Commerce 3KA3
System Analysis & Design
Course Web site
http://avenue.mcmaster.ca/
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Instructor Information
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Name: Dr. Y. Yuan
Office: DSB AIC Wing A204
E-Mail: yuanyuf@mcmaster.ca
Phone: (905) 525-9140 Ext 23982
Web Site:
http://www.business.mcmaster.ca/ms
is/profs/yuan/
TA: Zhiling Tu
Office: DSB A211
 Office Hours:
make appointment through email
 Tel: (905) 525-9140 x 26034
 Email: tuz3@mcmaster.ca
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TA: Reza Ariaeinejad
Office: DSB A211
 Office Hours:
Mondays 5:45-6:45 pm, DSB B107
 Tel: (905) 525-9140 x 26398
 Email: aria@mcmaster.ca
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Course Description
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Why should I take this course?
What can I learn from this course?
What is the business value of this
course?
How can I get a good grade from this
course?
Course Objective
This course introduces the process and
methodology for system analysis and
design. Students will learn the process of
system development, the traditional
structural approach and modern objectoriented approach for system analysis and
design, system development strategy and
new trends of system development.
Course topics
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The role of system analysts
Information systems development lifecycle
System analysis approaches and
methodologies
Requirement analysis using structured
approach and object-oriented approach
System design and development strategy
System architecture and user interface
Security and reliability issues
Advances of system development approaches
Business value of the course
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Knowing systems analysis and design is
essential for any IT related job.
Understand how to do system analysis
for a e-business application
Understand how to select the
appropriate development methodology
and technology
Sample of Job Postings
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Business systems analyst Posted: 23/08/2011 23:31:54
Location: Hamilton, ON
Specific Skills: Confer with clients to identify and document
requirements, Conduct business and technical studies, Design,
develop and implement information systems business solutions,
Provide advice on information systems strategy, policy, management
and service delivery, Assess physical and technical security risks to
data, software and hardware, Develop policies, procedures and
contingency plans to minimize the effects of security breaches,
Develop and implement policies and procedures throughout the
software development life cycle, Conduct reviews to assess quality
assurance practices.
Teaching Philosophy
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Self-motivated active learning
Learning by doing. Combination of
theory and practice
Learn from each other through
class discussion and information
sharing
To be sensitive to the real world
business problems
Textbooks
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Required:
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G. B. Shelly, T. J. Cashman, H. J. Rosenblatt, Systems
Analysis and Design, Seventh Edition, Thomson, 2008.
References:
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[S] J. W. Satzinger, R. B. Jackson, and S. D. Burd, Systems
Analysis and Design in a Changing World, Forth edition. Thomson,
2007,
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[H] J. A. Hoffer, J. F. George, and J. S. Valacich, Modern
Systems Analysis and Design, Fifth Edition, Prentice Hall,
2008.
[C] J. Conallen, Building Web Applications with UML,
Addison-Wesley, 2000.
Course evaluation
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Assignments 20%
Term Project 30%
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Proposal 5%, Presentation 10%, Report
15%
Midterm Exam 20%
Final Exam 30%
Assignments
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System analysis and design for an
online student housing service
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Requirement gathering
Structured modeling
Object-oriented modeling
Data modeling and interface design
Term Project
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Hands-on experience
Conduct requirement analysis for a
small e-business company
Real or hypothetic case
Idea team with 2 -3 members
Proposal and project agreement
Questions?
Suggestions?
Information Systems
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Information systems
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Crucial to success of modern business
organizations
Constantly being developed to make business
more competitive
Great impact on productivity and profits
Keys to successful system development
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Thorough systems analysis and design
Understanding what business requires
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5K1yrICMI
I&feature=related
Systems Analysis and Design
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Systems analysis – process of
understanding in detail what a system
should accomplish
Systems design – process of specifying in
detail how components of an information
system should be physically implemented
Systems analyst – uses analysis and design
techniques to solve business problems using
information technology
The Analyst as a Business
Problem Solver
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Understands business problems
Has information technology
knowledge and expertise
Is more of a business problem solver
than a technical expert
Understand information system
users and their needs
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A systems analyst must understand
the company’s organizational model
in order to recognize who is
responsible for specific processes
and decisions and to be aware of
what information is required by
whom.
