BIS 8213: Advanced Systems Analysis & Design

COURSE DESCRIPTION

GRADING COMPOSITION

This is a graduate course for students to learn

about the information systems development
processes used in business and government. The
course covers managerial and technical topics
related to managing systems development
projects (whether completed internally or
outsourced to other firms). The traditional
systems development life cycle (SDLC) is
covered, as are alternatives such as rapid
prototyping and agile development techniques,
such as RAD and XP.
A major focus of this course will be IT project
management, including organizational problem
solving, user issues (training, support, etc.),
feasibility analysis, licensing and other legal
issues, and outsourcing and technology partner
relationships.

Students are evaluated on their ability to learn

and apply the material, as measured by their
performance on objective and subjective
examinations, class participation, and grades
received on various projects. If you ever have
any questions about your grade or grading
policies, please contact me any time.
Course Component
Weight
Exam #1
12%
Exam #2
12%
Exam #3
12%
Exam #4
12%
Assignments & Individual Work*
26%
Team Course Project
26%
* Assignments and Individual Work includes
online and in-class quizzes and exercises,
homework, individual assignments, discussion
participation, quality blog contributions, video
submissions, website reports, and technology
reports. Some of these components will be
graded and returned, others will be graded but
not returned, and others may not be graded.

PREREQUISITES
If you have not taken any programming courses
or BIS 8112 (or equivalent), you must have my
permission to take this course.

THE PROFESSOR

Grading Criteria
90% to 100%
80% up to 90%
70% up to 80%
60% up to 70%
Below 60%

Name: Dr. Merrill Warkentin (aka Dr. W.)

Office: 302Q McCool Hall
Hours: Wed/Thur 10-11am & by appointment
Note that I can be found in my office most days,
not just during office hours. I am willing to
meet with you almost anytime just email me.
Email: m.warkentin@msstate.edu
Phone: (662) 325-1955
Twitter: _DrW_

Grade
A
B
C
D
F

CLASS PARTICIPATION

Dennis, Alan, Barbara Wixom, and Roberta

Roth. Systems Analysis and Design (4e), Wiley.
(ISBN 978-0-470-22854-8)

All students (Starkville campus students and

those in the Distance sections) will participate in
online discussions. In addition, Starkville
campus students will participate in classroom
discussions. Discussion participation will be
assessed as part of your overall individual
work component. I will call on you to
contribute individually.

You will also need a computer headset (USB or

plugs) or a separate camera and microphone.
The one built into laptops generally produces
poorer quality sound, so I recommend picking
up an inexpensive headset with earphones and
microphone.

I will electronically communicate with Starkville

campus students and Distance students via both
mycourses and email (please check both
frequently). Important announcements made in
class (Tuesdays) and in mycourses.

REQUIRED TEXTBOOK

BIS 8213 Syllabus

COMMUNICATION MEDIA

Page 1

Fall 2011

BIS 8213: Advanced Systems Analysis & Design

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

TEAM COURSE PROJECT

Please read and understand the MSU Honor

Code, found at
http://students.msstate.edu/honorcode/
As a Mississippi State University student I will
conduct myself with honor and integrity at all
times. I will not lie, cheat, or steal, nor will I
accept the actions of those who do.

COURSE POLICIES
1. Professionals (and graduate students) must
manage their schedules and responsibilities so
that they do not miss assignments, exams, or
projects. In this class, no late, early, or
"make-up" exams are given. Assignments are
not accepted late. Distance students have
more flexibility in scheduling their work and
contributions to the class, but deadlines must
be met unless there are documented medical
emergencies. Plan ahead!
2. All cheating (including plagiarism) is
unethical, unprofessional, and will be
punished with maximum force. It is your
responsibility to understand the Academic
Code of Conduct.
3. Professionalism is expected from all faculty
and students at Mississippi State University.
Starkville campus students: Respect your
classmates with respect to issues such as
talking, eating, cellphones, etc. Thank you.
4. If you need academic accommodations based
on a disability, contact the office of Student
Support Services in Room 01 Montgomery
Hall. 325-3335, jberry@saffairs.msstate.edu.

