Software Engineering - Lecture 3

project initiation

problems in the organization
opportunities for improvement

problem statement

Paragraph or two stating the problem or opportunity

Issues

Independent pieces pertaining to the problem or opportunity

Objectives

Goals that match the issues point-by-point

Requirements

The things that must be accomplished along with the possible solutions, and constraints, that limit the development of the system

problem definition

Use the _________ to create a preliminary test plan.

Determining Feasibility

Defining objectives
Determining resources

Operationally
Technically
Economically

Determining resources

Technical Feasibility

Can current technical resources be upgraded or added to in a manner that fulfills the request under consideration?

Economic Feasibility

determines whether value of the investment exceeds the time and cost.

Operational feasibility

determines if the human resources are available to operate the system once it has been installed.

Estimating Workloads

Systems analysts formulate numbers that represent both current and projected workloads for the system so that any hardware obtained will possess the capability to handle current and future workloads.

Software Alternatives

Created custom software
Purchased as COTS (commercial off-the-shelf) software
Provided by an application service provider (ASP)

conditional

There is an association among variables in the model.

unconditional

Do not need to find or identify any relationships.

Estimation of Trends

Graphical judgement
Moving averages

Tangible Benefits

Advantages measurable in dollars that accrue to the organization through the use of the information system

Intangible Benefits

are benefits from use of the information system that are difficult to measure.

Tangible Costs

Those that can be accurately projected by systems analysts and the business’ accounting personnel

Intangible Costs

Those that are difficult to estimate and may not be known

Break-Even Analysis

The point at which the total cost of the current system and the proposed system intersect

Cash-Flow Analysis

Examines the direction, size, and pattern of cash flow that is associated with the proposed information system

Present Value Analysis

Way to assess all the economic outlays and revenues of the information system over its economic life, and to compare costs today with future costs and today’s benefits with future benefits

Gantt Charts

Simple
Lends itself to end user communication
Drawn to scale

PERT diagrams

Useful when activities can be done in parallel

Project Charter

Describes in a written document what the expected results of the systems project are and the time frame for delivery