Fundamentals of Information Systems Fourth Edition

1. Fundamentals of Information SystemsFourth Edition Chapter 8 Systems Development

2. Principles and Learning Objectives • Effective systems development requires a team effort of stakeholders, users, managers, systems development specialists, and various support personnel, and it starts with careful planning • Identify the key participants in the systems development process and discuss their roles • Define the term information systems planning and discuss the importance of planning a project Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

3. Principles and Learning Objectives (continued) • Systems development often uses different approaches and tools such as traditional development, prototyping, rapid application development, end-user development, computer-aided software engineering, and object-oriented development to select, implement, and monitor projects • Discuss the key features, advantages, and disadvantages of the traditional, prototyping, rapid application development, and end-user systems development life cycles Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

4. Principles and Learning Objectives (continued) • Systems development often uses different approaches and tools such as traditional development, prototyping, rapid application development, end-user development, computer-aided software engineering, and object-oriented development to select, implement, and monitor projects (continued) • Discuss the use of computer-aided software engineering (CASE) tools and the object-oriented approach to systems development Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

5. Principles and Learning Objectives (continued) • Systems development starts with investigation and analysis of existing systems • State the purpose of systems investigation • State the purpose of systems analysis and discuss some of the tools and techniques used in this phase of systems development Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

6. Principles and Learning Objectives (continued) • Designing new systems or modifying existing ones should always be aimed at helping an organization achieve its goals • State the purpose of systems design and discuss the differences between logical and physical systems design • Define the term RFP and discuss how this document is used to drive the acquisition of hardware and software Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

7. Principles and Learning Objectives (continued) • The primary emphasis of systems implementation is to make sure that the right information is delivered to the right person in the right format at the right time • State the purpose of systems implementation and discuss the various activities associated with this phase of systems development Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

8. Principles and Learning Objectives (continued) • Maintenance and review add to the useful life of a system but can consume large amounts of resources, so they benefit from the same rigorous methods and project management techniques applied to systems development • State the importance of systems and software maintenance and discuss the activities involved • Describe the systems review process Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

9. Why Learn About Systems Development? • Important to learn how to: • Initiate systems development process • Analyze your needs with help of IS personnel • Learn how a project can be: • Planned • Aligned with corporate goals • Rapidly developed Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

10. An Overview of Systems Development • Managers and employees in all functional areas work together in a business information system • Users help and often lead the way with development process • Participants in systems development: • Determine when a project fails • Are critical to systems development success Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

11. Participants in Systems Development • Development team consists of the following: • Project managers: coordinate system development effort • Stakeholders: directly or indirectly benefit from the project • Users: interact with the system regularly • Systems analysts: analyze and design business systems • Programmers: modify or develop programs to satisfy user requirements • Various support personnel: specialists, vendors Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

12. Information Systems Planning and Aligning Corporate and IS Goals • Information systems planning: translating strategic and organizational goals into systems development initiatives • Aligning organizational goals and IS goals is critical for any successful systems development effort • Determining whether organizational and IS goals are aligned can be difficult Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

13. Information Systems Planning and Aligning Corporate and IS Goals (continued) Figure 8.2: Information Systems Planning Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

14. Systems Development Life Cycles • The systems development process is also called a systems development life cycle (SDLC) • Common SDLCs • Traditional systems development life cycle • Prototyping • Rapid application development (RAD) • End-user development Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

15. The Traditional Systems Development Life Cycle Figure 8.3: The Traditional Systems Development Life Cycle Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

16. The Traditional Systems Development Life Cycle (continued) • Systems investigation: problems and opportunities are identified and considered in light of the goals of the business • Systems analysis: study of existing systems and work processes to identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement • Systems design: answers the question “How will the information system do what it must do to obtain the problem solution?” Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

17. The Traditional Systems Development Life Cycle (continued) • Systems implementation: creation or acquisition of various system components detailed in the systems design, assembling them, and placing the new or modified system into operation • Systems maintenance and review: ensures the system operates as intended and modifies the system so that it continues to meet changing business needs Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

18. Prototyping • An iterative approach to systems development Figure 8.4: Prototyping Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

19. Rapid Application Development, Agile Development, Joint Application Development, and Other Systems Development Approaches • Rapid application development (RAD) • Systems development approach that employs tools, techniques, and methodologies designed to speed application development • Some iterative development approaches allow the system to change as it is being developed • Agile development: frequent face-to-face meetings between systems developers and users • XP programming: pairs of programmers work together to develop robust systems quickly Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

20. Rapid Application Development, Agile Development, Joint Application Development, and Other Systems Development Approaches (continued) • Joint application development (JAD) • Process for data collection and requirements analysis in which users, stakeholders, and IS professionals work together to analyze existing systems, propose possible solutions, and define the requirements of a new or modified system • Used extensively by RAD • Often utilizes group support systems (GSS) software to foster positive group interactions Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

21. The End-User Systems Development Life Cycle • End-user systems development: any systems development project in which the primary effort is undertaken by a combination of business managers and users • End-user-developed systems can be structured as complementary to, rather than in conflict with, existing and emerging information systems Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

22. Outsourcing and On Demand Computing • An outside consulting firm or computer company that specializes in systems development can take over some or all of the development and operations activities • Reasons for using outsourcing and on demand computing • Reducing costs, obtaining state-of-the-art technology, eliminating staffing and personnel problems, and increasing technological flexibility Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

23. Use of Computer-Aided Software Engineering (CASE) Tools • Computer-aided software engineering (CASE): tools that automate many of the tasks required in a systems development effort and encourage adherence to the SDLC • Instill a high degree of rigor and standardization to the entire systems development process • Upper-CASE tools focus on investigation, analysis, and design • Lower-CASE tools focus on implementation Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

24. Use of Computer-Aided Software Engineering (CASE) Tools (continued) Table 8.2: Advantages and Disadvantages of CASE Tools Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

25. Object-Oriented Systems Development • Object-oriented systems development (OOSD): approach to systems development that combines the logic of the systems development life cycle with the power of object-oriented modeling and programming Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

26. Object-Oriented Systems Development (continued) • Object-oriented systems development typically involves: • Identifying potential problems and opportunities within the organization that would be appropriate for the OO approach • Defining the kind of system users require • Designing the system • Programming or modifying modules • Evaluation by users • Periodic review and modification Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

27. Systems Investigation • What primary problems might a new or enhanced system solve? • What opportunities might a new or enhanced system provide? • What new hardware, software, databases, telecommunications, personnel, or procedures will improve an existing system or are required in a new system? • What are the potential costs (variable and fixed)? • What are the associated risks? Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

28. Initiating Systems Investigation • Systems request form: document filled out by someone who wants the IS department to initiate systems investigation • Helps rationalize and prioritize the activities of the IS department • Includes the following information: • Problems in and opportunities for system • Objectives in investigation • Overview, costs, and benefits of proposed system Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

29. Feasibility Analysis • Technical feasibility: hardware, software, and other system components • Economic feasibility: predicted benefits vs. cost and time • Legal feasibility: limitations of laws and regulations on project • Operational feasibility: logistical and motivational considerations • Schedule feasibility: completion of project in reasonable amount of time Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

30. Object-Oriented Systems Investigation • Key objects can be identified during systems investigation • Use case diagram • Part of the Unified Modeling Language (UML) used in object-oriented systems development • Actors represent objects • Use cases represent events Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

31. Object-Oriented Systems Investigation (continued) Figure 8.8: Use Case Diagram for a Kayak Rental Application Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

32. The Systems Investigation Report • Systems investigation report • Summary of the results of the systems investigation and the process of feasibility analysis • Recommendation of a course of action • Continue systems analysis • Modify the project • Abandon the project • Reviewed by steering committee of senior management and users Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

33. The Systems Investigation Report (continued) Figure 8.9: A Typical Table of Contents for a Systems Investigation Report Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

34. Systems Analysis • Answers the question “What must the information system do to solve the problem?” • Overall emphasis of systems analysis is: • Gathering data on the existing system • Determining the requirements for the new system • Considering alternatives within these constraints • Investigating the feasibility of the solutions • Primary outcome: prioritized list of systems requirements Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

35. Data Collection • Identifying sources of data • Internal sources • External sources • Collecting data • Interviews: structured and unstructured • Direct observation • Questionnaires: structured or unstructured • Used when data sources are spread over a wide geographic area Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

36. Data Collection (continued) Figure 8.10: Internal and External Sources of Data for Systems Analysis Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

37. Data Analysis • Data analysis • Manipulation of collected data so that systems development team can use the data • Data modeling • Entity-relationship (ER) diagrams: objects, attributes, and associations • Activity modeling • Data-flow diagrams (DFDs): objects, associations, and activities Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

38. Data Analysis (continued) Figure 8.12: Data and Activity Modeling (a) An entity-relationship diagram Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

39. Data Analysis (continued) Figure 8.12: Data and Activity Modeling (b) A data-flow diagram Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

40. Data Analysis (continued) Figure 8.12: Data and Activity Modeling (c) A semantic description of the business process Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

41. Requirements Analysis • Determines user, stakeholder, and organizational needs through the following techniques: • Asking directly: best for stable systems • Critical success factors: asks for critical factors in interviewee’s area • IS plan: translates strategic plan into initiatives • Requirements analysis tools: CASE tools Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

42. Requirements Analysis (continued) Figure 8.13: Converting Organizational Goals into Systems Requirements Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

43. Object-Oriented Systems Analysis • Identifying problems or potential opportunities • Identifying key participants and collecting data • Uses classes and generalization/specialization hierarchies instead of data-flow diagrams and flowcharts Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

44. Object-Oriented Systems Analysis (continued) Figure 8.14: Generalization/Specialization Hierarchy Diagram for Single and Tandem Kayak Classes Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

45. The Systems Analysis Report • Systems analysis report should cover: • Strengths and weaknesses of the existing system from a stakeholder’s perspective • User/stakeholder requirements for the new system (also called the functional requirements) • Organizational requirements for the new system • Description of what the new information system should do to solve the problem Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

46. Systems Design • Answers the question “How will the information system solve a problem?” • Has two dimensions: logical and physical • Logical design: description of the functional requirements of a system • Physical design: specification of the characteristics of the system components necessary to put the logical design into action Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

47. Object-Oriented Design • Design key objects and classes of objects in the new or updated system • Consideration of the problem domain, the operating environment, and the user interface • Consideration of the sequence of events that must happen for the system to function correctly • Scenario: sequence of events • Can be diagrammed in a sequence diagram Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

48. Object-Oriented Design (continued) Figure 8.16: A Sequence Diagram to Add a New KayakItem Scenario Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

49. Generating Systems Design Alternatives • Request for proposal (RFP): document that specifies in detail required resources such as hardware and software • Financial options • Purchasing • Leasing • Renting Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

50. Generating Systems Design Alternatives (continued) • Evaluating and Selecting a Systems Design • Preliminary evaluation • To dismiss unwanted proposals • Begins after all proposals have been submitted • Final evaluation • Detailed investigation of the proposals offered by the vendors remaining after the preliminary evaluation Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition