MONASH UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF INFORMATION MANAGEMENT AND SYSTEMS IMS9001 Systems Analysis and Design

Semester 2, 2005 - Assignment 1

Group Assignment: System Requirements Specification

Aim:
The aims of this assignment are to : develop skills in systems analysis, develop skills in modelling information systems, develop skills in working as a group, be aware of the importance of communicating in a meaningful way with different types of audiences.

Presentation Requirements:
Portions of a system specification as described below. You must follow the presentation requirements listed in the subject outline.

Value :
This assignment is worth: 30% of the total assessment. This is a group assignment (3 students per group).

Due Date:
Week 8 in tutorials - Week beginning Monday 5th September, 2005. This assignment involves using techniques which must produce a cohesive system specification. Your assignment also requires a detailed report. You are strongly advised to commence the planning and analysis for this assignment as soon as the techniques have been covered in lectures. Please direct any queries regarding the content of the assignment to your tutor.

Outline of Task:
You have been given the task of preparing a request for tender document for Curtain Styles proposed integrated information system In the first stage of this you need to prepare a system description of the proposed system, with the appropriate models: E-R model, data flow diagrams, detailed process descriptions and data dictionary entries. You will also need to prepare a brief written description of the system, including your initial ideas for implementing the proposed system which will overcome the problems of the current system. Your group must provide:

A set of levelled data flow diagrams for the entire business; An entity-relationship model for the entire business; Data dictionary entries for: two data flows and two data stores in the level zero dfds; two data flows in the sales function; two data elements of your choice; A covering report which outlines the business, the purpose of the system and the business opportunities that a new system should address. In the event that you require information not

provided in the handouts provided, please feel free to make assumptions. Confirm these with your tutor. Be sure to document assumptions in a separate document called ASSUMPTIONS. Assessment Guidelines: Your assignment will be judged on: the completeness of your models in terms of capturing data requirements; the accuracy and appropriateness of your models ( no incorrect, inconsistent or redundant data); your use of correct notations and adherence to data modelling conventions the quality of your report presentation.

Suggested Presentation Format

Assignments are a group effort and should be treated as though preparing a professional request for tender to be confirmed by John and Betty Smith. The following is a suggested report format. It is recommended that your report contain at least the following although these headings are not necessarily complete or exhaustive. Your group may wish to add additional report headings. SIMS Group Assignment Cover Sheets All work must be submitted with a signed SIMS Group Assignment Cover Sheet at the front of your assignment. This Cover Sheet is available at the SIMS website at: http://www.sims.monash.edu.au/resources/assessment.html Any work submitted without a signed SIMS Group Assignment Cover Sheet will not be accepted or marked by your tutor. Letter of Transmittal This is a covering letter to be addressed to John and Betty Smith. This letter should be attached to the outside of the report and explain who has produced this report, the reason for the report, why it was written, for whom it is intended and even the main finding/outcome if it is appropriate or significant. This letter should be a maximum of one page. Title Page The title page is for John and Betty Smiths benefit. Please DONT mention assignment names, tutors or lecturers on this page. Executive Summary This is to be a maximum of one page. John and Betty Smith will read this section first to determine what parts of the report they need to read thoroughly. Any significant findings or contentious issues should be mentioned to direct them to the relevant sections. Contents Page This must accurately identify all major sections and headings with page numbers. Introduction A statement of the problem and why this report has been commissioned in relation to the business objective(s). The introduction should include the following subsections:

Scope Outline the system boundary, with explanation as to why the system boundary exists. It may refer the reader to other sections in the report. Opportunities A brief outline of the opportunities a new system is expected to allow the business to make use of. Limitations A discussion of constraints that will be applicable to the new system. Assumptions Any BUSINESS assumptions should be clearly stated with a discussion of why the assumption was made and on what ground(s) the assumption was made. Why can the assumption be considered to be reasonable? (Case study assumptions, that is, information that you could have obtained from the staff but were unable to obtain for reasons of lack of access should be documented in an appendix.) Outline of the business and current system A summary of the business that shows you understand the company, its market, its competitors and its objectives for the future. The opportunities which the company should make use of should be expanded here too. The point of this section is to give John and Betty Smith confidence in your ability to define their problems. Outline of the current system An outline of the proposed information system explaining the processes to be addressed in creating a new system. It should be clear which current problems and/or new opportunities will be addressed by the new system. All models etc. must be introduced in the narrative by providing a description of the item and justifying its content i.e.: why is it in the report? Conclusions The summary will contain any conclusions and recommendations, such as which problems/opportunities are most critical and why. Your arguments here may draw on discussion of sections within the report. Recommendations You should recommend to John and Betty Smith that they discuss your report, amend anything they are unhappy about, and confirm with you that this is an appropriate part of the documentation to be given to companies who wish to tender for the job.