Analyst’s Approach to Problem
Solving
Research and understand the problem
Verify benefits of solving problem outweigh the costs
Define the requirements for solving the problem
Develop a set of possible solutions (alternatives)
Decide which solution is best and recommend
Define the details of the chosen solution
Implement the solution
Monitor to ensure desired results
Required Skills of the Systems
Analyst
Systems Development Tools and
Techniques
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Systems analysts must know how to
use a variety of techniques such as
modeling, prototyping, and computer
aided systems engineering tools to plan,
design, and implement information
systems.
Systems analysts work with these tools
in a team environment.
Typical Job Titles and Places of
Employment
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Job titles of systems analyst vary greatly, but
entail same thing
Places of employment vary from small
businesses to large corporations
Analysts can be internal employees or outside
consultants
Analysts can be developing solutions for
internal business managers or for external
clients and customers
Business Analyst vs. System
Analyst
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Business Analyst (BA) - Responsible for working with the
end users to determine the required/desired functionality,
and documenting those requirements in a clear, organized
manner.
Systems Analyst (SA) - Responsible for the technical
design of the system, based on the requirements gathered
by the BA. The SA makes technical decisions about HOW
to best implement the system.
In practice, one person may act as both BA and SA,
handling the entire process from gathering requirements
to designing (and possibly building) the system.
A sample job description for a
business analyst
Our client, a leader in the Equity and Capital markets
arena, is looking for Business Analyst to join their team.
Role specific accountabilities will include collaborating with
Business and IT stakeholders to gather, confirm and
document functional and non-functional requirements;
consistently managing expectations and negotiating with
stakeholders in order to determine the most accurate and
appropriate definition of scope, quality and priorities;
providing assistance to project stakeholders; defining and
documenting requirements into Use Cases and creating
Use Case Models; creating and maintaining requirements
documentation according to organization standards and
best practices; and providing assistance in the review of
QA test cases and scenarios.
Project Management and
Preliminary Investigation
Project Management
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Project management is the
discipline of planning, organizing,
securing and managing resources
to bring about the successful
completion of specific project
goals and objectives.
You may be a project leader or
member.
Role of the Project Manager
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Project management – organizing and
directing people to achieve a planned result
within budget and on schedule
Success or failure of project depends on skills
of the project manager
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Beginning of project – plan and organize
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During project – monitor and control
Responsibilities are both internal and external
Project Management Tasks
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Beginning of project
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Overall project planning
During project
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Project execution management
Project control management
Project closeout
Key Elements of Project
Management
Risk
Quality
Scope
How to make a project
succeed?
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Project management is important for
the success of system development
2000 Standish Group Study
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Only 28% of system development
projects successful
72% of projects canceled, completed
late, completed over budget, and/or
limited in functionality
Reasons for Project Failure
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Incomplete or changing requirements
Limited user involvement
Lack of executive support
Lack of technical support
Poor project planning
Unclear objectives
Lack of required resources
Reasons for Project Success
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Clear system requirement definitions
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Substantial user involvement
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Support from upper management
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Thorough and detailed project plans
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Realistic work schedules and milestones
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=GcR-wpSzr4Y&feature=related
Project Initiation and the
Project Planning Phase
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Driving forces to start project
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Respond to an opportunity
Resolve a problem
Conform to a directive
Project initiation comes from
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Long-term IS strategic plan (top-down)
prioritized by weighted scoring
Department managers or process managers
(bottom-up)
Response to outside forces
Make a Business Case
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Why are we doing this project?
What is the project about?
How does this solution address key business
issues?
What is the benefit and cost of this project?
What is the risk of doing or not doing the
project?
How will we measure success?
