System Analysis and Design

BADM 3093

August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 1

 System Analysis and Design Course Outline

 Chapter One: SYSTEM: AN OVERVIEW:- (Week 1 and

half of week 2)
1.1. System Analysis and Design
1.2. System and its Components
1.3. System Concepts
1.4. Fundamentals of Information Systems
1.5. Types of Information System Overviews (DSS,
MIS, ES TPS)
1.6. System and System Analyst- A key resource

August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 2

Chapter Two: INFORMATION SYSTEMS
DEVELOPMENT PROJECT (Half of week 2 and week 3)

2.1. Managing Information System Project

2.2. Information Systems Project Phase
2.3. Representing and Scheduling Project
plans
2.4. Using Commercial project Management
Software

August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 3

Chapter Three:- THE SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT
LIFE CYCLE (Week 4 & 5)
3.1. The Traditional SDLC
3.2. The Generic System Development
Model
3.3. Approaches to System Analysis and
Design
3.4. Approach to System Development
3.5. Software Engineering Process

August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 4

 Chapter Four: - SYSTEM SELECTION AND
PLANNING (Week 6 & 7)
4.1. Identifying and Selecting Projects
4.2. Initiating and Planning System Development
Project
4.3. Assessing Project Feasibility
4.4. Building the Baseline Project Plan
4.5. Electronic Commerce Application: System
Planning and Selection

August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 5

Chapter Five:- SYSTEM ANALYSIS (Week 8, 9, 10 , 11 and
12)
5.1. Determining System Requirement
5.1.1 Traditional Methods for
Determining requirements
5.1.2 Modern Methods for Determining
Requirements
5.2. Structuring System Requirements
5.2.1 Process modeling
5.2.2 Logic modeling
5.2.3 Conceptual Data Modeling
1.3. Selecting the Best design Strategy
August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 6
 Chapter Six :- DESIGN OF NEW SYSTEMS
(Week 13 & 14)
6.1. System design, overview
6.2. System design areas:-
• Output design
• Input design
• General control principles
• System controls

August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 7

Chapter Seven - SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION
(Week 15)
7.1 Stages of implementation
7.2 Hardware installation
7.3 System testing
7.4 Training techniques
7.5 Implementation strategy
7.6 System Maintenance
7.7 System standard and
documentation
August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 8
 ACTIVITIES POINTS
1. Quizzes (2 Quizzes each for 10 points)
:- 20%
2. Assignments
( 2 term paper , presentation and
Attendance) :- 30%
3. Final Exam :- 50 %

Total Points :- 100 %

August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 9

 Chapter One: SYSTEM: AN OVERVIEW What
is System analysis?
System analysis is the application of the
system approach to the study and solution of
problems using computer based systems.
System analysis and design for information
systems were founded in general systems
theory.
The general systems theory is concerned with
developing a systematic, theoretical frame
work up on which to make decisions.
August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 10
 Continued…
The general systems theory encourages
consideration of all the activities of the
organization and its external environment.

Thus, a system is the way of thinking about

organizations and their problems. It also
involves a set of techniques that helps in
solving problems.

August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 11

 Definitions
Defn 1
 The term system is derived from Greek word
systema, which means an organized relation ship
among functioning units or components.
 A system exists because it is designed to achieve
one or more objectives.
 The most common treads suggest that a system is
an orderly grouping of interdependent components
linked together by a plan to achieve a specific goal.

August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 12

 Definitions
 The word components may refer to:
Physical parts
Managerial steps: planning ,organizing ,directing and
controlling
Or a subsystems in a multilevel structure
 But a component is a part of a total system and
has to do its share of work for the system to
achieve the intended goal.
 This requires an orderly grouping of the
components for design of a successful system.
August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 13
 Definitions
The study of system concept then has three
basic implications:
A system must be designed to achieve a
predetermined objective.
Interrelation ship and inter dependence must
exist among the components.
The objectives of the organization as a whole have
a priority than the objective of its subcomponents.

