Post on 25-Feb-2016
description
Systems Analysis & Design
Introduction
Karolina Muszyńska
Based on http://www.csun.edu/~dn58412/IS431/IS431_SP13.html
Information system applications - WHAT Information systems and their
stakeholders – WHO Definition of a system Role of systems analysts Knowledge and skill set for system
analysts IS Building Blocks Business modeling – why, what, how?
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System Development Environment: Participants and
Context
Information System (IS): People, data, processes, and information technology that interact to collect, process, store, and provide as output the information needed to support and improve operational, tactical, and strategic activities of an organization (business).
Information Technology (IT): A combination of computer technology (hardware and software) with telecommunications technology (data, image, and voice networks)
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Information Systems vs. Information Technology
Data – raw facts about people, places, events, and things that are of importance in an organization.
Information – data that has been processed or reorganized into a more meaningful form for someone.
Knowledge – data and information that is further refined based on the facts, truths, beliefs, judgments, experiences, and expertise of the recipient.
Wisdom – when to apply a certain knowledge
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From Facts to Knowledge
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Decision-Making in an Organization
Executive Level◦ Long-term decisions (Strategies)◦ Unstructured decisions (Competitions)
Managerial Level◦ Decisions covering weeks and months (Tactics)◦ Semi-structured decisions (Effectiveness)
Operational Level◦ Day-to-day decisions (Operations)◦ Structured decisions (Efficiency)
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Decision-Making Levels of an Organization
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STRATEGIC
OPERATIONAL
EXECUTIVE INFORMATION SYSTEMS
MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS
TRANSACTION PROCESSING SYSTEMS
ACCOUNT I NG
F I NANCE
HUMAN RES
PRODUCTION
SALES
OTHERS
TACTICAL
VALUE CHAIN
Information Systems in Organization
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Information System in Context
Transaction Processing Systems Management Information Systems Executive Information Systems Decision Support Systems Expert Systems Functional Area Information Systems
(Accounting, HR, Sales, Production …) Office Automation Systems (Personal
Productivity Software) Collaboration Systems (Groupware) Enterprise Systems
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Types of Information Systems
Front-office information systems support business functions that extend out to the organization’s customers (or constituents).◦ Marketing◦ Sales◦ Customer management
Back-office information systems support internal business operations of an organization, as well as reach out to suppliers (of materials, equipment, supplies, and services). ◦ Human resources◦ Financial management◦ Manufacturing◦ Inventory control
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Front- and Back-Office Information Systems
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A Federation of Information Systems
Stakeholder: any person who has an interest in an existing or proposed information system. Stakeholders can be technical or nontechnical workers. They may also include both internal and external workers.
Information workers are those workers whose jobs involve the creation, collection, processing, distribution, and use of information.
Knowledge workers are a subset of information workers whose responsibilities are based on a specialized body of knowledge.
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Stakeholders of a System
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Perspectives on an Information System
System owners – an information system’s sponsors and executives advocate, usually responsible for funding the project of developing, operating, and maintaining the information system. They define the SCOPE of a system: what business problem is to be solved◦ They view the system in terms of cost/benefit to
solve business problem
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System Owners
System users – use or are affected by an information system on a regular basis – capturing, validating, entering, responding to, storing, and exchanging data and information. They define the REQUIREMENTS of the system.◦ Internal users
Clerical and service workers Technical and professional staff Supervisors, middle managers, and executive managers Remote and mobile users (internal but disconnected)
◦ External users
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System Users
System designers translate system users’ business requirements and constraints into technical solution: computer databases, inputs, outputs, networks, and software meeting the system users’ requirements. Their activities relate to the DESIGN of a system
System builders construct information systems based on the design specifications from the system designers. Their activities relate to building the COMPONENTS of the system.
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System Designers and System Builders
Systems analysts study the problems and needs of an organization to determine how people, data, processes, and information technology can best accomplish improvements for the business. They are FACILITATORS of the system development project.• A programmer/analyst (or analyst/programmer)
includes the responsibilities of both the computer programmer and the systems analyst.
• A business analyst focuses on only the nontechnical aspects of systems analysis and design.
