Systems Design
What is a System? Give examples.
A set of components working together for a common objective
Information Systems (Web-based)
H/w, S/W, people, Data, Procedures, Web-portals
What is SDLC?
Systems Planning, Systems analysis, systems design, systems development, implementation,
maintenance
IS alignment
IS Success
IS usage
User satisfaction
Information waste
IS enabled Competitive advantage
Orgl change
Orgl learning
TAM
Easy to use
Perceived personal usefulness
Web-based Information System
Banner – Assess the levels of Flexibility
Stakeholders
What is Systems Design?
Input design
Output Design
Interface design
Database
Technology – Network architecture, Communications Technology
Flexible Systems Design for Web-based IS?
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Examples: Banner, Amazon.com, Dell.com – Identify the systems design elements
Flexible Systems Design for Web based Information Systems (Research)
BOM changes affect MRP
In the Banner system, what are the changes that could occur? How do we respond to these changes?
Interviews them
Users – Students, Registrar (Shannon), Dean, etc.
Designers / Planners – Gary
Administration Explore the dimensions – Extent, Options, cost, easy, Range, etc. Gain more insight by getting more
examples.
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Application architecture Design
Interface design (User/ System)
Database
Network
Prototype
Systems controls
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Case Study:
 What information systems we are talking about…

Stake holders for this system

Involvement of stakeholders in SDLC

Systems Design activities
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Design decisions
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What are the alternatives for H/W, O/S, Database, PL decisions
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Outputs of each Design phase
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Project Management activities in SDLC/ Systems design
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Set a Time line for this Systems design project
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What are the detailed design tasks
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Case Study:
Skills required for Systems Design and Development
People skill (25%) - Listening, understanding others, understanding between two
lines, conflict resolution, handling the communications gaps, reporting, walk through,
reviews.
Communication Skills (20%) – Oral / Written communication
Documentation skills (30%): Knowledge capturing, diagrams, charts (structure
charts, Gantt charts, Business knowledge (business processes, business management
knowledge)
Technical skill (25%) - Database design, programming, web design etc.
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What information systems we are talking about…
1. Design of production scheduling and control system (ERP?)
2. Web-based production scheduling and control system
3. Production scheduling and control system
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Stake holders for this system
1. Users, oversight committee, Production Manager, Chief Analyst
2. Users, employees, oversight committee, Carla
3. Users, oversight committee, Project Manager (Carla)
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Involvement of stakeholders in SDLC
1. Suppliers, Customers, Distributors
2. Financial involvement of stakeholders
3. Users & oversight committee – Systems planning & analysis; Project
managers – all phases – involvement through out SDLC.
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Systems Design activities
1. Select DBMS, Programming Languages, Operating systems, user interface,
network design, Architectural design, interface design, network design,
database design
2. Hardware & operating systems, web support services, database design,
application software design, user interface design
3. Developing database, choosing system software to support web services,
determining what changes will be needed to company network
 Design decisions
1. DBMS selection, application software selection, web support services
selection, Hardware, OS, network changes.
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2. Selection of Hardware, OS, DBMS, PL.
3. MySQL, Windows, Linux, JavaScript, PHP
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What are the alternatives for H/W, O/S, Database, PL decisions
1. H/W- Servers/ terminals, Hard rive types (speed, size, processor, RAM etc.);
OS –Windows, UNIX, Linux; DBMS_ Exiting/ new one; PL - COM+,
CORBA, SOAP
2. H/W – generic, IBM, Dell, HP, Sun, Apple; O/S- Windows, Linux, OSX, Sun;
Database- Extend existing or new database- Oracle/Access/MySQL; P/L –
COM+, CORBA, SOAP C++, JavaScript, PHP, SQL, HTML, XML.
3. MySQL, Windows, Linux, JavaScript, PHP
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Outputs of each Design phase
1. Database schema, Structure chart, screen layout, deployment diagram,
application design, DB schema, ERD, Network diagram
2. Assessment reports, recommendations for each design activity.
3. Hardware specification documents, ERD, screen layouts
 Project Management activities in SDLC/ Systems design
1. Resource allocation, organizing meetings, key players meeting, time lines,
personal assignments; plans, timelines, detailed design tasks, personnel
assignment, facilitate meetings, review results, performance reviews,
2. Prepare presentations; get approval from oversight committee, allocating
resources.
3. Setting deadlines, feasibility studies, overseeing
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Set a Time line for this Systems design project
My comments
Fairchild Pharmaceuticals: Finalizing Architectural Design for a Production
System: This case describes the transition from analysis (detailed knowledge of what
the user wants and needs) to design (precise blueprint of a system that will satisfy
those wants and needs). Design decisions are constrained by available time, budget,
existing systems, skills, and infrastructure.
Focus of the case: Architectural design of infrastructure, development tools, Detailed
design.
Major decisions to be made:
Hardware and operating systems, data storage and data access, and development
languages and tools.
Options to be made for: Web support services, database design, application software
design, and user interface design.
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What information systems we are talking about…
Web-based production scheduling and control system
