Chapter 1

1 The World of the

Systems Analyst

1
 Objectives

 Explain key role of a systems analyst in

business
 Describe various types of systems an

1 
analyst might work on
Explain the importance of technical,
people, and business skills
 Explain why ethical behavior is crucial for
a systems analyst’s career

2
 Objectives

 Describe the many types of technology an

analyst needs to understand
 Describe various job titles and places of

1 
employment where analysis and design
work is done
Discuss the analyst’s role in strategic
planning for an organization
 Describe the analyst’s role in a system
development project

3
 Overview

 Information systems are crucial to

modern business

1 Key to success is thorough systems


analysis and design
 Systems analyst is a key individual
in these activities

4
 The Analyst

 Business problem solver

 Practical knowledge

1 Computers


 Computer programming
 Understand business problems
 Use logical method for solving
problems

5
 Analyst’s Approach to Problem Solving
Figure 1-1

Research problem

Verify benefits
outweigh costs

1 Develop solutions

Recommend best
solution

Define solution

Implement solution

Monitor results
6
 Systems that Solve
Business Problems
 Information systems
 Collection of interrelated components that collect,
process, store, and provide as output the information
needed to complete business tasks

1 Subsystems

 Supersystems
 Functional decomposition
 Dividing a system into components based on
subsystems that in turn are further divided into
subsystems

7
 Information Systems and Subsystems
Figure 1-2

8
 Information Systems and Component Parts
Figure 1-3

9
 System Boundary vs. Automation Boundary
Figure 1-4

10
 Types of Information Systems
Figure 1-5

11
 Required Skills of the Systems Analyst

 Technical knowledge and skills

 Computer hardware, software, databases, and
related devices

1 


Tools to help develop analysis or design
specifications
Techniques for completing specific
development activities
 Business knowledge and skills
 Organizational structure
 Functional work processes

12
 Required Skills of the Systems Analyst

 People knowledge and skills

 Communication
Teams

1


 Ethics and integrity

13
 Environment Surrounding the Analyst

 Information system configurations

encountered will range from PC to large
mainframe systems

1  Job titles of the systems analyst vary

greatly
 Places of employment vary from small
businesses to large corporations

14
 Analyst’s Role in Strategic Planning

 Special projects that might affect executives

 Members of the strategic plan development
process

1 Input to the information systems strategic


planning effort
 Application architecture plan
 Technology architecture plan
 Enterprise resource planning (ERP)
implementation

15
 Strategic Systems Plan for Rocky
Mountain Outfitters

 Overview
 In 1978, began supplying winter sports

1
clothes in Park City, Utah
 Expansion into direct mail-order sales
 By late 1990s, RMO had become a large,
regional sports clothing distributor
 Today, over $100 million in annual sales
 Mail-order is key revenue at $70 million

16
 RMO Organizational Structure
Figure 1-6

17
 RMO Locations
Figure 1-7

18
 RMO Information Systems Department

 Headed by Mac Preston, an assistant vice

president

1
 50 employees in department
 Mac is in process of implementing strategic
IS plan
 Eventually, John Blankens will assume
leadership of IS Department if Mac’s plan
succeeds

19
 IS Department Staffing
Figure 1-8

20
 RMO Technology Overview

 Most IS staff and technology located in

data center at Park City

1
 Mainframe-based system supports primary
business functions
 Central office functions, distribution centers,
and manufacturing centers supported with
LANs
 Dial-up capability to mainframe

21
 Existing Systems at RMO

 Retail store systems

 Point-of-sale and batch inventory update

1  Office systems
 LAN with office software and e-mail
 Merchandising/Distribution
 Mainframe application with COBOL/CICS, IBM
DB2 and VSAM developed in-house

22
 Existing Systems at RMO

 Mail order
 COBOL application developed in-house

Phone order

1


 Access system developed in-house

 Human resources
 Mainframe-based application developed in-
house

23
 Existing Systems at RMO

 Accounting/Finance
 Mainframe package from leading vendor

1
implemented 10 years earlier

24
 IS Strategic Plan at RMO

 Strategic thrust
 Build more direct customer contact

1
 Improve service
 Expand beyond Western states
 Expand phone-order capability
 Add direct customer access via the Internet

25
 RMO Application Architecture Plan
Figure 1-9

26
 RMO Technology Architecture Plan

 Move business applications to client-

server architecture; use mainframe for
database

1  Move toward conducting business on the

Internet
 Anticipate eventual move toward intranet
solutions

27
 RMO Application Architecture Plan

 Accounting/Finance
 Purchase client-server package
 Human resources

1 
 Purchase intranet package to maximize employee
access to appropriate information
Customer support system
 Order-processing and fulfillment for phone, mail,
and direct customer access

28
 RMO Application Architecture Plan

 Inventory management system

 Integrate with customer support

1  Retail store systems

 Integrate store management systems with
inventory systems

29
 Application Architecture Time Frame

 First: Customer support system

 Second: Inventory management system

1  Third: Retail store systems with inventory

management
 Fourth: Human resources and
accounting/finance

30
 Major Subsystems

 Customer support system

 Order entry

1
 Customer service/catalog
 Order tracking
 Shipping
 Back orders
 Returns
 Sales analysis

31
 Major Subsystems

 Inventory management system

 Vendor management
 Manufacturing requirements planning
 Normal volume ordering and reordering
 Emergency out-of-stock ordering

1
 Cost tracking
 Aging of inventory stock
 Turnover analysis
 Warehouse goods tracking

32
 The Analyst as a System Developer

 Part 1: The modern systems analyst

 Part 2: Systems analysis tasks

1 


Part 3: System design tasks

Part 4: System implementation and support

33