Systems Analysis and Design Study Guide
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Systems Analysis and Design Study Guide Systems Analysis the process of understanding and specifying in detail what the information system should do Systems Design the process of specifying in detail how the many components of the information system should be physically implemented Systems analyst a business professional who uses analysis and design techniques to solve business problems using information technology Analyst approach to problem solving research and understand the problem Verify that the benefits of solving the problem outweigh the costs Define the requirements for solving the problem Develop a set of possible solutions (alternatives) Decide which solution is best, and make a recommendation Define the details of the chosen solution Implement the solution Monitor to make sure that you obtain the desired results System a collection of interrelated components that function together to achieve some outcome Information system a collection of interrelated components that collect, process, store, and provide as output the information needed to complete business tasks Subsystem a system that is part of a larger system Supersystem a larger system that contains other systems Functional decomposition dividing systems into components based on subsystems that in turn are further divided into subsystems Parts of a system inputs, hardware, people, software, data, procedures, outputs System boundary the separation between a system and its environment that inputs and outputs must cross Automation boundary the separation between the automated part of a system and the manual part of a system Page 1 of 12 Systems Analysis and Design Study Guide Transaction processing systems information systems that capture and record information about the transactions that affect the organization Management information systems information systems that take information captured by transaction processing systems and produce reports that management needs for planning and control Executive information systems information systems for executives to use for monitoring the competitive environment and for strategic planning Decision support systems support systems that allow a user to explore the impact of available options or decisions Communication support systems support systems that allow employees to communicate with each other and with customers and suppliers Office Support systems support systems that help create and share documents, including reports, proposals, and memos Tools software products used to help develop analysis and design specifications and completed system components Techniques strategies for completing specific system development activities Analysts need to know what the organization does What makes it successful? What its strategies and plans are What its traditions and values are People knowledge how people: Think Learn React to change Communicate Work (in a variety of jobs and levels) Business process reengineering a technique that seeks to alter the nature of the work done in a business function with the objective of radically improving performance Page 2 of 12 Systems Analysis and Design Study Guide Strategic planning a process during which executives try to answer questions about the company such as where the business is now, where they want to be, and what they have to do to get there Information systems strategic plan the plan defining the technology and applications that the information systems function needs to support the organization’s strategic plan Application architecture plan a description of the integrated information systems that the organization needs to carry out its business functions Technology architecture plan a description of the hardware, software, and communication networks required to implement information systems Enterprise resource planning a process in which an organization commits to using an integrated set of software packages for key information systems Supply chain management a process that seamlessly integrates product development, product acquisition, manufacturing, and inventory management Customer relationship management processes that support marketing, sales, and service operations involving direct and indirect customer interaction Project a planned undertaking that has a beginning and an end and that produces a predetermined result or product Phase a division of the SDLC where similar activities are performed System development Life Cycle a method of system development Project planning; analysis phase; design phase; implementation phase; support phase Planning phase the initial phase of the SDLC whose objective is to identify the scope of the new system and plan the project; define the problem; produce the project schedule; confirm project feasibility; staff the project; launch the project Page 3 of 12 Systems Analysis and Design Study Guide Analysis phase one phase of the SDLC whose objective is to understand the user needs and develop requirements Problem domain the area of the user’s business for which a system is being developed Defining the systems requirements review, analyze, and structure information obtained so that analysts can develop an understanding of requirements (drawing diagrams) – model processes Design phase the phase of the SDLC where the system and programs are designed Application the portion of the new information system that satisfies the user’s needs in the problem domain (provides processing functions for the business requirements) Implementation phase the phase of the SDLC where the new system is programmed and installed Support phase the phase of the SDLC that occurs after the system is installed (maintain the system, enhance the system, support the users Help desk the availability of support staff to help the users with any technical or processing problem associated with an information system Waterfall method a method of executing an SDLC where one phase leads (falls) to the next phase Overlapping activities during the life cycle that overlap (efficiency) analyzing needs while designing forms or reports Project management organizing and directing of other people to achieve a planned result within a predetermined schedule and budget Client the person or group who funds the project Page 4 of 12 Systems Analysis and Design Study Guide Oversight committee clients and key managers who review and direct the project, such as a board of trustees for a company User the person or group who will use the new system Weighted scoring a method to prioritize projects based on criteria with unequal weighs Reasons project initiated respond to opportunity; resolve a problem; conform to directive Business benefits the benefits that accrue to the organization; often measured in monetary terms System scope document a very preliminary prototype built to illustrate that a solution to a business need is feasible Proof of concept prototype a document-containing description, business benefits, and system capabilities- to help define the scope of a new system Context document a graphical diagram showing the scope of a system Work breakdown structure the hierarchy of tasks, activities and phases of a project; one method to estimate and schedule the task of a project Task/activity/phase task- smallest piece of work that is identified and scheduled; activity – a group of related tasks; phase- Is made up of a group of related activities Pert/cpm a method of scheduling a project based on individual task or activities Critical path the path on a PERT chart that indicates the shortest completion period for the project Gantt chart a bar chart that represents the tasks and activities of the project schedule Page 5 of 12 Systems Analysis and Design Study Guide Cost/benefit analysis the analysis to compare costs and benefits to see whether investing in the development of a new system will be beneficial Economic feasibility 2 test 1. Is the anticipated value of the benefits greater than projected costs of development? 2. Does the organization have adequate cash flow to fund the project during the development period? Net present value the present value of dollar benefits and costs for an investment such as a new system Payback period the time period where the dollar benefits have offset the dollar costs Breakeven point the point in time where the dollar benefit fits have offset the dollar costs Return of investment a measure of the percentage gain from an investment such as a new system Tangible benefits benefits that can be measured or estimated in terms of dollars and that accrue to the organization Intangible benefits benefits that accrue to the organization but which cannot be measured quantitatively or estimated accurately Aids to assist in analysis and design the analyst has a variety of aids including: methodologies, models, tools, and techniques System development methodology comprehensive guidelines to follow for completing every activity in the systems development life cycle, including specific models, tools, and techniques Models a representation of some important aspect of the real world Models used in system development inputs; outputs; processes; data; object interactions; locations; networks; and devices. (Some examples, are others) Page 6 of 12 Systems Analysis and Design Study Guide Models of system components flowchart Data flow diagram (DFD) Entity-relationship diagram (ERD) Structure chart Use Case diagram Class diagram Sequence diagram Tool software support that helps create models or other components required in the project Case tool a computer aided system engineering tool