Agile Modeling and System Development Quiz

TMF1913 SYSTEM ANALYSIS & DESIGN

• Course name is TMF1913 SYSTEM ANALYSIS & DESIGN
• Learning Unit 1 covers Assuming the Role of the System Analyst
• Learning Unit 4 covers Agile Modeling and Prototyping
• Learning Unit 3 covers Information Gathering: Interactive Methods
• Learning Unit 5 covers Using Data Flow Diagrams

Learning Objectives - Learning Unit 1

• Understand the need for systems analysis and design in organizations
• Realize the multifaceted roles of a systems analyst
• Demonstrate the phases in the systems development life cycle (SDLC)
• Comprehend the fundamentals of three development methodologies: SDLC, Object-oriented Systems Analysis and Design, and Agile approach
• Understand improving efficiency for knowledge workers using structured or agile modeling

Major Topics - Learning Unit 1

• Need for Systems Analysis and Design
• Roles of systems analysts
• Phases in the systems development life cycle (SDLC) as they relate to Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) factors
• Fundamentals of three system development methodologies
• Open Source Software

Information - Key Resource - Learning Unit 1

• Information fuels business success or failure
• Needs proper management
• Managing computer-generated information differs from handling manually produced data

Need for Systems Analysis and Design - Learning Unit 1

• Installing a system without proper planning leads to user dissatisfaction and frequent system disuse
• Structure provides for better analysis and design process of information systems
• Facilitates improvements in businesses via computerized information systems

Question - Learning Unit 1

• List the advantages of using systems analysis and design techniques for computerized information systems for business

Roles of the Systems Analyst - Learning Unit 1

• The analyst must work with people of all descriptions and be proficient in computer use
• Three primary roles: Consultant, Supporting expert, Agent of change

Qualities of the Systems Analyst - Learning Unit 1

• Problem solver
• Communicator
• Strong professional and personal ethics
• Self-disciplined and self-motivated

Class Activity - Learning Unit 1

• Find examples of people (or yourself) who use systems.
• List the systems, the position titles of users, and the business functions supported by each system.

Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) - Learning Unit 1

• The systems development life cycle is a phased approach to solving business problems
• Developed through the use of a specific cycle of analyst and user activities (7 phases)
• Each phase includes unique activities

Incorporating Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) Considerations - Learning Unit 1

• Demand for incorporating HCI into systems development process is increasing
• HCI enables communication and interaction between humans and computers
• Implementing HCI into SDLC emphasizes people versus IT

SDLC Phase 1 - Identifying Problems, Opportunities, and Objectives - Learning Unit 1

• Critical to the success of the rest of the project is proper problem identification
• Problems are the reasons the analyst is called in
• Opportunities can be improved by computerized systems
• Objectives outline how the business can meet its targets.

SDLC Phase 1: Activity and Output - Learning Unit 1

• Activity: Interviewing user management, summarizing knowledge, estimating scope, documenting results.
• Output: Feasibility report includes problem and objective summaries from the project.

SDLC Phase 2 - Determining Human Information Requirements - Learning Unit 1

• Determining human information needs of involved users
• Activities address human-computer interaction

SDLC Phase 2 - Activity and Output - Learning Unit 1

• Activities include interviewing, sampling and investment, questionnaires, observer techniques, and prototyping to understand the current system
• Output: Analyst understanding of current user activities and information requirements

SDLC Phase 3 - Analyzing System Needs - Learning Unit 1

• Activity: Create data flow, activity, or sequence diagrams, Complete the data dictionary, Analyze the structured decisions made, and Prepare and present the system proposal.
• Output: Recommendation on proposed actions, if any

SDLC Phase 4 - Designing the Recommended System - Learning Unit 1

• Uses information collected to perform a logical design for the information system
• Activity: Design procedures for data entry, design human-computer interface, design system controls, design database/files, design backup procedures
• Output: Model of the actual system

SDLC Phase 5 - Developing and Documenting Software - Learning Unit 1

• System analysts work with programmers to develop the software, and work with users to document it effectively.
• Programmers design, code, remove errors, and document the software with help files, manuals, FAQ
• Output: Computer programs, System documentation

SDLC Phase 6 - Testing and Maintaining the System - Learning Unit 1

• Testing occurs with sample data first, then actual data.
• Testing is performed by programmers and analysts.
• Updates may be performed via a vendor site on the web.
• Output: Problems, if any, Updated programs, Documentation

SDLC Phase 7 - Implementing and Evaluating the System - Learning Unit 1

• Analyst plans smooth conversion from old system to new system
• Review and evaluate the entire system
• Output: Trained personnel, Installed system

DID YOU KNOW? - Learning Unit 1

• Some researchers estimate that systems maintenance accounts for as much as 60% of the total time spent on system projects

The Impact of Maintenance - Learning Unit 1

• Maintenance is performed for removing errors and enhancing existing software
• Over time, maintenance costs will be greater than creating a completely new system

Question - Learning Unit 1

• What are the reasons for enhancing an existing system?

Fundamentals of Three System Development Methodologies - Learning Unit 1

• Structured Analysis and Design together with the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC). Traditional approach with CASE tools .
• Object-oriented Systems Analysis and Design - Agile approach or Agile modeling

CASE Tools - Learning Unit 1

• CASE tools are productivity tools for systems analysts
• Automate tasks through the use of automated support
• Real CASE tools can be categorized into three levels: Upper, Lower, Integrated

Reasons for using Case Tools - Learning Unit 1

• Increase analyst productivity
• Improve analyst and user communication
• Integrate life cycle activities
• Accurately assess maintenance changes

Object-Oriented (O-O) Systems Analysis and Design - Learning Unit 1

• An alternative to structured SDLC, focused on changing systems
• Analysis, design, and implementation focus on part of the system at a time.
• Repeats until the project is complete. Focuses on system objects.

Unified Modeling Language (UML) Phases - Learning Unit 1

• Define the use case model
• Develop and document the system

Choosing a Method (SDLC vs O-O) - Learning Unit 1

• Use SDLC when systems have been developed and documented using SDLC, upper management prefers SDLC, adequate resources, time and communication about new systems is important
• Use Object-oriented approaches when problems lend themselves to classes, organization supports UML learning, reuse of software possible, and tackling difficult problems first

Strategies for Improving Efficiency (Structured vs Agile) - Learning Unit 1

• Strategies in structured methodologies: Adopt organizational standards for coding, managing updates, CASE tools, diagrams, managing project, and deadlines using structured data gathering techniques.
• Strategies in Agile methodologies: Pair programming, ad hoc prototyping, rapid development, short releases, limiting scope, onsite customer, and timeboxing

Open Source Software - Learning Unit 1

• An alternative to traditional software development that hides proprietary code
• Open source software is freely distributed, shared, and modified
• Examples: Linux OS, Apache Web Server, Mozilla Firefox
• Cost, managing resources, and time to market are reasons for differentiation from the open community

Open Source Communities - Learning Unit 1

• Four types of open source communities exist : Ad hoc, Standardized, Organized, Commercial
• Six key dimensions: General structure, Environment, Goals, Methods, User community, and Licensing

Learning objectives - Learning Unit 3

• Recognize interactive methods for information gathering
• Construct interview questions to elicit human information requirements.
• Understand the purpose of stories and why they are useful in systems analysis.
• Understand JAD and when to use it
• Write effective questions to survey users about their work
• Design and administer effective questionnaires

Major Topics - Learning Unit 3

• Interviewing: Interview preparation, Question types, Arranging questions, The interview report, User stories
• Questionnaires: Writing questionnaires, Using scales, Design, Administering questionnaires
• Joint Application Design (JAD): Involvement and location

What is Requirements Determination - Learning Unit 3

• A vital feature of a new system.
• Includes: identifying requirements, how the system works, and areas of improvement.

Major Activities in Requirements Determination - Learning Unit 3

• Requirements Anticipation: Predicting system characteristics from prior experiences.
• Requirements Investigation: Studying the current system and documenting its present features.
• Requirements Specifications: Includes analysis of data needed, description of features, info requirements.

Interviewing - Learning Unit 3

• Method for collecting data on human and system info requirements
• Reveals interviewee opinions, feelings, goals, and HCI concerns

Interview Preparation - Learning Unit 3

• Read background material about the interviewees and their organization
• Establish interview objectives (4-6 key areas concerning HCI, information processing, and decision making)
• Decide whom to interview (include people affected at all levels for balanced coverage of user needs).
• Prepare the interviewee (call ahead. Keep to 45 mins to an hour)
• Decide on question types and structure (cover key areas of HCI and decision making).

Interview Question Types - Learning Unit 3

• Open-ended questions allow more detail and breadth of response. Appropriate for gaining in-depth understanding and further questioning.
• Closed interview questions limit the responses to predefined options. More efficient and precise data.

Open-Ended Interview Questions - Learning Unit 3

• Allow interviewees to respond freely, and to what length they choose.
• Useful when analyst wants depth of information. Open-ended start with "how" or "what" or "why".

Closed Interview Questions - Learning Unit 3

• Limit the number of possible responses to generate precise, reliable data that is easier to analyze
• Appropriate when precise data is needed.

