SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND

DESIGN

Dr. Samali V. Mlay

 Topic 1 Learning Outcome
By the end of the lecture, students should be able to;
 Define components, classifications and examples of systems
 Define systems analysis and design
 Describe the responsibilities of a systems Analyst
 Detail the users of systems
 Detail participants in Information System Development
 Identify the need for developing a new I.S
 Differentiate between structural and Object oriented design
 Definition of a system
 The word system has its origin in Greek roots that means
“standing together”.

A system is a set of interrelated components working

together to achieve a common objective.

A system has some components and they are linked

together in some order (structure). Also a system has a
purpose for its existence, which is to achieve the goals
(objectives) that are set out for it.
 Components of a System
All systems comprise of Input, Processes and Output

Other components may include feedback, system

boundary, system environment.
Systems can be broken down into subsystems
Process
input Output
 Examples of systems
 Computer based systems  Religious systems
 Economic systems  Social systems
 Educational systems  Psychological systems
 Financial systems  Cultural systems
 Communications systems  Food distribution systems
 Environmental systems  Transportation systems
 Medical systems  Entertainment systems
 Corporate systems  Government systems
 Insurance systems
 Information Systems
The main purpose of information systems is to manage
data for a particular organization, maintaining files,
producing information and reports etc.

They can be grouped into formal (deals with the flow

of information from top to lower management),
informal (employee based), and computer based
information systems (depends on the use of
computers for managing business applications).
 Information Systems
A computer based business system involves six
interdependent elements. i.e. hardware (machines),
software, people (programmers, managers or users),
procedures, data, and information (processed data).

System analysis relies heavily upon computers to

solve problems. For these types of systems, an
analyst should have a sound understanding of
computer technologies.
 Examples of Information systems
 Executive Support Systems
 Management Information Systems
 Decision Support Systems
 Knowledge work systems
 Office Automation Systems
 Transaction Processing Systems
 Geographical Information Systems
 Expert systems
 Group support systems
 Artificial intelligence systems (robotics, learning systems, neural systems,
vision systems etc)
 etc
Applications of Information Systems
Reservation systems
Automated Teller Machines
Electronic Point of Sale
Supply Chain Management System
Customer Relationship Management Systems
Scheduling systems - electronic calendars
Communication system - E-Mail, voice mail,
groupware or videoconferencing.
Applications of Information Systems
Payroll system
Employee records system
Benefit systems
Career path systems
Personnel training systems
Engineering workstations
Investment workstations
Applications of Information Systems
Accounting system like Sun Systems (Vision Alert).
Inventory Monitoring systems/Inventory
Management Systems.
Order processing systems
Market Analysis systems
Pricing Analysis systems
Applications of Information Systems
Computer Aided Design (CAD) - product design
using computer graphics.
Virtual Reality - Interactive software that creates
photorealistic simulations of real world objects
(Virtual Reality Modeling Language: VRML)
Virtual Medical Diagnosis
Robotics
 Brief Introduction To Systems Analysis And
Design

The development of any information system can be

put into two major phases: analysis and Design.
During analysis phase the complete functioning of
the system is understood and requirements are
defined which leads to designing of a new system.
Hence the development process of a system is
also known as System Analysis and Design
process.
 System Analysis

Here emphasis is given to understanding the details

of an existing system or a proposed one and then
deciding whether the proposed system is desirable or
not and whether the existing system needs
improvements.
Thus, system analysis is the process of
investigating a system, identifying problems,
and using the information to recommend
improvements to the system.
 System Design

System design is the process of planning

a new business system or one to replace
or complement an existing system.
After the proposed system is analyzed and
designed, the actual implementation of the
system occurs. After implementation, working
system is available and it requires timely
maintenance.
 System analysis and design

Analysis specifies what the system

should do. Design states how to
accomplish the objective.

System Analysis and Design, mainly

deals with the software development
activities
 Role Of System Analyst
The system analyst is the person (or persons) who
guides through the development of an IS inline with
the goals of the organisation.
Most common responsibilities of System Analyst
are;
System analysis: It includes system's study in order
to get facts about business activities. It is about
getting information and determining requirements.
Here the responsibility includes only requirement
determination, not the design of the system.
 Role Of System Analyst
System design: Here the Analyst is responsible
for the designing of the new system/application.