EXAMS
Exams will cover announced chapters and other
announced topics. There are NO MAKE-UPS
ALLOWED. Review the Review Questions
after each chapter to prepare, and read over your
notes. Questions are taken from the book,
additional readings, assigned webpages, and
from the lecture material. Strategies for success
will be discussed in class.
For Starkville campus and Distance students,
exams are open-book and open-notes, but no
other materials or aids can be used. Exams are
limited to 60 minutes, so you must be prepared.
Students will select a 60-minute interval during
the exam availability window to take the exam.
BIS 8213 Syllabus

Page 2

Students will engage in projects to develop a

logical system design for a real or hypothetical
business process or processes. Written analysis
of the system, its elements, relationships, and
problems will be followed by a logical design of
the proposed system, including data flow
diagrams, Use Case Models, ER diagrams,
decision tables, decision trees, pseudocode,
structured English, data dictionaries, screen
designs, form designs, and/or report designs.
The team will establish a project plan, using a
Gantt chart or PERT diagram. The team will
also develop an implementation plan, security
plan, and maintenance plan for their system.
Various milestones will be due throughout the
course.
Teams of both Starkville campus students and
Distance students will be formed, and will
complete the project work using virtual
collaboration tools discussed in class. Clear
project coordination for virtual work must be
established and observed.
Project milestone reports and diagrams will be
due throughout the semester, and will constitute
a portion of the teams grade for the project. In
addition to the materials submitted during the
semester and at the end, the formal presentation
and systems demonstration at the end of the
course is a key element of the shared portion of
each student's project grade. So practice and
polish your presentation! Each team will
professionally present its design to the class on
the last night. Distance students are encouraged
to come to McCool and participate in this
presentation if they can.
Many more details will be provided in class
pay attention to my instructions later. Further
details about the project can be found in a
separate document, and will also be discussed in
class in detail. I will also give you important
guidance on presentation content and form later
in the semester.

Fall 2011

Systems Analysis & Design

WEEKLY SCHEDULE FALL 2011

Week / Date

Chapter

1/ Aug 23
1
2
3

2/ Aug 30

3/ Sept 6
4/ Sept 13
4
5
6

5/ Sept 20
6/ Sept 27
7/ Oct 4
ONLINE
8/ Oct 11

7-8
readings
9

9/ Oct 18

10
11

10/ Oct 25
11/ Nov 1

12

12/ Nov 8

13

13/ Nov 15

readings

14/ Nov 22
15/ Nov 29
16/ Dec 6

BIS 8213 Syllabus

Topic
Overview of MIS and SDLC, Systems Analysis Context
PLANNING PHASE: Project Selection & Management, Feasibility Analysis
Project Selection & Management, staffing, Gantt Charts, PERT Charts
ANALYSIS PHASE: System/Information Requirements Analysis (RA)
Interviews and User Surveys, Observation of Business Processes
Document Review, Forms Review, I/O Analysis
Exam #1 (Chapters 1-3) Planning and Requirements Analysis
Discuss Major Course Project, Form Teams
ANALYSIS PHASE (continued)
Business System Interaction Modeling with Use Case Analysis (UCA)
Business Process Modeling with Data Flow Diagramming (DFD)
ANALYSIS PHASE (continued)
Data Modeling with Entity-Relationship Diagramming (ERD)
Exam #2: (Chap 4-6) Business Process Modeling & Data Modeling
Major Course Milestone Due: Project Plan, PERT, DFD, ERD
DESIGN PHASE:
Turning information requirements into system specifications (top-down)
System Acquisition Strategies, Architecture Design (platform, network)
DESIGN PHASE: (continued): User Interface Design, navigation
Input Screens, Paper forms, Reports, I/O technologies
DESIGN PHASE: (continued): Program Design, Pseudocode
Data Storage Design Physical Data Models
Exam #3: (Chapters 7-11) - System Design Activities
Major Course Project Milestone Due Draft Presentation, all diagrams, PPT
IMPLEMENTATION PHASE: Managing programming,
System and Application Testing, Documentation, Prototyping
IMPLEMENTATION PHASE: (continued):
User Training, Migration, Conversion, Support, Maintenance
Systems Development Failures and Risk, Outsourcing Development,
Software Licensing, Management Issues, Vendor Relations Management
Designing for IS Security, System Maintenance
Fall Break (Thanksgiving Break) no class
Team Course Project Presentations (Mandatory Attendance)
Exam #4: (Chap 12-13 + readings) Implementation & Security

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Fall 2011