Bipolar Questions - Learning Unit 3

• A special type of closed question allowing the interviewee only two options -- yes/no, true/false, or agree/disagree.
• Used sparingly since there may be more nuances.

Attributes of Open-Ended and Closed Interview Questions - Learning Unit 3

• Open ended: low data reliability, high efficient use of time. Open ended: high breadth/depth, low ease of analysis.
• Closed ended: High data reliability, low efficient use of time. Closed ended: low breadth/depth, high ease of analysis

Probes - Learning Unit 3

• Follow-up questions to elicit more detail about previous responses.
• Usually begins with "Why?".
• May be open- or closed-ended depending on the needed detail.

Arranging Questions - Learning Unit 3

• Pyramid: Start with specific (closed) questions, then move toward general (open-ended) questions.
• Funnel: Start with general (open-ended) questions to narrow down to specific (closed) questions.
• Diamond: Start with specific (closed), move to general (open-ended) and then to the specific (closed) again.

Closing the Interview - Learning Unit 3

• Always ask, "Is there anything else you would like to add?"
• Summarize interview and give feedback.
• Schedule further appointments.
• Thank the interviewee.

Interview Report - Learning Unit 3

• Write as soon as possible after the interview
• Provide an initial summary then more detail.
• Review the report with the respondent.

Stories - Learning Unit 3

• Stories originate at work
• Organizational stories contain a mythic quality from repetition and discussion
• Isolated stories are good for specific facts
• Enduring stories capture all aspects of the organization, useful for analyst to understand

Purposes for Storytelling - Learning Unit 3

• Experiential: Describe the business
• Explanatory: Explain why the org acted in a certain way
• Validating: Convince that the decisions made were correct
• Prescriptive: How to do something

Joint Application Design (JAD) - Learning Unit 3

• Group technique where users and analysts work together to analyze and design the user interface.

Questions - Learning Unit 3

• Use cases, data flow diagram
• Various types of interviewing
• Question types for questionnaires
• Planning for the use of questionnaires and methodologies
• Administration and submitting questionnaires and the overall design process

Learning Objectives - Learning Unit 5

• Importance of data flow
• Create, use, explode logical data flow diagrams for capturing the current system through parent and child
• Develop and explode logical DFDs to illustrate the proposed system
• Derive physical DFDs based on the logical ones
• Apply the concept of partitioning

Major Topics - Learning Unit 5

• Basic Data Flow Diagram Symbols
• Basic Data Flow Diagram Rules
• Data Flow Diagram Levels
• Creating Data Flow Diagrams
• Logical and Physical Data Flow Diagrams
• Partitioning Data Flow Diagrams
• Communicating using data flow diagrams

Data Flow Diagram - Learning Unit 5

• Visual representation of data flow to and from a particular system
• Data flow diagrams use symbols such as External entities, Data flows, Processes, Data stores, and show how data is used and transforms within a system.

Advantages of Data Flow Diagrams - Learning Unit 5

• Freedom from committing to technical implementation early on
• Easy to understand interrelation of systems/subsystems
• Communicate current system knowledge to users
• Analysis of the proposed system

Basic DFD Symbols - Learning Unit 5

• External entities (square boxes)
• Data flows (arrows representing data movement)
• Processes (rounded rectangles representing transformation of data)
• Data stores (open-ended rectangles representing storage of data)

External Entities - Learning Unit 5

• Represents other departments, individuals, machines, outside the system (named with a noun)

Data Flows - Learning Unit 5

• Representing movement of data between points e.g. between processes, processes and external entities, or data stores (named with a noun)

Process - Learning Unit 5

• Denotes change or transformation of data.
• Usually a verb-adjective-noun construction.

Data Store - Learning Unit 5

• Data storage area for data and data retrieval. Often called databases, computerized files, or filing cabinets. Named using a noun.

Basic Rules - Learning Unit 5

• Data flow diagram must have at least one process
• Processes must have an input and output data flow
• Data stores and external entities are not connected directly
• Data flows only in one direction

Rules for using DFD Symbols - Learning Unit 5

• A data flow connects a process to another process, to a data store, to an external entity A data store should not be linked directly to another data store or external entity

Question - Learning Unit 5

• Give one example that shows the flow of data through processes that produce outputs.
• Think of a process that Produce Grade Report. Give at least one input and one output.

Data Flow Diagram Levels - Learning Unit 5

• Top-level: Context level diagram
• Lower levels: Each process can be further broken down, child diagrams
• Level-O: Shows the overall system and major components
• Level-1: Shows detailed processes from the level-0 diagram

Creating the Context Diagram - Learning Unit 5

• Highest level in the data flow diagram (level 0).
• Represents the entire system.
• Identifies external entities that interact with the system.
• Shows major data flows between the system and the external entities.

