Week1

System Analysis & Design Overview

Definition of a System

  • A system is a set of interrelated business procedures operating within one business unit for a common purpose.

  • Boundaries define the limits of a system in relation to its environment.

  • Examples of systems:

    • Hospital Management System

    • Airline Reservation System

    • Online Banking System

Characteristics of a System

  • Components: building blocks of a system.

  • Interrelated Components: necessity of components working together.

  • Boundary: separates the system from the environment.

  • Purpose: the reason the system exists.

  • Environment: external factors interacting with the system.

  • Interfaces: points of interaction between components or with external systems.

  • Constraints: limitations or restrictions on the system's operation.

  • Input: resources or data entering the system.

  • Output: products or services generated by the system.

Exercise - System Characteristics

  • Example: Car as a System

    • Subsystems include:

      • Braking subsystem

      • Electrical subsystem

      • Engine

      • Fuel subsystem

      • Climate-control subsystem

      • Passenger subsystem

    • Task: Draw and label a diagram of a car system with all characteristics outlined.

Understanding System Analysis & Design

  • A methodology for companies to create and maintain systems to improve organizational efficiency via software solutions.

  • Emphasis on a structured, methodological approach to ensure effectiveness in achieving system goals.

Role of the Systems Analyst

  • Analyze and design systems by understanding organization objectives, structures, and processes.

  • Main goal: Improve systems via software development and employee training.

Software Engineering Process

A process used to create an information system

  • Components:

    • Methodologies: structured approaches for developing information systems.

    • Techniques: analysis and design processes.

    • Tools: software aiding in applying techniques.

Important System Concepts

  • Decomposition: Breaking down systems into smaller components for manageable analysis.

  • Modularity: Dividing a system into uniformly sized modules for simplicity in design.

  • Coupling: Dependency among subsystems.

  • Cohesion: Degree to which a subsystem fulfills a single, specific function.

Modern Approach to Systems Analysis not important

  • Systems Integration: Ensures compatibility among hardware and software from various vendors.

  • Visual programming environments using client/server models.

Data and Processes of Information Systems

  • Key components include:

    • Data: raw facts.

    • Data Flows: the movement of data through systems.

    • Processing Logic: transformations applied to data and triggered events.

Approaches to Systems Development not important

  • Process-Oriented Approach: Focus on data flow and transformation using graphical representations, such as data flow diagrams.

  • Data-Oriented Approach: Ideal organization of data, depicting relationships and business rules independent of application usage.

Skills of a Successful Systems Analyst

  • Analytical Skills: Problem-solving, understanding of organizations.

  • Technical Skills: Knowledge of technology applications and limitations.

  • Managerial Skills: Project management, resource management, and risk assessment.

  • Interpersonal Skills: Strong communication abilities.

Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

  • Standardized methodology consisting of:

    • Analysis

    • Design

    • Implementation

    • Maintenance