COM 125 Introduction to System Analysis and Design Lecture Note 4

System Development Life Cycle [Continued]

System Design

Based on the user requirements and the detailed analysis of the existing system, the new
system must be designed. This is the phase of system designing. It is the most critical phase in
the developments of a system. The logical system design arrived as a result of systems analysis
which is converted into physical system design. Normally, the design proceeds in two stages:

Preliminary or General Design: In the preliminary or general design, the features of the
new system are specified. The costs of implementing these features and the benefits to be
derived are estimated. If the project is still considered to be feasible, the detailed design
stage commenced.
Structured or Detailed Design: In the detailed design stage, computer oriented work
begins in earnest. At this stage, the design of the system becomes more structured.
Structure design is a blue print of a computer system solution to a given problem having
the same components and inter-relationships among the same components as the original
problem. Input, output, databases, forms, codification schemes and processing
specifications are drawn up in detail.

In the design stage, the programming language, the hardware and software platform in which the
new system will run are also decided. There are several tools and techniques used for describing the
system design of the system. These tools and techniques are:

Flowchart
Data flow diagram [DFD]
Data dictionary
Structured English
Decision table
Decision tree

The system design involves:

Page 1 of 7
COM 125 Introduction to System Analysis and Design Lecture Note 4

a. Defining precisely the required system output.

b. Determining the data requirement for producing the output.
c. Determining the medium and format of files and databases.
d. Devising processing methods and use of software to produce output.
e. Determine the methods of data capture and data input
f. Designing Input forms
g. Designing Codification Schemes
h. Detailed manual procedures
i. Documenting the Design

Coding
The system design needs to be implemented to make it a workable system. This demands the
coding of design into computer understandable language, i.e., programming language. This is
also called the programming phase in which the programmer converts the program
specifications into computer instructions, which we refer to as programs. It is an important
stage where the defined procedures are transformed into control specifications by the help of a
computer language. The programs coordinate the data movements and control the entire
process in a system. It is generally felt that the programs must be modular in nature. This helps
in fast development, maintenance and future changes, if required.

Testing
Before actually implementing the new system into operation, a test run of the system is done
for removing the bugs, if any. It is an important phase of a successful system. After codifying
the whole programs of the system, a test plan should be developed and run on a given set of
test data. The output of the test run should match the expected results. Sometimes, system
testing is considered a part of implementation process.
Using the test data following test run are carried out:

Program test: When the programs have been coded, compiled and brought to working
conditions, they must be individually tested with the prepared test data. Any undesirable
happening must be noted and debugged (error corrections)

Page 2 of 7
COM 125 Introduction to System Analysis and Design Lecture Note 4

System Test: After carrying out the program test for each of the programs of the system and
errors removed, then system test is done. At this stage the test is done on actual data. The
complete system is executed on the actual data. At each stage of the execution, the results or
output of the system is analyzed. During the result analysis, it may be found that the outputs
are not matching the expected output of the system. In such case, the errors in the particular
programs are identified and are fixed and further tested for the expected output. When it is
ensured that the system is running error-free, the users are called with their own actual data so
that the system could be shown running as per their requirements.

Note:
These are the other types of testing:
Data set testing.
Unit testing
Integration testing
Black box testing
White box testing
Regression testing
Automation testing
User acceptance testing
Performance testing
Production

Implementation
After having the user acceptance of the new system developed, the implementation phase begins.
Implementation is the stage of a project during which theory is turned into practice. The major steps
involved in this phase are:

Acquisition and Installation of Hardware and Software

Conversion
User Training
Documentation

Page 3 of 7
COM 125 Introduction to System Analysis and Design Lecture Note 4

The hardware and the relevant software required for running the system must be made fully
operational before implementation. The conversion is also one of the most critical and
expensive activities in the system development life cycle. The data from the old system needs
to be converted to operate in the new format of the new system. The database needs to be
setup with security and recovery procedures fully defined.
During this phase, all the programs of the system are loaded onto the user’s computer. After
loading the system, training of the user starts. Main topics of such type of training are:

