Ch. 1 Notes (ISC 360)

(SDLC) Systems Development Life Cycle

the process used to develop an information system that supports business needs.

Planning Phase

Determines why an information system should be developed and how the project should be approached.

Analysis Phase

Determines what the business and users need the system to do.

Design Phase

Determines how the information system will operate.

Implementation Phase

The system is built, tested, installed, and put into use.

Systems Analyst

A person who analyzes business situations, identifies opportunities for improvement, and designs information systems to implement those improvements.

Primary Goal of a Systems Analyst

To create value for the organization.

Change Agent

A systems analyst who helps identify needed organizational changes, designs systems to support those changes, and helps people adopt them.

Technical Skills

Skills needed to understand technology and how a new system will fit with existing technology.

Business Skills

Skills needed to understand business processes and how information technology can create business value.

Analytical Skills

Problem-solving skills used to identify, analyze, and solve problems.

Interpersonal Skills

Skills needed to communicate and work effectively with users, managers, programmers, vendors, and others.

Management Skills

Skills used to manage projects, resources, risks, and organizational change.

Ethical Skills

Skills used to recognize and appropriately handle ethical issues involving information, systems, privacy, and data.

Business Value

The benefit an information system provides to an organization.

System Request

A document that contains basic information about a proposed information system.

Project Sponsor

The person who initiates and supports a project and serves as its primary organizational advocate.

Business Need

The business problem or reason that causes an organization to consider developing a system.

Business Requirements

The high-level capabilities that the proposed system must provide.

Special Issues or Constraints

Important circumstances or limitations that may affect a proposed project.

Feasibility Analysis

An evaluation used to determine whether a proposed system is viable and worth pursuing.

Technical Feasibility

Determines whether the organization has or can obtain the technology and expertise necessary to build the system. Think: "Can we build it?"

Economic Feasibility

Determines whether the expected benefits of the system justify its costs. Think: "Should we build it?"

Organizational Feasibility

Determines whether the system fits the organization and whether stakeholders will support and use it. Think: "Will they use it?"

Cost-Benefit Analysis

A comparison of a project's expected costs with its expected benefits.

ROI (Return on Investment)

A measure that compares the financial benefits of an investment with its costs.

Break-Even Point

The point at which the project's cumulative benefits equal its cumulative costs.

Payback Period

The amount of time required for a project's benefits to recover its costs.

Present Value

The current value of money that will be received or spent in the future.

NPV (Net Present Value)

The present value of a project's benefits minus the present value of its costs.

Tangible Value

A benefit that can be relatively easily measured in monetary terms.

Intangible Value

A valuable benefit that is difficult to measure precisely in monetary terms.

TCO (Total Cost of Ownership)

The complete cost of owning and operating a system, not just its initial cost.

Stakeholder

A person, group, or organization that can affect or is affected by a project or system.

Champion

A high-level executive who strongly supports and promotes a project within the organization.

Strategic Alignment

The degree to which a project supports the organization's business strategy and goals.

BPM (Business Process Management)

An approach focused on continuously evaluating and improving business processes.

BPA (Business Process Automation)

Using technology to automate or improve existing business processes without fundamentally changing them.

BPI (Business Process Improvement)

Making moderate changes to existing business processes to improve them.

BPR (Business Process Reengineering)

Fundamentally rethinking and radically redesigning business processes to achieve major improvements.

Resistance to Change

Opposition or reluctance from users or other stakeholders toward adopting a new system or organizational change.

Deliverable

A tangible result or work product produced during a project.

Six Major Systems Analyst Skills

Technical, Business, Analytical, Interpersonal, Management, and Ethical.

Five Elements of a System Request

Project Sponsor, Business Need, Business Requirements, Business Value, and Special Issues or Constraints.

Three Types of Feasibility

Technical, Economic, and Organizational.

Four Phases of the SDLC

Planning, Analysis, Design, and Implementation.