System Analysis and Design

What is analysis?
This is where the current system is looked at in detail in order to figure out what changes need to be made to
make the new system better than the old one.
If there is no current system, analysis will look at the requirements of the proposed new system.
For example:
If a company does not have a current payroll system, the systems analysts will look closely at a list of features
that management want the new system to have.

What does analysis involve?

Typical analysis would involve the following:
Collecting data about the current system / proposed system (what needs changing, what is working well etc)
Find out problems with the current system
Establish the problem that the customer needs solving
(What does the new system need to be able to do? - e.g. calculate employee pay)
Identify inputs, processing and outputs of the current / proposed system
(What needs to go into the system? what calculations? what needs to come out?)
Identify the requirements of the new system (What tasks should the system be able to handle?)
Producing a cost-benefit analysis (Is it worth it financially to build the system?).

How is this data obtained?

Finding out information about the current / proposed system is known as 'fact finding'.
There are four methods which are used to obtain this information:

Questionnaires

Interviews

Observing people using the current system

Looking at the current system's documentation

Questionnaires
Prepared questions are given to users of the system and they are left with the user to complete.
Questionnaires are quick ways of gathering basic information about a current system. They usually focus on
more simple questions and are completed by ticking or circling options or shading boxes.
The questionnaire will contain questions that are designed to extract useful information about the current system /
proposed system.
For example:

* Is the current system easy to use? YES/NO

* Does the current system freeze or crash? YES/NO
* How fast does the current system handle tasks? SLOW/FAST/VERY FAST

Advantages / Disadvantages of questionnaires:

Advantages
Questions can be answered quickly.
Answers are more honest as the questions can be
answered anonymously
Fairly cheap method of gathering data.
Answers to the questionnaires can be analysed
automatically using an OMR (optical mark
reader).

Disadvantages
People often do not complete or return the
questionnaire.
Unclear questions cannot be explained as people
are left to answers the questions alone.
You may get incorrect data if people have
misunderstood a question.
It is hard to ask very technical or specific
questions on a questionnaire.

Interviews
Interviews take place face-to-face and usually involve more detailed questions than questionnaires. The
interviewer talks to people at various levels of the business (managers, directors, employees etc). Different
questions might be asked to different employees.
For example:
*
A manager/director might be asked questions focused on the exact requirements of a new system
*
An employee might be asked questions about the current system, how they use it and any problems that
they might have.

Advantages / Disadvantages of Interviews:

Advantages
Questions can be explained if they are misunderstood.
More complex questions can be asked which will give
more detailed findings.
Questions can be changed to suit who is being
interviewed
(different questions for a director compared to a regular
employee).
You will get a full set of data as the person being
interviewed has no choice but to answer all questions.

Disadvantages
Interviews take far longer to complete than
questionnaires.
Expensive to carry out as the person being interviewed
needs to be taken away from their work.
Answers may not be honest as the person being
interviewed cannot remain anonymous (they may
give answers they think are expected rather than the
truth).

Observations
This is where a systems analyst sits and watches somebody using the current system.
By watching the current system being used, the analyst can log or make notes about different facts:
Advantages / Disadvantages of Observations:
Advantages
Disadvantages
Analyst can see exactly what the current system
Person being watched might feel uncomfortable
does well and not so well.
and work in a different way to usual.
Not expensive to carry out as the employee is not
taken away from their work.

Looking at the current system's documentation

This involves looking at paperwork for the current system. The paperwork will contain information needed to
implement the new system. Paperwork can include:
*
Lists of stock items that will be stored in the new system
*
Employee pay scales (needed for processing in a payroll system)
*
Technical documentation for the current system which could help develop improvements for the new
system.
For example:
Technical documentation explains exactly how the current system has been built. This helps developers
implement good features of the old system into the new one.
Advantages / Disadvantages of looking at existing documentation:
Advantages
Disadvantages
Could save time as there may be copies of
Very time consuming to look through all of the
previous analysis.
existing documents.
Can see existing inputs, processing and outputs.
Very expensive as the analyst will need to be paid
for time spent looking at documentation.
Allows the analyst to predict the size of the
Time could be wasted if existing documentation is
system needed by looking at the amount of data
not relevant to the new system.
that it will be required to handle.
Having collected as much information about the present system as possible, the systems analyst now looks
though it all to understand how the system works, and to try and identify problems that need to be fixed. The
system analyst identifies the Inputs, Outputs and Processes (how the present system works) of the current system.

Identifying Problems
No system is perfect and it is the job of the systems analyst to try and identify where the problems in
a system are. If these problems can be fixed, the system will work more smoothly, be more efficient
and, in the case of a business, be more profitable.
The systems analyst specifies a list of requirements for the new system (requirements simply means targets or
aims). Any new system that is designed must meet these requirements.

