Chapter 1.

The systems analyst and information systems development Systems development life cycle (SDLC) o The process of determining how an information system (IS) can support business needs, designing the system, building it, and delivering it to users. o Phases (composed of steps relying on techniques that produce deliverables) Planning Analysis Design Implementation Issues Why an IS Who will use How the system System is either should be built? the system? will operate? developed or How will the What the purchased and project team go system will do? installed about building Where and Usually the it? when it will be longest and used? most expensive part Steps 1. Project 1. Analysis 1. Design 1.system initiation: strategy: study strategy: by the construction: identify the of current company or build and test business value system and its outside 2. Installation to the problems company 3. Support plan organization 2. Requirements 2. Architecture 2. Project gathering: design: management: development of hardware, project manager a concept for a software and creates work new system network plan, staffs the 3. System infrastructure project proposal: 3. Database and presented to file project sponsor specifications 4. Program design: System analyst o Duties Analyzes the business situation Identifies the opportunities for improvements Design an IS to implement the improvements o Change agent Identify organizational improvements needed Design systems to implement those changes Train and motivate others to use the system o Skills Technical Understand the technical environment, foundation and solution Business

o Roles Business analyst Business issues surrounding the system Systems analyst IS issues surrounding the system Infrastructure analyst Technical issues Change management analyst People and management issues surrounding the system installation Project manager Ensures that the project is completed on time and within budget, and that the system delivers the expected value to the organization Project identification and initiation o A project is identified when there is a business need to build a system. A need may surface when an organization identifies unique and competitive ways of using IT o Business process management Methodology used to continuously improve end-to-end business processes Process Defining and mapping the steps in a business process Creating ways to improve on the steps in the process that add value Finding ways to eliminate or consolidate steps in the process that do not add value Creating and adjusting electronic workflows to match the improved process maps Types Business process automation o Technology components are used to complement or substitute manual process Business process improvement o Creating new processes to improve the workflows

Understand how IT can be applied to business situations Analytical Problem solver Interpersonal Need to communicate effectively Management Manage people and manage pressure and risk Ethical Deal fairly, honestly, and ethically with other project members, managers and system users

o Utilizing new technologies Business process reengineering o Changing the fundamental way in which the organization operate o Project sponsor Project sponsor has the insights needed to determine the business value that will be gained from the system Tangible value: quantified and measured easily Intangible: important, but hard-to-measure benefits o System request Business requirements Business value Feasibility analysis o Technical feasibility (can we build it?) o Economic feasibility (cost benefit analysis: should we build it??) Cash flow analysis and measures Common methods ROI = (total benefit total cost)/total cost Break-even point Steps Identify costs and benefits Assign values to costs and benefits Determine cash flow Assess projects economic value Cost category Development costs Operational costs (hardware, software) Tangible benefits Intangibles o Organizational feasibility (if we build it, will they come?) Understand how well the goals of project align with the business objectives Conduct stakeholder analysis Stakeholder: a person, group, or organization that can affect a new system

Chapter 2. Project selection and management A critical success factor for project management is to start with a realistic assessment of the work and then manage the project according to the plan Project selection o Portfolio management Creating the project plan o Project management process Initiation Planning Execution Control Enclosure o Project methodology options Waterfall development Parallel development V-model Rapid application development: Iterative development System prototyping Throwaway prototyping Agile development A group of programming-centric methodologies that focus on streamlining the SDLC. Extreme programming: emphasizes customer satisfactions and teamwork o Process Select the appropriate development methodology Estimate the project time frame Develop the work plan Staffing the project o Staffing plan Staffing plan: kinds of people working on the project Project charter: describes the projects objectives and rules Functional lead: a group of analysts Technical lead: programmers and technical staff o Motivation Use monetary rewards cautiously Use intrinsic rewards o Handling conflict o Coordinating project activities CASE tools Managing and controlling the project o The science of project management is in making trade-offs among three important concepts: Size of the system Time to complete the project Cost of the project o Managing scope

Scope creep the most common reason for schedule and cost overruns occurs after the project is underway o Timeboxing Set a fixed deadline for a project Reduce functionality if necessary Dont get hung up on the final finishing touches o Managing risk Risk assessment Actions to reduce risk Revised assessment

Chapter 3. Requirements determination Analysis o Basic process Understand the existing situation Identify improvements Define the requirement for the new system o Final deliverable: system proposal Requirements determination o Requirement Functional What the software should do Non-functional Characteristics the system should have Requirements elicitation techniques o Interview Most commonly used Steps Selecting interviewees Designing interview questions Preparing for the interview Conducting the interview Post-interview follow-up o Joint application development (JAD) Can reduce scope creep by 50% JAD is a structure process in which 10 to 20 users meet under the direction of a facilitator skilled in JAD techniques JAD facilitator key functions: Keep session on track, following the agenda Help the group understand the technical terms and jargon Record groups input on a public display area o Questionnaires o Document analysis o Observation The act of watching processes being performed Requirements analysis strategies o Problem analysis Asking users to identify problems and solutions o Root cause analysis Focus on problems first rather than solutions o Duration analysis Require a detailed examination of amount of time it takes to perform each process in the as-is system o Activity-based costing Cost of each major process or step in a business process o Informal benchmarking Study how other organizations perform a business process o Outcome analysis

Understand fundamental outcomes that provide value to customers o Technology analysis o Activity elimination o Comparing analysis strategies

Chapter 4. Use case analysis Each use case describes how an external user triggers an event to which the system must respond

Chapter 5. Process modeling