INFORMATION SYSTEMS 3A

STUDY UNIT 1: AN OVERVIEW OF SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND

DESIGN
Unit Outcomes

• Describe the purpose of systems analysis and design in the

development of an information system
• Describe the characteristics of Agile methodologies and
iterative systems development
• Explain the SDLC and identify its core processes
• Describe how the six core processes of the SDLC are used in
each iteration
• Identify key diagrams used in systems analysis and systems
design
• Explain the utility of identifying use cases in systems
development
• Explain the utility of identifying object classes in systems
development
Introduction

The objective of this section is to introduce the student to basic

concepts that are needed to understand system development.
Software development

• Systems analysis – these are activities that enable a person to

understand and specify what an information system should
accomplish
• Systems design – these are activities that enable a person to
define and describe in detail the system that solves the need
Software development

Systems Analysis Systems Design

• What is required for the • How will the system
new system to solve the operate to solve the
problem? problem?
The Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

• The SDLC is a framework that identifies all the activities

required to research, build, deploy and maintain an
information system.
• The SDLC defines all the activities required to develop a new
system that is starting from planning, analysis, design,
implementation and maintenance.
The Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

The six core processes of SDLC are:

1. Identify the problem or need and obtain approval to proceed.
2. Plan and monitor the project—what to do, how to do it, and
who does it.
3. Discover and understand the details of the problem or the
need.
4. Design the system components that solve the problem or
satisfy the need.
5. Build, test, and integrate system components.
6. Complete system tests and then deploy the solution.
The Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
Iterative Development

• Iterative development is an approach to system development

in which the system is grown/developed piece by piece
through multiple mini projects called iterations.
• Iterative Development illustrates six core processes and how
they are utilized across various iterations to develop a new
system.
Iterative Development
The following is a sample project showing several
iterations and activities within each iteration:

Pre-Project Activities
Pre-project activities are those activities required to get the project
approved and started.

There are two major objectives namely:

• Identify the problem and document the objective of the system (core
process 1) and within this activity the following needs to be done:
 Preliminary investigation
 System Vision Document

• Obtain approval to commence the project (core process 1). When

obtaining approval the System Analyst need to:
 Meet with key stakeholders, including executive management
 Make decisions and then the plan should be approved as well as the
budget
Day 1 Activities
• Core Process 2: Plan the Project
 Determine the major components (functional areas) that are
needed
 Supplier information subsystem
 Product information subsystem
 Define the iterations and assign each function to an iteration
 Decide to do Supplier subsystem first
 Plan one iteration as it is small and straight forward
 Determine team members and responsibilities
 Use a WBS (Work Breakdown Structure ) to identify the tasks and the
duration needed for each task
Day 2 Activities
• Core Process 3: Discover and Understand Details
 Do preliminary fact-finding to understand requirements
 Develop a preliminary list of use cases and a use case diagram
 Develop a preliminary list of classes and a class diagram
Day 3 Activities
• Core Process 3: Discover and Understand Details
 Do in-depth fact-finding to understand requirements
 Understand and document the detailed workflow of each use
case
• Core Process 4: Design System Components
 Define the user experience with screens and report sketches
Day 4 Activities
• Core Process 4: Design System Components
 Design the database (schema)
 Design the system’s high level structure
 Browser, Windows, or Smart phone
 Architectural configuration (components)
 Design class diagram
 Subsystem architectural design
Day 5 Activities
• Core Process 4: Detailed Design System Components
 Continue with design details
 Proceed use case by use case
• Core Process 5: Build, Test, and Integrate System Components
 Continue programming (build)
 Build use case by use case
 Perform unit and integration tests
Day 6 Activities
• Core Process 6: Complete System Testing and Deploy the
System
 Perform system functional testing
 Perform user acceptance testing
 Possibly deploy part of system
Key Terms

• Computer application (app)—a computer software program that executes on a

computing device to carry out a specific function or set of related functions
• Information system—a set of interrelated computer components that collects,
processes, stores, and provides as output the information needed to complete business
tasks
• Systems analysis—those activities that enable a person to understand and specify what
the new system should accomplish
• Systems design—those activities that enable a person to define and describe in detail
the system that solves the need
• Project—a planned undertaking that has a beginning and an end, and that produces
some definite result
• Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC)—the entire process consisting of all the
activities required to build, launch, and maintain an information system
• Information systems development process—the actual approach used to develop a
particular information system
• Agile Development—an information systems development process that emphasizes
flexibility to anticipate or adapt any new requirements during development
• Iterative development—an approach to system development in which the system is
"grown" piece by piece through multiple iterations
Self-assessment

• Give a brief explanation of the general SDLC phases.

• What is prototyping? List and explain 4 advantages and 3 disadvantages
of prototyping
• What is the purpose of system analysis? Why is it important?
• State the reason why you think that it is important to carry out
requirements analysis before design and coding starts.
• What do you understand by the terms Predictive Approach and
Adaptive Approach to the SDLC? Give examples of each approach
• What is a WBS? How does it helps in determining the project duration
• What is a System Vision Document? What the purpose of is a System
Vision Document. Briefly explain the major activities of a System Vision
Document
• What is the basic philosophy of Agile development?
• Discuss any 3 benefits of using Iterative development as compared to
Structured development