Systems Analysis and Design (SAD) Introduction

Course Objectives

• Grasp the essence of a system and its progression.
• Proficiency in scrutinizing a task or system to construct a model.
• Skillfully employ diverse design instruments.

Importance of studying SAD

• IT's influence on profits attracts individuals to information systems.
• The core of productivity enhancement lies in developers crafting effective solutions.
• This course provides the essential skills to engage in creating progressive system solutions.

Introduction to Systems Analysis and Design (SAD)

• SAD remains an evolving field.
• Analysts acquire new methods for efficient system development.
• SAD constitutes a phased process in IS development.
• An IS integrates tech, individuals, and info for business support, such as online transactions.

System Analyst Role

• An IT professional tasked with planning, developing, and maintaining systems.
• Must possess excellent communication capabilities, coupled with analytical and critical thought processes.
• Analysts need specific skill sets to achieve success

Key skills for system analysts

• Managing projects through planning, analysis, design, and implementation.
• Gathering requirements, modeling business needs, and designing blueprints for system build.
• Understanding organizational strategies, change management, and collaboration.

Understanding the individual components of the course title

• Understanding "system", "analysis" , "design" and "system as a whole
• Understanding, analysis and design individually allows the student to grasp SAD as a whole

Understanding Systems Analysis

• It involves examining a procedure or business to define objectives and create procedures for achievement.
• Key aspects include problem identification, fact interpretation, and system component breakdown.

Understanding Systems Design

• Systems Design focuses on solving problems and achieving objectives.
• It involves defining components or modules to meet requirements, detailing physical implementation.

Key Factors in System Development

• Understanding existing system is necessary for planning a new system to replace it.
• SAD focuses on key factors: systems, processes, and technology.

Concept of a System

• A unified whole consisting of interrelated elements with specific protocols.
• Examples include human body systems and organizational systems like universities or banks.
• A system is characterized by its boundaries, structure, purpose, operation, and environmental influence.

System Constraint

• Parameters every system must adhere to.
• Basic constraints: designed structure/behavior, interconnectedness between components.
• Organizational objectives take precedence over subsystem objectives.

Properties of a System

• Organization: Systems must be structured.
• Interaction: Components must interact.
• Interdependence: Components rely on each other.
• Integration: Components connect and work together.
• Central Objective: Systems must have a clear objective.

Elements of a System

• Input: Determined by knowing the output.
• Processes: Converting inputs to outputs.
• Control: Decision-making to manage activities.
• Feedback: Measuring output against standards.
• Environment: External factors that influence the system.
• Boundaries & Interfaces: Defining system limits and interactions.

Types of Systems

• Open System: Interacts with its environment, receiving inputs and delivering outputs.
• Closed System: Self-contained and isolated from environmental influences.
• Deterministic System: Operates predictably with known interactions between components.
• Probabilistic System: Shows uncertain behavior with interactions not fully known.
• Physical System: Tangible and can be touched.
• Abstract System: Non-physical entity or conceptual model.

Man-Made Information Systems

• These are interconnected resources for data management under Direct Management Control (DMC).
• The five key components include hardware, software, data, processes, and people.
• Hardware consists of the physical layer, like servers and communication equipment.
• Software includes system and application programs.
• Data transforms into information, stored in locations called tables.
• Processes perform business operations to achieve goals.
• People (stakeholders) include managers, users, and IT staff.

Three types of man-made information systems

• Formal: Relies on memos and instructions from management.
• Strategic: Shapes and supports the competitive strategy.
• Tactical: Supports decision-making and replaces human expertise.
• Operational: Supports daily organizational activities.
• Informal: Employee-based, solving daily problems and directing information upward.
• Computer Based: Dependent on computers for managing applications.

Transaction Processing System (TPS)

• It is used to obtain operational information.
• It handles repetitive computations on large record numbers.

Management Information System (MIS)

• This is used to obtain strategic information, assisting management in decisions.
• It utilizes transaction processing results and other data.

Decision Support System (DSS)

• Used for obtaining strategic data, assisting higher management for long-term decisions for unstructured problems.

System Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

• The process of building an IS to support business needs.
• First analyzes existing systems, then designs, builds, and delivers a new system.
• The systems analyst identifies improvements and designs the IS.
• Core skills are required to plan business processes and communicate with management.
• A four-phase approach includes: planning, analysis, design, and implementation.
• Each phase involves steps that rely on deliverables (documents and files).
• Organizations vary on how they follow SDLC and the variations improve each phase.

Planning phase

• Involves understanding needs and how to achieve them.
• Involves Project initiation and Project management

Project Initiation (System Request)

• Triggered by a client wanting to upgrade, solve a problem or replace a system.
• Reasons for system requests include reducing costs, stronger controls, and improved service.
• Request forms should by easy to understand, and unambiguous.
• System requests identify the value of a new system and are followed by a feasibility study.

Feasibility Study

• It uses fact-finding to understand problems.
• Aids management in deciding system feasibility; outlines problems and recommends solutions.
• Outputs feasibility report which includes the scope of the proposed system.
• Five types of feasibility studied: technical, economic, operational, behavioral, and schedule.

Feasibility Evaluation

• Removing unfeasible requests.
• Prioritization based on benefits, costs, and timeframe.
• The final stage of planning is Project Management, managed by IS approval committees.
• A project manager will create a work plan and apply techniques to direct the project through the SDLC.

Analysis Phase

• Determines who will use the system, its functions, and when/where it will be used.
• Investigation of current systems and opportunities for a developed concept.
• The objective of this phase is to understand the proposed system and ensure it meets the business requirements.
• It also helps to build a solid developmental foundation.