August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 14

 Definitions
Defn 2
 Any organized assembly of resources and procedures
united and regulated by interaction or interdependence to
accomplish a set of specific functions.
Defn 3
 A combination of two or more interrelated equipment
(sets) arranged in a functional package to perform an
operational function or to satisfy a requirement.
Defn 4
 A collection of personnel, equipment, and methods
organized to accomplish a set of specific functions.
August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 15
 Characteristic of a system
1. Organization: organization implies structure
and order. It is the arrangement of
components that helps to achieve objectives.

2. Interaction: refers to the manner in which

each components function with other
components of the system.

August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 16

 continued
3. Interdependence: means that parts of the
organization or computer system depend on
the another . They are coordinated and
linked together according to plan. One
subsystem depends on the output of another
subsystem for proper functioning. That is the
output of one of the subsystem is required as
an input for another subsystem. This
interdependence is crucial in system work.

August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 17

 continued
4. Integration: refers to the holism of systems.
Synthesis follows analysis to achieve the
central objective of the organization.
Integration is concerned with how the system
is tied together. It means that parts of the
system work together within the system even
though each part performs a unique
function.

August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 18

 continued
5. Central objectives: objectives may be real or
stated. Although a stated objective may be
the real objective, it is not uncommon for an
organization to state one objective and to
operate to achieve another. The important
point is that users must know the central
objective of a computer application early in
the analysis for successful design and
conversion.
August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 19
In short all systems have the following general
characteristics:

 All systems have structure or organization.

 All systems function in some way.
 Function implies the flow and transfer of material (mass) or
energy.
 Function requires the presence of some driving force, or
source of energy.
 All systems show some degree of integration (components
act together to form an integral whole)
 Changes in the value of one variable or reservoir are
"sensed" throughout the system, resulting in regulation of
variables.
August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 20
 Elements of a system
System analyst operates in a dynamic
environment where change is a way of life. The
environment may be a business firm, a business
application or a computer system.

To reconstruct a system, the following key

elements must be considered:

August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 21

1. Outputs and inputs: a major objective of a system is
to produce an out put that has value to its user.
• What ever the nature of the out put (goods, services,
or information), it must be in line with the expectation
of the intended user.
• Inputs are the elements (materials, human resource,
and information) that enter the system for processing.
• Outputs are the out come of processing. It is
important to point out here that determining the out
put is a first step in specifying the nature, amount and
regularity of the input needed to operate a system.

August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 22

2. Processor(s): the processor is the element of
a system that involves the actual
transformation of input in to output.
• It is the operational component of a system.
Processors may modify the input totally or
partially depending on the specification of the
out put.
• This means that as the out put specification
changes, so does the processing. Input is also
modified to enable the processor to handle
the transformation.
August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 23
3. Control: the control element guides the system.
It is the decision making subsystem that controls
the problem of activities governing input,
processing and out put.
4. Feed back: control in dynamic system is achieved
by feed back. Feed back measure out put against
a standard in some form of cybernetic procedure
that includes communication and control.
 There are two types of feedback positive and
negative. Positive feed back reinforces the
performance of the system. The negative feed back
provides the controller with information for action.

August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 24

• Simply Feedback can be explained as:
– It is a control mechanism in open systems
– Feedback involves measuring the output of the system,
comparing the output with a standard and using any
difference to modify subsequent input to ensure that
the output conforms to the required standard
• Any deviation of the output away from the
required standard is detected, enabling
modification to be made for future processing
• This is called Negative Feedback
– i.e., the 'negative' (inverse) of any difference between
actual & required output is feed back in as input

August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 25

5. Environment: the environment is the “supra
system” within which an organization
operates. It is the source of external
elements that impinge on the system. In fact,
it often determines how a system must
function.
6. Boundaries and interfaces: a system should
be defined by its boundaries: - the limits that
identify its components, processes, and
interrelation ships when it interfaces with
other system.
August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 26
 Other views on Elements of a System

