Structural

SAD
Compiled by: Hundaol B.
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 Chapter one
Foundations for
Systems Development

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 Introduction
• Information Systems Analysis and Design
– Complex organizational process whereby computer-based information
systems are developed and maintained
– It is an Organizational improvement process.
• It is based on two skills
– Understanding of organization’s objectives, structure and process
– Knowledge of IT
• Goal:
– To develop Applications Software
• to improve employee efficiency
• Software engineering process leads to the creation of information systems

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 Organizational approach to systems
analysis and design
• Various software engineering processes have been developed to
assist in analysis and design; these include:
– Methodologies
• are comprehensive, multiple-step approaches to systems development that
will guide your work and influence the quality of your final product: IS.
– Techniques
• processes that you, as an analyst, will follow
– Tools
• Computer programs to assist in application of techniques to the analysis
and design process
• such as CASE tools, that make it easy to use specific techniques.

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Organizational approach to SAD is driven by:

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 Systems
• What exactly is a System?
– A system is an interrelated set of components (business procedures) with an
identifiable boundary, working together for some purpose.
• A system has nine characteristics
1. Components: aggregation parts that makes up a system
2. Interrelated components: Dependence of one part
3. Boundary: line that marks the inside and outside of a system
4. Purpose: overall goal or function of a system
5. Environment: Everything external to a system that interacts with the system
6. Interfaces: Point of contact where a system meets its environment
7. Constraints: A limit to what a system can accomplish
8. Input
9. Output 6
 Systems
• Decomposition
– is the process of breaking down a system into its smaller
components.
• Decomposition is a technique that allows the systems analyst
to:
– Break a system into small, manageable, and understandable
subsystems
– Focus attention on one area (subsystem) at a time, without
interference from other areas
– Concentrate on the part of the system
– Build different parts of the system at independent times 7
A Modern Approach to Systems Analysis and Design
• Modern systems development focuses on systems integration.
• Systems integration allows hardware (HW) and software (SW) from
different vendors to work together in an application.
• Developers use programming environments to design the user
interfaces for systems that run on client/server platforms
• In a client/server environment, some of the SW runs on the server, and
some of the SW runs on client machines.
• The database usually resides on the server.

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A Modern Approach to Systems Analysis and Design

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 Information System (IS)
• IS
– an arrangement of people, data, processes, communications, and information
technology
– The primary function of IS transformation of data into information.
• A computer-based business system involves six interdependent elements:
– HW (machines)
– SW
– People (programmers, managers or users)
– Procedures
– Data and
– Information
• All six elements interact to convert data into information.
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 Types of Information Systems
• Based on their function IS can be classified into:
• Transaction Processing Systems (TPS)
– automate the handling of data about business activities or transactions,
which can be thought of as simple, discrete events in the life of an
organization.
• Management Information Systems (MIS)
– take the raw data from a TPS and convert it into a meaningful aggregated
form that managers need to conduct their responsibilities.
– Eg: budget analysis and forecasting, Sales reporting and forecasting
• Decision Support Systems (DSS)
– provide management an interactive environment in which decision makers
can quickly manipulate data and models of business operations 11
 Types of Information Systems
• Office Automation Systems(OAS)
– support the wide range of business office activities that provide for
improved work flow and communications between workers,
regardless of whether or not those workers are located in the same
office.
– Examples: Word Processing, Microsoft outlook, NetMeeting
• Expert Systems
– AI is a branch of computer science that has the goal of
understanding intelligence by building computer programs that
exhibit intelligent behavior.
– Expert systems have knowledge base, inference engine and user
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 Building blocks of IS
• Building blocks of IS are:
– Data- the raw material used to create useful information
– Processes- the activities that carry out the mission of the
business
– Interfaces- how the system interfaces with its users and
other information systems.

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 Developing Information Systems and Systems
Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

• The SDLC is a common methodology for systems development in

many organizations.
• It marks the phases or steps of IS development: Someone has an
idea for an information system and what it should do.
• Every organization uses a slightly different life-cycle model to
model these steps, with anywhere from three to almost twenty
identifiable phases.

