2/11/2020

COURSE INFORMATION

• Course Code : ITC 244

• Course Title: Systems Analysis and Design.

• Credit Hours: 3

• Course Lecturer: Maxwell Dorgbefu Jnr.

Systems Analysis and Design Lecture Slides By: Maxwell Dorgbefu Jnr. - 2020

Your Comments???
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Systems Analysis and Design Lecture Slides By: Maxwell Dorgbefu Jnr. - 2020

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What is SAD ?
• Systems Analysis: understanding and specifying in
detail what an information system should do.

• System Design: specifying in detail how the parts of

an information system should be implemented.

• Systems Analyst: A professional who uses analysis

and design techniques to solve business problems
(involving information technology).

Systems Analysis and Design Lecture Slides By: Maxwell Dorgbefu Jnr. - 2020

Why Study SAD ?

• It is crucial to study SAD in today’s Information
Technology dominated world because:
1. The success of most Information Systems
depends on good SAD techniques.
2. Modern day businesses rely mostly on
computerized Information Systems.
3. Widely used in industry - proven techniques
4. Part of career growth in IT - lots of interesting
and well-paying jobs!
5. Increasing demand for systems analysis skills

Systems Analysis and Design Lecture Slides By: Maxwell Dorgbefu Jnr. - 2020

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What is a System ?
• A system is a collection of interrelated components
(subsystems) that function together to achieve some
outcome (e.g. biological system, computer system,
social system)
• A system can be regarded as a set of interacting
elements responding to inputs to produce outputs.

• An information system is a collection of

interrelated components that collect, process, store
and provide as output the information needed to
complete business tasks (e.g. payroll system).

Systems Analysis and Design Lecture Slides By: Maxwell Dorgbefu Jnr. - 2020

Sub Systems
• Each system is composed of subsystems, which
themselves are made up of other subsystems;
the subsystems, elements of the system to which
they belong are themselves defined by
boundaries.
• The interconnections between subsystems are
known as interfaces.
• A subsystem at the lowest level, whose processes
are not defined, is called black box system; here
inputs and outputs are defined.
Systems Analysis and Design Lecture Slides By: Maxwell Dorgbefu Jnr. - 2020

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Characteristics of Systems
• Systems are made up of interrelated subsystems
(e.g. a nuclear reactor is composed of boilers,
reactor components etc.)
• Functional decomposition – dividing a system into
components based on subsystems (which are in turn
further divided into subsystems)
• System boundary – the separation between a system
and its environment (where inputs and outputs
cross)
• Automation boundary – separation between the
automated part and the manual part of systems.

Systems Analysis and Design Lecture Slides By: Maxwell Dorgbefu Jnr. - 2020

General Representation of Systems

SYSTEM
processing

boundary controls

inputs

feedback outputs

Systems Analysis and Design Lecture Slides By: Maxwell Dorgbefu Jnr. - 2020

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Representation of System Boundaries

Systems Analysis and Design Lecture Slides By: Maxwell Dorgbefu Jnr. - 2020

Common Types of Systems

• Natural Systems
– These systems are not made by man, they exist in
nature and by and large serve their own purpose.
– Natural systems are further classified into
• Physical Systems and
• Living Systems

• Man-made Systems
• Automated Systems

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Physical and Living Systems

• Physical systems include such diverse examples as:
• Stellar systems: galaxies, solar systems etc.
• Geological systems: rivers, mountain ranges etc.
• Molecular systems: complex organizations of atoms.
• Living systems encompass all of the myriad animals
and plants around us, as well as our own human
race.
• The properties and characteristics of familiar living
systems can be used to help illustrate and better
understand man-made systems.
Systems Analysis and Design Lecture Slides By: Maxwell Dorgbefu Jnr. - 2020

Man-made Systems
• As the name sounds, these systems are created
by man to accomplish some purpose.
– Social systems: organizations of laws, doctrines,
customs, and so on.
– An organized, disciplined collection of ideas.
– Transportation systems: networks of highways,
canals, airlines and so on.
– Communication systems: telephone, telex, and so on.
– Manufacturing systems: factories, assembly lines, and
so on.
– Financial systems: accounting, inventory, general
ledger and so on.
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Automated Systems
• Automated systems are man-made systems that
interact with or are controlled by one or more
computers.
• Their common components include:
1. Computer hardware
2. Computer software
3. People
4. Data
5. Procedures.

Systems Analysis and Design Lecture Slides By: Maxwell Dorgbefu Jnr. - 2020

Behaviour of Systems
• Systems have certain behaviours that are worth
discussing:
• A system could therefore be described as:
– Deterministic
– Probabilistic
– Closed
– Open
– Stable

Systems Analysis and Design Lecture Slides By: Maxwell Dorgbefu Jnr. - 2020

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Deterministic Systems
• A deterministic system is one in which the
occurrence of all events is perfectly predictable.
• Given a description of the system state at a
particular time, and its operation, at the next
state can be perfectly predicted.
• An example of such a system is a numerically-
controlled machine tool.