August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 27

  Environment - Systems exist within an environment that is
external to them -this gives rise to another characteristic...
 Boundary - between the system and its environment. The
boundary "defines" the system
 Emergence - the system has properties that the parts haven't (an
aeroplane can fly, but the individual parts can't)
 Parts - (Sub-systems, sub-sub-systems), which are themselves
systems
 Processes - things go on inside the system that ensure that it
fulfills its purpose and survives
 Input & Output - things enter the system from the environment
and enter the environment from the system
 Internal Functional Areas - the different parts of the system
perform different activities
 Stability - systems persist over a period of time.
August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 28
 Types of Systems
• Systems have been classified in different ways.
Common classifications are:
Physical or abstract systems
open or closed systems
“man made “ information systems

August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 29

 Physical or Abstract systems
• Physical systems are tangible entities that may be
static (offices, desks, chairs etc…) or dynamic
(data, programs, output, application change etc…)
in operation.
• Abstract systems are conceptual or non physical
entities. They may be as straight forward formulas
of relationship among set of variables or models:
in simple words abstract systems are the abstract
conceptualization of physical situations.

August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 30

 Open or closed system
This classification is based on the degree of
interdependence .
Open system has many interfaces with its
environment. It permits interaction across its
boundary. It receives inputs from and delivers out
put to the out side.
A closed system however is isolated from
environmental influences. In reality, a completely
closed system is rare. Open dynamic systems
influenced by their environment.
August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 31
 Characteristics of open system
• Input from out side: open systems are self adjusting and self regulating.
When functioning properly, an open system reaches a steady state or
equilibrium by taking required amount and type of inputs from the
environment.
• Entropy: all dynamic systems tend to run down over time, resulting entropy
or loss of energy. Open systems resist entropy by seeking new inputs or
modifying the process to return to steady state.
• Process, out put and cycle: open systems produce useful output and
operate in cycles, following a continuous flow path.
• Differentiation: open systems have a tendency toward an increasing
specialization of functions and a greater differentiation of their components
• Equifinality: the term implies that goals are achieved through differing
courses of actions and a variety of paths. In most systems, there is more of
a consensus on path to reach the goals.

August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 32

Summary
 A system is an entity
A system has components
A system is goal oriented
A system comprises input / out put /
processing
A system increases entropy
A system exhibits equifinality
A system maintains steady state

August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 33

 “Man made” information systems
 Ideally, information reduces uncertainty about a state or event.
This vital tool should be organized in forms of information systems.
 Information system is designed for a purpose and work to
accommodate data flow, communication, decision making, control,
and effectiveness.
 An information system is the basis for interaction between the user
and the analyst. It provides interactions, commands and feed back.
It determines the nature of the relation ships among decision
makers.
 An information system may be defined as the set of devices,
procedures and operating system designed around user based
criteria to produce information and communicating it to the user
for planning, control and performance.
August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 34
Information system is:
1. A system, whether automated or manual, that comprises
people, machines, and/or methods organized to collect, process,
transmit, and disseminate data that represent user information.
2. Any telecommunications and/or computer related equipment
or interconnected system or subsystems of equipment that is
used in the acquisition, storage, manipulation, management,
movement, control, display, switching, interchange, transmission
, or reception of voice and/or data, and includes software,
firmware, and hardware

3. The entire infrastructure, organization, personnel, and

components for the collection, processing, storage, transmission,
display, dissemination, and disposition of information.

August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 35

 Major information systems
• Formal information systems
• Informal information systems
• Computer based information systems

August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 36

 Formal information systems
• Formal information system is based on the
organizational chart. The chart is a map of
positions and their authority relation ship,
indicated by boxes and connected by straight
lines.
• It is concerned with the pattern of authority
communication and work flow. Information is
formally disseminated in instructions, memos
and reports. This structure also allows feed
back up the chain of command for follow up.
August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 37
 Categories of information
There are three categories of information related to managerial levels
and the decision makers:
 Strategic information: which relates to the long term planning policies
that are direct interest of the upper management. Strategic
information can be achieved by the aid of decision support system
(DDS).
 Managerial information: is of direct use of middle management and
department heads for implementation and control. Managerial
information is of use in short and intermediate range planning that is
in months rather than years. This type of information can be achieved
with the aid of Management information system.
 Operational information is a short term, daily information used to
operate departments and enforce the day to day rules and regulations
of the business. Operational information mainly achieved by data
processing system.
August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 38
 In Formal information systems

In formal information system is an employee

based system designed to meet personal and
vocational needs and to help solve work
related problems

August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 39

 Computer Based Information systems
For most businesses, there are a variety of
requirements for information.
Senior managers need information to help with
their business planning.
Middle management needs more detailed
information to help them monitor and control
business activities.
 Employees with operational roles need
information to help them carry out their duties.
August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 40
As a result, businesses tend to have several "information
systems" operating at the same time. This revision note
highlights the main categories of information system and
provides some examples to help you distinguish between
them.
1. An Executive Support System ("ESS") is designed to help
senior management make strategic decisions. It gathers
analyses and summarizes the key internal and external
information used in the business.
A good way to think about an ESS is to imagine the senior
management team in an aircraft cockpit - with the instrument
panel showing them the status of all the key business
activities. ESS typically involves lots of data analysis and
modeling tools such as "what-if" analysis to help strategic
decision-making.
August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 41
2. A management information system ("MIS") is
mainly concerned with internal sources of
information.
MIS usually take data from the transaction
processing systems (see below) and summaries
it into a series of management reports.
MIS reports tend to be used by middle
management and operational supervisors.

August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 42

[Link]-support systems ("DSS") are
specifically designed to help management make
decisions in situations where there is
uncertainty about the possible outcomes of
those decisions.
DSS comprise tools and techniques to help
gather relevant information and analyze the
options and alternatives. DSS often involves use
of complex spreadsheet and databases to create
"what-if" models.

August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 43

4. Knowledge Management Systems ("KMS")
exist to help businesses create and share
information.
These are typically used in a business where
employees create new knowledge and expertise
- which can then be shared by other people in
the organization to create further commercial
opportunities.
Good examples include firms of lawyers,
accountants and management consultants

August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 44

[Link] the name implies, Transaction Processing
Systems ("TPS") are designed to process routine
transactions efficiently and accurately. A
business will have several (sometimes many)
TPS; for example:
• Billing systems to send invoices to customers
• Systems to calculate the weekly and monthly
payroll and tax payments
• Production and purchasing systems to
calculate raw material requirements
• Stock control systems to process all
movements into, within and out of the
August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 45
[Link] Automation Systems are systems that
try to improve the productivity of employees
who need to process data and information.
Perhaps the best example is the wide range of
software systems that exist to improve the
productivity of employees working in an office
(e.g. Microsoft Office 2010) or systems that
allow employees to work from home or whilst
on the move

August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 46

 What is system analyst?

• A systems analyst is a technology employee

who analyzes, maintains, improves and
designs information systems for an
organization.
• They may have further specializations such as
business, software, data and applications they
can develop to improve and maintain the
systems they create.

August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 47

 What does it take to do system analysis?
Skills of system analyst
[Link] personal skills
Interpersonal skills deal with relation ship and interface of the
analyst with people in business. They are important to
establish trust, resolving conflict, and communicating
information. The interpersonal skills relevant to systems work
include the following:
• Communication
• Understanding
• Teaching
• Selling
August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 48
2. Technical skills
Technical skills focus on procedures and techniques
for operation analysis, systems analysis and
computer science. Technical skills include:
• Creativity
• Problem solving
• Project management
• Questioning attitude and inquiring mind
(Knowing the what, when, why, where, who and
how a system works).
• Knowledge of the basics of the computer and
business functions
August 4, 2025 American College of Technology 49