How to execute the package

How to enter the data
How to process the data (processing details)
How to take out the reports

After the users are trained about the computerized system, working has to shift from manual to
computerized working. The process is called ‘Changeover’. The following strategies are followed
for changeover of the system.

a. Direct Changeover: This is the complete replacement of the old system by the new
system. It is a risky approach and requires comprehensive system testing and training.
b. Parallel run: In parallel run both the systems, i.e., computerized and manual, are
executed simultaneously for certain defined period. The same data is processed by both
the systems. This strategy is less risky but more expensive because of the following:
Manual results can be compared with the results of the computerized
system.
The operational work is doubled.
Failure of the computerized system at the early stage does not affect the
working of the organization, because the manual system continues to work,
as it used to do.
c Pilot run: In this type of run, the new system is run with the data from one or more of
the previous periods for the whole or part of the system. The results are compared

Page 4 of 7
COM 125 Introduction to System Analysis and Design Lecture Note 4

with the old system results. It is less expensive and risky than parallel run approach.
This strategy builds the confidence and the errors are traced easily without affecting
the operations. The documentation of the system is also one of the most important
activities in the system development life cycle. This ensures the continuity of the
system. There are generally two types of documentation prepared for any system.
These are:
User or Operator Documentation
System Documentation

User or operator documentation: This is a complete description of the system from the users point
of view, detailing how to use or operate the system. It also includes the major error messages likely to
be encountered by the users.

System documentation: This contains the details of system design, programs, their coding, system
flow, data dictionary, process description, etc. This helps to understand the system and permit
changes to be made in the existing system to satisfy new user needs.

Maintenance

This is necessary to eliminate errors in the system during its working life and to tune the system to
any variations in its working environments. It has been seen that there are always some errors found
in the systems that must be noted and corrected. It also means the review of the system from time to
time. The review of the system is done for:

Knowing the full capabilities of the system

Knowing the required changes or the additional requirements
Studying the performance

If a major change to a system is needed, a new project may have to be set up to carry out the change.
The new project will then proceed through all the above life cycle phases.

Page 5 of 7
COM 125 Introduction to System Analysis and Design Lecture Note 4

Fig 1: Showing the diagrammatic representation of different phases of system development life cycle

SDLC Phases with Management Control

The Systems Development Life Cycle [SDLC] phases serve as a programmatic guide to project
activity and provide a flexible but consistent way to conduct projects to a depth matching the
scope of the project. Each of the SDLC phase objectives are described in this section with key
deliverables, a description of recommended tasks, and a summary of related control objectives
for effective management. It is critical for the project manager to establish and monitor control
objectives during each SDLC phase while executing projects. Control objectives help to provide
a clear statement of the desired result or purpose and should be used throughout the entire
SDLC process. Control objectives can be grouped into major categories [Domains], and relate to
the SDLC phases as shown in the figure below. To manage and control any SDLC initiative, each
project will be required to establish some degree of a Work Breakdown Structure [WBS] to
capture and schedule the work necessary to complete the project. The WBS and all
programmatic material should be kept in the “Project Description” section of the project
notebook. The WBS format is mostly left to the project manager to establish in a way that best
describes the project work. There are some key areas that must be defined in the WBS as part
of the SDLC policy. The following diagram describes three key areas that will be addressed in
the WBS in a manner established by the project manager.

Page 6 of 7
COM 125 Introduction to System Analysis and Design Lecture Note 4

Fig 2: Diagram showing the SDLC Phases in relation to Management Controls

Assignment

1. What is the phase of the system designing that is most critical?

2. Enumerate the elements that are decided at the design stage
3. List and explain the two stages in System Design
4. Highlights the tools and techniques used for describing the system design
5. What are those things involved in system design?
6. Enumerate the major steps involved in the implementation phase
7. What are the strategies to follow in a changeover system
8. List and explain the types of documentation prepared for a system.

Page 7 of 7