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SDLC …

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 SDLC: Planning
• Project Identification and Selection
– Two Main Activities
• Identification of need
• Prioritization and translation of need into a development schedule
– Helps organization to determine whether or not resources should be
dedicated to a project.
• Project Initiation and Planning
– Two Activities
• Formal preliminary investigation of the problem at hand
• Presentation of reasons why system should or should not be developed
by the organization

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 SDLC …
• Analysis
– Study of current procedures and information systems
• Determine requirements
–Study current system
–Structure requirements and eliminate redundancies
• Generate alternative designs
• Compare alternatives
• Recommend best alternative

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 SDLC …
• Design
– Logical Design
• Concentrates on business aspects of the system
– Physical Design
• Technical specifications
• Implementation
– Implementation
• Coding/ Programming
• Hardware and software installation
• Testing
• User Training
• Documentation
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 SDLC …
• Deployment
– In this phase, the system is deployed and made available to the
end-users.
– This includes activities such as installation, configuration, data
migration, and training of end-users.
– System documentation is also prepared during this phase.
• Testing
– In this phase, the developed system is thoroughly tested to
ensure that it meets the specified requirements.
– Different types of testing, such as unit testing, integration
testing, system testing, and user acceptance testing, are
performed to identify and fix defects.

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 SDLC …
• Maintenance and Operation
• System changed to reflect changing conditions
• Once the system is deployed, it enters the operation and maintenance
phase.
• This involves ongoing support, bug fixes, enhancements, and system
updates based on user feedback and changing requirements.

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 Participants in IS Development
• A stakeholder is any person who has an interest in an existing
or new information system.
• Stakeholders can be technical or nontechnical workers.
• For information systems, the stakeholders can be classified as:
– System Owners
– System Users
– Systems Analysts
– System Designers
– System Builders
– IT vendors and consultants

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 Stakeholders in IS
• System Owners- pay for the system to be built and maintained. They own
the system, set priorities for the system, and determine policies for its use.
• System Users- are the people who actually use the system to perform or
support the work to be completed.
• System Analysts- facilitate the development of IS and computer applications
by bridging the communications gap that exists between non-technical
system owners and users and technical system designers and builders.
• System Designers- technical specialists who design the system to meet users’
requirements.
• System Builders- technical specialists who construct, test, and deliver the
system into operation.
• IT vendors and consultants- who sell HW, SW and services to businesses
for incorporation into their information systems. 23
 Systems Analyst
• Where is a system analyst in all this? He is everywhere. He is the core team member.
• Necessary skills required from a given system analyst are presented as follows:
1. Analytical skills
 Systems thinking
 Organizational knowledge
 Problem Identification
 Problem analyzing and solving
2. Technical skills
3. Management skills
 Resource management
 Project management
 Risk Management
 Change management
4. Interpersonal skills
 Communication skills
 Working alone and with a team
 Facilitating groups 24
 Succeeding as a System Project
• Succeeding as a system project involves effectively managing and delivering a software
system that meets the desired goals and objectives.
• It requires careful planning, strong project management skills, collaboration with
stakeholders, and adherence to best practices.
• Here are some key aspects to consider for succeeding as a system project:
– Clearly Define Project Goals and Objectives
– Conduct Thorough Requirements Gathering
– Plan and Manage the Project
– Apply System Analysis and Design Techniques
– Engage Stakeholders and Foster Collaboration
– Follow Industry Best Practices and Standards
– Conduct Thorough Testing and Quality Assurance
– Document and Train Users
– Monitor and Evaluate System Performance
– Maintain Collaboration and Support
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Different Approaches to
Improving Development

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 1. Computer-Aided Software Engineering (CASE) Tools
 are used to support a wide variety of SDLC activities
 integrated and standard database called a repository is the common method for
providing product
The general types of CASE tools are:
• Diagramming tools
• Computer display and report generators
• Analysis tools automatically check for incomplete, inconsistent, or incorrect
specifications in diagrams, forms, and reports.
• A central repository enables the integrated storage
• Documentation generators produce technical and user documentation in
standard formats.
• Code generators enable the automatic generation of program and database
definition code directly from the design documents, diagrams, forms, and reports.
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 2. Joint Application Design (JAD)
• By gathering all the people directly affected by an
information system into one room at the same time to work
together to agree on system requirements and design details,
time and organizational resources are better managed.
• As an added plus, group members are more likely to develop
a shared understanding of what the information system is
supposed to do.

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 3. Rapid Application Development (RAD)
• RAD is an approach to developing information systems that
promises better and cheaper systems and more rapid deployment
by having systems developers and end users work together jointly
in real time to develop systems.
• Today, the focus is increasingly on the rapid development of Web-
based systems.
• RAD tools and software created to support rapid development,
almost all provide for the speedy creation of Web-based
applications.

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