CS4125 Systems Analysis

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CS4125 Systems Analysis Design

• Staff
• Lecturer Michael Lane
• Tutorial Lab Assistant Fiacc Larkin
• Background

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Schedule

• Lectures
• Tuesday D1050 1200
• Thursday D1050 1300
• Tutorials commencing week 2
• Wed 1400 CSG25
• CS4125 Surnames A K
• Thur 0900 C1056
• CS4125 Surnames L - S
• Thur 1000 CSG17
• CS4125 Surnames T Z CS5121 All
• Labs

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Schedule

• Labs commencing week 3
• Tue 1500 CS144
• CS4125 Surnames A Lo
• Tue 1600 CS144
• CS4125 Surnames Le - Z,
• Thur 1100 CS244 (needs to be reviewed see
  web)
• CS5121 All
• By Week 6, as project teams are formed, the split
  will be changed to suit groups

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Overview

• Lectures
• Investigate Systems Development
• Focus on Analysis Design
• Using Object Oriented Techniques
• Tutorials
• Opportunity to review lectures practical
  exercises
• Labs
• Gain familiarity with a CASE tool SELECT
  Component Factory
• Project to analyse and design system

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Assessment

• Final Exam 60
• Project 40

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Grading Scheme

•          80 - A1
•          72 - A2
•          64 - B1
•          60 - B2
•          56 - B3

•          52 - C1
•          48 - C2
•          40 - C3
•          35 - D1
•          30 - D2
•          0 -29 - F

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Content

• Background to Systems Analysis and Design
• Fundamentals of Objects
• Requirements gathering and Systems Analysis
• Systems Design
• Advanced Issues

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Tutorials

• Review previous lectures reading material
• Sample questions tackled
• Any confusion / clarifications please ASK!!
• Your query may promote discussion and benefit
  entire group.

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Labs

• Computer Aided Software Engineering tool
• Hands on exercises with Select Component Factory
• Configure tool and build basic model
• As semester progresses, labs will be used to
  develop project

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Required Reading

• Prime Text
• S. Bennett, S. McRobb, and R. Farmer. Object
  Oriented Systems Analysis and Design Using UML,
  Third Edition. McGraw Hill. 2005
• Recommended Reading
• R. Pooley and P. Stevens. Using UML Software
  Engineering with Objects and Components, Updated
  Edition. Addison-Wesley.

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Module information

• www.csis.ul.ie
• left hand column Current Students
• Module Materials
• Autumn Semester
• CS4125 Systems Analysis
• General Announcements
• Updated during semester

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What Are Information Systems?

• Based on Chapter 1 of Bennett, McRobb and Farmer
  
• Object Oriented Systems Analysis and Design Using
  UML, (3rd Edition), McGraw Hill, 2005.

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In This Lecture You Will Learn

• How to define an Information System (IS)
• Some examples and types of IS
• How to apply basic concepts of systems theory to
  IS
• How IS are related to organizations

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McGregor On-Line Retail Site

• A typical modern IS with
• Online catalogue display and shopping cart
• Back-office systems store stock details, orders,
  payment transactions, and more
• Communications link to credit-card processing
  centre
• Robot warehouse control system
• Delivery scheduling

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Elements of an IS

• Every IS has
• A human activity that needs information
• Some stored data
• An input method for entering data
• Some process that turns the data into information
• An output method for representing information

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The Role of the Computer

• Computers carry out tasks also done by people and
  by other technologies
• Storage signalmans memory / hard disk
• Display Battle of Britain map / PC screen
• Calculation mental arithmetic / program
• Communication telephone line / LAN
• Typical advantages of computers
• high speed, low cost, reliability

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System Transformation

• All useful systems transform their inputs into
  useful outputs
• For IS, both inputs and outputs are typically
  information
• This transformation is the whole reason for
  building and operating the system

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Transformation Example

• McGregors Delivery Scheduling System may have
  inputs
• Information about orders, available stock,
  customer addresses, vehicle capacities
• And may have outputs
• Which orders to load on each vehicle, what route
  the vehicle should follow
• How does this benefit McGregor?

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Characteristics of Systems

• IS are like any other kind of system
• Every system has
• Inputs and outputs
• A purpose (related to transformation)
• A boundary and an environment
• Subsystems and interfaces
• Control using feedback and feed-forward
• Some emergent property

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Are Systems Real?

• Maybe, maybe not!
• Systems thinking is useful because it helps to
  analyse and understand problems
• What matters is the understanding you achieve
• You can choose to see anything as a system,
  whether or not it really is one

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Systems and the Real World
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Types of IS

• Information Systems are used to support peoples
  activities
• Store and retrieve information
• Carry out calculations
• Aid communication
• Control and schedule work
• Other support ?

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Types of IS (contd)

• Operational Systems assist or control business
  operations
• An Accounting System replaces costly and
  error-prone human clerks
• Management Support Systems help managers to
  decide or to communicate
• A Delivery Scheduling System helps decide how to
  load and route the delivery trucks

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Types of IS (contd)

• Real-time Control Systems typically operate
  physical equipment, often in safety-critical
  settings
• Some cars have an Engine Management System to
  control fuel supply and ignition

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How Do IS Relate to the Human Activity System?

• We can view an organization as a system, perhaps
  with many subsystems
• Ideally, each subsystem helps the overall system
  fulfil its purpose
• IS are also subsystems and should help to meet
  goals of people in the organization

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Strategy and Planning for IS
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Summary

• In this lecture you have learned about
• What an IS is
• Some examples and types of IS
• Some basic concepts of systems theory and how to
  apply them to IS
• How IS are related to organizations

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References

• Bennett, McRobb and Farmer (2005)
• Checkland and Scholes (1990)
• (For full bibliographic details, see Bennett,
  McRobb and Farmer)

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Reading

• Bennett, McRobb and Farmer ch 1
• Please complete review questions and prepare for
  discussion at tutorial