Syllabus
MIS 7376
Systems Analysis and Design
Sec 6727
Fall 2008
Tuesday and Thursday 4:30 to 6:00 PM
Online and Secondlife.com
(First meeting only will be face to face in MH-290
on Tuesday August 26, 2008)
Carl Scott, Ph.D.
Office: 260B Melcher Hall
Office Hours: By Appointment
E-mail: cscott@uh.edu
Phone: 713-743-4753
Fax:
713-743-4706
Purpose:
This course presents the dynamic field of Systems Analysis and
Design. Virtually all business processes have been, are being or will be examined
using Systems Analysis and Design. Some business and individuals make extensive
use of Systems Analysis and Design, others struggle to understand and use the tools
used in Systems Analysis and Design. The focus of the course will be to develop in
the student some of the skills of Systems Analysis and Design and to give the student
a practical application of those skills. However the course is not designed to
transform the student into a systems analyst. The course will seek to show what is
required for a successful Systems Analysis, so that the student can successfully
manage Systems Analysis projects.
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Lectures: Multimedia Lectures for each week are available as downloadable podcasts
through iTunesU. The link to iTunesU is posted in WebCT. You must access the
lectures using this link only.
Requirements for iTunesU
Download and install the FREE iTunes player from
http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/ . Follow the instructions posted in WebCT to
subscribe to the lectures.
Second Life: Online attendance in the Thursday night class is via SecondLife.com.
All students must have broadband access, a computer capable of running Second Life,
and a headset for use in Second Life. Attendance is mandatory in this seminar.
Unexcused absences will result in the deduction of 10 points from your grade.
System Requirements for Second Life
(Note: The Bauer Gateway Lab is a convenient way to access Second life)
PC Minimum System Requirements:
Internet Connection: Cable or DSL
Operating System: Windows XP (Service Pack 2) OR Windows 2000 (Service
Pack 4)
Computer Processor: 800MHz Pentium III or Athlon, or better
Computer Memory: 256MB or better Video/Graphics Card: nVidia GeForce
2, GeForce 4mx, or better OR ATI Radeon 8500, 9250, or better
Mac Minimum System Requirements:
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.3.9 or better
Computer Processor: 1 GHz G4 or better
Computer Memory: 512MB or better
Video/Graphics Card: nVidia GeForce 2, GeForce 4mx, or better OR ATI
Radeon 8500, 9250, or better
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Getting Started in Second Life
If you are new to Second Life, go to http://www.secondlife.com. Click on the large
button that says “Free Membership, Join Now.” You will be directed to a screen
where you choose your avatar’s name (you will have to select from a list of last
names if it is a free account) and enter your birth date and e-mail addresses. Follow
the steps to create your account and password.
When you first run the program from your computer, you will be prompted to enter
your avatar name and your password. This will bring you the opening to “Orientation
Island.” You will be asked to select a sex for your avatar, which will then appear,
back towards you. The orientation island will help you learn how to navigate the
virtual world of Second Life. It is strongly recommended that you complete the
orientation before or during the first week of this class.
Getting to “IT World”The location for the class in Second Life is “IT World
Seminar Room (65, 13, 43)”. All students must email their avatar manes to the
instructor to receive a “teleport” invitation to this seminar room.
GTAs Vineet and Ram will the contacts for your students, for anything Second Life.
Ram can be reached at rkankath@mail.uh.edu , and Vineet at vsingh@bauer.uh.edu.
They will also be at hand on orientation day (Aug 26th Tuesday 4-6:00pm).
Grading:
Grades in this course will be based upon the following distribution:
Exams
40%
Your Turn/Blog
15%
Case Studies
25%
Technical Presentation 20%
Percentage
Grade
Ranges
A
100 - 93%
A-
92 - 90%
B+
89 - 87%
B
86 - 84%
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B-
83 - 80%
C
79 - 70%
Exams: There will be two exams. Exams typically are multiple choice, fill in the
blank, true false and short essay. Old exams are available on WebCt. Exams will be
administered through the University Testing service.
