Untitled Flashcard Set

Chapter 1

  • A framework for Systems Analysis and Design

    • System: A group of interrelated components that function together to achieve a desired result

    • Information system: an arrangement of people, data, processes, and information technology that interact to collect, process, store, and provide as output the information needed to support an organization.

    • Information technology: a contemporary term that describes the combination of computer technology (hardware and software) with telecommunications technology (data, image, and voice networks).

  • Types of Information Systems

    • Transaction processing system (TPS): is an information system that captures and processes data about business transactions.

    • Management information system (MIS): is an information system that provides for management-oriented reporting based on transaction processing and operations of the organization.

    • Decision support system (DSS): is an information system that either helps to identify decision-making opportunities or provides information to help make decisions.

    • Expert system: is an information system that captures the expertise of workers and then simulates that expertise to the benefit of non-experts.

  • Stakeholder: Any person who has an interest in an existing or proposed information system. Stakeholders can be technical or nontechnical workers. They may also include both internal and external workers.

Chapter 2

  • System users’ view

    • Business processes: activities that respond to business events.

    • Process requirements/Process design: a user’s expectation of the processing requirements for a business process and its information systems.

    • Policy: a set of rules that govern a business process.

    • Procedure: a step-by-step set of instructions and

    logic for accomplishing a business process.

    • Workflow: the flow of transactions through the business

  • Software specifications: the technical design of business processes to be automated or supported by computer programs to be written by system builders.

  • Application program: a language-based, machine-readable representation of what a software process is supposed to do, or how a software process is supposed to accomplish its task.

  • Views of communication

    • Who (which business units, employees, customers, and partners) must interact with the system?

    • Where are these business units, employees, customers, and partners located?

    • What other information systems will the system have to interface with?

Chapter 3

  • Principles of System Development

    • Get the system users involved.

    • Use a problem-solving approach.

    • Establish phases and activities.

    • Document through development.

    • Establish standards.

    • Manage the process and projects

    • Justify systems as capital investments.

    • Don’t be afraid to cancel or revise scope.

    • Divide and conquer.

    • Design systems for growth and change.

  • Representative System Development Methodologies

    • What is RAD: Rapid Application Development

  • System support: the ongoing technical support for users of a system, as well as the maintenance required to deal with any errors, omissions, or new requirements that may arise.

  • Automated Tools and Technology

    • CASE: Computer-aided systems engineering

    • ADE: Application development environment

      Feature

      CASE Tools

      ADEs (IDEs)

      Primary Goal

      Modeling and Analysis

      Programming and Construction

      Phase Focus

      Analysis and Design

      Implementation

      Key Output

      System models and blueprints

      Working application programs

      Common Tools

      Diagramming and Dictionary tools

      Compilers, debuggers, and code editors

  • Types of Feasibility

    • Technical feasibility – Is the solution technically practical? Does our staff have the technical expertise to design and build this solution?

    • Operational feasibility – Will the solution fulfill the users’ requirements? To what degree? How will the solution change the users’ work environment? How do users feel about such a solution?

    • Economic feasibility – Is the solution cost-effective?

    • Schedule feasibility – Can the solution be designed and implemented within an acceptable time?

    • Risk feasibility – What is the probability of a successful implementation using the technology and approach?

Chapter 4

  • Estimate Task Durations

    • 1. Estimate the minimum amount of time it would take to

      perform the task – the optimistic duration (OD).

      2. Estimate the maximum amount of time it would take to

      perform the task – the pessimistic duration (PD).

      3. Estimate the expected duration (ED) that will be

      needed to perform the task.

  • Critical path: the sequence of tasks with the largest sum of most likely durations. The critical path determines the earliest completion date of the project.

  • Assigning People to Tasks

    • Recruit talented, highly motivated people

    • Select the best task for each person

    • Promote team harmony

    • Plan for the future

    • Keep the team size small

  • Assign Resources

    • People: includes all system owners, users,

      analysts, designers, builders, external agents, and

      clerical help involved in the project in any way.

    • Services: includes services such as a quality review that may be charged on a per use basis.

    • Facilities and equipment: includes all rooms and technology that will be needed to complete the project.

    • Supplies and materials: everything from pencils, paper, notebooks to toner cartridges, and so on.

    • Money: includes a translation of all of the above into budgeted dollars!

Chapter 5

  • FAST - (Framework for the Application of Systems Thinking ) a hypothetical methodology used to demonstrate a representative systems development process

    • Scope Definition phase: Is the project worth looking at?

    • Problem Analysis phase: Is a new system worth building?

    • Requirements Analysis phase: What do the users need and want?

    • Logical Design phase: What must the new system do?

    • Decision Analysis phase: What is the best solution?

  • Requirements Analysis Phase

    • Functional requirement – a description of activities and services a system must provide.

      • Inputs, outputs, processes, stored data