SYSTEM ANALYSIS

Systems Analysis and Design

The process of analyzing business problems and designing information systems as solutions using structured methods and tools.

Systems Analyst

A professional who studies organizational problems, identifies improvement opportunities, and designs information systems to implement solutions.

Stakeholders

Individuals or groups who have an interest in or are affected by the system (e.g., users, managers, sponsors, IT staff).

As-Is System

The current system or existing way of doing things before improvements are made.

To-Be System

The proposed future system that includes improvements and solutions to existing problems.

System Intervention

A change or solution (technical or non-technical) introduced to improve system performance.

Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

A structured framework used to develop information systems through four phases: Planning, Analysis, Design, and Implementation.

Planning Phase

The SDLC phase where the need for a system is identified, business value is assessed, and the project approach is defined.

System Request

A formal document that summarizes a business need and explains how a proposed system will create business value.

Project Sponsor

The person or department that requests the system and provides support and resources for the project.

Feasibility Analysis

An evaluation of whether a proposed system should be developed based on risks and benefits.

Technical Feasibility

Assesses whether the organization has the technology and expertise to build the system.

Economic Feasibility

Determines whether the system provides financial value, often using cost–benefit analysis.

Organizational Feasibility

Evaluates whether the system will be accepted and used within the organization.

Project Management

The process of planning, staffing, controlling, and directing a project through the SDLC.

Analysis Phase

The SDLC phase that determines who will use the system, what it will do, and where and when it will be used.

Requirements Gathering

The process of collecting information about what the system must do from users and stakeholders.

System Proposal

The main deliverable of the analysis phase that documents requirements, models, feasibility, and a work plan.

Design Phase

The SDLC phase that defines how the system will operate in terms of hardware, software, interfaces, databases, and programs.

Design Strategy

A decision on whether the system will be built in-house, outsourced, or purchased as a software package.

Basic Architecture Design

Defines the hardware, software, and network infrastructure of the system.

Program Design

Specifies what programs need to be written and what each program will do.

Implementation Phase

The SDLC phase where the system is built, tested, installed, and supported.

System Construction

The process of building and testing the system.

Installation

The process of turning off the old system and turning on the new system.

Support Plan

A plan for maintaining and reviewing the system after implementation.

Return on Investment (ROI)

A financial measure that evaluates the profitability of a project.

Break-Even Point

The point at which total benefits equal total costs.

Project Portfolio Management (PPM)

A process for selecting, prioritizing, and monitoring projects based on strategic business goals.

Portfolio Balance

Maintaining a mix of projects based on size, purpose, and risk.

Project Management

The process of planning and controlling a project within a specific time frame, cost, and scope.

Triple Constraint

The three competing factors in project management: Scope, Time, and Cost.

Scope

Defines what the system will and will not do.

Methodology

A formal approach used to implement the SDLC.

Waterfall Development

A sequential SDLC methodology where each phase is completed before moving to the next.

V-Model

A Waterfall variant that emphasizes testing at every development stage.

Rapid Application Development (RAD)

A methodology focused on quick development and user feedback through iterations or prototypes.

Iterative Development

A RAD approach where the system is developed in versions.

System Prototyping

A RAD approach where a prototype evolves into the final system

Throwaway Prototyping

A RAD approach where prototypes are discarded after learning from them.

Agile Development

A flexible methodology using short development cycles (sprints) that deliver working software frequently.

Sprint

A short development cycle (usually 1–4 weeks) in Agile development.

Extreme Programming (XP)

An Agile method emphasizing small teams, simple design, and frequent testing.

Staffing Plan

A document that defines project roles, responsibilities, and reporting structure.

Project Manager

The person responsible for overall project progress and coordination.

Scope Creep

The uncontrolled addition of requirements after a project has started.

Timeboxing

Setting a fixed deadline and adjusting scope to meet it.

Risk Assessment

A document identifying potential project risks, their impact, likelihood, and mitigation strategies.

Analysis

The process of breaking a system into parts to understand its structure, function, and relationships.

Critical Thinking

The ability to evaluate strengths and weaknesses and reshape ideas into better solutions.

Requirements

Statements describing what the system must do or what qualities it must have.

Business Requirements

High-level organizational goals the system must support.

User Requirements

Tasks that users need to perform using the system.

Functional Requirements

Specific behaviors or functions the system must perform.

Nonfunctional Requirements

Quality attributes of the system such as security, performance, and usability.

Requirements Elicitation

The process of gathering requirements from stakeholders.

Interview

A common elicitation technique involving direct questioning of users or stakeholders.

Joint Application Development (JAD)

A structured workshop where users and analysts collaborate to define requirements.

Questionnaire

A survey used to gather information from many users efficiently.

Document Analysis

Reviewing existing documents to understand current processes and rules.

Observation

Watching users perform tasks to understand actual system usage.

Problem Analysis

Identifying problems and proposing incremental improvements.

Root Cause Analysis

Finding the underlying cause of problems rather than symptoms.

Duration Analysis

Examining how long each process step takes to identify inefficiencies.

Activity-Based Costing

Analyzing processes to identify the most expensive activities.

Informal Benchmarking

Comparing processes with similar organizations to identify best practices.

Technology Analysis

Exploring how new technologies can improve business processes.

Activity Elimination

Determining whether certain activities can be removed without harming performance.