System analysis& Design

BAIS 4051

L/O/G/O
 Chapter I- The system
development environment

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Introduction SAD
• Information systems analysis and design
– a complex, challenging, and stimulating
organizational process that a team of business
and systems professionals uses to develop and
maintain computer-based information
systems.
– an organizational improvement process.

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• Systems analysis and design is a proven
methodology that helps both large and small
business reap the rewards of utilizing
information to its full capacity.

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• The systems development life cycle (SDLC) is
central to the development of and efficient
information system.

• We will highlight four key SDLC steps:

• Planning and selection
• Project identification and selection
• Initiating and planning
• Analysis
• Requirement determination
• Requirement structuring
• Design
• Implementation and operation.
• Note: be aware that these steps may vary in each
organization depending on its goals.

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 System Analysis and Design

• The major goal of ISAD is to improve

organizational systems. (manual or automated)
– Often this involves developing or acquiring
application software and training employees to use
it.

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• Application software is designed to support a
specific organizational function or process,
such as inventory management, registrar
software

• The goal of application software is to turn

data into information.
• In addition to application software, the
information system includes:
• The hardware and systems software

• Documentation and training materials, The specific job roles

associated with the overall system,

• Controls, which are parts of the software written to help

prevent fraud and theft.

• The people who use the software in order to do their job

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System and its Components
• A system is an interrelated set of
components with an identifiable
boundary, working together for
some purpose.

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• A system has nine characteristic.
 Components
 Interrelated components
 A boundary
 A purpose
 An environment
 Interface
 Input
 Output
 Constraints
• A system is made up of components
– A component is either an irreducible part or an
aggregate of parts, also called a subsystem.

• The simple concept of a component is very

powerful.
– Just as with an automobile, we can repair or upgrade the system by
changing individual components without having to make changes
throughout the entire system.
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• The components are interrelated; that is, the function of
one is somehow tied to the functions of the others.
• A system has a boundary, which in which all of its
components are contained and which establishes the
limits of a system, separating the system from other
systems.
• Components with in the boundary can be changed
whereas things outside the boundary cannot be
changed.

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• All of the components work together to achieve
some overall purpose for the larger system: the
system's reason for existing.
• A system exist with in an environment-
everything outside the system’s boundary.

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• Usually the system interacts with its environment,
exchanging, in the case of an information system, data
and information.
• The points at which the system meets its environment
are called interfaces, and there are also interfaces
between subsystems.
• Because an interface exists at the point where system
interact its environment, the interface has several
special, important function.
– An interface provides:

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• Security, protecting the system from undesirable
elements that may want to infiltrate it.
• Filtering unwanted data, both for elements leaving the
system and entering it
• Encoding and decoding incoming and outgoing
messages
• Detecting and correcting errors in its interaction
with the environment
• Buffering, providing a layer of slack between the
system and its environment, so that the system and
its environment can work at different speeds.
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• Because interface functions are critical in
communication between system components or a system
and its environment, interfaces receive much attention in
the design of information system.
• You will spend a considerable portion of time in systems
development dealing with interfaces:
• especially interfaces between an automated system and its
users and interfaces between different information systems.
• It is the design of good interfaces that permits different
systems to work together without being too dependent on
each other.

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• A system must face constraints in its functioning
because there are limits on:
• what it can do and how it can achieve its purpose within its
environment.

• Some of these constraints are imposed inside the

system (a limited number of staff available) and others
are imposed by the environment (due dates or
regulation)
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 System Concepts

• Once we have recognized something as a

system and identified the system’s
characteristics, how do we understand the
system?
• Further, what principles or concepts about
systems guide the design of information
systems?

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• A key aspect of a system for building systems
is the system’s relationship with its
environment.
• Some systems, called open systems, interact freely
with their environments, taking in input and
returning output.
• As the environment changes, an open system must
adapt to the changes or suffer the consequences.
• A closed system does not interact with the
environment; changes in the environment and
adaptability are not issues for a closed system.
• However, all business information system are open, and in
order to understand a system and its relationships to other
information systems, to the organization, and to the larger
environment, you must always think of information systems
as open and constantly interacting with the environment.

