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System Analysis

Faculty Name: Anil Kumar Mahto

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PLANNING AND INITIAL INVESTIGATION

INFORMATION GATHERING TOOLS OF STRUCTURED ANALYSIS FEASIBILITY STUDYCOST BENEFIT ANALYSIS

Faculty Name: Anil Kumar Mahto

What is Systems Analysis?

•The collection of notations, methodologies and tools used to gather details and analyze a problem situation prior to information system design and implementation•Systems analysis (or, requirements analysis) must ensure that the proposed information system meets user needs, can be delivered on time, and can be updated inexpensively.

What is a systems analyst?

Responsible for designing and developing information system

Liaison between users and IT professionals

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SYSTEM PLANNING AND INITIAL INVESTIGATION

Faculty Name: Anil Kumar Mahto

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SYSTEM PLANNING AND INITIAL INVESTIGATION

The most critical phase of managing system is planning.

To launch a system investigation, we need a master plan detailing the steps to be taken, the people to be questioned, and the expected outcome.

The initial investigation has the objective of determining whether the user’s request has potential merit.

Faculty Name: Anil Kumar Mahto

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By the end of this chapter, we should know-1. Why planning is important in system

analysis.2. What planning dimension govern

information system development.3. How to determine the user’s information

requirements.4. How prototyping is used in determining

information requirement.5. What factors determining the need for a

feasibility study.

Faculty Name: Anil Kumar Mahto

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Bases for planning in system analysis Information is now recognized as a vital resource

and must be managed. Financial resources are committed to information

system. As computer systems are becoming integral to business operation, top management is paying more attention to their development.

Information systems are complex, require months or years to build, use common data bases.

The objective are to map out the development of major systems and reduce the number of small, isolated system to be developed and maintained.

Faculty Name: Anil Kumar Mahto

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Dimensions of planningHigh interest rates make it more important

that business realizes a good return on investment.

Inflation puts pressure on profit when it occurs.

Resource shortage impede expansion.Increased productivity paves the way for

expansion. The growing trend towards guaranteed

employment suggest that costs are becoming fixed and the commitment to business expansion may not be easily changed.

Faculty Name: Anil Kumar Mahto

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User’s request form to be filled by user.

1. Title of work2. Date submission of request3. Date of completion4. Job Objectives5. Expected Benefits6. I/O description7. Signature of requester8. Signature of approving authority

Faculty Name: Anil Kumar Mahto

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Initial investigationThe 1st step in SDLC is the identification of a need.This is a user’s request to change, improve, or

enhance an existing system.There is likely to be a stream of such requests,

standard procedures must be established to deal with them.

The Initial investigation is one way of handling this.

The objective is to determine whether the request is valid and feasible before a recommendation is reached to do nothing, improve or modify the existing system or build a new one.

Faculty Name: Anil Kumar Mahto

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Initial Investigation process1. Problem Definition and project

Initiation: • Determining users’

information requirement.2. Background Analysis3. Fact Finding4. Fact Analysis5. Determination of feasibility.

Faculty Name: Anil Kumar Mahto

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Problem Definition and Project InitiationThe 1st step in an initial investigation is to

define the problem that led to the user request.

The problem must be stated clearly, understood, and agreed upon by the user and the analyst.

It must state the objective the user trying to achieve and the result the user wants to see.

Faculty Name: Anil Kumar Mahto

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Emphasis should be on the logical requirement (what must be the result) of the problem rather than the physical requirements.

For example, in the user request form, a job objective is improved customer service (logical objective). How the objective should be achieved is physical requirement.

Faculty Name: Anil Kumar Mahto

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Components of Problem Definition

Describe System: What is the function of the system? Output/Input descriptions -- constraints:

Dimensions, weight. Environment -- weather, temperature, moisture. Skills, ability. People -- what particular types? Systems -- higher and lower level system goals,

interfaces Flows -- how do pieces fit together, what

activities are there and how are they related? Components -- what are the parts and what is

their purpose?

Faculty Name: Anil Kumar Mahto

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Goals: What are critical factors,

characteristics of an ideal system? What is the goal of your design? How do you measure performance of

the system? What is wrong with the current

system? In relation to your goals? Economics -- costs, value, prices,

cash flow

Faculty Name: Anil Kumar Mahto

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Background AnalysisOnce the project initiated, the

analyst begins to learn about the setting of the existing system and the physical processes for the revised system.

Faculty Name: Anil Kumar Mahto

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Fact-FindingAfter obtaining this background

knowledge, the analyst begins to collect data on the existing system's output, input, and cost.

Review of written documentsOn site Observations Interviews and questionnaires

Faculty Name: Anil Kumar Mahto

Faculty Name: Dr. Ravi Rastogi 19

Fact Analysis I/O Analysis DFDs Decision tables Structure chart

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Determination of feasibilityAfter summarizing the data, the

analyst has a through knowledge of the system. The following information should be available-

1. Interview Record2. Updated system documentation3. Flowchart4. Specification of the good and bad features

of the current system.

Faculty Name: Anil Kumar Mahto