Understanding Systems and Information Systems

• The notes cover an introduction to systems and information systems, focusing on system concepts, information and analysis tools, and information system concepts.

System Concepts

• A system is derived from the Latin word "systema," describing the relation between working elements or units.
• A system is a group of procedures, processes, methods, techniques, or components united to form an organized whole.
• A system consists of items, equipment, processes, and people working jointly towards common goal(s).
• A system is an organized collection of parts (or subsystems) highly integrated to accomplish an overall goal.
• There are open and closed systems.
• An open system interacts with its environment, such as business, transport, and social systems.
• A closed system does not interact with the environment; events within the system do not affect the environment, and vice versa.

System Examples

• A computer system is designed with hardware and software components to process and manage data, enabling interaction between users and other systems for efficiently solving problems and supporting specific tasks.
• A computer school is a system composed of educators, learners, a curriculum, and administrative support to deliver education in technology.

System Characteristics

• Key components include input, output, processes, feedback, environment, components, boundaries, interfaces, and interrelationships.
• The systems model involves input, processes, output, and feedback.
• Inputs are items used by various processes to achieve the system's goal, including individuals, finances, equipment, facilities, supplies, ideas, and time.
• Inputs also include major forces like laws and regulations that influence the organization's products and services.
• Outputs are the tangible results, such as products, services, and reports.
• Processes are the internal operations that transform inputs into outputs.
• Feedback is the mechanism through which the system receives information about its outputs to adjust its inputs or processes for regulation.
• There are two types of feedback: positive and negative.
• Positive feedback amplifies deviations or results, such as a company increasing production of popular products.
• Negative feedback corrects deviations to maintain stability, for example, a thermostat adjusting temperature.

System Decomposition

• Is the process of decomposing the overall system into manageable parts (subsystems, components).
• Criteria include structure, purpose, major functions/activities, history, level of organization, and life cycle.
• The purpose defines the system's overall goal or mission. For example, a transportation system's purpose is to move people or goods efficiently.
• Major functions/activities are key operations to fulfill the system's purpose; identifying them helps group related activities into subsystems like teaching, research, and administration in the ESI system.
• History identifies shared historical elements contributing to the system’s construction; a company's IT system might include older technologies due to its historical growth.
• Level of organization refers to the hierarchical structure or layers within the system, breaking down the system at appropriate levels such as directions, departments, and services.
• Structure represents components- arrangement and interconnections, revealing relationships and dependencies, such as the engine, chassis, and electrical system in a car.
• Life cycle refers to the stages a system goes through, from inception to disposal, such as requirements, design, implementation, testing, deployment, and maintenance in the software development life cycle.

System Grouping

• Involves how subsystems are organized.
• The number of interconnections is calculated as N(N-1)/2, where N is the number of subsystems.
• As decomposition increases, the number of interfaces also multiplies.
• Reciprocal subsystems are grouped.
• Only one flow is defined between collections and other subsystems.
• Grouping can be based on specialty, product, time, clientele, or geographic basis.
• By Specialty involves grouping departments based on expertise; e.g., grouping hospital departments (cardiology, neurology) based on medical specialties.
• By Product involves grouping production lines based on product; e.g., grouping production lines for cars and motorcycles in a manufacturing company.
• By Time involves aligning operations; e.g., grouping activities by preparation, execution, and post-event analysis phases in an event management system.
• By Clientele involves personalizing services; e.g., grouping subsystems serving individual customers, small businesses, and large enterprises in a retail system.
• By Geographic Basis involves managing regional operations; e.g., grouping operations by continents in a multinational corporation.

Conclusion

• Systems are composed of interconnected elements that interact dynamically.
• Analyzing these interactions improves the system's overall functioning, enabling informed decisions and continuous improvement to optimize operation and achieve objectives efficiently.