SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN METHODS 6th Edition Whitten Bentley Dittman

C H A P T E R

5 SYSTEMS ANALYSIS

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Chapter Five Systems Analysis

Define systems analysis and relate the term to the scope definition,
problem analysis, requirements analysis, logical design, and decision
analysis phases of this books systems development methodology.
Describe a number of systems analysis approaches for solving business
system problems.
Describe the scope definition, problem analysis, requirements analysis,
logical design, and decision analysis phases in terms of your information
system building blocks.
Describe the scope definition, problem analysis, requirements analysis,
logical design, and decision analysis phases in terms of purpose,
participants, inputs, outputs, techniques, and steps.
Identify those chapters and modules in this textbook that can help you
learn specific systems analysis tools and techniques.

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Chapter Map

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Systems Analysis vs. Systems Design

Systems analysis a problem-solving technique that
decomposes a system into its component pieces for the purpose
of studying how well those component parts work and interact
to accomplish their purpose.

Systems design a complementary problem-solving technique

(to systems analysis) that reassembles a systems component
pieces back into a complete systemhopefully, an improved
system. This may involves adding, deleting, and changing
pieces relative to the original system.

Information systems analysis those development phases in

an information systems development project the primarily
focus on the business problem and requirements, independent
of any technology that can or will be used to implement a
solution to that problem.
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Context of Systems Analysis

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Repository

Repository a location (or set of locations)

where systems analysts, systems designers,
and system builders keep all of the
documentation associated with one or more
systems or projects.

A network directory of computer-generated files that contain

project correspondence, reports, and data
A CASE tool dictionary or encyclopedia (Chapter 3)
Printed documentation (binders and system libraries)
An intranet website interface to the above components

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Model-Driven Analysis Methods

Model-driven analysis a problem-solving approach

that emphasizes the drawing of pictorial system
models to document and validate both existing and/or
proposed systems. Ultimately, the system model
becomes the blueprint for designing and constructing
an improved system.

Model a representation of either reality or vision.

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, most
models use pictures to represent the reality or vision.

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Model-Driven Methods
Structured analysis a model-driven, process-centered technique used to
either analyze an existing system, define business requirements for a new
system, or both. The models are pictures that illustrate the systems
component pieces: processes and their associated inputs, outputs, and files.

Information engineering (IE) a model-driven and data-centered, but

process-sensitive technique for planning, analyzing, and designing
information systems. IE models are pictures that illustrate and synchronize
the systems data and processes.

Object-oriented analysis (OOA) a model-driven technique that

integrates data and process concerns into constructs called objects. OOA
models are pictures that illustrate the systems objects from various
perspectives such as structure and behavior, and interactions of the objects.

Object the encapsulation of the data (called properties) that describes a

discrete person, object, place, event, or thing, with all the processes (called
methods) that are allowed to use or update the data and properties. The only
way to access or update the objects data is to use the objects predefined
processes.

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A Simple Process Model

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A Simple Data Model

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A Simple Object Model

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Accelerated Systems Analysis

Accelerated systems analysis approaches

emphasize the construction of prototypes to
more rapidly identify business and user
requirements for a new system.

prototype a small-scale, incomplete, but

working sample of a desired system.

Accelerated systems analysis approaches

Discovery Prototyping
Rapid Architected Analysis

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Discovery Prototyping

Discovery prototyping a technique used to identify

the users business requirements by having them react
to a quick-and-dirty implementation of those
requirements.

Advantages
Prototypes cater to the Ill know what I want when I see it way of
thinking that is characteristic of many users and managers.
Disadvantages
Can become preoccupied with final look and feel prematurely
Can encourage a premature focus on, and commitment to, design
Users can be misled to believe that the completed system can be
built rapidly using prototyping tools

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Rapid Architected Analysis

Rapid architected analysis an approach that

attempts to derive system models (as described earlier
in this section) from existing systems or discovery
prototypes.

Reverse engineering the use of technology that reads the

program code for an existing database, application program,
and/or user interface and automatically generates the
equivalent system model.

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Requirements Discovery Methods

Requirements discovery the process, used by systems analysts
of identifying or extracting system problems and solution
requirements from the user community. Approaches include:
Fact-finding the process of collecting information about system
problems, opportunities, solution requirements, and priorities.
Sampling of existing documentation, reports, forms, databases, etc
Research of relevant literature
Observation of the current system
Questionnaires and surveys
Interviews
Joint requirements planning (JRP) the use of facilitated
workshops to bring together all of the system owners, users, and
analysts, and some systems designer and builders to jointly perform
systems analysis.
JRP is generally considered a part of a larger method called joint
application development (JAD), a more comprehensive application of
the JRP techniques to the entire systems development process.

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Business Process Redesign

Business process redesign (BPR) the

application of systems analysis methods to the
goal of dramatically changing and improving
the fundamental business processes of an
organization, independent of information
technology.

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Systems Analysis Methods and Agile Methods

Agile method the integration of various approaches

of systems analysis and design for applications as
deemed appropriate to the problem being solved and the
system being developed.