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Systems Analysts
What “problems” to solve: (Project Definition)◦ True problem situations, either real or anticipated, that
require corrective action◦ Opportunities to improve a situation despite the
absence of complaints ◦ Directives to change a situation regardless of whether
anyone has complained about the current situation Why: (Project Justification)
◦ Effective: Do right thing◦ Efficient: Do thing right◦ Competitive: Do thing differently
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The Systems Analyst as a Problem-Solver
In traditional businesses◦ Working in traditional information services organizations
(permanent project teams)◦ Working in contemporary information services
organizations (dynamic project teams) In outsourcing businesses
◦ Contracted to traditional businesses In consulting businesses
◦ Contracted to traditional businesses In application software businesses
◦ Building software products for traditional businesses
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Systems Analysts At Work
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Systems Analyst as a Facilitator
Working knowledge of information technology Computer programming experience and expertise General business knowledge General problem-solving skills Good interpersonal communication skills Good interpersonal relations skills Flexibility and adaptability Character and ethics Systems Analysis and Design Skills
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Skills Needed by the Systems Analyst
Information systems architecture - a unifying framework into which various stakeholders with different perspectives can organize and view the fundamental building blocks of information systems.
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Information Systems Architecture
KNOWLEDGE (Data) — the raw material used to create useful information.
PROCESSES — the activities (including management) that carry out the mission of the business.
COMMUNICATION (Interfaces) — how the system interfaces with its users and other information systems.
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Focuses for Information Systems
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System owners’ view◦ Interested not in raw data but in information that adds
new business knowledge and information that help managers make intelligent decisions.
◦ Data entities and business rules.
System users’ view◦ Something recorded on forms, stored in file cabinets,
recorded in books and binders, organized into spreadsheets, or stored in computer files and databases.
◦ Focus on the business issues as they pertain to the data.◦ Data requirement – a representation of users’ data in
terms of entities, attributes, relationships, and rules independent of data technology.
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KNOWLEDGE Focus
System designers’ view◦ Data structures, database schemas, fields,
indexes, and constraints of particular database management system (DBMS).
System builders’ view◦ SQL◦ DBMS or other data technologies
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KNOWLEDGE Focus …
System owners’ view ◦ Concerned with high-level process called business
functions◦ Business function – a group of related processes that
support the business. Functions can be decomposed into other subfunctions and eventually into processes that do specific tasks. (e.g. Sales Function)
◦ A cross-functional information system – a system that supports relevant business processes from several business functions without regard to traditional organizational boundaries such as divisions, departments, centers, and offices. (e.g. Production Function)
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PROCESS Focus
System users’ view ◦ Concerned with work that must be performed to provide
the appropriate responses to business events. ◦ Business processes – activities that respond to
business events.◦ Process requirements – a user’s expectation of the
processing requirements for a business process and its information systems.
◦ Policy – a set of rules that govern a business process.◦ Procedure – a step-by-step set of instructions and logic
for accomplishing a business process.◦ Work flow – the flow of transactions through business
processes to ensure appropriate checks and approvals are implemented.
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PROCESS Focus …
System designers’ view◦ Concerned with - which processes to automate
and how to automate them◦ Constrained by limitations of application
development technologies being used◦ Software specifications – the technical design
of business processes to be automated or supported by computer programs (off-shelf, in-house) to be written by system builders.
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PROCESS Focus …
System builders’ view◦ Concerned with programming logic that implements
automated processes◦ Application program – a language-based, machine-
readable representation of what a software process is supposed to do, or how a software process is supposed to accomplish its task.
◦ Prototyping – a technique for quickly building a functioning, but incomplete model of the information system using rapid application development tools.
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PROCESS Focus …
System owners’ view◦ Concerned with communications scope of an
information system. Who (which business units, employees, customers,
and partners) must interact with the system? Where are these business units, employees,
customers, and partners located? What other information systems will the system
have to interface with?
System users’ view◦ Concerned with the information system’s inputs
and outputs (Interface Requirements).
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COMMUNICATION Focus
System designers’ view◦ Concerned with the technical design of both the user and
the system-to-system communication interfaces.◦ Interface specifications – technical designs that
document how system users are to interact with a system and how a system interacts with other systems.
◦ User dialogue – a specification of how the user moves from window to window or page to page, interacting with the application programs to perform useful work.
System builders’ view◦ Concerned with the construction, installation, testing and
implementation of user and system-to-system interface solutions.
◦ Middleware – utility software that allows application software and systems software that utilize differing technologies to interoperate.
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COMMUNICATION Focus …
System initiation – the initial planning for a project to define initial business scope, goals, schedule, and budget.
System analysis – the study of a business problem domain to recommend improvements and specify the business requirements and priorities for the solution.
System design – the specification or construction of a technical, computer-based solution for the business requirements identified in a system analysis.
