Using a

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Using a Real Systems Development Project to
Enrich a Systems Analysis and Design Course

• Janet Helwig
• Dominican University

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Why a Real Project?

• Students experience systems development rather
  than simply learning how to build models
• Students encounter the people side of information
  systems development listening, interviewing,
  negotiating, presenting, working as a team

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What we did

• Developed a registration and billing system for a
  local youth swim team
• Associates a swimmer with his/her family
• Creates billing transactions based on swimmer
  registration detail
• Creates billing transactions based on swim meet
  entries
• Bills families
• Feeds swimmer data to proprietary swim team
  system (Team Manager)

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Used same project for 2 classes

• Undergrad class and graduate MIS class both
  interviewed the swim team coach Kathy regularly
• Small classes 7 students and 4 students
• Each class formed one team
• Each class developed a different system
• Both project solutions presented during last week
  of class to Kathy

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Initial Steps Scope Definition and Systems
Analysis

• Defining scope
• Requirements analysis using use cases
• Data analysis using both ERD and class diagrams
  to document system
• Some limited coverage of process models (data
  flow diagrams)
• Discussion of systems architecture concepts
  SOA, CRC cards, sequence diagrams

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Systems Design

• Created user interface prototype and refined use
  cases
• Refined and added more detail to data model
• Created an entity object model using Modularis
  Architect

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Used Accelerator to Generate System

• Used commercial ARAD tool developed by Modularis,
  Inc., named Accelerator
• Based on the entity object model created through
  the Architect component, a architected starting
  point system is created in either C or VB.Net.

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Architecture of an Accelerator generated system

• Architect generates these Visual Studio.Net
  Projects and database objects

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Modifying generated code

• Once Architect has generated these projects, they
  can be opened and edited directly in Visual
  Studio
• All generated source code is completely open and
  customizable

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Programming and Unit Testing

• We replaced the generated Web user interface with
  our own Windows interface
• Team members split up the coding
  responsibilities, coordinated coding schedules
  and met frequently
• Easy to connect custom interface to generated
  projects just add references

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What ultimately happened

• Presented two side-by-side solutions to Kathy.
  She preferred some features of each.
• The following semester and through the summer,
  one programmer modified system to reflect
  requested improvements
• System deployed recently

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Assessing student performance

• Project became main work of the semester and
  weighted heavily in grade
• Used performance evaluations
• written by each team member about every other
  team member, following supplied template
• Kathy, our client, also provided input on each
  person
• I wrote a business-like performance evaluation
  for each student
• Easy to assess student individual work and
  performance as a team member
• Grading was straightforward

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Challenges

• Development of system is a lot to accomplish in
  one semester
• Creating pipeline of new and viable projects
  takes networking and creativity
• Managing teams to help them operate
  synergistically

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Benefits

• Students learn firsthand
• The challenges of determining scope and of
  establishing business requirements
• How to be an active listener
• The value of using a development methodology
• The value of analysis design artifacts
• How helpful a prototype can be
• Students have repeated opportunities to improve
  communication skills, through interviewing,
  working on a team, and presenting

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Questions?

• For more information
• Janet Helwig jhelwig_at_dom.edu
• Modularis website www.modularis.com