Chapter 1

Systems Planning and Selection

Presentation Summary

 The Definition of system

 The Steps of Systems Analysis
 Fact-Gathering Techniques
 Techniques for Organizing Facts
 Structured Systems Analysis
 The Steps of Systems Design
 What is System

System: is a group of component /sub component that

are work together to achieve a common goal.

System design: is the process of defining: building

blocks and their integration, APIs, and data models that
all function together to create large-scale systems.
I. The Steps of Systems Analysis

 Survey the Present System

 Identify Information Needs
Identify System Requirements
 Develop a Systems Analysis Report
 A. Survey the Present System

Four objectives of the system survey are concerned with:

1. Understanding the Operational Aspects of the Current
System
2. Establishing a Working Relationship with System Users
3. Collection of Data for Systems Design
4. Identification of Specific System Problems
1. Understanding the Operational Aspects of the
Current System

It is dangerous to try to modify an existing system

that you do not thoroughly understand.
The strengths and weaknesses of the current system
must be identified before modifying the system.
 2. Establishing a Working Relationship with
System Users

 The success or failure of a systems project largely depends on the

relationship between the development team and the people who use the
system.

 Get to know the people involved in the system as soon as

possible.
 Communicate the benefits of the new system.
 Provide assurance, when possible, of job security and no
changes in job responsibilities.
• Project a genuine concern for making the life of the system
user better.
3. Collection of Data for Systems Design

Internal data may be

collected from sources like
interviews, questionnaires,
observations, and policy
manuals.
Outside data may be
collected from industry
publications, professional
journals, and customers.
 4. Identification of Specific System Problems

Effectiveness considers whether the system meets its

objectives.
Efficiency determines whether objectives are met at
the lowest possible cost.
Evaluation of the system should also consider
bottlenecks. These are areas where small changes
could result in major improvements.
 Identify Information Needs

Identify the managers primary job responsibility.

Identify the means by which the manager is evaluated.
Identify some major problems the manager faces.
Identify the way the manager evaluates personal output.
 Managers often have difficulty in expressing just how they make decisions.
 Identification of the above areas can be helpful in pinpointing a manager’s
decision process.
 Identification of problems may be best done by simply getting the manager
talking while you listen.
 C. Identify the System Requirements

Requirements can be specified in terms of inputs

and outputs.
First determine the required outputs that a manager
needs to make a decision.
Then determine the inputs and processing needed
to generate the outputs.
 The Systems Analysis Report
 The report should organize and document the first three phases of
analysis. Some key elements of the report include:

Description of the overall problems in subsystem being

studied
Recommendations for improving existing system or
design of new system.
Overall cost budget and timetable for project to date.
 Fact-Gathering Techniques

Fact gathering through interviews

Fact Gathering through questionnaires
 A. Fact Gathering Through Interviews

Depth Interviews - Conversation is guided largely by

feelings and interest of the person being interviewed.

Structured Interviews - Useful after a depth interview for

obtaining answers to a specific set of questions.
 Fact Gathering Through Questionnaires

What types of information

do you use to make decisions?

 Open-Ended Questionnaires - Persons provide written

answers to general rather than specific questions.

 Closed-End Questionnaires - Use for routine situations or

when a large number of similar individuals would be
questioned.
 Structured Systems Analysis

Structured Systems Analysis Defined

The Development of Logical Data Flow Diagrams
Defining Data Dictionaries
Defining Access Methods
Defining Process Logic
 A. Structured Systems Analysis Defined

Structured systems analysis is a system of documentation.

An approach to systems analysis that begins with a very

general description of a particular system, and then moves to
ever increasing detail ending with computer program code and
other details.
 The Development of Logical Data Flow
Diagrams

Data Flow Diagram Levels

Data Flow Diagram Symbols
Data Flow Diagram Conventions
 Data-Flow Diagram Levels
Context Diagrams represent the highest level of data-flow diagrams. More
detail is provided in subsequent diagrams beginning at level zero.

Context Diagram
Stores Requisition
Stores 0
Purchase Details
Purchase
Purchase
Purchasing File
File
System Purchase Order

Vendors
Vendors
 (Continued)
Data-Flow Diagram Levels

Stores Requisition
Stores Purchase Details
Purchase
1.0 Purchase
Validate File
Requisition File
Details

2.0
Prepare Purchase Order
Purchase Vendors
Order Vendors
 Data-Flow Diagram Symbols

 Process symbol(s) in center of diagram identify system(s) under investigation.

 Sources and destinations of data and information are shown in rectangular

symbols around the process symbol.

 Data flow lines describe the input data to the system and the output reports
from the system.
 Data Flow Diagram Conventions

Each process must have at least one input

data flow and one output data flow.
A data flow has at least one end connected
to a process
A diagram should not contain more than
seven processes before being leveled into
more detailed diagrams.
 Defining Data Dictionaries

The data dictionary corresponds to the data stores referenced

in the logical data flow diagrams. This involves giving a

description of the data structure and data elements involved.

 Defining Access Methods
It is necessary to specify how data stores will be accessed. This
typically involves defining primary and secondary access keys. For
example, in the purchase file the “account-no-1” may serve as the
primary key and “person responsible” as the secondary key.

Purchase File Description

Account – Identifiers
account-no-1 … primary account number
account-no-2 … secondary account number
person-responsible … person in charge of account

Financial-Information
account-balance … current balance
last – purchase … most recent transaction
 Defining Process Logic

There are a number of different approaches to documenting the

process logic, including decision trees and structured English.
Structured English is a special language for describing process
logic that uses several key words, including IF, THEN, ELSE IF,
and SO.
Structured English does not include provisions for error
conditions and data file access. If these are added, the resulting
documentation is pseudocode.
 Steps in Systems Design

Evaluation of Design Alternatives

Preparation of Detailed Design Specifications

Preparation of Systems Design Report

 Evaluation of Design Alternatives

There are usually a number of attractive solutions that

could be chosen.
Completely new systems may be designed from
scratch or a pre-made system could be recommended.
Alternative systems should be documented with
information concerning advantages/disadvantages and
cost information.
A given system must be feasible from both an
operational and technical perspective.
Preparation of Detailed Design Specifications
Reports
Reportsand
and 1. Working with system objectives, the
Other
OtherOutputs
Outputs designer should design all management
reports and operational output documents.

Database
Database
Design
Design Control
Control
Considerations
Considerations
Specify
Specify
Processing 2. Once all the outputs are specified, the data
Processing inputs and processing steps are automatically
determined.

Specify 3. Once these decisions have been made,

Specify
Inputs the designer then builds in the appropriate
Inputs controls.
 Preparation of Systems Design Report

The completed design specifications should take the form of

a proposal.
Contents include timetables for completion, a budget,
personnel requirements, and diagrams of the system to be
implemented.
 Summary

Four Steps of systems analysis and design

Gathering Information through interviews and

questionnaires

Structured Systems analysis as a form of documentation

Detailed design Specifications