Development of
Project Documentation:
Key Ingredient in Teaching
Systems Analysis and Design
Mohammad A. Rob
School of Business
Houston, Texas 77058
IACIS Fall 2006 Conference
Reno, Nevada
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Systems Analysis and Design
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Is a core course in MIS curriculum
Comparable to “Software Engineering” course
Typically a capstone course
Requires knowledge of programming, database
More of a theoretical nature: models, activities
Topics are activity-based rather than problembased
• Requires innovation in teaching
IACIS Fall 2006 Conference
Reno, Nevada
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Teaching Systems Analysis and Design
Instructors use innovative techniques:
• Case problem
• Group project
• Role-playing
• Project management methodology
• Project documentation
• Prototypes
• E-mails
• Bulletin board
• Videotaping
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Reno, Nevada
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Teaching Systems Analysis and Design
Most Instructors focus on a particular aspect of
learning:
• team building
• project management
• role-playing
• deliverables
• end-product development
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Reno, Nevada
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Teaching Systems Analysis and Design
and Software Engineering
Most instructors of SAD focus on “soft” skills:
• role-playing, communication, and instructorled team management
Most instructors of Software Engineering focus
on “hard” skills:
• real-life projects, active team leading, active
project management, project deliverables, and
use of tools
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Teaching Systems Analysis and Design
Our teaching methodology focuses on
both “soft” and “hard” skills:
• Real-life problem
• Semester-long group project
• Team building
• Communication
• Responsibility/charge
• Documentation
• Use of Tools
• Web Technology
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Project-Based Learning
• An instructional method that uses complex, real-life
projects
• Provides learning experience through performing
actions
• Provides a cross-collaborative learning environment:
students learn through interaction with each other
• Helps develop communication, planning and
teamwork
• Provides opportunities to take responsibility or
charge
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Reno, Nevada
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Managing Project-Based Learning
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Planning for the course
Setting Goals and Expectations
Provide students with choices
Sharing of knowledge among teacher and
students
• Maintain two-way communication
• Monitoring and Control of Tasks
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The Course Organization
The course is organized to provide knowledge
through multiple avenues:
• lectures
• group projects
• group presentations
• documentations
• research papers
• classroom writing
• discussion
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The Course Focus
The course focuses on some of the knowledge and skills
a systems analyst should have:
• SDLC
• data and process modeling techniques
• software tools
• communication
• interpersonal skills
• current technology
• research
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Reno, Nevada
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The Course Plan
The course plan is set through defining:
• weekly sequence of SDLC lecture topics
• deadline for project group formation
• scheduling group presentations
• deadlines for submission of research papers
• timeline of submission of documentation in the
web site
• deadline of submission of final project binder
• schedule for tests
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The Course Schedule
Test 1
Test 2
Test
Documentation
Systems Analyst
Research
Papers
System Request
Systems Development Methodology
Process Models
Research on a SAD topic
Data Model
Program Design
Presentation
Begin
End
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The Group Project
The purpose of the group project is to develop a
first-hand knowledge of SDLC through:
• performing each activity prescribed by
the SDLC, and
• developing required documentation at
the end of each activity
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Reno, Nevada
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The Focus of Group Project
Presentation
Documentation
Project
Techniques
IACIS Fall 2006 Conference
Reno, Nevada
Tools
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SDLC Models and Techniques
Working on the group project, students gain substantial
knowledge on the SDLC models and techniques:
• Developing system request
• Performing feasibility study
• Developing project plan
• Developing data-flow diagrams
• Developing data dictionary
• Developing entity-relationship diagram
• Developing program design
• Developing user interface design
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The Knowledge of Tools
A student analyst is required to use tools such as
• Microsoft Visio
• Visible Analyst
• Microsoft Project
• Other Microsoft Office tools such as Word,
PowerPoint and Access
to develop system models, project plans, presentations,
data dictionary, user interfaces, and system
prototypes
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Reno, Nevada
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The Focus of Presentations
• They are focused on the key models or techniques
covered within the SDLC methodology:
• system request
• process models
• data models, and
• program design
• They also serve as milestones to monitor the progress
of the project activity
• They are scheduled only after the completion of the
SDLC topic in the class
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Reno, Nevada
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Other Purposes of Presentations
• The first presentation is meant to initiate the
project
• The instructor gets an opportunity to
comment on the proposed project
• The groups learn from each other
• The class gets an opportunity to provide
comments and suggestions
• It improves oral communication skill
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Reno, Nevada
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The Sequence of Presentations
• A presentation must be repeated in a later date
until the required knowledge is acquired
START
Problem
Definition
(System Request)
Business
Processes
Database
Design
(Data-Flow
Diagrams)
(Entity-Relationship
Diagram)
Redo
Program
Design
FINISH
(Structured
Charts)
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Reno, Nevada
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Sample Presentation Schedule: Fall 2006
Group Members
Presentation 1:
Systems Request
Presentation 2:
Data Flow Diagrams
Presentation3:
Database Modeling &
Program Design
Mike Ellis
Carl Dolezal
September 5
October 17
November 14
Han Le
Ambarish Regmi
Miriam Barrera
September 5
October 17
November 14
Richard Meyer
Juanita Martinez
September 5
October 17
November 14
Tuan Nguyen
Heather Ewan
September 12
October 24
November 21
Tina Bliss
Beverly Orr
Darren Baker
September 12
October 24
November 21
Syed Ahmed
Susan Sexton
Cathleen Titsworth
September 12
October 24
November 21
Manan Mehra
Gerson Morales
Mayuri Sriram
September 12
October 24
November 21
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Stored Presentations in the web site
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The Project Documentation
• The purpose is that the project group develop all documentation
necessary for the project as they go through each of the activities of SDLC
in a waterfall methodology:
• system request
• Feasibility study report
• Project plan – Gantt Chart, PERT diagram
• Data-flow diagrams
• Data dictionary
• Entity-relationship diagram
• Program design
• User interface
• It also helps to improve written communication skill
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The Project Binder
Project Title
Table of Contents
Project Summary
Systems Planning
Identify problems and define proposed solutions (System Request)
Feasibility Analysis (hardware/software inventory, cost-benefit analysis, etc.)