Systems Analysis and Design Lecture Slides By: Maxwell Dorgbefu Jnr. - 2020

Probabilistic Systems
• A probabilistic system is one in which the
occurrence of events cannot be perfectly
predicted.
• An example of such a system is a warehouse and
its contents.
• Given a description of the contents at one time,
and at the next point in time it may not be
perfectly predicted.
• The Systems Analyst deals almost entirely with
probabilistic systems.
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Closed Systems - 1
• A closed system is one which does not interact
with its environment.
• Such systems are rare, but relatively closed
systems are common. E.g computer program
which processes predefined inputs in a
predefined way.
• A relatively closed system is one which controls
its inputs, and so is protected from
environmental disturbances.

Systems Analysis and Design Lecture Slides By: Maxwell Dorgbefu Jnr. - 2020

Closed Systems - 2
• Closed and relatively closed systems are subject
to increase in entropy or disorder, because they
do not interact with their changing environment.
• For example, a firm which is not sensitive to
customer demands will eventually decline.

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Open Systems - 1
• An open system is one which does interact with
its environment, being able to receive
unexpected inputs.
• Open systems are organic in that by their nature
they tend to react with the environment; a
human being is an example of an open system.
• Open systems are usually adaptive.

Systems Analysis and Design Lecture Slides By: Maxwell Dorgbefu Jnr. - 2020

Open Systems - 2
• A firm which is sensitive to changes in customer
demand, and in consequence adjusts its prices,
charges its products or looks for new markets, is
being adaptive.
• The systems analyst usually deals with adaptive
open systems and must aim to change them to
make them more adaptive.

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Stable Systems
• A Stable system is one in which relationships are
well defined but which when disturbed by
environmental factors, is capable of returning to
its desired state.
• The stability is measured in terms of certain
elements remaining within previously set limits.
• For example, a stock control systems using a
reorder level based on forecasts of demand
would immediately cause a purchase order to
be made when the stock reaches the reorder
level.
Systems Analysis and Design Lecture Slides By: Maxwell Dorgbefu Jnr. - 2020

Types of Information Systems

GDSS – Group Decision Support System
CSCWA – Computer-Supported
Collaborative Work System
ESS – Executive Support System

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TPS and MIS

• Transaction processing systems (TPS)
– Capture and record information about the
transactions that affect the organization (e.g.
the sale of an item, a withdrawal from an ATM
etc.)
• Management Information Systems (MIS)
– Take information captured by the transaction
processing system and produce reports
management needs for planning and
controlling business
Systems Analysis and Design Lecture Slides By: Maxwell Dorgbefu Jnr. - 2020

EIS/ESS and DSS

• Executive Information Systems (EIS)
– Provide information for executives to use in
strategic planning (could be from organizational
database, or outside sources like stock market
reports).
• Decision Support Systems (DSS)
– Support human decision making and allows users
to explore the potential impact of available
options or decisions (e.g. can ask “what if”).
– DSSs are closely related to “expert systems” or
“knowledge-based” systems.
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Required Skills of the Systems Analyst -1

• Technical Knowledge and Skills
Computers and how they work in general
• Programming languages
• Devices that interact with computers
• Communications networks
• Database and database management systems
• Operating systems and utilities

Tools: software products used to help develop analysis and

design specifications and completed system components
• e.g. Microsoft Access, Integrated development
environments, computer-supported system engineering
(CASE) tools.

Systems Analysis and Design Lecture Slides By: Maxwell Dorgbefu Jnr. - 2020

Required Skills of the Systems Analyst -2

• Business Knowledge and Skills
• What activities and processes do organizations perform?
• How are organizations structured?
• How are organizations managed?
• What type of work (activity) is done in the organization?
(e.g. hospital, bank etc.)
• Who are the “actors” doing the activities

About the organization (e.g. company) the Systems Analyst

needs to know:
• What the specific organization does
• What makes it successful
• What its strategies and plans are
• What its tradition (“culture”) and values are
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Required Skills of the Systems Analyst -3

• People Knowledge and Skills
• Single most important interpersonal skill:
• To communicate clearly and effectively with others!
• Since analysts work on teams with others (e.g. team members,
clients etc.) must understand about people:
• How people think
• How people learn
• How people react to change
• How people communicate
• How people work (“activities” and “actors”)
• Other areas:
• Skill in interviewing, listening and observing
• Good written and oral presentation
• Being able to work in a team
Systems Analysis and Design Lecture Slides By: Maxwell Dorgbefu Jnr. - 2020

LECTURE REVIEW QUESTIONS

• Who is a Systems Analyst?
• Find out on the roles of the systems analyst.
• Briefly explain the following terminologies as
used in SAD.
– Modularity, Cohesion, Coupling, Synergy and
Equifinality
• Identify a real-world system and sketch its
general depiction
• Briefly explain the General Systems Theory.

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QUITTING TIME

QUITTING TIME

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