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Stake holders for this system
Users, oversight committee, Production Manager, Chief Analyst, Production &
operational employees, Project Manager, top management, consultants, graphic
designers, database designers, user interface designers, system interface designers,
application developers, network specialists etc.
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Involvement of stakeholders in SDLC
SDLC phases
Users
Suppliers,
(Production Customers,
employees) Distributors
Top
management
Technical
people
Planning
Analysis
Design
Implementation
High
High
Medium
Low
High
Medium/Low
Low
Low/Medium
Low/Nil
Medium/High
High
High
Medium
Medium/High
Medium
Low
Systems Design activities
Design and integrate the network
 New Network/ Existing Network
Design the application architecture
Specify in details how all system activities will actually be carried out
Done in systems analysis in great detail as logical models, without indicating
what specific technology
Models created include physical data flow diagrams, structure charts,
interaction diagrams, and other physical models
Design the user interface
Defines how the user will interact with the system
Graphical user interface with windows, dialog boxes, and mouse interaction.
Increasingly, it can include sound, video, and voice commands.
Design the system interface (BOM/ MRP)
One system provides information that is later used by another system
The component that enables systems to share information
Design and integrate the database
Conceptual, logical, and physical model
Relational database consisting of dozens, hundreds, thousands of tables.
Prototype design
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Create and evaluate prototypes
Often associated with interface design
Used to confirm design choices about the database, network architecture,
controls, or even programming environments
Design and integrate the system controls
Adequate safeguards to protect data/information/ H/w, S/w assets
Limit access to the system to authorized users
System interface controls ensure that other systems cause no harm
Application controls for recording transactions
Database controls - data protection from unauthorized access, accidental
loss
Network controls - ensure that communication through networks is
protected.
The outputs of Systems Design Process
Application architecture (Process Design)
Functionalities/ Business Processes
DFD, FDD, Event table, use case etc.
Structured Programming
Sequential, Conditional, Iterative – 3 & 4GL.
Network Design
Network design document
Locations of offices, Servers, LAN/WAN
Network capacity (Fig 9-14)
Nodes and location diagrams (Fig 9-8)
Database Design
Conceptual Design
Logical Design
Physical Design
User Interface Design
Input forms design
Output forms design
System Interface Design forms (BOM/ MRP)
Design Prototype
4GL (Access and Frontpage)
Design and Integrate Systems Control
User interface- Allow authorized users
System Interface- No harms by other systems ((BOM/ MRP)
Application architecture – Transaction rules
Database architecture- Protect unauthorized access, back-up, recovery
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Network design- Firewalls
 Project Management activities in SDLC/ Systems design
Knowledge
Planning
Analysis
Design
Areas
Scope
Objectives
Detailed
Control scope
management
Business needs requirements
Monitor request
Major functions Verify reqts.
log
Solidify scope
Evaluate change
Plan
request
implementation
approach
Implementation
Control scope
Monitor request
log
Evaluate change
request
Time
management
(in time)
Build WBS
Build Schedule
Milestones
(Gates)
Adjust/
optimize
schedule
Monitor
progress
Adjust/
optimize
schedule
Monitor
progress
Adjust/
optimize
schedule
Monitor
progress
Cost
management
Cost / benefits
analysis
Budget (cash
flow)
Monitor
ongoing costs
Update
cost/benefit
Monitor
ongoing costs
Review
budget/cash
flow
Monitor
ongoing costs
Review
budget/cash
flow
Quality
management
Quality metrics
System success
metrics
Control Quality
with procedures
and reviews
Control Quality
with procedures
and reviews
Control and
monitor testing
Error log
Human
Resources
Management
Project
manager
Staffing plan
Recruit and
staff
Organize teams
Team building
Team training
Identify/add
resources
Performance
reviews
Provide training
Conduct
performance
reviews.
Communication Identify
management
stakeholders
Communication
plan/
mechanisms
Risk
management
Feasibility
reports.
Alternative
plans
Status reviews
Status reporting
Monitor internal
communications
Status reviews
Status reviews
Status reporting
Status reporting Monitor internal
Monitor internal communications
communications
Reassess risks
and monitor
Reassess risks
and monitor
Reassess risks
and monitor
PRs, bids,
Reassess risks
Reassess risks
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Buy options
Procurement
management
vendor
selection,
contracts
and monitor
and monitor
Outstanding issue control table
Issue Title
Date
identified/
target date
Person
responsible
User
contact
Comments
Partial
shipments
Jim
Jason
Ship partials or
wait for full
shipment?
Return and
commissions
Jim
Bill
Are commissions
recouped on
returns?
Extra
commissions
Mary
Bill
How to handle
commissions on
special
promotions?
Status
(Done,
WIP, Not
feasible)
D
NF
WIP
Project Schedule (Gantt Chart)
Activities/ Gates /Milestones Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov
Dec
Planning
Analysis
Design
Coding
Test case development
Data Conversion
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Sequential and Parallel activities (Database design & Network design, status
meetings, teleconferencing etc.)
Team coordination
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Network design team
Database design team
Application architecture design team
User interface design team
System interface design team
Systems controls design team
Prototype design team
Team interaction among and between the teams (examples?)
Collaborative diagrams for group interactions
Common activities for all teams: Status reviews, walk throughs, network
configuration, distributed processing, database design, communication capabilities
etc.
Uncommon activities (Team specific) – Response time for a module, I/O for a
module, System interface issues etc.
Project team size grows as the system development progresses thru’ SDLC.
CASE data repository (Fig 9-6)
Knowledge documents
- Word, Excel, Visio dgms
Dynamically updated
Retrieval and referencing
Track open items
Status walk throughs
Open item control log
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