System implementation – the construction, installation, testing, and delivery of a system into production.
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System Development Process Overview
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System Development as Problem Solving
Business Modeling: Why, What , How ?
An IS professional can add value in helping an organization to define and improve its business processes and design appropriate IS.
What are business processes and how can they be designed to support an organization’s objectives?
How do we design information systems that collect, maintain, and process the data needed to generate the outputs required by management to effectively manage business processes in the information age?
REAL Business Process Modeling
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Business Processes
Acquisition/Payment Business Process
Human ResourcesFinancial ResourcesSuppliesInventoriesProperty, Plant and EquipmentNew Ideas (R & D)Miscellaneous services
Conversion Business Process
Operations
(Varies widely depending upon the industry)
Sales/CollectionBusiness Process
Marketing and SalesServicePromotionOutbound logisticsCollection and CreditE-CommerceA
CT
I VI T
IES
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Acquisition/Payment Process Regardless of the type of good or service being
acquired, the following are typical operating events in the acquisition/payment business process:◦ Request goods or services.◦ Order goods or services.◦ Receive and inspect goods or services.◦ Store and/or maintain goods.◦ Pay for goods or services.◦ Return goods.
Specifics may vary
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Sales/Collection Process Although there is some diversity across the types
of goods and services sold, the sales/collection process typically includes the following events:◦ Receive an order for goods or services.◦ Select and inspect goods or services to be delivered.◦ Prepare goods or services for delivery.◦ Deliver goods or services.◦ Receive payment for goods or services.◦ Accept customer returns of goods.
Specifics may vary
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Conversion Process General activities in the conversion process include:
◦ Assembling.◦ Growing.◦ Excavating.◦ Harvesting.◦ Basic manufacturing (e.g., metals, woods, and chemicals).◦ Finished manufacturing (e.g., tools, instruments,
components).◦ Cleaning.◦ Transporting.◦ Distributing.◦ Providing (e.g., power, water, protection, communication).◦ Training.◦ Discovering (e.g., research and development).
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Business Process Events A business process is “a series of activities intended to
accomplish the strategic objectives of an organization.” Operating Events are the operating activities performed
within a business process to provide goods and services to customers.
Information Events include three activities: recording data about operating events, maintaining reference data that are important to the organization, and reporting useful information to management and other decision makers.
Decision/Management Events are activities where management and other people make decisions about planning, controlling, and evaluating business processes.
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Business Process: Delivering Goods and Collecting Payment
Event 1: Marketing
Event 2: Take Customer
Order
Event 3: Ship the
Goods
Event 4: Collect Payment
Business Process and Business Events
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Business Process Activities (Events)
Decision/ management
events
Operatingevents
Informationevents
Define &Trigger
Trigger Trigger
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TriggerReport
(in many formats)
Record (event data)Maintain
(agent, resource, location data)
Trigger
Processes that Trigger Information System Responses
Business events
Informationprocesses
Informationprocesses
Information Needs of Decision Makers
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Analyzing the market, competitors, and customers.
Deciding what pizzas to place on Golden’s menu.
Determine if the cooked pizza is correct for presenting order form.
Receive customer pizza order.
Receive customer payment.
Make pizza. Deliver pizza to
customer.
Decision/Management Operating Events Information Events
Process Analysis: Golden Pizza
Generate a customer analysis report.
Generate a report of sales by pizza type.
Generate a gross margin analysis.
Generate a report of lost sales (due to the 20 minutes guarantee.)
Trigger
Trigger
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Developing a REAL Business Process Model
REAL Business Process Modeling is a formal method of identifying and representing the essential characteristics that collectively describe business processes and events.
REAL = Resources, Events, Agents, and Locations. Preparing a REAL Business Process Model requires
the identification of strategically significant business activities and essential characteristics about these business activities.
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Developing a REAL Business Process Model …
Step 1: Understand the organization’s Environment and Objectives
Step 2: Review the business process and identify the strategically significant operating events
Step 3: Analyze each event list in #2 to identify Resources, Events, Agents, and Locations
Step 4: Identify the relevant behaviors, characteristics, and attributes of REAL
Step 5: Identify and document direct relationships within REAL
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Step 1: Understand The Organization’s Environment and
Objectives REAL modeling is an aid in analyzing an organization
and its activities. Collect data and insights about the organization’s
objectives, industry, value chain, strategies, product lines, and customers.
Pay attention to the organization’s people, structure, technologies, and measurements.
A better understanding of these factors will enhance the evaluation of effective and efficient business processes valuable, competitive, meeting the organization’s objectives.
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Understanding the Business Environment
IndustryThe Company
Competitors
Technologies
Customers
EconomicForcesPeople
CapitalTechnology
Value Chain Products
Structure
Objectives
Strategies
Measurements
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Step 2: Review the Business Process and Identify the Strategically Significant Operating Events
Begin by dividing the organization into its business processes. “What happened? How and Why? ”
REAL graphical model—include the strategically significant operating events that comprise a business process. (The ones that the organization wants to plan, evaluate and execute/or control)
Begin REAL graphical model by representing events with a descriptor.
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Step 2 example: MrKool’s Retail Model
Events
Sellmerchandise
Receivecustomerpayment
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Step 3: Analyze Each Event Listed in Step 2
to Identify R E A L Describe essential characteristics of the
Events—the characteristics which:◦ if omitted, would render an inaccurate or incomplete
description of the event.◦ form the basis for generating outputs for information
customers to plan, execute, control and evaluate organization activities.
What kinds of Resources were involved? What roles are performed and who/what
Agents perform the roles? Where did the event occur? (Location)
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Step 3 example: MrKool’s REAL Model
Sell Merchandise
ReceiveCustomer Payment
Merchandise
Cash
Register
Salesperson
Customer
RESOURCES/ LOCATION
EVENTS AGENTS
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Step 4: Identify the Relevant Behaviors, Characteristics, and
Attributes of REAL At what time or sequence in the process should
the event occur? What are the exceptions to the “normal”
ordering of events in the process? What is the proper authorization or approval to
execute this event? What is a reasonable amount of resources
associated with this event? What are the acceptable locations for executing
this event?
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Step 4 example: MrKool’s REAL Model
What is an acceptable time period between events in a business process?
How might the order of events vary by customer? Does the location from which goods are shipped
matter? How many salespeople are assigned to each
customer? Should a sales order clerk have custody of cash?
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Sequence of Events
The sequence of events may also be a function of the physical characteristics of the event (in production)
Sometimes the sequence of events is dictated by business policy
Receive payment
Ship merchandiseReceive payment
Ship merchandiseOR
Provide Credit Cash in Advance
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Example: MrKool’s Business Rules
Each sale takes place at a specific register (location).
Each sale involves only one customer (external agent).
Only one salesperson (internal agent) is responsible for each sale.
Each sale involves one or more items of merchandise (resource).
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Additional rules:◦ The salesperson and customer do not have a direct
relationship, The customer and salesperson are related only through the sale.
◦Sales can only involve merchandise, not fixed assets.
◦Sales cannot involve more merchandise (quantity) than McKool has on hand.
◦Sales cannot involve merchandise McKool does not offer.
◦The store keeps records on who sold which merchandize to whom at a specific cash register
Example: MrKool’s Business Rules …
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Step 5:Identify and Document Direct Relationships within REAL
Draw a line from each event to each resource, internal agent, external agent, and location associated with that event. On the line, add a meaningful term or phrase that describes the relationship between the objects.
Graphically display events that are related to other events to show the required sequence of events in a business process. Draw lines from event to event in the correct sequence
Document direct relationships between pairs of agents, locations, and resources that exist independently of an operating event. Connect the pairs with a line.
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Step 5 example: MrKool REAL Model
Sell Merchandise
ReceiveCustomer Payment
Merchandise
Cash
Register
Salesperson
Customer
involves
takes
place at
takes place at
increasesinternal agent
internal
agent
external
agent
external agent
results in
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Linking Processes Business processes are linked together in two
ways: ◦ sharing common resources or ◦ an event in one process triggering an event in another
process. Collectively business processes result in the
acquisition of goods and services the conversion of acquired goods and services into goods and services for customers the delivery of the goods and services to customers the collection of payment from customers.
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Linked Processes
Acquisition
Inventory
Sales
Collection
(Share a common Resource)
(One triggers another)
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Summary: A Model of Business Events
• What happened?• When did it happen?• Who was involved?• What resources were involved?• Where did it occur?
Event
Internal Agents
Location ExternalAgents
Resources
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From REAL Model ...
Inventory
Cash
Sales Salesperson
Customer
CashCollection
Cashier
Resources Events Agents
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…to ERD
Inventory
Cash
SalesSalesperson
Customer
CashCollection
Cashier
Include
Include
Pay for
Sell
Sell to
Receivefrom
Receive by
M M
M
M
M
M
M
M
M1
1
1
1
1
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