SYS 2001 Midterm

What are the main phases of the system analysis method?

1. Determine goals of system
2. Establishing criteria for ranking alternatives
3. Develop alternate solutions
4. Rank solutions
5. Iterate
6. Action

Policy Component

effectiveness must be evaluated by its accord with general social, governmental, or other high-order judgments, rather than by simple economic efficiency

High Order

A large number of discernible subsystems or parts. May be interconnected in complex ways

What approach to problem solving do system analysts typically take?

A goal-centered approach

Weaknesses of bottom-up plnning

Locks-in current technology and operational structure, produces ever-decreasing incremental improvements, tends to focus on short-term problems

In which ways does iteration promote efficiency?

It is a powerful aid in getting the study started, it minimizes fear of making initial errors, it minimizes wasted effort on unnecessary subtasks and extraneous dead-ends

When should a systems analyst stop iterating?

When the additional cost of one more iteration exceeds the probable benefit of the additional clarification

Steps of the goal development process

Generalize the question, develop a descriptive scenario, develop a normative scenario, develop the axiological component, prepare an objectives tree, validate, iterate

What are characteristics of a descriptive scenario?

Describes the situation system as is, used to help broaden the analyst's understanding of the generalized component, points out current good and bad features of the system

Characteristics of an objectives tree

Reading down any branch of an objectives tree, each goal statement must answer ‘how’ for it’s immediate superior goal, Reading up any branch, each higher statement answers ‘why’ the goal below it is needed, Each goal statement should provide a more detailed goal than the statement above it in the hierarchy, should NOT give solutions

Benefits with generalizing the question

allows analysts to include considerations such as impacts on non-users and the environment, It helps to address the issue of a client often not understanding their own problem, allows the analyst team to consider a greater portion of actors involved within a system

How do you assess a client's values?

Infer based on other interactions and questions

What are the criteria of an index of performance?

Measurable, subjective, nonrelativistic, meaningful, understandable

Difference between simple and compound interest

Simple interest is a fixed percentage of the principal amount that was borrowed or lent; compound interest accrues and is added to the accumulated interest of previous periods

Brainstorming

no criticism, build on each other's ideas

Brainwriting

Improvement over brainstorming, absolute silence, built off of trigger questions2

Axiological component

Client's values are (figure out from behavior)

Operations Research

application of scientific method

Cash flow column in a cash flow chart:

negative principal paid minus interest paid

In a cash flow chart, to find interest:

multiply by interest rate from the top diagonal of outstanding cost

Rule of 72

i*n = 72%
Easy way to figure out how long it will take money to double

Sources to use to construct DS, NS

Directly from clients/system, indirectly from clients/system, internal research, external research, from your team