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 Decomposition, Modularity,
Coupling and Cohesion
• There are several other important systems
concepts with which systems analysts
need to become familiar:
• Decomposition
• Modularity
• Coupling
• Cohesion
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• In addition you need to understand the
difference between viewing a system at
a logical and at a physical level:
• each with associated description
concentrating on different aspects of a
system.
• Decomposition deals with being able to break
down a system into its components.
• These components may themselves be systems
(subsystem) and can be broken down into their
components as well.
• Decomposing a system allows us to focus on
one particular part of a system,
• This makes it easier to think of how to modify that
one part independently of the entire system.
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• Modularity
• a direct result of decomposition, refers to dividing a system up
into chunks or modules of a relatively uniform size.
• Modules can represent a system simply, making it not only
easier to understand but also easier to redesign and rebuild.
• Coupling
• the extent to which subsystems are dependent on each other.
• Subsystems should be as independent as possible.
• If one subsystem fails and other subsystem are highly
dependent on it, then others will either fail themselves or have
problems of functioning.
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• cohesion
• the extent to which a subsystem performs a single function.
• A logical system description portrays the purpose and
function of the system without tying the description to
any specific physical implementation.
• The physical system description, on the other hand, is a
material depiction of the system, a central concern of
which is building the system.

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 Benefiting from Systems
Thinking
• The first step in systems thinking is to be able to
identify something as a system.
• This identification also involves recognizing each of the
system’s characteristics:
• for example identifying where the boundary lies and all of the
relevant inputs.
• Visualizing a set of things and their interrelations ship
as a system allows you to translate a specific physical
situation into more general, abstract terms.
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• From this abstraction, you can think about the
essential characteristics of a specific
situation.
– This in turn allow you to gain insights you might
never get from focusing too much on the
details of the specific situation.

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 Applying System Thinking
to Information System
• IS
– can be seen as subsystem in larger organizational systems,
taking input from, and returning output to, their
organizational environments.
• Let’s examine one fast-food restaurant information
system as a special kind of system.
• The information system take customer orders, send the
orders to the kitchen, monitor goods sold and inventory, and
generate report for management.

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 Customer order Kitchen order
customer Kitchen
Receipt
1.0

Process
customer
2.0 Food order 3.0
Update Update
Goods Goods Inventory Inventory
Formatted Sold file file Formatted
sold Data
goods sold inventory
data data
4.0
Goods sold file Daily goods Produce Daily inventory Inventory file
sold Amount management Depletion Amount
report

Management report Restaurant

Management 30
• The fast-food customer order system contains four
components or subsystems:
– Processing Customer Food Order
– Updating Goods Sold File,
– Updating Inventory File, and
– Producing Management Reports.
• The arrows in the diagram show how these subsystems
are interrelated.
• The first process produces four outputs:
– a Kitchen Order, a Receipt, Goods Sold data, and Inventory
Data. The latter two outputs serves as input for other
subsystems.

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• The dotted line illustrates the boundary of the system.
– Notice that the Customer, the Kitchen, and the
Restaurant Manager are all considered to be outside
the customer order system.
• The specific purpose of the system is to facilitate:
– customer orders,
– monitor inventory, and generate reports;
• The system’s general purpose is to improve the
efficiency of the restaurant’s operations.

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• The illustrated information system is smaller in
scope and purposes.
• We have limited the environment to those three
entities that interact with the system.
• Two constraints on the system is apparently
show in the diagram.

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 1. There is no direct data exchange between the
customer order system and information systems
used by the restaurant’s suppliers;
2. Inability to provide on-line, real-time information
on inventory levels, limit the manager to receive
nightly batched reports
• The first level of analysis and description of the
customer order system is a logical analysis and
description.

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• The logical description focuses on the flow and
transformation of data.
• For the logical information system description, it is
irrelevant whether the customer’s order shows up in
the kitchen as a pieces of paper or as lines of text on a
monitor screen.
• What is important is the information sent to the
kitchen.

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• Therefore, the physical system is the one possible
implementation of the more abstract, logical
information system description.
• The way we draw information systems shows how we
think of them as a systems.
• (DFD)Data flow diagram clearly illustrate inputs,
outputs, system boundaries, the environment,
subsystem, and interrelationships.
• Purpose and constraints are much more difficult to
illustrate and must therefore be documented using other
notations.
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 Fundamentals of Information
Systems
• An information system (IS)
• set of interrelated elements or components that collect
(input), manipulate (process), and disseminate (output) data
and information and provide a feedback mechanism to meet
an objective.
• In information systems
• Input is the activity of gathering and capturing raw data
• processing involves converting or transforming data into
useful outputs.

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• Output involves producing useful
information, usually in the form of
documents and reports.
• In information systems, feedback is output
that is used to make changes to input or
processing activities.

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Types of Information System Overviews

• These classes are distinguished from each other on the

basis of:
• what the system does or by the technology used to
construct the system.

• You are responsible to determine which kind of

system will best address the organizational problem or
opportunity on which you are focusing.

