MONASH UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF INFORMATION MANAGEMENT AND SYSTEMS
IMS9001 Systems Analysis and Design
Semester 2, 2005 - Assignment 1
Group Assignment: System Requirements Specification
Aim:
The aims of this assignment are to :
• develop skills in systems analysis,
• develop skills in modelling information systems,
• develop skills in working as a group,
• be aware of the importance of communicating in a meaningful way with different types of
audiences.
Presentation Requirements:
Portions of a system specification as described below. You must follow the presentation requirements
listed in the subject outline.
Value :
This assignment is worth:
30% of the total assessment.
This is a group assignment (3 students per group).
Due Date:
Week 8 in tutorials - Week beginning Monday 5th September, 2005.
This assignment involves using techniques which must produce a cohesive system specification. Your
assignment also requires a detailed report. You are strongly advised to commence the planning and
analysis for this assignment as soon as the techniques have been covered in lectures. Please direct any
queries regarding the content of the assignment to your tutor.
Outline of Task:
You have been given the task of preparing a request for tender document for Curtain Style’s proposed
integrated information system
In the first stage of this you need to prepare a system description of the proposed system, with the
appropriate models: E-R model, data flow diagrams, detailed process descriptions and data dictionary
entries. You will also need to prepare a brief written description of the system, including your initial
ideas for implementing the proposed system which will overcome the problems of the current system.
Your group must provide:
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A set of levelled data flow diagrams for the entire business;
An entity-relationship model for the entire business;
Data dictionary entries for:
• two data flows and two data stores in the level zero dfds;
• two data flows in the sales function;
• two data elements of your choice;
A covering report which outlines the business, the purpose of the system and the business
opportunities that a new system should address. In the event that you require information not
provided in the handouts provided, please feel free to make assumptions. Confirm these with
your tutor. Be sure to document assumptions in a separate document called ASSUMPTIONS.
Assessment Guidelines:
Your assignment will be judged on:
• the completeness of your models in terms of capturing data requirements;
• the accuracy and appropriateness of your models ( no incorrect, inconsistent or
redundant data);
• your use of correct notations and adherence to data modelling conventions
• the quality of your report presentation.
Suggested Presentation Format
Assignments are a group effort and should be treated as though preparing a professional request for
tender to be confirmed by John and Betty Smith. The following is a suggested report format. It is
recommended that your report contain at least the following although these headings are not
necessarily complete or exhaustive. Your group may wish to add additional report headings.
SIMS Group Assignment Cover Sheets
All work must be submitted with a signed SIMS Group Assignment Cover Sheet at the front of your
assignment. This Cover Sheet is available at the SIMS website at:
http://www.sims.monash.edu.au/resources/assessment.html
Any work submitted without a signed SIMS Group Assignment Cover Sheet will not be accepted or
marked by your tutor.
Letter of Transmittal
This is a covering letter to be addressed to John and Betty Smith. This letter should be attached to the
outside of the report and explain who has produced this report, the reason for the report, why it was
written, for whom it is intended and even the main finding/outcome if it is appropriate or significant.
This letter should be a maximum of one page.
Title Page
The title page is for John and Betty Smith’s benefit. Please DON’T mention assignment names, tutors
or lecturers on this page.
Executive Summary
This is to be a maximum of one page. John and Betty Smith will read this section first to determine
what parts of the report they need to read thoroughly. Any significant findings or contentious issues
should be mentioned to direct them to the relevant sections.
Contents Page
This must accurately identify all major sections and headings with page numbers.
Introduction
A statement of the problem and why this report has been commissioned in relation to the business
objective(s). The introduction should include the following subsections:
Scope
Outline the system boundary, with explanation as to why the system boundary exists. It may
refer the reader to other sections in the report.
Opportunities
A brief outline of the opportunities a new system is expected to allow the business to make
use of.
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Limitations
A discussion of constraints that will be applicable to the new system.
Assumptions
Any BUSINESS assumptions should be clearly stated with a discussion of why the
assumption was made and on what ground(s) the assumption was made. Why can the
assumption be considered to be reasonable? (Case study assumptions, that is, information that
you could have obtained from the staff but were unable to obtain for reasons of lack of access
should be documented in an appendix.)
Outline of the business and current system
A summary of the business that shows you understand the company, its market, its competitors and its
objectives for the future. The opportunities which the company should make use of should be
expanded here too. The point of this section is to give John and Betty Smith confidence in your
ability to define their problems.
Outline of the current system
An outline of the proposed information system explaining the processes to be addressed in creating a
new system. It should be clear which current problems and/or new opportunities will be addressed by
the new system.
All models etc. must be introduced in the narrative by providing a description of the item and
justifying its content – i.e.: why is it in the report?
Conclusions
The summary will contain any conclusions and recommendations, such as which
problems/opportunities are most critical and why. Your arguments here may draw on discussion of
sections within the report.
Recommendations
You should recommend to John and Betty Smith that they discuss your report, amend anything they
are unhappy about, and confirm with you that this is an appropriate part of the documentation to be
given to companies who wish to tender for the job.
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