ISTM 320 FULL REVIEW

Systems Analysts

• Help develop IT systems that meet business needs by acting as translators between technical teams and business users

• Interacts with users, managers, and project teams, using models, diagrams, decision tables, and other descriptive tools and techniques to describe processes clearly

• Must explain complex technical issues in a way that non-technical people can understand, using strong presentation and communication skills

• To be successful, they need technical knowledge, strong oral and written communication, understanding of business operations, and critical thinking

Phase 1: Systems Planning

• The project proposal is evaluated to determine its feasibility, and the project management plan is formulated with the help of CASE tools where appropriate

• Begins with a system request that describes problems or desired changes in an information system or a business process.

• Preliminary investigation report (feasibility study): An initial analysis to identify the nature and scope of the business opportunity or problem.

Phase 2: System Analysis

• This phase aims to build a logical model of a new system

• System requirements document: A document that contains the requirements for a new system, describes the alternatives that were considered, and makes a specific recommendation to management. It is the end product of the systems analysis phase.

  It involves gathering detailed information about the current system, understanding user needs, and identifying any gaps that the new system should address.

Phase 3: Systems Design

Aim at creating a blueprint for a new system that satisfies all documented requirements.

Phase 4: Systems Implementation

• Functioning system

• The new system is constructed, programs are written, tested, documented, and the system is installed.

Phase 5: Systems Operation/Management

The IT staff maintains, enhances, and secures, the operational system

Waterfall Model

• The traditional model of software development.

• A graph depicting the result of each SDLC phase flowing down into the next phase.

Agile Model

• System development methods that attempt to develop a system incrementally by building a series of prototypes and constantly adjusting them to user requirements.

• Typically use a spiral method (series of iterations or revisions based on user feedback)

Horizontal Systems

A basic system, such as an inventory or payroll package, commonly used by a variety of companies

Vertical Systems

A system designed to meet the unique requirements of a specific business or industry, such as a web-based retailer or auto supply store.

Legacy Systems

An older system is typically less technologically advanced than currently available systems.

Strategic Planning

The process of identifying long-term organizational goals, strategies, and resources

Mission Statement

• Reflects a firm’s vision, purpose, and values

• Usually focus on long-term challenges and goals, the importance of the firm’s stakeholders, and a commitment to the firm’s role as a corporate citizen

• Helps a firm devlop short-term goals and objectibes

SWOT Analysis

aim to avoid seeking unrealistic, unprofitable, or unachievable goal

Strengths

How can we use them to achieve our business goals?

Weakness

How can we reduce or eliminate them?

Opportunities

How do we plan to take advantage of them?

Threat

How can we assess, manage, and respond to the possible risks?

Operational Feasibility

• A system that will be used effectively after it has been developed

  • Will it be easy to learn and use?

Technical Feasibility

• When an organization has the resources to develop, purchase, install, or operate a system

  • Do we have the tech resources?

Economic Feasbility

• Achieved if the projected benefits of the proposed system outweigh the estimated costs involved in acquiring, installing, and operating it

  • Will benefits exceed costs?

Total cost of Ownership (TCO)

A number used in assessing costs, including ongoing support, maintenance, and acquisition costs

Schedule Feasibility

• A project can be implemented in an acceptable time frame

  • Can we do it in time?

Fact-Finding

The process of gathering or collecting information

Interviews

A planned meeting during which information is obtained from another person

Steps of an Interview Process

• Determine people

• Establish objectives

• Develop questions

• Prepare for

• Conduct the

• Document the

• Evaluate the

“Dog Eats Dick. PAUSE! Can Dog Eat?

Document Review

• A review of baseline documentation

• A useful fact-finding technique that helps an analyst understand how the current system is supposed to work

Observation

• A fact-finding technique in which an analyst sees a system in action.

• Observation allows the verification of systems made in interviews.

Questionnaires (survey)

A document containing several standard questions that can be sent to many individuals

Sampling

A process in which an analyst collects examples of actual documents, including records, reports, or various forms

Research

An important fact-finding technique that includes reviewing journals and books to obtain background information about industry trends and developments.

PESTEL

• Political

• Environmental

• Social

• Technological

• Economic

• Legal

“Penis eats Sofia to express love”

External Factors

• Technology

• Suppliers

• Customers

• Competitors

• Economy

• Government

“Chunky chinchilla talks good shit everyday”

Internet of Thing (IoT)

Interconnectivity of electronic devices

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)

Improves supplier relationships

Just-in-Time (JIT) Inventory

Minimizes excess stock

Blockchain

Enhances transparency and trust in supply chains

Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

Integrate sales, marketing, and service

RFID in logistics

Improves order accuracy

Internal

Leadership changes; new CEO

Strategic Plan

• Guides overall company direction

• Generates IT project requests based on company goals

• Technology-focused strategies promote IT project development

Top Managers

• Initiate large-scale projects requiring significant resources

• Decisions align with strategic business goals

• Drive IT system improvements for decision-making and critical operations

User Requests

• Increased reliance on IT systems leads to higher demand for enhancements

• Requests for website improvements, sales reports, and customers service tools

• Need for system flexibility and ease of use

Information Technology Department

• Proposes system upgrades based on technology trends

• Technical recommendations

• Business-oriented proposals

Existing Systems and Data

• Errors or inefficiencies trigger project requests

• Legacy systems may require upgrades or replacements

• Data migration planning is crucial for system transitions

Company Finances

• Financial stability determines project feasibility

• Budget constraints may delay initiatives

• Strong financial performance enables project investments

Submission - Through the platform

• Form must be easy to understand and include clear instructions

• It should have enough space for all required information and indicate what supporting documents are needed

• Most companies use online systems to request forms to submit electronically because the form can be processed automatically

Evaluation - Systems Review Committee

• A group of key managers and users responsible for evaluating systems requests

• They combine judgements with a variety of experiences and knowledge to evaluate systems requests

Discretionary Projects

Where management has a choice in implementing a project

Non-discretionary Projects

• Where management has no choice in implementing a project

• Many projects are predictable

3 main activities of Requirement Engineering

• Gathering requirements: understanding the problems

• Representing requirements: describing the problems

• Validating and verifying requirements: agreeing on the problem

3 challenges of Requirements

• Imprecision

• Agreement

• Creep

Imprecision

• Requirements usually use natural language.

• Natural language is expressive but is prone to misinterpretation.

• It is not uncommon for stakeholders to completely disagree about the meaning of simple requirement

Agreement

Getting everyone to agree on the exact meaning of the requirements statements

Creep

• Business changes cause project requirements to increase as the project progresses

• This can cause problems for systems analyst and other team members, especially for projects that follow a traditional waterfall model of the SDLC

Open-ended Questions

• Queries that provide a range of answers

• They encourage spontaneous and unstructured responses

• Useful for understand a larger process

Close-Ended Questions

• Queries that limit or restrict the range of responses

• Used in the interview process when specific information or fact verification is desired

Functional

• Big picture

• A statement of the services a system provides

Nonfunctional (quality attributes)

• Internal

• A statement of operational system constraints

3 types of Sampling

• Random

• Systematic

• Stratified

Random

A selection taken in an arbitrary, unplanned manner

Systematic

• Look at it in a systematic way, query, and find out about something specific

• A sample that occurs at a predetermined periodicity

Stratified

A sample in which a set metric is collected across functional areas

Functional Decomposition Diagram (FDD)

• Analysts can show business functions and break them down into lower-level functions and processes

• Start at the top and work downward

Data Flow Diagrams (DFD)

Decomposition diagram to show how the system stores, processes, and transforms data.

Use Case Interaction

• visual interaction with the user and the processes

• User becomes an actor with a specific role that describes how they interact with the system

• Helps understand a system’s function from a user’s perspective

• These can be hand-drawn or made from CASE tools

Joint-Application Development (JAD)

A systems development technique that uses a task force of users, managers, and IT professionals who work together to gather information, discuss business needs, and define the new system requirements

Phases of JADS

• Planning and Preparation

• Conducting JAD sessions

• Requirements documentation

• Review and Validation

• Iterative process

Rapid-Application Development (RAD)

A team-based technique that speeds up information systems development and produces a functioning information system

Phases of RAD

• Requirements Planning

• User Design

• Construction

• Cutover

Requirments Planning

Combines elements of the SDLC’s systems planning and systems analysis phase

User Design

user interacts with systems analysts and develops models and prototypes that represent all system processes, outputs and inputs

Construction

Focused on program and application development tasks similar to the SDLC

Cutover

Resembles the final tasks in the SDLC implementation phase, including data conversion, testing, changeover to the new system, and user training.

Agile methods

• Systems development methods that attempt to develop a system incrementally by building a series of prototypes and constantly adjusting them to user requirements

• Adaptive methods

Scrum

• A popular technique for agile project management

• Team members play specific roles and interact in intense sessions

Intangible benefits

• Positive outcomes that are difficult to measure in dollars

• Can be very important in the calculation of economic feasibilitylity

Tangible benefits

• Positive outcomes that can be measured in dollars

• They can result from a decrease in expenses and increase in revenue or both

Intangible costs

Items that are difficult to measure in dollar terms

Tangible Costs

Expenses that have a specific dollar value