CT026-3-1-Systems Analysis and Design

PLANNING

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 Topic Learning Outcomes

• At the end of this topic, you should be able to:

1. Define problem statement
2. Describe the purpose of System Change Request
3. Explain the importance of preliminary investigation

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 Contents & Structure

• Problem Statement
• System Change Request
• Preliminary Investigation

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 Key terms you must be able to use

• If you have mastered this topic, you should be able to use the following terms
correctly in your assignments and exams:
 Planning
 System request

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 Recap From Last Lesson

How many phases in SDLC?

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 System Planning Phase

• Systems planning phase is the fundamental process of understanding why an

information system should be built and determine how the project team will
go about building it.
• The activities in the planning phase can be divided into two (2) major steps:
I. Project Initiation (Project Identification)
II. Preliminary Investigation (Feasibility Study)

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 Project Initiation

• Begins when someone in an organization identifies that there is a need to

improve an existing system or a new system is needed to improve business
operations.
• Most ideas come from outside the IT department such as marketing, accounting,
and etc., as a form of systems request.
• Project initiation can be divided into several sub-steps:
 System Request
 Reasons for System Request (new or enhancement)
 Sources of System Request

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 System Request

• Every organization has its own way of initiating a project, but most start with a
technique called systems request.
• A formal way of asking for assistance from the information systems department.
• Systems request documents the business reasons for building the system and the
value that the system is expected to provide.
• When the project is initiated, business users complete this form as part of the
system approval process within the organization.
• Might propose:
 enhancements for an existing system,
 the correction of problems
 the development of an entire new information system
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 Sample of System Request
SYSTEM REQUEST FORM
Date Department:
Submitted by: Location:
Title: Email:

REQUEST FOR: URGENCY

Correction of system issue Immediate attention required
 System enhancement Handle in normal priority sequence
 new system Defer until new system is developed

DESCRIPTION OF THE REQUEST

(ATTACH ADDITIONAL DOCUMENT IF NECESSARY)

To be completed by the IT department

 approved Assigned to IT contact person:
 modified (see attach notes) User:
 rejected (see attach notes) Urgency code: low high
Date: Action:

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 System Request

• Systems Request Forms

 Streamlines the request process
 Ensures consistency
 Easy to understand
 Includes clear instructions
 Indicates what supporting documents are needed
 Most companies use online system request forms that users submitted
electronically

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 System Requests

• Systems Review Committee

 Most large companies use a systems review committee to evaluate systems
request
 With a broader viewpoint, a committee can establish priorities more effectively
than an individual
 One person’s bias is less likely to affect the decisions
 Disadvantages:
o Action on requests must wait until the committee meets
o Members might favor projects requested by their own departments
o Internal political differences could delay important decisions

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 Reason for System Request

Figure 5-3: Five common reasons for systems request

Systems Analysis & Design (4th Edition) – Shelly Cashman Series

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 Reasons for system change request

Improve service
• Systems requests are often aimed at improving service to customers, suppliers, or
users within the company.
 Can check balance
 Can register online
Better performance
• The current system might not meet performance requirements.
 slow to respond to data inquiries
 unable to support company growth
 system becomes obsolete when new h/w is introduced

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 Reasons for system change request

More information
• The system might produce information that is insufficient, incomplete, or unable to
provide company’s changing information need.
 May not be able to analyze market trends
Stronger controls
• The system might need better security and support functionalities.
 Passwords / encryption
Reduced costs
 Expensive to operate & maintain old sys
 New system more cost effective & better support for long term objectives

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 Factors affecting System Request

Figure 5-4: Internal and external factors that affect IT systems projects
Systems Analysis & Design (4th Edition) – Shelly Cashman Series

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 Preliminary Investigation Overview

• A systems analyst conducts a preliminary investigation to study the systems

request and recommend specific action.
• The analyst gather facts about the problem or opportunity, project scope and
constraints, project benefits and estimated development time and cost.
• The end product of the preliminary investigation is a report to the management.