Project Plan
Size Estimation and Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
Work Plan (Gantt chart/Pert diagram)
Staffing Plan
Risk Assessment
Systems Analysis
Requirements Gathering (interview and questionnaire documents)
Data Flow diagram
Context-level diagram
0-level diagram
Next-level diagrams (some up to level 2)
Data dictionary
Data flow with data structure (at least 5)
Data storage with data structure (at least 5)
Data input and data structure (at least 5)
Data output and data structure (at least 5)
Data element description (at least 10)
Process description (at least 2)
Systems Design
Database design (E-R diagram)
Input screen design (at least 5)
Output reports/screen design (at least 3)
Menu system design
Program design (at least 2)
Test scenario design (at least 2)
Systems Implementation
System architecture
Database (screen capture of tables and queries)
Program codes
User interface (screen capture of forms and reports)
Program testing results
Appendix
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The Project Web Site
• Each student group gets a folder in a course web
server to organize all documents
• They organize these documents according to the
SDLC phases and then according to the activities
within each phase
• These documents can be submitted/edited/viewed
from anywhere and anytime by the group members
• They are archived for future reference for future
students
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Web Site for a Semester’s Projects
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Web Site for a Semester’s Projects
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A Sample Project Web Site
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A Sample Project Web Site
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Team Assessment
Number
1
2
3
Strongly
Agree
Question
The group project significantly helped me to understand
the course materials
Agree
Fairly
Strongly
Disagree
Disagree
Total
21%
43%
29%
7%
0%
100%
The group project helped me to improve my oral
communication
7%
43%
36%
14%
0%
100%
The group project helped me to improve my written
communication
7%
29%
43%
21%
0%
100%
4
The group project helped me to understand teamwork
14%
29%
29%
21%
7%
100%
5
I had fair participation in forming my team at the
beginning of the semester
29%
57%
0%
14%
0%
100%
In general, members in my team participated fairly
equally in all group activities
21%
57%
7%
7%
7%
100%
My team members took responsibilities of their task or
work
29%
43%
14%
7%
7%
100%
My team members showed interest in initiating a task or
work
29%
29%
29%
7%
7%
100%
My team members completed their portion of the task or
work on time
36%
43%
7%
7%
7%
100%
My team members responded to my e-mails or
telephone calls on time
43%
29%
21%
7%
0%
100%
My team members were helpful in resolving
differences/conflicts between us
29%
36%
36%
0%
0%
100%
6
7
8
9
10
11
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Research Papers: Purpose
• To cultivate knowledge in the subject area outside
of the textbook
• To provide aptitude for higher studies and research
• To get acquainted with formats of writing research
papers (IEEE, APA)
• To understand the current job market for a systems
analyst
• To further develop written communication skill
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Topics of Research Papers for a Semester
• Go to one or more job Web sites and search jobs with key
words such as SDLC, SAD, systems development life cycle,
systems analyst, business analyst . . . and write a summary of
your findings on specific areas such as salary, technical
knowledge, educational background, etc.
• Write a paper on various systems development
methodologies by summarizing each model and including
figures as appropriate. Do not just use the text – use
information from the web, IT magazines, and computing
journals.
• Research MIS or computing-related journals and find a topic
that is closely connected to the SAD course and summarize
your knowledge in a professional format. You must consult
at least five different journals.
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Conclusion
• Real-life semester-long group projects are used to get
hands-on practices on SDLC concepts and activities
• The presentations are used to monitor and control the
progress of group project activities
• Repetitions of some presentations help reinforce
knowledge on key models and techniques such as DFD
• The project group also develop documentation as each
activity is completed in a waterfall manner
• A web site is used to post all project-related documents
as they are completed, as well as presentations
• A project binder of the documents is provided at the
end of the semester
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Reno, Nevada
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Conclusion
• We do not focus on the development of a prototype, but we
focus on the development of documents after each activity
• Our motto: Well-understood requirements and well-designed
systems produce better products
• We let the students loose but keep them responsible for end
products (presentations, documents, papers)
• Visible Analyst is now available as a network version in our
MIS lab
• All course-related materials such as syllabus, detailed lecture
notes, presentation schedule, assignments, completed
presentations and documents are placed in a course web site
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http://coursesite.isam.cl.uh.edu/rob
Instructor’s Web Site: