Approaches to System Development

• Systems development life cycle (SDLC)

Provides overall framework for managing system development process

• Two main approaches to SDLC

Traditional approach: structured systems development and information engineering
Object-oriented approach: object technologies requires different approach to analysis, design, and programming

• All projects use some variation of SDLC

Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

Systems development project
Planned undertaking with fixed beginning and end
Produces desired result or product
Can be a large job of thousands of hours of effort or a small one month project


Successful development project:
Provides a detailed plan to follow
Organized, methodical sequence of tasks and activities
Produces reliable, robust, and efficient system


Phases of the Systems Development Lifecycle (SDLC)

• Project planning: initiate, ensure feasibility, plan schedule, obtain approval for project
• Analysis: understand business needs and processing requirements
• Design: define solution system based on requirements and analysis decisions
• Implementation: construction, testing, user training, and installation of new system
• Support: keep system running and improve

Information System Development Phases



SDLC and problem-solving

Similar to problem-solving approach

• Organization recognizes problem (Project Planning)
• Project team investigates, understands problem and solution requirements (Analysis)
• Solution is specified in detail (Design)
• System that solves problem built and installed (Implementation)
• System used, maintained, and enhanced to continue to provide intended benefits (Support)

Planning Phase of SDLC

• Define business problem and scope
• Produce detailed project schedule
• Confirm project feasibility :Economic, organizational, technical, resource, and schedule
• Staff the project (resource management)
• Launch project official anno

Analysis Phase of SDLC

• Gather information to learn problem domain
• Define system requirements
• Build prototypes for discovery of requirements
• Prioritize requirements
• Generate and evaluate alternatives
• Review recommendations with management

Design Phase of SDLC

• Design and integrate the network
• Design the application architecture
• Design the user interfaces
• Design the system interfaces
• Design and integrate the database
• Prototype for design details
• Design and integrate system controls

Implementation Phase of SDLC

• Construct software components
• Verify and test
• Convert data
• Train users and document the system
• Install the system

Support Phase of SDLC

• Maintain system: Small patches, repairs, and updates
• Enhance system: Small upgrades or enhancements to expand system capabilitiesLarger enhancements may require separate development project
• Support users: Help desk and/or support team

Required Skills of the Systems Analyst

An analyst should have fundamental technology knowledge of:

• Computers / peripheral devices (hardware)
• Communication networks and connectivity
• Database and database management systems (DBMS)
• Programming languages (for example: VB.NET or Java)
• Operating systems and utilities

Technical Knowledge and Skills

Analyst uses tools:

• Software productivity packages (MS Office)
• Integrated development environments (IDEs) for programming languages
• CASE tools / coding, testing, and documentation support packages

Analyst understands SDLC phase techniques:

• Project planning
• Systems analysis, systems design
• Construction, implementation, systems support

Business Knowledge and Skills

Analyst must understand:

• Business functions performed by organization
• Organizational structure
• Organization management techniques
• Functional work processes

Systems analysts typically study business administration in college


People Knowledge and Skills

Systems analysts need to understand how people:

• Think
• Learn
• React to change
• Communicate
• Work (in a variety of jobs and levels)

Interpersonal and communication skills are crucial to:

• Obtaining information
• Motivating people
• Getting cooperation
• Understanding the complexity and workings of an organization in order to provide necessary support

Integrity and Ethics

Analyst has access to confidential information such as salary, an organization’s planned projects, security systems, etc.

• Must keep information private
• Any impropriety can ruin an analyst’s career
• Analyst plans security in systems to protect confidential information

The World of the Modern Systems Analyst

Information Systems

• Crucial to success of modern business organizations
• Constantly being developed to make business more competitive
• Impact productivity and profits

Keys to successful systems development

• Thorough systems analysis and design
• Understanding what business requires

Systems analysis – what system should do

Systems design – how components of information system should be physically implemented

Systems analyst – uses analysis and design techniques to solve business problems with information technology


The Analyst as a Business Problem Solver

• Has computer technology knowledge and programming expertise
• Understands business problems
• Uses logical methods for solving problems
• Has fundamental curiosity
• Wants to make things better
• Is more of a business problem solver than technical programmer

Systems That Solve Business Problems

• System – interrelated components functioning together to achieve outcome
• Information systems – collection of interrelated components that collect, process, store, and provide as output information needed to complete tasks
• Subsystems – part of larger system
• Supersystem – larger system contains subsystem
• Functional decomposition – dividing system into smaller subsystems and components

Information Systems and Subsystems


Information Systems and Component Parts


System Boundary vs. Automation Boundary

Types of Information Systems

Transaction processing systems (TPS)

• Capture and record information about organization’s transactions

Management information systems (MIS)

• Take information captured by TPS
• Produce reports for planning and control

Executive information systems (EIS)

• Monitoring competitive environment and strategic planning

Decision support systems (DSS)

• Explore impact of available options or decisions (What-if scenarios)

Communication support systems

• Facilitate communication internally and with customers and suppliers

Office support systems

• Help employees create and share documents