Systems, Roles, and
Development Methodologies
Kendall & Kendall
Systems Analysis and Design
Learning Objectives
Understand the need for systems analysis and
design in organizations.
Realize what the many roles of the systems analyst
are.
Comprehend the fundamentals of three development
methodologies:
– SDLC
– The agile approach
– Object-oriented systems analysis and design
Information—A Key Resource
Fuels business and can be the critical factor
in determining the success or failure of a
business
Needs to be managed correctly
Managing computer-generated information
differs from handling manually produced data
Major Topics
Fundamentals of different kinds of
information systems
Roles of systems analysts
Phases in the systems development life cycle
as they relate to Human-Computer
Interaction (HCI) factors
CASE tools
Open Source Software
Need for Systems Analysis
and Design
Installing a system without proper planning leads to
great user dissatisfaction and frequently causes the
system to fall into disuse
providing structure to the analysis and design of
information systems
A series of processes systematically undertaken to
improve a business through the use of computerized
information systems
Roles of the Systems Analyst
The analyst must be able to work with people
of all descriptions and be experienced in
working with computers
Three primary roles:
– Consultant
– Supporting expert
– Agent of change
Qualities of the Systems Analyst
Problem solver
Communicator
Strong personal and professional ethics
Self-disciplined and self-motivated
Systems Development Life Cycle
(SDLC)
The systems development life cycle is a
phased approach to solving business
problems
Developed through the use of a specific
cycle of analyst and user activities
Each phase has unique user activities
The Seven Phases of the Systems
Development Life Cycle
Incorporating Human-Computer
Interaction (HCI) Considerations
The demand for analysts who are capable of
incorporating HCI into the systems
development process keeps increasing, as
companies begin to realize that the quality of
systems and the quality of work life can be
improved by taking a human-centered
approach at the outset of a project
1. Identifying Problems, Opportunities,
and Objectives
Activity:
– Interviewing user management
– Summarizing the knowledge obtained
– Estimating the scope of the project
– Documenting the results
1. Identifying Problems, Opportunities,
and Objectives
Output:
– Feasibility report containing problem definition
and objective summaries from which
management can make a decision on whether to
proceed with the proposed project
2. Determining Human Information
Requirements
Activity:
– Interviewing
– Sampling and investing hard data
– Questionnaires
– Observe the decision maker’s behavior and
environment
– Prototyping
– Learn the who, what, where, when, how, and why
of the current system
2. Determining Human Information
Requirements
Output:
– The analyst understands how users accomplish their work
when interacting with a computer
– Begin to know how to make the new system more useful
and usable
– Know the business functions
– Have complete information on the:
People
Goals
Data
Procedure involved
3. Analyzing System Needs
Activity:
– Create data flow, activity, or sequence diagrams
– Complete the data dictionary
– Analyze the structured decisions made
– Prepare and present the system proposal
Output:
– Recommendation on what, if anything, should be
done
4. Designing the Recommended
System
Activity:
– Design procedures for data entry
– Design the human-computer interface
– Design system controls
– Design database and/or files
– Design backup procedures
Output
– Model of the actual system
5. Developing and Documenting
Software
Activity:
– System analyst works with programmers to develop any
original software
– Works with users to develop effective documentation
– Programmers design, code, and remove syntactical
errors from computer programs
– Document software with help files, procedure manuals,
and Web sites with Frequently Asked Questions
5. Developing and Documenting
Software
Output:
– Computer programs
– System documentation
6. Testing and Maintaining the System
Activity:
– Test the information system
– System maintenance
– Maintenance documentation
Output:
– Problems, if any
– Updated programs
– Documentation
7. Implementing and Evaluating the
System
Activity:
– Train users
– Analyst plans smooth conversion from old system
to new system
– Review and evaluate system
Output:
– Trained personnel
– Installed system
Some Researchers Estimate that the Amount of Time Spent on
Systems Maintenance May Be as Much as 60 Percent of the Total
Time Spent on Systems Projects
The Impact of Maintenance
Maintenance is performed for two reasons:
– Removing software errors
– Enhancing existing software
Over time the cost of continued maintenance
will be greater than that of creating an entirely
new system. At that point it becomes more
feasible to perform a new systems study.
Resource Consumption over the
System Life
Approaches to Structured Analysis and Design and to the
Systems Development Life Cycle
Traditional systems development life
cycle
CASE systems development life cycle
Object-oriented systems analysis and
design
Case Tools
CASE tools are productivity tools for
systems analysts that have been created
explicitly to improve their routine work
through the use of automated support
Reasons for Using Case Tools
Reasons for using CASE tools
– Increasing analyst productivity
– Improving analyst-user communication
– Integrating life cycle activities
The Agile Approach
Based on:
– Values
– Principles
– Core practices
Agile Values
Communication
Simplicity
Feedback
Courage
Four Agile Resources
Resources are adjusted to ensure successful
project completion
– Time
– Cost
– Quality
– Scope
Five Stages of Agile Development
Exploration
Planning
Iterations to the first release
Productionizing
Maintenance
Agile Project Development Process
Object-Oriented (O-O) Systems Analysis
and Design
Alternate approach to the structured approach
of the SDLC that is intended to facilitate the
development of systems that change rapidly in
response to dynamic business environments
Analysis is performed on a small part of the
system followed by design and implementation
Object-Oriented (O-O) Systems Analysis
and Design
The cycle repeats with analysis, design,
and implementation of the next part and
this repeats until the project is complete
Examines the objects of a system
Unified Modeling Language (UML)
Phases
Define the use case model:
– Use case diagram
– Use case scenarios
Create UML diagrams
Develop class diagrams
Draw statechart diagrams
Modify the UML diagrams
Develop and document the system
Choosing a Method
Choose either:
– SDLC
– Agile
– Object-oriented methodologies
When to Use SDLC
Systems have been developed and documented
using SLDC
It is important to document each step
Upper level management feels more comfortable or
safe using SDLC
There are adequate resources and time to complete
the full SDLC
Communication of how new systems work is
important
When to Use Agile
There is a project champion of agile methods in the
organization
Applications need to be developed quickly in
response to a dynamic environment
A rescue takes place (the system failed and there is
no time to figure out what went wrong)
The customer is satisfied with incremental
improvements
Executives and analysts agree with the principles of
agile methodologies
When to Use Object-Oriented
The problems modeled lend themselves to classes
An organization supports the UML learning
Systems can be added gradually, one subsystem at
a time
Reuse of previously written software is a possibility
It is acceptable to tackle the difficult problems first
Open Source Software
An alternative of traditional software development
where proprietary code is hidden from the users
Open source software is free to distribute, share,
and modify
Characterized as a philosophy rather than simply the
process of creating new software
Examples: Linux Operating System, Apache Web
Server, Mozilla Firefox
Four Types of Open Source
Communities:
Ad hoc
Standardized
Organized
Commercial
Six Key Dimensions that Differentiate
Open Source Communities
General structure
Environment
Goals
Methods
User community
Licensing
Reasons for Participating in Open
Source Communities
Rapidity with which new software can be
developed and tested
Faster to have a committed group of experts
develop, test, and debug code
This fosters creativity
Have many good minds work with innovative
applications
Reasons for Participating in Open
Source Communities
Potential to reduce development costs
Bolster their self-image
Contribute something worthwhile to the
software development community
Open Source Contribution and
Differentiation
Contributions to the open community and
differentiation from the open community are
for the following reasons:
– Cost
– Managing resources
– Time it takes to bring a new product to the market
Reasons for Analyst Participation in
the Open Source Community
Curiosity about software benefits
Achieve collective design
– Incorporate open source software design into:
Proprietary products
Processes
Knowledge
IT artifacts
Collective Design
Through a process of collective design the IT
artifact is imbued with
– Community and organizational structures
– Knowledge
– Practices
Summary
Information is a key resource
Integration of traditional systems with new technologies
Roles and qualities of the systems analyst
The systems development life cycle
CASE tools
Agile systems development
Object-oriented systems development
Open source systems