Preliminary investigation
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Understanding the problem or opportunity
Define the project scope and constraints
Perform fact-finding
Evaluate feasibility
Estimate project development time and cost
Present results and recommendations to
management
Activities of the Project
Planning Phase
Activities of Project Planning
Defining the Problem
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Review business needs
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Use strategic plan documents
Consult key users
Develop list of expected business
benefits
Identify the Scope of the
Project
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Identify expected system capabilities
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Define scope in terms of requirements
Scope defines the system boundary:
what to do and what will not do
Risk Management
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A risk is an event that could affect the
project negatively.
Risk management is the process of
identifying, evaluating, tracking, and
controlling risks to minimize their
impact.
Risk Analysis
Identifying risks and Confirming
Project Feasibility
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Assessing the risk to the project
Economic feasibility
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Cost/benefit analysis
Sources of funds (cash flow, long-term
capital)
Organizational and cultural feasibility
Technological feasibility
Schedule feasibility
Resource feasibility
Economic Feasibility
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Do the projected benefits outweigh
the estimated total cost of
ownership including acquisition,
ongoing support and maintenance
costs?
Does the organization have
adequate cash flow to fund the
project?
Cost / Benefit Analysis
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Tangible :
can be expressed in monetary terms
 tangible cost : hardware, software,
development and operating costs
 tangible benefits : increase in sales/profit,
cost savings
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Cost / Benefit Analysis
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Intangible :
difficult to make monetary measurement,
but is not impossible to quantify
 intangible cost : employee frustration, loss
of customer goodwill
 intangible benefit : better customer
service, less errors
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Approaches to Cost/Benefit
Analysis
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Break-even Approach - attempts to measure
the time it will take to recoup in benefits the
original dollars invested
Present Value Approach - attempts to value
future dollars in terms of their values today
Internal Rate of Return Approach - calculates
the rate of return on the project investment
Portfolio Analysis - analyze and balance risk
and benefit among alternatives
Scoring methods - multi-objective rating
Operational feasibility
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Operational Feasibility - the willingness
and ability of management, employees,
customers, suppliers, etc. to operate,
use and support the proposed system
Will the proposed system be used
effectively by the users?
Will users be capable of using the
system?
Will users be happy to adopt the
system?
Organizational and Cultural
Feasibility
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Each company has own culture
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New system must fit into culture
Evaluate related issues for potential risks
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Low level of computer competency
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Computer phobia
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Perceived loss of control
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Shift in power
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Fear of job change or employment loss
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Reversal of established work procedures
Technological Feasibility
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Technical Feasibility - whether reliable
hardware and software needed can be
acquired or developed in the required time
Does system stretch state-of-the-art
technology?
Does in-house expertise presently exist for
development?
Does an outside vendor need to be involved?
Schedule Feasibility
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Can it be implemented in an accepted time?
Estimates needed without complete information
Management deadlines may not be realistic
Project managers need to
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Drive realistic assumptions and estimates
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Recommend completion date flexibility
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Assign interim milestones to periodically reassess
completion dates
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Involve experienced personnel
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Manage proper allocation of resources
Resource Feasibility
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Are the resources available, trained, and
ready to start?
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Develop resource plan for the project
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Identify and request specific technical staff
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Identify and request specific user staff
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Organize the project team into workgroups
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Conduct preliminary training and team
building exercises
Launching Project
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Key launch question: “Are we ready to start?”
Scope defined, risks identified, project is
feasible, schedule developed, team members
identified and ready
Oversight committee finalized, meet to give
go-ahead, and release funds
Formal announcement made to all involved
parties within organization
Initiate your own project
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Find a partner
Find an interesting project
Make sure the project is doable
Wrote a project proposal
Get feedback from instructor
Project Proposal
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You may discuss your idea with the instructor to get
some advice.
The proposal should include the project title, names of
team members, the organization involved, and the brief
description of the objective and the scope of the project.
The proposal should be typed with no more than two
pages. Handwriting is unacceptable.
The proposal draft is due next week. You will get
feedback and submit the formal proposal later for grade.