Comprehensive Notes on Preliminary Investigation & System Analysis

Topic 2: Preliminary Investigation & System Analysis

Preliminary Investigation

  • Why is a preliminary investigation needed?

    • To study the system request.
    • To recommend specific actions.

  • Model of a preliminary investigation:

    • Involves assessing project scope, constraints, development time and cost, and project benefits.
    • Fact-finding is a crucial component.
    • The goal is to report findings to management and recommend a specific action.

  • How to conduct a preliminary investigation:

    • Step 1: Understand the problem or opportunity.
      • For new systems, develop a business profile describing processes and functions.
      • For minor changes, understand how modifications affect business operations and other systems.
    • Step 2: Define the project scope and constraints.
      • Project Scope: Defines the specific boundaries of the project.
        • Example: Accurately produce payroll, correct overtime pay for production workers on the second shift at the Shah Alam plant.
        • Example: Allow customers to inquire online about account balances and recent transactions.
      • Constraints: Requirements or conditions the system must satisfy.
        • Examples: hardware, software, time, policy, law, and cost.
          • Order entry system must accept input from 15 remote sites.
          • New web must be operational by April 1.
    • Step 3: Perform Fact-Finding.
      • Analyze organizational charts to understand department functions and identify interviewees.
      • Conduct interviews.
      • Review documentation to investigate current system documentation.
      • Observe operations to see how workers carry out tasks.
      • Conduct user surveys to obtain information from a larger group.
    • Step 4: Analyze Project Usability, Cost, Benefit, and Schedule Data.
      • Develop time and cost estimates for system analysis phase.
        • Consider information needed, methods to obtain and analyze it, interview/survey plans, and costs to analyze info and prepare a report.
    • Step 5: Evaluate Feasibility (Practicality).
      • Operational Feasibility: The system will be used effectively after development.
        • Consider workforce reduction, training needs, legal and ethical issues, and conflicts with company priorities.
      • Technical Feasibility: Technical resources needed to develop, purchase, install, and operate the system.
        • Consider available hardware, software, network resources, technical expertise, and performance specifications.
      • Economic Feasibility: Projected benefits outweigh estimated costs.
        • Estimate costs: people (IT staff and users), hardware, software, training, licenses, consulting, facilities.
          • Assess tangible and intangible benefits.
        • Tangible Benefits: Benefits measured in currency (e.g., RM).
          • Examples: decrease in expenses, increase in revenue. Scheduling system reduces overtime, online package tracking improves service.
        • Intangible Benefits: Difficult to measure in currency but important.
          • Examples: User-friendly system improves employee satisfaction, sales tracking system improves marketing decisions, website enhances company image.
      • Schedule Feasibility: Project can be implemented in an acceptable timeframe.
        • Consider interaction between time and costs.
          • Company or IT team control over factors affecting schedule feasibility.
          • Management established firm timetable for project.
          • Project manager appointed.
    • Step 6: Present Results and Recommendations to Management.
      • Report includes:
        • Evaluation of the systems request.
        • Estimate of costs and benefits.
        • Case for action (summary of project request and specific recommendation).

System Analysis

  • What is System Analysis?

    • Understanding and specifying in detail what an information system should do.

  • Who is System Analyst?

    • A key person analyzing the business, identifying opportunities for improvement, and designing information systems to implement these ideas.

  • System Analysis Activities:

    • Requirements Modeling:
      • Fact-finding to describe current system and identify requirements for the new system.
    • Development Strategies:
      • Consider various development options and prepare for the transition to the system design phase of SDLC.
    • Data and Process Modeling:
      • Represent graphically system data and process using traditional structures analysis techniques.
    • Object Modeling:
      • Combines data and the processes that act on the data into things called objects (people, things, transactions, events).

  • What is System Requirement?

    • Characteristics or feature that must be included in an information system to satisfy business requirements and be acceptable to users.
    • Serve as benchmarks to measure the overall acceptability of the finished system.
    • Consists of five general categories: Outputs, inputs, processes, performance and controls

  • System Requirements Checklist:

    • Outputs:
      • The Website must report online volume statistics every four hours and hourly during peak periods.
      • The purchasing system must provide suppliers with up-to-date specifications.
      • The inventory system must produce a daily report showing the part number, description, quantity on hand, quantity collected, quantity available and unit cost of all sorted by part number.
    • Inputs:
      • Manufacturing employees must swipe their ID cards into online data collection.
      • Each input form must include date, time, product code, customer number and quantity.
      • Student grades must be entered on machine-scannable forms prepared by the instructor.
    • Processes:
      • The student records system must calculate the GPA at the end of each semester.
      • The warehouse distribution system must analyze daily orders and create a routing pattern for delivery trucks that maximize efficiency and reduces unnecessary mileage.
      • The video rental system must not execute new rental transactions for customer who have overdue tapes.
    • Performance:
      • The system must support 25 users online simultaneously.
      • Response time must not exceed four second.
      • The system must be operational seven days a week, 365 days a year.
    • Controls:
      • The system must provide log-on security at the operating system level and at the application level.
      • An employee record must be added, changed or deleted only by a member of the human resources department.
      • The system must create an error log file that includes the error type, description and time.

  • Example of Course Registration System Requirement:

    • Outputs:
      • The system must display the availability of every course.
      • The system must generate a list of students registered to the course.
    • Inputs:
      • Student have to choose course code and group number.
      • Each screen must display date, time and student ID in order for the student to choose the right information (by using mouse/keyboard/keypad)
    • Processes:
      • The course registration system must check the pre-requisite course upon course registration.
      • The system must check the course availability.
      • The system must display list of course registered upon logout.
    • Performance:
      • The system must support 25 users online simultaneously.
      • Response time must not exceed four second.
      • The system must produce class lists within five hours after the end of registration.

Fact-Finding

  • Fact-Finding questions:
    • Who: Who performs each of the procedures within the systems?
    • Where: Where are operations being performed?
    • When: When is procedure performed?
    • How: How is a procedure performed?
    • Why: Why Are the correct people performing the activity?
    • What: What procedures are being followed?

Interview

  • The interviewing process consists of 7 steps:

    1. Selecting interviewees
    2. Establish objectives for the interview
    3. Develop interview questions
    4. Prepare for the interview
    5. Conduct the interview
    6. Document the interview
    7. Evaluate the interview

  • Selecting Interviewees

    • Based on Information Needed
    • Often Good to Get Different Perspectives
      • Managers
      • Users
    • Ideally, All Key Stakeholders

  • Establish objectives for the interview

    • Determine general areas to be discussed
    • List the facts you want to gather
    • Try to solicit ideas, suggestions and opinions during interview
    • The objectives of an interview depend on the role of the person being interviewed

  • Develop interview questions

    • Types of Question
      • OPEN-ENDED
        • Explanation:
          • Encourage spontaneous and unstructured responses.
          • Useful in understanding a larger process or draw out the interviewee’s opinions, attitudes or suggestions
        • Example:
          • What do you think about the current system?
          • What are some of the problems you face on a daily basis?
          • How is this task performed?
      • CLOSED-ENDED
        • Explanation:
          • Limit or restrict the response.
          • Use when the information required is more specific and need to very facts.
        • Example:
          • How do customers place orders?
          • How many telephone orders received per day?

  • Prepare for the interview

    • Prepare General Interview Plan
      • List of Question
      • Anticipated Answers and Follow-Ups
    • Confirm Areas of Knowledge
    • Set Priorities in Case of Time Shortage
    • Prepare the Interviewee
      • Schedule
      • Inform of Reason for Interview
      • Inform of Areas of Discussion

  • Conduct the interview

    • Begin by introducing yourself, describing the projects and explaining your interview objectives.
    • Ask questions in the order in which you prepared them and give the interviewee sufficient time to provide answers.
    • Give interviewee time to ask questions.
    • When you finish asking your questions, summarize the main points covered and explain the next action.
    • Be sure to thank the interviewee

  • Document the interview

    • Note taking should be kept to a minimum.
    • After conducting interview, please record the information immediately so you will not forget the information/facts.
    • You may use tape recorders. Please check on organizational policy regarding tape recording.

  • Evaluate the interview

    • Try to identify any possible biases.
    • Some interviewees might answers questions even though they do not have experience to provide accurate information.

Document Review

  • Provides clues about existing “as-is” system
  • Typical documents
    • Forms
    • Reports
    • Policy manuals
  • Look for user additions to forms
  • Look for unused form elements

Observation

  • Users/managers often don’t remember everything they do
  • Checks validity of information gathered other ways
  • Behaviors change when people are watched
  • Careful not to ignore periodic activities
    • Weekly …
    • Monthly …
    • Annual

Questionnaires

  • A document containing a number of standard questions that can be sent to many individuals.

  • Suitable to obtain input from a large number of people.

  • Can be used to obtain information about a wide range of topics including workloads, report received, volume of transaction, job duties, difficulties and opinions.

  • Additional ideas when designing questionnaire:

    • Keep the questionnaire brief and user friendly
    • Provide clear instructions that will answer all anticipated questions
    • Arrange the questions in a logical order, going from simple to more complex topics
    • Phrase questions to avoid misunderstanding; use simple terms and wording
    • Try not to lead the response or use questions that give clues to expected answers
    • Limit the use of open-ended questions that are difficult to tabulate
    • Limit the use of questions that can raise concerns about job security or other negative issues.
    • Include a section at the end of the questionnaire for general comments