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 Classification of Systems

• System can be classified based on the

following categories
• Natural Vs Manmade or Artificial systems
• Open Vs Closed Systems
• Simple Vs Complex Systems
• Stable Vs Dynamic Systems
• Permanent Vs Temporary Systems
• Deterministic vs. Probabilistic Systems
 Types of Information System
Overviews
• As a systems analyst working as part of a team, you
will work with at least 4 classes of information
systems:
• Transaction processing systems
• Management Information Systems
• Decision support systems (for individuals, groups,
and executives)
• Expert systems

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• A transaction processing system (TPS)
• automates the handling of data about business activities or
transactions.
• Data about each transaction are captured, transaction are
verified and accepted or rejected, and validated transactions
are stored.
• Reports may be produced immediately to provide
summaries of transactions.
• The analysis and design of a TPS requires you to focus on
the firm’s current procedures for processing transactions.
• How does the organization track, capture, process, and
output data?

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• A Management information system (MIS)
• A computer based system that takes the raw data available
through a TPS and converts them into a meaningful report
/aggregated report form.
• Example: The MIS system can therefore direct the
manufacturing department on what to produce and when.
• Developing an MIS calls for a good understanding:
• what kind of information managers require
• Management information systems often require data from
several TPS

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• A decision support system (DSS)
• designed to help decision makers with decisions by
combining data, sophisticated analytical models and
user-friendly user interface.
• A DSS provides an interactive environment in
which decision makers can quickly manipulate
data and models of business operations. (What
if?)
• A DSS has three parts.
• A database
• Mathematical or graphical models of business
processes.
• A user interface (or dialogue module)
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 DSS software supports certain decision-making
activities (from problem finding to choosing a
course of action).

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 An expert system
 a computer based system that contains knowledge of
experts in a particular domain.
 If-then-else rules or other knowledge representation
forms describe the way an expert would approach
situations in specific domain of problems.
 The focus on developing an ES is acquiring the
knowledge of the expert in the particular problem
domain.
 Knowledge engineers perform knowledge acquisition
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 System and System Analyst- A
key resource
• A systems analyst(s)
• facilitates the development of information systems and computer
applications.
• The systems analyst performs systems analysis and design.
• Systems analysis
• the study of a business problem domain for the purpose of
recommending improvements and specifying the business
requirements for the solution.
• Systems design
• the specification or construction of a technical, computer-based
solution for the business requirements identified in a systems
analysis.
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• Organization change themselves to combat
their environment.
• Whenever organizations change themselves
they will also change their business process,
hence their information system as well.
• Changing the information system require a
system analyst.

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 Who is a systems analyst?
• Systems analysts
• are people who understand both business and computing.
• study business problems and opportunities and then
• transform business and information requirements of the
business into the computer-based information systems.
• A system analyst also bridges the communications gap
between those who need the computer system and those
who understand the technology.

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• The role of systems analyst is splitting into two
distinct positions or roles, business analyst and
application analyst.
• A business analyst (more of analyst)
• a systems analyst that specializes in business problem analysis and
technology-independent requirements analysis.
• An application analyst (more of designer )
• a systems analyst that specializes in application design and
technology-dependent aspects of development.

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 Skills of a System Analyst
• Problem-solving skills
• Take a large business problem, break down that problem
into its component parts, analyze the various aspects of the
problem, and then assemble an improved system to solve
the problem.
• Interpersonal communications skills
• analyst must be able to communicate effectively, both orally
and in writing.
• Interpersonal relations skills
• systems analysts must be extroverted or people-oriented.

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• Systems analysis and design skills
• Systems analysis and design skills can be
conveniently factored into three subsets:
• Concepts and principles
• Tools
• Techniques

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Personal Qualities and Knowledge
required
• Working knowledge of Information Technology
• The analyst must be aware of both existing and emerging information
technologies and techniques so that he can show end-user and
management how new technologies can benefit their business and its
operations.
• Computer Programming and Experience
• They must know how to program because they are the principal link
between business users and computer programmers.
• General Business Knowledge
• Systems analysts should be able to communicate with business experts
to gain knowledge of problems and needs.
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• Project management
• Effectively managing projects is crucial to a systems analyst’s job.
• Flexibility and adaptability
• There is no single, magical approach or solution applicable to systems
development.
• Character and ethics
• The nature of the systems analyst's job requires a strong character and
sense of ethics.
• Systems analysts gains assess to sensitive and private data and
information about customers, suppliers, employees, and the like
• The analyst must be very careful not to share such feelings or
information with the wrong people.

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