Case Analyses: On select days, one case study is presented by a student team. As
indicated in the syllabus, the case study team will electronically submit a case
analysis (Appendix I) of the case. The team then will make a presentation in class.
Each analysis should tie in as many aspects of those cases and other cases as possible.
The key to successful written case analyses is integration. Each case is scored based
upon the success of the integration and on the presentation of the analysis. Spelling
and grammar count!
Case studies are submitted to the instructor electronically by 1700 one day prior to
class. Using the link in WebCt students will also post their case studies to
www.turnitin.com by 1700 one day prior to class.
Technology Presentation: Each team will present a technology presentation at the
end of the semester. This presentation will be a 15 to 20 minute presentation of a an
organization in Second Life, chosen by the group (with some input from the
instructor). The presentation should include an overview of the technology category
(e.g. accounting, finance etc.), specifics the particular technology (e.g. costs, features,
how SL is differentiating the company form its competitors and giving it competitive
advantage) and real life examples of its use (it is fine to invite someone from the
organization to visit that evening). Interviews of various individuals at the company
are encouraged and expected. Obviously picking a technology in use (or should be in
use!) at one of your companies (if your company is using Second Life) would be
desirable. The day before the presentation the group will submit a short (2 page)
executive summary of their presentation and copies of presentation materials and
slides. If you can tie the presentation to the topics we discuss in class. The more
entertaining the presentation, the better and demos are encouraged!
Your Turn – The text provides several experiential homework called Your Turn.
Each assigned week your team will present your analysis of the Your Turn during the
Thursday night class.
BlogHUD – Blogging in Second Life
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Your weekly learning and experiences in this online class are important for all of us
to learn from. For all of us to learn from each other you will be expected to post each
week a brief 100-200 word blog. The 'blogHUD' is a tool for blogging from Second
Life and post your text posts to your account on blogHUD.com using the url format
http://my.bloghud.com/firstnamelastname - firstnamelastname being the first and last
name of your Second Life avatar.
INSTALLING blogHUD
Follow these steps to install:
1. Direct your browser to http://bloghud.com/
2. Click on the Free Version: Get one here link (see screen shot below)
3. This will teleport you to the blogHUD site inside Second Life. Log into Second Life
4. Click on the object that reads “Click me for the free one” (see screen shot below)
5. Accept the offer to Keep the object in your inventory
6. Open your Inventory. Go to Objects folder. Choose blogHUD and drag it to your
avatar to wear the blogHUD interface (see screen shot below)
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HOW TO USE blogHUD
Residents in SL wearing the blogHUD post by simply typing:
/9 followed by the message
To create a longer post, you need to create a Notecard in your inventory, type what
you want to say then save it. Then drag and drop it from your inventory to the
blogHUD. It will then read the contents of the Notecard and prompt you for a title to
this post. (Embedded links or images will not work. Only the text will get posted.)
Type: /9 followed by the title of your post
Your blog will be located at http://my.bloghud.com/firstnamelastname
(firstnamelastname being the first and last name of your Second Life avatar).
Email the URL of your blog to your classmates and instructor using WebCT email.
Academic Honesty:
The University of Houston Academic Honesty Policy is strictly enforced by the C. T.
Bauer College of Business. No violations of this policy will be tolerated in this course.
A discussion of the policy is included in the University of Houston Student Handbook,
http://www.uh.edu/dos/hdbk/acad/achonpol.html. Students are expected to be familiar
with this policy.
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities:
The C. T. Bauer College of Business would like to help students who have disabilities
achieve their highest potential. To this end, in order to receive academic
accommodations, students must register with the Center for Students with Disabilities
(CSD) (telephone 713-743-5400), and present approved accommodation
documentation to their instructors in a timely manner.
Resources:
The textbook for this course is Systems Analysis and Design, 3rd Edition
Alan Dennis, Barbara Haley Wixom, Roberta M. Roth
ISBN: 0-471-72257-X New York, NY John Wiley, 2005.
We will also use a set of cases, articles, and e-books to investigate topics. The cases
are available through the UH bookstore.
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WebCt will be used to communicate in the course. Students may get their WebCT
ID by using any of the following options:
1) Online at http://www.uh.edu/webct - under Student Log On, click “Check
here” to get your WebCT ID.