Creating Level-0 Diagrams - Learning Unit 5

• Explodes the context diagram to show greater details.
• Numbered (e.g. process 1, process 2, etc.)
• Show major data stores, and other processes.

Creating Child Diagrams - Learning Unit 5

• Further explosions/details of processes within the Diagram O.
• Process numbers match with those of the parent diagram (e.g., a level 0 process 1 would have a level 1 process 1.1 as well as 1.2, etc.)
• Detailed diagrams, including more data stores when appropriate.

Differences of Parent and Child Diagrams- Learning Unit 5

• Child diagrams expand on parent processes (explains how they occur).
• Includes inputs, outputs, and data stores specific to the child process.

Steps to Develop Data Flow Diagrams - Learning Unit 5

• List business activities (with verbs and nouns)
• Create a context diagram (level 0)
• Create a Level 0 diagram
• Create Level 1 diagrams or further child diagrams, check labels are correct across diagrams
• Check for errors and ensure labels are meaningful

HOW to draw/construct a DFD - Learning Unit 5

• Steps to create data flow diagram include listing business activities, drawing a context diagram, level 0 diagram, level 1 diagram, and checking for errors.

The Journey shows step-by-step to draw/construct a DFD - Learning Unit 5

• Steps in developing DFDs, steps include listing business activities, creating context diagram, level 0, level 1, and error checks.

Logical and Physical Data Flow Diagrams - Learning Unit 5

• Logical: Shows how the business should operate without detail on processes, only the flow of data
• Physical: Shows how the system will be implemented and including hardware, software, and data stores, and actual procedures.

Features common to both Logical and Physical Data Flow Diagrams - Learning Unit 5

• Design feature comparisons in logical and physical DFDs
• Shows how processes and data stores are designed to function in each diagram

Deriving Logical Data Flow Diagrams- Learning Unit 5

• Examine physical DFD for processes, and isolate unique business actions
• Create new logical diagrams that reflect the new system in the current context.
• Includes Inputs, Outputs, and Processes for current and new system.

Deriving Physical Data Flow Diagrams- Learning Unit 5

• Examine logical diagram to build a physical flow diagram
• Identify required data stores.
• Include details on processes including how data is stored, whether automated or manual processes are required.
• Indicate the flow of data across processes

Logical Data Flow Diagram Example - Learning Unit 5

• Illustrates the logical flow of data between customer and the system to complete a purchase

Physical Data Flow Diagram Example - Learning Unit 5

• Illustrates the physical actions and data stores required in the system for processing a customer purchase.

Developing Logical Data Flow Diagrams - Learning Unit 5

• Improved communications with the user
• Easier to understand and correct business events
• Better understanding of business processes to analysts
• Allows easier creation of physical model

Developing Physical Data Flow Diagrams - Learning Unit 5

• Clarify automated and manual steps
• More detailed description of process, in order
• Define temporary data stores
• Specify file names, and validation processes
• Add controls to manage tasks/errors properly

Physical Data Flow Diagram Contents- Learning Unit 5

• Processes: Add, delete, update, change records. Data entry validation.
• Data input/output processes: Rearrange the order of records and create outputs
• Data Stores: Actual file names used to store data
• Controls: Ensure task completion and errors

CRUD Matrix - Learning Unit 5

• Acronym for Create, Read, Update, Delete.
• Shows how programs and processes control data record operations using data stores as intermediate steps.

Event Modeling and Data Flow Diagrams - Learning Unit 5

• Input from external entities are called triggers
• Events trigger system and activities
• Data flow diagrams are developed based on events (event response table)

Use Cases and Data Flow Diagrams- Learning Unit 5

• Use cases are event-based information/activity summaries that use similar format as process specifications.
• Analysts use use cases, as events, to build single data flow diagrams.

Partitioning Data Flow Diagrams - Learning Unit 5

• Separate activities into separate sub-processes and programs.
• Useful strategies: Different user groups, similar tasks, timing, efficiency and consistency, security.

Partitioning Websites - Learning Unit 5

• Improve usability of a website by using multiple, smaller processes for different activities.

Communicating using Data Flow Diagrams- Learning Unit 5

• Provide an overview of data flows through the system
• Make labels meaningful

Test your knowledge on Agile Modeling principles, the systems development life cycle (SDLC), and the role of a systems analyst in organizations. This quiz covers key concepts and methodologies essential in system development and analysis. Challenge yourself and assess your understanding of these important topics.