What Hardware and Software Will Be Required?

The systems analysts will now need to decide what hardware and software will be required for the new system...

Hardware

How many computers?

What type of network?

How many servers?

Any special input devices? (e.g. barcode readers)

Any special output devices?

Software

Is ready-made, off-the-shelf software available?

Is custom-written software required?

Designing a New System

Using the list of requirements, the systems analyst now has to design the new system.
In most cases the new system will be computer-based. The ease with which computers
can communicate and process data means that are usually the best tool for the job.

Designing the System Inputs

To get data into a system is a two-part process:
1. Data must first be captured (collected in a way that then makes it easy to input)
2. Data must be input into the computer
The systems analyst will select a data capture method and data input method that best
suit the requirements of the new system.

Designing On-Screen Forms for Data Input

Much of the data that enters computer systems needs to typed in. A well-designed onscreen form can make this task easier and quicker.
On-screen forms should...

Have all of the necessary fields

Have obvious places for user input (boxes, use of colour, etc.)

Use appropriate controls (see right) for each field

Have text box controls that are the right size for the data

Have easy-to-understand instructions (if needed)

Make good use of the screen area available

VALIDATION AND VERIFICATION

Data Entry Errors
While there are many direct data capture methods which do away with the need to key data into a computer, there
is still a very large amount of data which is still entered via a keyboard. Apart from being a slow process it is also
very prone to error. There are many ways in which errors can occur. --

Transcription errors are errors in typing. For example, while entering a long number such as a
telephone number.

The customer could have made a mistake filling out a form.

Someone could enter the data twice or miss a set of data out completely.

If an organisation is to have any faith in its data then checks need to be made to make sure they are free from
error. There are two types of check that can be done on data; validation and verification.

Verification
Verification is a check to ensure that the data entered exactly matches the original source.
There are two main methods of verification:
1.

Double entry (typing the data in twice and comparing the two copies) - This can take much more time
and means higher wage costs.

2.

Proofreading data - This method involves somebody checking what is on the screen is the same as on the
input document. Again, this is time consuming and costly.

Validation
Validation is checking the data against a predetermined set of rules. It would be wrong to assume that only valid
and sensible data is entered into computer systems. To make sure that data entered is complete, sensible and valid
rules can be created that enable the computer system to check the data as it is entered.
There are a number of validation checks that can be done. Systems may often use a combination of validation
rules to trap as many errors as possible.

Presence check - Certain fields in a database can be set up to make sure a value is actually entered,
blanks are not allowed. This could be a customer number, product code or price.

Character type check - This type of check makes sure that the correct characters are entered. For
example people names don't have numbers or other non alphabet characters (such as #@!$%) in
them.

Format Check - An item code may be made up from two letters followed by five numbers. The
system can be set up to check for this format and reject codes that do not match it.

Range Check - This checks that values are between a certain range. For example the month a credit
card expires must be between 1 and 12.

Length check- This is an exact check of length. It checks that fields have the correct number of
characters. Eg A bank account number may always be 10 digits long.

Lookup check - This type of check is used to lookup a value in another table to make sure it exists.
For example when choosing from a given list of items.

Control Total check & Hash Total Check - Often when large number of records are being entered
(such as in a batch processing system) a series of totals is often calculated. A Control Total is
calculated manually by adding up values (such as the total price of each order or the number of hours

worked). This total is entered into the computer along with the records in the batch. The computer
recalculates the control total and compares it against the one which was calculated manually. If they
do
not
match
then
an
error
has
been
made.

Check digits - Some numbers have a final digit which is calculated based on the other digits. Credit
card numbers and ISBN numbers have a final check digit as do numbers which are converted into
barcodes. When the number is entered the computer calculates the check digit and compares it
against the check digit which was read in. If they do not match then an error must have occurred in
reading in one of the numbers. You may have noticed in supermarkets which use barcode readers that
occasionally the till will beep to indicate that the code has not been read correctly. This is due to the
check digit being different to the one the computer calculated. The cashier then must either try again
or enter the number manually.
The Modulus-11 system is used to calculate check digits for ISBN numbers. Each digit is assigned a
weight, starting from the least significant digit (right hand). The first digit is given a weight of 2, the
next digit is given a weight of 3 and so on.
Each digit is multiplied by its weight and the results are added together.
The total is divided by 11 and the remainder is obtained. The remainder is subtracted from 11 to give
the check digit. There are two exceptions.
If the remainder is 0 the check digit is 0 and not 11.
If the remainder is 1 the check digit is X and not 10.
Example: the check digit for 9875
Original number:

Weights:

Weights multiplied by digits:

45

32

21

10

Add weights together:

Divide by 11:

45+32+21+10=108
108 / 11 = 9 remainder 9

Subtract remainder from 11:

Check digit is 2.

