System Analysis and Design

Lesson 2

Dileeka Alwis
NSBM - School of Computing

System Analysis & Design - Lesson 2 1

 System Analysis
• Understanding and specifying in detail what the information
system should accomplish.

System Design

• Specifying in detail how the components of the information

system should be physically implemented.

System Analysis & Design - Lesson 1 2

 System Analyst
• IT professional who specializes in analyzing, designing and
implementing information systems.

• Examines the organization’s current systems (manual or

computerized) and procedures, existing business models and
flows of data by working closely with the client

• Discuss the findings with the client and design an

appropriate improved IT solution to help the organization
operate more efficiently and effectively.

• Brings business and information technology (IT) together by

understanding the needs and limitations of both.
System Analysis & Design - Lesson 1 3
 Required skills of System Analyst
• Strong analysis skills
• Technical knowledge and skills
• Business knowledge and skills
• Management of Human Resources
Team working, Active Listening, Negotiation, Flexibility,
Adaptability, Initiative
• Critical Thinking
• Judgment and Decision Making
• Time Management
• Troubleshooting

System Analysis & Design - Lesson 1 4

 Project Management
• The discipline of planning, organizing, motivating &
controlling resources to achieve specific goals.

• Requires different technical skills & management strategies.

• Challenges:
- To achieve all of the project objectives with in the predefined
constraints.
- Constraints: Scope, time, quality & budget.
- to optimize the allocation of necessary inputs & integrate them to
meet pre-defined objectives.

System Analysis & Design - Lesson 1 5

 Critical factors that make a project
success
• Detailed planning
–Determine what has to be done, by whom & when

• Efficient use of resources

–Money, people, expertise, equipment, time etc.

• Specialist knowledge & skills

• Keeping track of progress
• Use of suitable, updated tools and technologies

System Analysis & Design - Lesson 1 6

• Effective communication and negotiation between all
parties
– Different views & expectations
– Try to please all the parties involved is difficult
– Project will be more complex
– Can not please all of the people all of the time.
– Do not make promises you can not keep

System Analysis & Design - Lesson 1 7

System Analysis & Design - Lesson 2 8
 System Development Life Cycle
(SDLC)
• The process of determining how an information system (IS) can
support business needs, designing the system, building it, and
delivering it to users.

• It consists of the steps to be considered when a particular

system is selected to be computerized.

• SDLC aims to produce high quality systems that meet or

exceed customer expectations, based on customer
requirements, by delivering systems which move through each
clearly defined phase, within scheduled time-frames and cost
estimates.
System Analysis & Design - Lesson 2 9
System Analysis & Design - Lesson 2 10
 SDLC
• Problem Definition
• Feasibility Study
• System Analysis
• System Design
• System Development
• System Testing
• System Implementation
• System Maintenance

System Analysis & Design - Lesson 2 11

 Problem Identification

• Study the current system of the organization and find

out the basic details about the problem.
• Identify a suitable solution.
• Express the basic details about the solution to the
problem based on the factors understood at this point.

• Deliverable: Project Proposal

System Analysis & Design - Lesson 2 12

 Project Proposal Contains…
• Company Overview
• Objective of the study
• Scope of the study
• Details about the existing system
• Drawbacks of the existing system
• Introduction to the new system
• Functional and Non functional Requirements of the system
• Expected benefits from the new system
• Constraints
• Resource requirements
• Time Line
• Budget
System Analysis & Design - Lesson 2 13
 Management Decisions based on
the Proposal

• Whether to accept the proposal

• Whether to reject the proposal
• Whether it require some modifications

System Analysis & Design - Lesson 2 14

 Feasibility Study

• The process of checking the capability of

developing and implementing the
proposed system according to the
external and internal factors which make
an influence on it.

• Test the proposed system against its workability, meeting user

requirements, effective use of resources and cost effectiveness,
etc.

System Analysis & Design - Lesson 2 15

• Main goal:
- to clearly define the scope and objectives of the project
- to identify alternative solutions to the identified problem

• Deliverables: Feasibility Report

– It is submitted to the management.
– Management decisions will be taken based on the feasibility
report.

System Analysis & Design - Lesson 2 16

 Factors to be considered
Organisational
Schedule Technology

Operation Feasibility Study Financial

Legal
Economic
Social
System Analysis & Design - Lesson 2 17
 Economic Feasibility
• Will the new system provide business a value?
• Cost/ benefit analysis
‐ Verify whether the benefits of solving problem
outweigh the costs of solving problem.
• Purpose is to determine the positive economic benefits
to the organization that the proposed system will
provide.

System Analysis & Design - Lesson 2 18

 Operational Feasibility
• Can we use it?
• Enable the system to run
• A measure of how well a proposed system,
– solves the problems
– takes advantages of the opportunities identified during scope
definition
– satisfies the requirements identified

• Staff requirement
– retrain current staff or hire new people
– specialist skills & knowledge, where to get them
System Analysis & Design - Lesson 2 19
 Technical Feasibility
• Can we build it?
• Determine whether the company has enough technical
expertise to handle completion of the project.
• Existing and new technology requirements.
– It is focused on gaining an understanding of the present
technical resources of the organization and their applicability to
the expected needs of the proposed system.

• It is an evaluation of the hardware and software and how

it meets the need of the proposed system.

System Analysis & Design - Lesson 2 20

 Financial Feasibility
• Judged on the following parameters:
– Set up & running cost
– Total estimated cost of the project
– Financing of the project in terms of its capital
structure, debt equity ratio and client’s share of
total cost
– Projected cash flow and profitability

System Analysis & Design - Lesson 2 21

 Schedule Feasibility
• Plan resources to get the project finished on time.
• Time management, budget, duty roster, deadlines
–Estimating how long the system will take to develop, and
can it be completed within the given time period.
• A measure of how reasonable the project timetable is.

System Analysis & Design - Lesson 2 22

 Organizational Feasibility
• If we build it, will it be used?
• Whether the proposed system is consistent with the
organization’s strategic objectives.

Social Feasibility
• Whether the problem be solved without causing any social
issues.
• Whether the system will be acceptable to the society.

System Analysis & Design - Lesson 2 23

 Legal Feasibility
• Determines whether the proposed system conflicts with
legal requirements.
• Does it protect or violate current acts and laws
• Special government arrangements
• Data Protection Act

Example
A data processing system must comply with the local Data
Protection Acts.

System Analysis & Design - Lesson 2 24