Objectives
• Define Project Objectives• Identify operation and
problems of existing system• Identify requirements and
objectives of new system• identify requirements for
organizational change
Analysis
• Data gathering—what is done, how, data flows– documents– observation – questionnaires– interviews
Analysis
• Information Requirements Determination– Polling—assumes managers know– Data analysis of files, reports, etc...– Prototyping—develop requirements from
system use– Object systems analysis from conceptual
model
• Cost benefit analysis
Analysis-Data
• Data modeling--ER diagrams• Activity modeling—Data flow
diagrams– How data flows through the
organization• Flowcharts
– Show the flow of decisions and actions through a process.
Analysis—requirements
• Define inputs and outputs• Define processing—
functionally• Storyboarding
– Screen and reports– Consider every user action
and consequence
Requirements document
• Project overview• Problem definition• Requirements• Benefits• Description of current
system• Cost, schedules,
personnel
The Skills Required By Systems Analysts
• Interpersonal skills• Communication skills• Presentation skills• Analytical and
problem solving skills• Business knowledge• Technical skills
Systems Design
• Devise detailed system solution
• Deliver functions required by users
• Manage implementation
Systems Design
• Preliminary– Conceptual design—logical– Physical design—Specifications
for hardware/software
Systems Design
• Detailed Design– Outputs– Inputs– Processing – Database– Procedures– Controls
• Role of users in design– Design should reflect business
objectives, not biases of professionals
Acceptance Testing
• program testing • system testing • user testing • auditor should check test
documentation planning / test data design / what test data / results / actions taken as a result of errors /
Conversion (Implementation)
• Parallel—expensive• Direct cutover—risky• Pilot study—limit use to one
area• Phased approach—in stages
by function or work unit
Post Implementation Audit
• Compare actual implementation time and cost to schedules and budgets
• Compare actual operating costs to estimates
• Review operations, documentation, security, controls
• Modify system as necessary
Dangers Of An Ad Hoc Approach
• The completed system is not what the users want
• The customers do not use the system.
• There is much conflict in the development of the system.
• Resources are wasted.