11 - 9 = 2
The code is now 98752

Designing File Structure

The system analyst designs the structure of the file bearing in mind the avoidance of duplication and redundancy
of data. The following are considered:
Field Name The name used to identify the data stored in the field.
Data Type Defines the type of data/information contained within the field. (Text, memo, number, date/time,
currency, auto number, yes/no, OLE object, hyperlink, lookup wizard),
Indexed-Sets a field as an index field (a field that controls the order of records). Also speeds up searches on
fields that are searched frequently.
Field Size Allows you to set the maximum field size.

Format-Specifies data formats. The format options depend on the data type.
Input Mask-Specifies data entry by letting you define how entries will be made.
Caption- Specifies a field label other than the field name.
Validation Routine-Limits entry to a specific value and displays error message when the validation rule is not
met.

SYSTEM TESTING
After designing the file structure of the system, choosing the hardware configuration and software requirement,
the new system must then be thoroughly tested before it is actually implemented. The following data types are
used to test the system.
(i) Normal data is data which is within an acceptable range/ is usual for the situation.
(ii) Extreme data is data which is at either end of a normal range of data
(iii) Abnormal data is data which is outside the acceptable range/ is of the wrong data type

DOCUMENTATION
This is a guide prepared by the system analyst to aid the users of the system and also the technicians maintaining
the system. Documentation is of two types:

Technical documentation
User documentation

Technical documentation
It is used to explain the system to a specialist so that when the need for updating the system arise such specialist
will understand the operation of the system. It includes the following:

a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
j)
k)
l)
m)
n)

Program listing/algorithm
List of variables
File structure
Purpose of the system
Screen layouts
Print formats/report formats
Purpose of the program
Hardware requirements/information
Software requirements
Sample runs
Known bugs
Validation rules
Systems flowchart
Program flowchart

User documentation

It is a guide that the user can turn to for learning a new procedure or for dealing with a problem that has arisen. It
includes the following:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
j)
k)
l)
m)
n)
o)

How to load software/ run software.

How to save a file.
How to search
How to sort
How to print
How to add records
How to delete/edit records
Purpose of the system/program documentation.
Input format or example
Output format or example
Hardware requirements
Software requirements
Sample runs
Error handling
Troubleshooting guide/Contact details/help line/FAQ

SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION
When the system has been produced and thoroughly tested, it then has to be implemented into the organization
for which it has been designed. The implementation of a new system can be carried out in a number of ways.

DIRECT CHANGEOVER - The old system is scrapped and immediately replaced by the new system. With
this option there is a danger that there may still be problems with the new system. Even though it is the most risky
type of changeover, many companies use this method.
Advantages: (i) saves money in wages. (ii) very fast method of implementation
Disadvantage: if anything goes wrong you dont have the old system to fall back on

PARALLEL RUNNING - running both the old and new system side by side until you are certain the new
system is working correctly. Parallel running is likely to be the most expensive as it involves doing the work
twice for a period of time. However, it is the safest. If there are any bugs in the new system, you can always go
back to the old system while the problems are corrected.
Advantage: If the new system breaks down you still have the old system as a backup
Disadvantages: (i) It can be a slow process. (ii) all tasks have to be performed twice. (iii) have to pay two sets
of wages

PILOT CHANGEOVER - changing over in a small part of the company to start with. Only when the system
is deemed satisfactory will it be rolled out to the rest of the organisation. A supermarket introducing a new 'selfscanning' system might choose to introduce it in two or three stores at first. This is a pilot changeover.
Advantages: Still have most of the system if things go wrong. (ii) no expense of running two systems together
Disadvantage: It takes longer time to implement

PHASED IMPLEMENTATION: With phased implementation, each job is introduced separately rather than
all jobs being introduced in one go. After a section has been introduced and perfected, it is then directed to the
next department until all the sections are introduced.
Advantages: Still have most of the system if things go wrong. (ii) no expense of running two systems together
Disadvantage: It takes longer time to implement

SYSTEM EVALUATION

After the project has been implemented, it should be reviewed periodically to make sure
that it is still meeting its objectives.
The new system is evaluated by:
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
vi.

comparing the solution with the original task requirements;

identifying any limitations to the system;
identifying any necessary improvements
evaluating the users' responses to using the system
Comparing test results of new system with old system results
Comparing the performance of the new system with performance of the old.