Week3-summ.pdf

Problem Analysis ▪ The goal of Problem Analysis is to determine the system improvement objectives. You analyse the existing system in order to get a thorough understanding of its problems ▪ Don’t try to fix problems, if you don’t understand them. ▪ ▪ You want to find the answer whether the probl...

Problem Analysis ▪ The goal of Problem Analysis is to determine the system improvement objectives. You analyse the existing system in order to get a thorough understanding of its problems ▪ Don’t try to fix problems, if you don’t understand them. ▪ ▪ You want to find the answer whether the problems are worth of solving, and whether the system is worth of building. Request for System Services ▪ A document that is an input into the ‘Scope Definition’ phase. ▪ Usually it comes from a steering body, or from a business team requesting a project ▪ Can be used to to cast more light on something we do in Problem Analysis Problem Statements ▪ It comes from the ‘Scope Definition’ phase ▪ An input into Problem Analysis Cause-and-Effect Analysis A technique used by systems analysts to study the system problems and determine their causes and effects. Cause is why something happens (what happened first). Effect is the result of the event that happened (what happened second). To determine causes and effects, ask yourself the following questions: 1. Why did this happen? (the cause) 2. What is the result of the event that happened?(the effect) Example 1: Peter fell of his bike and broke his leg. Cause: Why did this happen? (Peter fell of his bike.) Effect: What is the result of the event? (Peter broke his leg.) Cause-and-Effect Analysis Example 2: Muhammad studied hard for the exam in Computer Programming and got an A+ on the exam. Cause: Why did this happen? (Muhammad studied hard for the exam.) Effect: What is the result of the event that happened? (He got an A+ on the exam.) Example 3: Aysha feels tired as a result of teaching all day. Cause: Why did this happen? (Aysha was teaching all day.) Effect: What is the result of the event that happened? (She feels tired.) Ishikawa Diagram Ishikawa diagram (a fishbone diagram) - a popular tool to identify, analyse and document problem and category of their causes ▪6Ms template - based on 6 predefined categories of causes (Manpower, Machines, Methods, Mother Nature, Materials and Measures) The name of the problem entered in the fish’s head ▪ Possible causes (the main categories of causes) are represented by fish bones ▪ The actual causes are represented by arrows pointing to the main causes ▪ Causes Effects Example of Ishikawa Diagram Manpower /People Driving skills Machinery Worn spark plugs Methods /Processes The way of driving Worn valves Maintenance habit Incorrect gear Worn pistons Incorrect petrol octane Harsh weather Incorrect engine oil Mother Nature /Environment Materials Incorrect tire pressure Unadjusted Ignition timing Measurements Increased vehicle fuel consumption System Improvement Objectives Objective A measure of success. Something that you expect to achieve, if given sufficient resources. ▪ Increase this year sales for 10% ▪ Reduce the response time of the system to 1 second ▪ Decrease the bad debts by 80% Constraint Something that limits your flexibility in defining a solution (you must take it into consideration and it cannot be changed). ▪ The new system must be developed by 1 June 2010 (schedule constraint). ▪ The new system must be within the budget of $100,000 (budget constraint) ▪ The new system must use the existing HW and SW (technology constraint). Cause-and-Effect Analysis Sample This template is used to : ▪ Perform cause-andeffect analysis ▪ Identify system improvement objectives and system constraints. System Improvement Report Template ▪ When problem analysis is completed, an output called ‘System Improvement Report’ is produced. ▪ You will not be required to produce this kind of report, but it is a good idea to have it for your future needs.