SDLC Analysis Phase Quiz

Analysis Phase

• The analysis phase breaks down a system into its parts to understand their nature, function, and interrelationships within the context of the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC).
• Key inputs to the phase are outputs from the planning phase, including the system request, feasibility study, and project plan.
• The phase involves understanding the existing system (the "as-is system") and identifying areas for improvement.
• Defining requirements for the new system (the "to-be system") is a crucial part of this phase.
• This phase is essential for identifying issues, improving business processes, and translating requirements into a concept for the new system.
• Analysis involves extensive collaboration between the systems analyst and business users.
• System requirements should be based on identifying concerns in the existing system
• Requirements might include updating inventory levels multiple times daily and automatically notifying when an item reaches the reorder point.

Requirements Determination

• Requirements determination transforms the high-level business requirements into a detailed, precise list of what the new system must do.
• This process uses use cases, process models, and data models to support, confirm, and clarify requirements.
• A requirement statement describes what a system must do or the characteristic it needs.
• Requirements can include functional, nonfunctional, business, user, and system requirements.
• The requirements definition will include all the details, use cases, processes, and data models.
• This is an important phase due to failure to accurately determine requirements being a primary cause of systems development project failure
• Defining requirements is a critical success factor.

Identifying Requirements

• Confusion between functional and non-functional requirements should be avoided
• Functional requirements define the capabilities of the system
• Non-functional requirements define the characteristics of the system- operational, performance, security, and cultural/political.

Requirements Elicitation Techniques

• Interviews: The most common technique, involving one-on-one or group discussions.
• JAD Sessions: Focus on collaboration among stakeholders, analysts, and managers to define requirements.
• Questionnaires: Used to collect information from a large number of people with widely dispersed locations
• Document Analysis: Reviewing documents, such as forms or reports, to understand current processes.
• Observation: Observing how people perform tasks to get firsthand insights into existing processes.

Managing Problems in JAD Sessions

• Domination: Preventing one person from dominating the discussion.
• Non-contributors: Encouraging participation from everyone
• Side Discussions: Addressing side conversations to keep the group focused.
• Agenda Merry-go-round: Managing when a discussion point is repeated excessively.
• Violent Agreement: Acknowledging when people agree on the facts/issues but use differing terms
• Unresolved Conflict: Postponing conflict resolution.
• Humor: Employing humor judiciously.

Questionnaire Practices

• Questionnaires gather information from individuals when dealing with a large number.
• Questions must be clear and unambiguous, ideal being closed-ended questions.
• Prioritize clear and concise questionnaires
• Ensuring respondent understanding and follow-up strategies.

Activity Elimination

• Identifying and eliminating unnecessary activities.
• Determining which activities add value and which do not to facilitate improvements within a business process
• Removing unnecessary tasks, processes or information
• Could provide major improvements in efficiency or ease of use

Duration Analysis

• Evaluating time taken for each process.

Activity-Based Costing

• Evaluating costs associated with major process or steps
• Prioritizing processes based on cost to facilitate improvements.

Informal Benchmarking

• Studying how other organizations perform a business process to understand how to perform better.

Outcome Analysis

• Focuses on the overall impact a system produces for its users (customers).
• Systems should enable the customer to achieve important outcomes/goals.

Technology Analysis

• Considering the implications of current and emerging technologies
• Developing solutions integrating appropriate technologies.

System Proposal

• A document that brings together all the details required for the new system.