Three steps in the Analysis phase

• Analysis Strategy.
• Requirements Gathering.
• System Proposal.
• Analysis strategies should define and analyze the current system (as-is) and design the new system (to-be).
• Models represent the data and processes for business operations, like diagrams.

System Proposal

• A combination of analyses and concepts presented to decision-makers.
• It defines the requirements and designs for the new system

The System Analysis Phase

• Four Main Activities: Requirement, Data, Process, and Object Modeling
• Identifying and describing new system requirements (output, input, process, performance, security).
• Data and Process Modeling is a graphical representation using structured analysis techniques.
• Concerned with data and process modeling using traditional structured analysis techniques.
• Object Modeling combines data and processes acting on data, representing real-world entities.
• A determination of the development strategy for the new system.

Design Phase

• Focuses on how the system will operate (hardware, software, infrastructure, interface, forms, reports, programs, databases).
• The system's operation is determined through the analysis phase through strategic decisions.
• Four Steps: Design Strategy, Architectural Design, Database/File Specifications, Program Design.
• Design strategy clarifies the decision on whether system developers come from the company or elsewhere.
• Architectural design develops the design for the hardware, software and network.
• Database/file specifications define what data will be stored and where.
• Program design defines what the programs will do.

Implementation Phase

• The final stage of SDLC, the system is built and tested to ensure it performs as designed.
• The most expensive segment of the development process.
• Three Steps: System Construction, System Installation, and Support Plan
• System construction involves building and testing to eliminate bugs.
• This may include cutover, parallel conversion, or phased conversion strategies.
• Develop a support plan for the system implemented usually by the analyst team.

System Development Methodology/Techniques

• A method for implementing SDLC.
• Based on focuses and SDLC phases.
• Methodologies focus on business processes or the data that supports them.

Structured Systems Analysis and Design Method (SSADM)

• Uses SDLC phases to plan, analyze, design, implement, and support the system.
• Delivers from each phase go into the next phase to achieve successful system development
• It focuses on processes that transform data into information and creates process models.
• Employs data organization, database design, and user interface considerations.

Waterfall Development Model

• Two Key Advantages: identifies system requirements and minimizes changes.
• Two Key Disadvantages: Designs must be complete before programming and consumes time.

Parallel Development Method.

• It addresses the problem of delays through performing design and implementation simultaneously.
• Advantage: It reduces schedule time.
• Disadvantage: It also adds a new problem especially if the subprojects are not dependent.

Object-Oriented Analysis and Design (OOAD) Method

• Combines data and processes into objects, modeling real-world operations.
• Analysts use it to model real-world processes
• Developers design reusable components to speeding system implementation.

Joint Application Development (JAD)

• Focuses on fact-finding
• Brings users into the development process as active participants.
• Advantages: Accurate requirements, promotes ownership, better goal alignment.
• Disadvantages: Is expensive because many people are involved, cumbersome with larger project group.

Rapid Application Development (RAD) Method

• A team-based method to speed up system development and produce functional system.
• Is focused on system requirements.

Agile/Adaptive Methods

• Develops system incrementally by building prototypes, revised until user needs are met.
• It emphasizes feedback and iterative steps.
• Are flexible, tolerate change, and validate projects.

Modeling Tools and Techniques

• Models help users understand the system design through graphical and nontechnical methods.
• Analysts use models and fact-finding to ensure additional exploration during requirements modeling is efficient.

Preliminary Investigation (Planning Phase)

• A system analyst will study a request to recommend specific action.
• Key personnels gather facts about project constraints, costs, and benefits.
• The end product of this phase is a deliverable report

Six Steps in Preliminary Investigation.

• Understand problem
• Define project scope and constraints
• Perform fact-finding
• Study data
• Evaluate feasibility
• Recommend actions

Understanding the problem or opportunity

• The fishbone diagram investigates causes and effects as an analysis tool that is represented as a graphical outline

Define Project Scope & Constraints

• Project Scope should modify accounts and allow customers to inquire balances
• Scope will be defined clearly through defining what the system must satisfy.

Types of Constraints

• Present Vs Future
• Internal Vs External
• Mandatory Vs Desirable
• Key Personnel will be identified for conducting Interviews and asking questions.
• Analysts, Operational Personnels, and Key Personnels should be involved.

Analyzing Organization Chart.

• Gaining insight into structure, functions, and personnel.

Conducting Interview

• Is a process by which information during investigation is handled, for accurate interviewing.
• The process involves a series of steps including documentation and interviewing.

Observe Operations

• Observe Workers to know how they carryout Typical tasks.

Conduct a user Survey.

• A design that users need to complete and return, and then tabulate it.

Analyze the Data

• Using techniques such as Pareto and XY charts to visualize and analyze the data.

Evaluate Feasibility

• The project's usability, costs, benefits, and schedules should be analyzed carefully using fact-finding.
• Data can be tabulated in a simple interview conducted or performed survey.

Steps to feasibility

• Analyzing problem
• Defining scope
• Evaluating usability The next guideline should be assessed

Results and Recommendations To Management

• No Necessary action
• Project Proceeds to Next Stage systems Analysis systems analysis.
• Project Roles outlines what needs to be done and achieved for the Analyst/Teams.

Steps for Preliminary

• This will be in the sample of the preliminary report section.
• Each step depends on data requirements and the needs of the Business/Systems.

Explore Systems Analysis and Design (SAD), an evolving field crucial for IT professionals. Learn how analysts develop efficient systems through phased processes. Understand the role of a system analyst in planning, developing, and maintaining systems with strong communication and analytical skills.