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 Problem Statement

• After understanding the project initiation, the system analyst have to defines the
problems and objectives of the system.
• These will form the foundation of determining what needs to be accomplished
by the system.
• A problem definition usually contains some sort of problem statement,
summarized in a paragraph or two.
• This is followed by a series of issues, or major, independent pieces of the
problem.
• Issues are the current situation.

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 Sample#1 Problem Statement

Library Management System

In our existing system all the transaction of books are done manually,
so taking more time for a transaction like borrowing a book or returning a
book and also for searching of members and books. Another major
disadvantage is that to preparing the list of the books borrowed and the
available books in the library will take more time, currently it is doing as a
one day process for verifying all records. So after conducting the
feasibility study we decided to make the manual Library management
system to be computerized.

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 Sample#2 Problem Statement

Hostel Management System

EXISTING SCENARIO:
- All the work is done manually. Different copies of the student information are
keep for different departments.
- Room is allotted according to the room requirements and other special facilities
demanded by the student.
- Room categorise: Single, Double, Air-Conditioned and Corner.
- Payment mode: Cash, Cheque and Draft.
- Hostel facilitates and charges and other information are all kept in a booklet.
- Student’s information, staff information, fee records, student check-in and
check-out, room status, staff’s salary all these information are kept in registers.
- All calculations relating to student’s fee, staff salary, fines and penalties, hostel
funds are done manually.

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 Project Objectives

• Problem Statement or issues are followed by a series of objectives, or goals that

match the issues point by point. Issues are the current situation; objectives are
the desired situation.
• The objectives may be very specific or worded using a general statement.
• At times the analyst may have to do a follow-up interview to obtain more precise
information about the objectives.

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 Defining Project Objectives

• After the objectives are stated, the relative importance of the issues or objectives
must be determined.
• The identification of the most critical objectives is best done by users (with the
support of analysts), because users are domain experts in their business area and
in how they work best with technologies in the organization.
• One technique is to ask the users to assign a weight for each issue or objective of
the first draft of the problem definition.
• The problem definition issues and objectives are re-sequenced in order of
decreasing importance.
• Each objective is used to create user requirement.

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 Defining Project Objectives
• Examples of Objectives:
 To provide a Web system for customers to obtain pricing information and place
orders.
 To create or purchase a human resources system with a scheduling
component.
 To provide Web access to their account and a means for them to update the
number of guests. Notify management of changes.
 To provide a means to determine overall quantities of supplies for events
occurring within a concurrent time frame.
 To provide a system for communicating changes to key personnel at event
facilities.
 To store all event data and make summary information available in a variety of
formats.
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 Summary

• The analyst first defines the problems and objectives of the system
• System Change Request is the starting point for modifying an information systems
• A systems analyst conducts a preliminary investigation to study the systems
request and recommend specific action.

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 Defining Project Scope

• Determining the project scope means defining the specific boundaries, or extent,
of the project. For example:
 Very general:-
o Payroll is not being produced accurately.
o The project scope is to modify the accounts receivable system.
 Very specific:-
o Overtime pay is not being calculated correctly for production workers on the
second shift at the Yorktown plant.
o The project scope is to allow customers to inquire online about account
balances and recent transactions.

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 Defining Project Scope

• Some analysts find it helpful to define project scope by creating a list with sections:
 Must Do
 Should Do
 Could Do
 Won’t Do
• Reviewed later, during the systems analysis phase, when the systems
requirements document is developed.
• Projects with very general scope definitions are at risk of expanding gradually –
project scope creep.
• Use a graphical model that shows the systems, people, and business processes
that will be affected.
• Boundaries of the preliminary investigation.
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 Defining Project Scope

• Along with defining the scope of the project, you need to identify any constraints
on the system - requirement or condition that the system must satisfy or an
outcome that the system must achieve.
• A constraint can involve hardware, software, time, policy, law, or cost. For
example:
 The system must operate with existing hardware, that is a constraint that affects
potential solutions.
 The order entry system must accept input from 15 remote sites.
 The human resources information system must produce statistics on hiring
practices.
 The new Web site must be operating by March 1.