2) In person in Room 56 in the basement of the MD Anderson Library on the
main campus, Monday-Friday, 8 am to 8 pm.
3) By phone at 713-743-1411 Monday-Friday, 8 am to 8 pm.
Once a student has a WebCT ID, he or she will log on to WebCT courses by going to
http://www.uh.edu/webct and clicking “Student Log On.”
A student’s initial password is his/her birth date in the format MMDDYYx! (where
YY is your two digit birth year and x is the first character of your last name in
lowercase. Then add an exclamation point (shift + 1) at the end. For example, if your
birth date is January 15, 1980, and your name is Jane Smith, then your initial
password is 011580s!).
WebCT IDs and passwords are case sensitive. Students should change their password
the first time they log on to WebCT.
Support for students using WebCT is available in four ways:
1) Online at http://www.uh.edu/webct - click on “Student Help” to see
information about using WebCT. Or click on “UH Main Campus Courses”
and “online support form” to request additional help.
2) In person in Room 56 in the basement of the MD Anderson Library on the
main campus, Monday-Friday, 8 am to 8 pm.
3) By phone at 713-743-1411 Monday-Friday, 8 am to 8 pm.
4) By sending email to support@uh.edu with the student’s full name, course
name and number, section number, instructor’s name and a description of the
problem.
Group Support – Within WebCt, each team will have an area to share with each
other, post work etc.
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Schedule
Aug. 26: Introduction: Systems Analysis is used in all different kinds of organizations and situations. . Your first
homework assignment is to fill out and turn in the short form at the back of the syllabus. Chap 1 Intro Systems
Analysis and Design. In today’s class we will introduce the systems development life cycle. We will examine
different systems development methodologies. We will discuss different roles and skills needed for a team.
Aug. 28 : Intro to Second Life seminars. Your Turn 1-1, our Turn 1-2
Sept 2: Online Lecture Chap 1 Intro Systems Analysis and Design Continued Chapter 4 Requirements
Determination: Gathering information is critical to the success of the Systems Analysis. We will review the
different methods used to gather information. Examples of these methods are JAD, interviews and questionnaires
Sept. 4: Your Turn 4-1, 4-2 and 4-5, Interview another student and post interview to WebCt. Topic of
interview: Your suggestions for improving the UH registration system.
Sept. 9: Online Lecture Chapter 2 Project Initiation How are Projects Identified? Which project to support?
Project initiation is the point at which an organization first creates, then asses the goals for a project. We will identify
the business value for your project. These are some of the components of Project Initiation.
Sept. 11: Your Turn 2-1, 2-2, and 2-3
Sept. 16: Online Lecture Chapter 3 Project Management Today’s class will look at the important management
topic of project management. We will look at creating work plans, staffing projects, and then controlling them.
Sept. 18: Case Study: Jahrna and Agile, Your Turn 3-1, 3-3, and 3-4
Sept. 23: Online Lecture Chapter 5 Use Case Analysis: Use cases are the fundamental building block to
understanding systems. Learning what they are and when they are used is critical to Systems analysis.
Sept. 25: Your Turn 5-1, and 5-2
Sept. 30: Online Lecture Chapter 6. Process Modeling Understanding how a system works and how data flows are
a fundamental steps in Systems Analysis. To do this, systems analysts use what is called process modeling
Oct. 2: Case Study: HD and ERP Your Turn 6-1
Oct. 7: Online Lecture Chapter 7: Data Modeling Project Presentation Status Report
Oct. 9: Online Lecture Design Chap 8 Moving into: . A successful design builds upon what was learned in earlier
phases and leads to a smooth implementation by creating a clear, accurate plan of what needs to be done
Oct. 14 Exam 1 Students will be responsible for material up to and including Chapter 7.
Oct. 16: Online Lecture Chapter 9: Architecture Design: When implementing a solution a systems analyst need to
decide what type of system architecture to use: server-client, client server, etc. How does the systems analyst decide
which is the preferred alternative? Should a systems analyst be concerned about these arrangements?
Oct. 21: Your Turn 7-1, and 7-8 Your Turn 8-1,
Oct. 23: Online Lecture Chapter 10: User interface design is something of an art. As an in any art there are
principles underlying the art. How is the art stored once it is created?
Oct. 28: Case Study: Managing Information Security, Your Turn 9-1, Your Turn 10-1
Oct. 30: Online Lecture Chapter 11: Program Design: Guiding programmers to build the code to do the work is
critical to the success of the project. One way to guide the programmers is to use a structure chart. Construction and
Implementation: What should a systems analyst expect in terms of documentation and testing on a new system? How
are systems be implemented? Does one method work better than others do?
Nov. 4: Experiential Exercise: Develop an outline of a transaction system such as their favorite ATM system. Based
on their notes, have them ‘work backwards’ from the menus of the ATM and develop a structure chart for the upper
levels of the system
Nov. 6: Online Lecture Chap 12 Data Storage Design How data is stored and handled by programs that run the
system
Nov. 11: Your Turn 12-1, 12-3
Nov. 13: Online Lecture Chapter 13 Moving into implementation: Managing, testing and developing
documentation all are included in implementation
Nov. 18: Case Study: BMW,Your Turn 13-1
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Nov. 20: Online Lecture Chapter 14: Transitioning to the new system: Migrating the new system is critical to
users using the system. How is this done and what activities take place during this period
Nov 25: Online Lecture Chap 15 The Movement To Objects Object-oriented techniques view a system as a
collection of self-contained objects which include both data and processes.
Nov. 27: Thanksgiving Holiday. No Class
Dec. 2 Last day of Class. Technical Presentations
Dec. 10: Exam 2. 11AM to 2 PM Students will be responsible for material in Chapters 8 to 15.
The Harvard Case Studies used in the course are:
Title
Product Number
BMW AG: The Digital Auto Project (A)
699044
BMW AG: The Digital Auto Project (B)
699045
Harley-Davidson Motor Co.: Enterprise Software Selection
600006
Jharna Software: The Move to Agile
HKU613
Secom: Managing Information Security in a Risky World
308015
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Appendix I
How to Write a Case Analysis
When creating your analysis of the cases, it is important to remember that each case has a theme. It
is this theme that should drive your analysis and provide a platform for the integration. It would be
inappropriate, for example, to discuss the re-engineering implications of the BMW case to the extent
that the reader would not understand that the main intent of this case is actually implementation
issues in IS. While there is no ideal outline for the case study analysis, a few suggestions can be
made. Each write up (Sections 1 through 3) is typically between 5 to 15 pages typed, double-spaced
with reasonable margins and fonts and page numbers. Many include figures to support discussion
points. Often these analyses contain information gleaned from outside sources (e.g. the Internet),
which is included in Section 5.
Title Page
Case Titles, Team members, Team name, Due Date, Primary Author, and Revision Number if
needed
Section 1
Discussion of: Company (case) Background; Theme of the case. Relationship of the case to the
course.
Section 2 (the bulk of the write up)
Integration: Find four to eight points of interest in the case around which the integration will focus.
Discuss each of these points of interest using examples from the case, the text and the real world. Be
sure to tell reasonable detail how the integration relates. Don’t simply say "This is similar to the
experiences of Harley Davidson.” Tell how this is similar to the experiences of Harley Davidson.
The better your integration, the better your grade.
Section 3
Summarize the case situation and make a recommendation. Although most do, some of the cases
won’t really lend themselves to a recommendation. In these cases, the summary will suffice along
with your opinion concerning the success or failure identified in the case.
Section 4
List the key "take aways" you gleaned from the case. These are the key points that you would want
your listener to remember from the case. Be as specific as possible. Help the reader understand
where the take aways came from.
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Section 5
Supporting materials. You may have found supporting materials from outside sources such as MIS
journals. When you include these, be sure to include their source (or citation.) If found on the
Internet, provide the URL.
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Appendix II
Student Profile
Student Name ____________________________
Second Life Avatar Name __________________
Team Name _____________________________
Your Interests ____________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
This class will &@#$%&*@### if I don’t learn:
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
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