Systems programming: Here Analyst is also

required to perform as a programmer, where he
actually writes the code to implement the design
of the proposed application.
 Skills of System Analysts
A system analyst needs to be multifaceted person with
varied skills required at various stages of the life cycle.
Other skills needed are;
 Business knowledge: he should be familiar with the
general functioning of the business.
 Interpersonal skills: for interacting with the users and
extracting the requirements out of them
 Problem solving skills: A system analyst should have
enough problem solving skills for defining the alternate
solutions to the system and also for the problems
occurring at the various stages of the development
process.
 Skills of System Analysts…
Working knowledge of IT – to be able to show end
users how the new technology will work
Computer programming knowledge –to be able to
link users to programmers
Communication skills – skilled in business writing,
technical writing, interviewing, presenting and
listening
Flexibility and Adaptability to various systems
Character and ethics
The Users of a System (System End
Users)
These are the people who use computers to perform their
jobs, like desktop operators.
Further, end users can be divided into various categories.
 Hands-on users. They actually interact with the system.
They are the people who feed in the input data and get
output data.
 Indirect end users who do not interact with the systems
hardware and software. However, these users benefit
from the results of these systems. These types of users
can be managers of organization using that system.
The Users of a System (System End
Users)
Those who have management responsibilities
for application systems. These oversee
investment in the development or use of the
system.
Senior managers. They are responsible for
evaluating organization's exposure to risk
from the systems failure.
 Participants in
Systems Development
Stakeholders
Individuals who ultimately benefit from the systems
development project, vendors and suppliers
Users
Individuals who interact with the system regularly
Owners /Sponsors/Top Management
Financers of the Project
Systems analyst and designer
A professional who specializes in analyzing and designing
business systems
 Participants in
Systems Development
Programmer
The individual responsible for modifying or developing
programs to satisfy user requirements

Technical Specialist
Experts in certain types of technology e.g. Telecom,
databases, who held create I.S.
Vendors
They provide/sell software and hardware to the
organisation.
The Systems Analyst

[Figure 12.1]
Why Initiate a Systems
Development Project?

[Figure 12.2]
 Information Systems Planning
 Translation of
strategic and
organizational goals
into systems
development
initiatives  [Figure 12.3]
 The Steps of IS Planning
 Strategic plan
 Develop objectives
 Identify IS projects
 Set priorities
 Analyze resource [Figure 12.4]
requirements
 Set schedules
 Develop planning
document
 Information Systems Planning

Developing a competitive advantage

requires creative and critical analysis.
Creative analysis
The investigation of new approaches to existing
problems
Critical analysis
Unbiased and careful questioning of whether system
elements are effective and efficient and whether new
relationships should be established
 Establishing Objectives for
Systems Development
The impact a system has on an
organization’s ability to meet its goals
determines the true value of that
system to the organization.
Mission critical systems
Systems that play a pivotal role in
continued operation and goal attainment
 Establishing Objectives for
Systems Development…
Performance objectives
Quality or usefulness of the output
Quality or usefulness of the format of the output
Speed at which output is generated
Cost objectives
Development costs
Costs related to the uniqueness of the system application
Fixed investments in hardware and related equipment
Ongoing operating costs of the system
 SAAD APPROACHES

Two design approaches are used

Structured/Procedural Design (the older but
most commonly used)
Object Oriented Design (Newer approach,
about only 35% of IS projects)
 Structured/Procedural Design
Structured design adopts a formal step-by-step
approach to the SDLC phases and activities.
At the completion of each activity or phase, a
document is produced that must be approved by
the stakeholders before moving to the next phase.
The center of the structured approach is the
process model that depicts the business processes
of a system
The main focus of this class (to cover more details)
 Object Oriented Design
OOD allows large-scale applications to be developed
in independent modules.
Object-oriented decomposition provides a method to
decompose a complex arrangement by the primary
objects apparent in the system
Once the objects are defined and the system
functionality is assigned, major components of the
software system are developed independently.
It is iterative and incremental using Unified
Modeling Languages (UML)
 Object Oriented Design…
Object-oriented analysis (OOA) strives to describe
what the system should do in terms of key objects in
the problem domain

Object oriented design (OOD) strives to describe

how the system will work using these objects.
 Difference between Structured Design
and OOD
 Structured design works when all requirements must be
determined before design can start (top-down approach),
while OOD may be changed.
 Structured design specifies all steps to be taken in a
program while OOD just specifies the solution
 Structured design is based on computer program structures
with separate program steps (processes) and data while
OOD combines the programs with data
 Structured design suggest developing software from scratch
while OOD suggests reusing existing code.