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 Project Management Tools & Techniques

• GANTT Chart
 a horizontal bar chart that graphically displays the time relationships
between the different tasks in a project
 effective when seeking to communicate schedule

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 Gantt Chart

• Horizontal axis : Time and duration

• Vertical axis : Activities - arranged from top to bottom in the order of their start
date.
• Horizontal position : start and end of the activity.
• Length : Duration
• Darkened portion : part of the activity that has been completed
• “c” is marked when the activity is fully completed
• Gantt Chart : It does not indicate activity dependencies

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 Gantt Chart

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 Gantt Chart

• black bars – summary tasks – project phases

• red bars – tasks that are critical to the schedule – any extension to the duration
will delay other tasks
• blue bars – tasks that are not critical to the schedule – they have slack time –
delays will not affect other tasks & project as a whole
• red arrows – prerequisites between two critical tasks
• blue arrows – prerequisites between two non-critical tasks
• teal diamonds – milestones – signifies the end of some significant task /
deliverable

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 Gantt Chart

• WBS – Work breakdown structure

 The process of dividing the project into manageable tasks and logically ordering
them to ensure a smooth transition between tasks
 hierarchical decomposition of project into phases, activities & tasks

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 Gantt Chart

• Decomposition is as follows :
1 Phase 1 of the project
1.1 Activity 1 of Phase 1
1.1.1 Task 1 of Activity 1 in Phase 1
1.1.2 Task 2 of Activity 1 in Phase 1
1.2 Activity 2 of Phase 1 ...
2 Phase 2 of the project ...

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 Project Management Software - MsProject

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 Keys to project success

• Successful systems must :

 Satisfy business requirements
 Meet users’ needs
 Stay within budget
 Be completed on time

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 Some reasons for project failure

• Unclear requirements, targets, or scope

• Shortcuts or sloppy work
• Poor design choices
• Insufficient testing or test procedures
• Lack of software change control
• Changes in culture, funding or objectives
• Unrealistic cost estimates
• Poor monitoring and control of progress
• Inadequate reaction to early signs of problems
• Failure to recognize activity independencies
• Personality conflicts and employee turnover

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 Preliminary Investigation Overview

• A systems analyst conducts a preliminary investigation to study the systems

request and recommend specific action
• The analyst gather facts about the problem or opportunity, project scope and
constraints, project benefits and estimated development time and cost
• The end product of the preliminary investigation is a report to the management

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 Preliminary Investigation Overview

• Interaction with Managers and Users

 Meet with key managers, users, and IT staff to describe the project, explain
responsibilities, answer questions, and invite comments
 Focus on improvements and enhancements, not problems

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 Preliminary Investigation Overview

• One or more systems analyst investigate a systems request to determine the true
nature and scope of the problem and recommend whether it is worthwhile to
continue the project
• purpose :
 gather enough information to determine if the information or problems specified
in the systems request warrant
• conducting subsequent phases of the SDLC

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 Preliminary Investigation Activities

• Present Results and Recommendations to Management

 Typical Report Includes:
o Introduction
o Systems Request Summary
o Findings
o Case for Action
o Project Roles
o Time and Costs Estimates
o Expected Benefits
o Appendix

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 Preliminary Investigation Report

Figure 5-11: Sample of a Preliminary Investigation Report

Systems Analysis & Design (4th Edition) – Shelly Cashman Series

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 References

Essential Reading
• J.W. Satzinger, R.B. Jackson, S.D. Burd (2016), Systems Analysis and Design in a
Changing World 7th Edition, Cengage Learning; ISBN: 1305117204
• J.A. Hoffer, J. George, J.S. Valacich (2014), Modern Systems Analysis and Design
7th Edition, Pearson; ISBN: 0132991306
Further Reading
• H.J. Rosenblatt (2014), Systems Analysis and Design 10th Edition, Course
Technology; ISBN: 12851713349
• K.E. Kendall, J.E. Kendall (2014), Systems Analysis and Design 9 th Edition,
Pearson; ISBN: 0133023443

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 Review Questions

• What is system request?

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 Summary

• Preliminary Investigation Report

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 What To Expect Next Week

In Class Preparation for Class

• Feasibility Study • Download the slide and study for
the next chapter.

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