Most commercial methodologies do not impose a single

approach (structured analysis, IE, OOA) on systems
analysts.
Instead, they integrate all popular approaches into a
collection of agile methods.
System developers are given the flexibility to select
from a variety of tools and techniques to best
accomplish the tasks at hand,
The hypothetical FAST methodology operates this way.

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FAST Systems Analysis Phases

Scope Definition Phase

Is the project worth looking at?

Problem Analysis Phase

Is a new system worth building?

Requirements Analysis Phase

What do the users need and want from the new system?

Logical Design Phase

What must the new system do?

Decision Analysis Phase

What is the best solution?

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Context of Scope Definition Phase Context

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Tasks for the Scope Definition Phase of Systems Analysis

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Sample Request for System Services

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Sample Problem Statements

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Scope Definition Phase

Steering body a committee of executive business and system

managers that studies and prioritizes competing project
proposals to determine which projects will return the most value
to the organization and thus should be approved for continues
systems development.
Also called a steering committee.

Project charter the final deliverable for the preliminary

investigation phase. A project charter defines the project scope,
plan, methodology, standards, and so on.
Preliminary master plan includes preliminary schedule and
resource assignments (also called a baseline plan).
Detailed plan and schedule for completing the next phase of the
project.

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Context of Problem Analysis Phase of Systems Analysis

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Tasks for Problem Analysis Phase of Systems Analysis

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Cause-and-Effect Analysis

Cause-and-effect analysis a technique in

which problems are studied to determine their
causes and effects.
In practice, effects can be symptomatic of more
deeply rooted or basic problems which, in turn,
must be analyzed for causes and effects until
such a time as the causes and effects do not yield
symptoms of other problems.

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System Improvement Objectives

Objective a measure of success. It is something that you

expect to achieve, if given sufficient resources.
Reduce the number of uncollectible customer accounts by 50
percent within the next year.
Increase by 25 percent the number of loan applications that
can be processed during an eight-hour shift.
Decrease by 50 percent the time required to reschedule a
production lot when a workstation malfunctions.

Constraint something that will limit your flexibility in

defining a solution to your objectives. Essentially, constraints
cannot be changed.
The new system must be operational by April 15.
The new system cannot cost more than $350,000.
The new system must be web-enabled.
The new system must bill customers every 15 days.
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Sample Cause-and-Effect Analysis

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Outline for System Improvement Report

Insert Figure 5-13

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Context of Requirements Analysis Phase

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Tasks for Requirements Analysis Phase

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Functional vs. Nonfunctional Requirements

Functional requirement a description of

activities and services a system must provide.
inputs, outputs, processes, stored data

Nonfunctional requirement a description of

other features, characteristics, and constraints
that define a satisfactory system.
Performance, ease of learning and use, budgets,
deadlines, documentation, security, internal auditing
controls

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Expressing System Requirements

Draft Functional and Nonfunctional Requirements

Could use simple list of system improvement
objectives
Increasingly systems analysts express functional
requirements using Use Cases

Use case a business scenario or event for which the

system must provide a defined response. Use cases
evolved out of object-oriented analysis; however, their
use has become common in many other
methodologies for systems analysis and design.

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Prioritize System Requirements

Prioritization of requirements can be facilitated using
timeboxing.
Timeboxing a technique that delivers information systems
functionality and requirements through versioning.
1. The development team selects the smallest subset of the system
that, if fully implemented, will return immediate value to the
systems owners and users.
2. That subset is developed, ideally with a time frame of six to nine
months or less.
3. Subsequently, value-added versions of the system are developed
in similar time frames.

A mandatory requirement is one that must be fulfilled by the

minimal system, version 1.0
A desirable requirement is one that is not absolutely essential to
version 1.0. It may be essential to the vision of a future version.

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Context of Logical Design Phase of Systems Analysis

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Tasks for Logical Design Phase of Systems Analysis

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Context of Decision Analysis Phase of Systems Analysis

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Tasks for Decision Analysis Phase of Systems Analysis

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Feasibility

Technical feasibility Is the solution technically

practical? Does our staff have the technical expertise
to design and build this solution?

Operational feasibility Will the solution fulfill the

users requirements? To what degree? How will the
solution change the users work environment? How do
users feel about such a solution?

Economic feasibility Is the solution cost-effective?

Schedule feasibility Can the solution be designed

and implemented within an acceptable time period?
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Candidate Systems Matrix

(Continued)
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Candidate Systems Matrix (concluded)

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Feasibility Matrix

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Outline for a Typical System Proposal

Outline for a Typical System Proposal

I. Introduction
A. Purpose of the report
B. Background of the project leading to this report
C. Scope of the report
D. Structure of the report
II. Tools and techniques used
A. Solution generated
B. Feasibility analysis (cost-benefit)
III. Information systems requirements
IV. Alternative solutions and feasibility analysis
V. Recommendations
VI. Appendices
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