Information Systems

Essentials, Sixth Edition

Chapter 8

Systems Development

Principles and Learning Objectives

• Effective systems development requires a team

effort of stakeholders, users, managers, systems

development specialists, and various support

personnel, and it starts with careful planning

– Identify the key participants in the systems

development process and discuss their roles

– Define the term information systems planning and

discuss the importance of planning a project

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Principles and Learning Objectives

(continued)

• Systems development often uses different

approaches and tools such as traditional

development, prototyping, rapid application

development, end-user development,

computer-aided software engineering, and

object-oriented development to select, implement,

and monitor projects

– Discuss the key features, advantages, and

disadvantages of the traditional, prototyping, rapid

application development, and end-user systems

development life cycles

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Principles and Learning Objectives

(continued)

– Discuss the use of computer-aided software

engineering (CASE) tools and the object-oriented

approach to systems development

• Systems development starts with investigation and

analysis of existing systems

– State the purpose of systems investigation

– Discuss the importance of performance and cost

objectives

– State the purpose of systems analysis and discuss

some of the tools and techniques used in this phase

of systems development

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Principles and Learning Objectives

(continued)

• Designing new systems or modifying existing ones

should always be aimed at helping an organization

achieve its goals

– State the purpose of systems design and discuss the

differences between logical and physical systems

design

– Discuss the use of environmental design in the

systems development process

Principles and Learning Objectives

(continued)

• The primary emphasis of systems implementation

is to make sure that the right information is

delivered to the right person in the right format at

the right time

– State the purpose of systems implementation and

discuss the various activities associated with this

phase of systems development

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Principles and Learning Objectives

(continued)

• Maintenance and review add to the useful life of a

system but can consume large amounts of

resources, so they benefit from the same rigorous

methods and project management techniques

applied to systems development

– State the importance of systems and software

maintenance and discuss the activities involved

– Describe the systems review process

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Why Learn About Systems

Development?

• In this chapter:

– You will see how you can initiate the systems

development process and analyze your needs with

the help of IS personnel

– You will learn how your project can be planned,

aligned with corporate goals, and rapidly developed

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

An Overview of Systems Development

• In today’s businesses:

– Managers and employees in all functional areas

work together and use business information systems

• This chapter will:

– Provide you with a deeper appreciation of the

systems development process for individuals and

organizations

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Participants in Systems Development

• Development team:

– Determines objectives of the information system

– Delivers system that meets objectives

• Project:

– Planned collection of activities that achieves a goal

• Stakeholders:

– People who ultimately benefit from project

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Participants in Systems Development

(continued)

• Users:

– People who will interact with the system regularly

• Systems analyst:

– Professional who specializes in analyzing and

designing business systems

• Programmer:

– Responsible for modifying or developing programs to

satisfy user requirements

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Individual Systems Developers and

Users

• Individual systems developer:

– Person who performs all of the systems

development roles

• Individual users:

– Acquire applications for both personal and

professional use

• End-user systems development:

– Describes any systems development project in which

business managers and users assume the primary

effort

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Information Systems Planning and

Aligning Corporate and IS Goals

• Information systems planning:

– Translating strategic and organizational goals into

systems development initiatives

• Aligning organizational goals and IS goals:

– Critical for successful systems development effort

Information Systems Planning and

Aligning Corporate and IS Goals

(continued)

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Systems Development Life Cycles

• The life of the system continues as it is maintained

and reviewed

• A new project will be initiated and the cycle will start

over:

– If the system needs significant improvement beyond

the scope of maintenance

– If it needs to be replaced because of a new

generation of technology, or

– If the IS needs of the organization change

significantly

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

The Traditional Systems Development

Life Cycle

• Systems investigation:

– Identifies problems and opportunities and considers

them in light of business goals

• Systems analysis:

– Studies existing systems and work processes to

identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for

improvement

• Systems design:

– Defines how the information system will do what it

must do to obtain the problem’s solution

The Traditional Systems Development

Life Cycle (continued)

• Systems implementation:

– Creates or acquires various system components

detailed in systems design, assembles them, and

places new or modified system into operation

• Systems maintenance and review:

– Ensures the system operates as intended

– Modifies the system so that it continues to meet

changing business needs

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Prototyping

• An iterative approach

• During each iteration:

– Requirements and alternative solutions to the

problem are identified and analyzed

– New solutions are designed, and a portion of the

system is implemented

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Rapid Application Development, Agile

Development, and Other Systems

Development Approaches

• Rapid application development (RAD):

– Employs tools, techniques, and methodologies

designed to speed application development

• Other approaches to rapid development:

– Agile development

– Extreme programming (XP)

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Outsourcing and On-Demand

Computing

• Reasons for using outsourcing and on-demand

computing approaches:

– To reduce costs

– To obtain state-of-the-art technology

– To eliminate staffing and personnel problems

– To increases technological flexibility

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Factors Affecting Systems

Development Success

• Successful systems development:

– Delivers a system that meets user and

organizational needs on time and within budget

• Critical for most systems development projects:

– Getting users and stakeholders involved

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Degree of Change

• Continuous improvement projects versus

reengineering

– Continuous improvement projects have a high

degree of success

– Reengineering projects tend to have a high degree

of risk but also a high potential for benefits

• Managing change

– Essential to recognize and deal with existing or

potential problems

The Importance of Planning

• The bigger the project:

– The more likely that poor planning will lead to

significant problems

• Important factor for systems development success:

– Organizational experience with the systems

development process

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Use of Project Management Tools

• Project schedule: – Detailed description of what is to be done

• Project milestone: – Critical date for completion of a major part of the

project

• Project deadline: – Date that the entire project is to be completed and

operational

• Critical path: – Activities that, if delayed, would delay the entire

project

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Use of Project Management Tools

(continued)

• Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)

– Creates three time estimates for an activity

• Shortest possible time

• Most likely time

• Longest possible time

• Gantt chart

– Graphical tool used for planning, monitoring, and

coordinating projects

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Use of Computer-Aided Software

Engineering (CASE) Tools

• CASE tools

– Automate many tasks required in a systems

development effort

– Encourage adherence to SDLC

• Upper-CASE tools

– CASE tools that focus on activities associated with

the early stages of systems development

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Object-Oriented Systems

Development

• Combines logic of systems development life cycle

with power of object-oriented modeling and

programming

• OOSD tasks

– Identifying potential problems and opportunities that

would be appropriate for OO approach

– Defining what kind of system users require

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Object-Oriented Systems

Development (continued)

• OOSD tasks (continued):

– Designing the system

– Programming or modifying modules

– Evaluation by users

– Periodic review and modification

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Systems Investigation

• What primary problems might a new or enhanced

system solve?

• What opportunities might a new or enhanced

system provide?

• What new hardware, software, databases,

telecommunications, personnel, or procedures will

improve an existing system or are required in a new

system?

• What are the potential costs (variable and fixed)?

• What are the associated risks?

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Initiating Systems Investigation

• Systems request form:

– Filled out by someone who wants IS department to

initiate systems investigation

– Information included:

• Problems in or opportunities for system

• Objectives of systems investigation

• Overview of proposed system

• Expected costs and benefits of proposed system

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Feasibility Analysis

• Assesses:

– Technical feasibility

– Economic feasibility

– Legal feasibility

– Operational feasibility

– Schedule feasibility

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Object-Oriented Systems Investigation

• Object-oriented approach

– Can be used during all phases of systems

development

• Use case diagram

– Part of the Unified Modeling Language (UML) that is

used in object-oriented systems development

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

The Systems Investigation Report

• Summarizes results of systems investigation

• Summarizes the process of feasibility analysis

• Recommends a course of action:

– Continue on into systems analysis

– Modify the project in some manner

– Drop the project

• Reviewed by steering committee

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Systems Analysis

• Overall emphasis of analysis:

– Gathering data on existing system

– Determining requirements for new system

– Considering alternatives

– Investigating feasibility of solutions

• Primary outcome of systems analysis:

– Prioritized list of systems requirements

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Data Collection

• Identifying sources of data:

– Internal and external sources

• Collecting data:

– Interviews

– Direct observation

– Questionnaires

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Data Analysis

• Data modeling:

– Accomplished through the use of entity-relationship

(ER) diagram

• Activity modeling:

– Accomplished through the use of data-flow diagrams

– DFDs:

• Describe the activities that fulfill a business

relationship or accomplish a business task

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Requirements Analysis

• Purpose is to determine user, stakeholder, and

organizational needs

• Techniques used to capture systems requirements:

– Asking directly

– Critical success factors (CSFs)

– The IS plan

– Requirements analysis tools

Requirements Analysis (continued)

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Object-Oriented Systems Analysis

• Identify problems or potential opportunities

• Identify key participants and collect data

• With the OO approach, a class is used to describe

different types of objects

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

The Systems Analysis Report

• Elements:

– Strengths and weaknesses of existing system from a

stakeholder’s perspective

– User/stakeholder requirements for new system

– Organizational requirements for new system

– Description of what new information system should

do to solve the problem

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Systems Design

• Answers the question:

– How will the information system solve a problem?

• Results in a technical design that:

– Details system outputs, inputs, and user interfaces

– Specifies hardware, software, databases,

telecommunications, personnel, and procedures

– Shows how these components are related

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Logical and Physical Design

• Logical design:

– Describes functional requirements of a system

• Physical design:

– Specifies the characteristics of the system

components necessary to put the logical design into

action

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Object-Oriented Design

• Using the OO approach:

– You can design key objects and classes of objects in

the new or updated system

– Process includes considering the problem domain,

the operating environment, and the user interface

• During design phase, consider the sequence of

events that must happen for the system to function

correctly

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Environmental Design Considerations

• Environmental design:

– Also called green design

– Involves systems development efforts that slash

power consumption, require less physical space, and

result in systems that can be disposed of in a way

that doesn’t negatively affect the environment

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Generating Systems Design

Alternatives

• Request for proposal (RFP):

– Document that specifies required resources such as

hardware and software in detail

• Evaluating and selecting a systems design:

– Preliminary evaluation

– Final evaluation

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

The Design Report

• Primary result of systems design

• Reflects decisions made and prepares the way for

systems implementation

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Systems Implementation

• Includes:

– Hardware acquisition

– Programming and software acquisition or

development

– User preparation

– Hiring and training of personnel

– Site and data preparation

– Installation, testing, start-up, and user acceptance

Acquiring Hardware from an IS Vendor

• IS vendor

– Company that offers hardware, software,

telecommunications systems, databases, IS

personnel, or other computer-related resources

• Types of IS vendors include:

– General computer manufacturers

– Small computer manufacturers

– Peripheral equipment manufacturers

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Acquiring Software: Make or Buy?

• Make-or-buy decision:

– Whether to obtain software from external or internal

sources

• Externally acquired software and Software as a

Service (SaaS):

– Software as a Service (SaaS) allows businesses to

subscribe to Web-delivered application software by

paying a monthly service charge

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Acquiring Database and

Telecommunications Systems

• Databases:

– A blend of hardware and software

• Virtual databases and database as a service

(DaaS):

– Popular ways to acquire database capabilities

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

User Preparation

• Readying managers, decision makers, employees,

other users, and stakeholders for new systems

• Important but often ignored area of systems

implementation

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

IS Personnel: Hiring and Training

• An organization might have to hire and, in some

cases, train new IS personnel

• Personnel that might be needed for the new or

modified system:

– An IS manager

– Systems analysts

– Computer programmers

– Data entry operators

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Site Preparation

• Preparing the location of a new system

• Developing IS sites that are energy efficient is

important

• Security is also important for site preparation

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Data Preparation

• Also called data conversion

• Ensuring all files and databases are ready to be

used with new computer software and systems

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Installation

• Process of physically placing computer equipment

on the site and making it operational

• Normally, manufacturer is responsible for installing

computer equipment

• Someone from the organization (usually IS

manager) should oversee the process

Testing

• Forms of testing:

– Unit testing

– System testing

– Volume testing

– Integration testing

– Acceptance testing

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Start-Up

• Begins with the final tested information system

• Approaches:

– Direct conversion (plunge, direct cutover)

– Phase-in approach (piecemeal)

– Pilot start-up

– Parallel start-up

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

User Acceptance

• Formal agreement signed by user that states that a

phase of installation or the complete system is

approved

• Legal document that removes or reduces IS

vendor’s liability

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Systems Operation and Maintenance

• Systems operation:

– Use of a new or modified system

• Systems maintenance:

– Checking, changing, and enhancing the system to

make it more useful in achieving user and

organizational goals

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Systems Review

• Final step of systems development

• Analyzes systems to make sure that they are

operating as intended

• Can be performed during systems development

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

System Performance Measurement

• Monitoring the system:

– Number of errors encountered

– Amount of memory required

– Amount of processing or CPU time needed

– Other problems

• System performance products:

– Software that measures all components of the

information system

Summary

• Systems development team:

– Stakeholders, users, managers, systems

development specialists, and various support

personnel

• Five phases of the traditional SDLC:

– Investigation, analysis, design, implementation, and

maintenance and review

• Prototyping:

– An iterative development approach

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Summary (continued)

• Investigation process:

– Initiated by a systems request form

• Systems analysis:

– The examination of existing systems

• Purpose of systems design:

– To prepare the detailed design needs for a new

system or modifications to an existing system

• Environmental design:

– Involves systems development efforts that slash

power consumption and take less physical space

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Information Systems Essentials, Sixth Edition

Summary (continued)

• Purpose of systems implementation:

– To install a system and make everything, including

users, ready for its operation

• Software:

– Can be purchased from external vendors or

developed in house

• Systems operation:

– The use of a new or modified system