Systems Analysis and Design

In order to install a new computer system effectively, a detailed plan must be taken into
consideration. There are several steps involved in replacing a manual system with a
computerized system. They are as follows:

1. Fact finding
2. Feasibility study
3. Systems analysis
4. Systems Design
5. Implementation
6. Testing
7. Documentation
8. Evaluation.

1. Fact finding – (finding about the existing system)

A good starting point for analysis is therefore to examine the existing system, how it works, what
improvements are needed and what future development may need to be considered. A fact finding
about the exiting system is performed.

There are four main ways of finding out about existing systems:
1) Asking questions (interviewing people)
2) Getting people to fill in carefully designed questionnaires
3) Sitting with various people to observe how the job is done at the moment
4) Inspecting any bits of paper, screen displays and files which are used in the present
system.

 Observation
See what happens to data entering the system and what type of outputs there are. Effective
observation takes time. It shows the conditions under which the system is used and may bring
attention to points that users of the system might not mention themselves.

It includes the following:

1. Observing all steps in the existing processing cycle

2. observing different people at work
3. seeing how reports are being obtained, used and circulated

 Interview
Ask questions at all levels. Ask them what they think is good or bad about the system
  Questionnaire
It is useful where a lot of people use the system. It gives people time to think about what they
want to say.

Questionnaires must:

1. Be clear, brief and user friendly

2. contain questions in logical order
3. Be non technical and worded simply to avoid misunderstanding
4. not use leading questions
The questionnaires are usually distributed to users and customers. Questionnaires are useful
when responses of many people need to be collected in a short lapse of time.

 Document inspection
Inspecting any bits of paper, screen displays and files which are used in the present system. It
includes:

1. Reviewing existing system documentation, literature, manual..

2. reviewing and obtaining copies of actual forms, documents and reports
3. reviewing any blank, competed copies of forms to obtain information

2 Feasibility Study
At this stage the management

 Decides whether or not to continue with the project

 Suggests changes if it is going ahead

The feasibility study looks at the chances of being able to solve a particular problem at a reasonable cost.

The following are included in a feasibility study:

1) A description of what the system is required to do (objectives of the system).
2) Some preliminary design so that the costs may be estimated.
3) Some alternative designs so that the most suitable one can be chosen.
4) A cost/benefit analysis: (Benefits should exceed costs).
5) Conclusion stating whether it is worth going ahead with the project and which design has
been chosen.

A feasibility report is produced at the end of the study and will give an idea of the time the project is
likely to take, along with some estimate of cost.
Typical cost factors in a development project are:

 Equipment cost such as hardware, software, peripherals…

 Development cost such as system analysis cost, programming…
 Personnel costs such as hiring, training…
 Infrastructure cost such as cost of power supplies, computer room, air conditioning…
 Operating cost such as cost of consumables like stationary, disks…

The feasibility report is a written report given to the management of the project and is really a summary
of the results of the feasibility study.

The feasibility report should include the following:

 A brief description of the business and any problems with the existing system
 Details of what part of the business is being looked
 The objectives of the proposed system
 A list of some of the alternatives solutions considered and why these alternatives were
rejected
 A plan for the implementation
 A proposed course of action

3 Systems Analysis

The feasibility study outlines what is required from the system and in the analysis phase this
study is used to design the new system.

System analysis is the investigation of procedures, information and practices within an organization, usually with
the intention of changing some of them in line with the business requirements and objectives.

Here, the system should be looked in greater detail than for the feasibility study.
The following are included in the analysis phase:
1) Detailed objectives of the proposed system
2) Facts about the parts of the old system being replaced by the new system
3) Any constraint on the system
4) An update of the cost/benefit analysis based on the new information
5) An update of the plan for further development of the system

4 System Design

If the directors of the company are convinced that a new system will be worth having, work can
be started designing the new system.
Further investigation should be undertaken to consider what inputs, processes and outputs will be
needed.

Outputs
1) What output is needed?
- Invoice (bill) sent out to each customer
- Copy of invoice to be sent to the accounts office
- Screen display to find out if a particular item is in stock

2) How frequently do these documents need producing?

3) What is the volume of output?

Inputs
1) Where does the data come from? (tel,fax, post)
2) What data needs to be input? (price, nos, qty)
3) How much data needs to be entered and how often it needs entering?
4) Which input device should be chosen? (OMR, OCR, barcoding)

Data preparation – getting the raw data into a form that can be processed by the computer.
(verification and validation)

Code Design – use codes to save time typing and also save storage space. Codes need to be
designed if they are to be used.

File design

The designer has to know how many files are needed and then to design the structure of each of the files

Hardware configuration
If more than one computer is used, a network is needed. Type of computer and peripheral
devices such as disk drives, printers etc need to be considered.

Software used
What software is to be used.

5 Implementation

During this phase, all required hardware and software are bought and installed. Real data is
then input in the new system.

Systems may be introduced into an organization in four ways:

direct; phased; pilot or parallel running
 Direct Implementation

This method is normally used where a small system is being implemented. The
organization stops using the old system one day and starts using the new system the next.

With this strategy, the changeover is done in one operation, completely replacing the old
system in one go.  This usually takes place on a set date, often after a break so there is
time to get the hardware and software for new system installed without causing too much
disruption.

 Advantages:
 The most rapid of all the strategies, provided it works
 Less risk of confusion between old and new systems.
 Efficient and Little or no duplication of work

Disadvantages:

 Most stressful for the users - the old system has gone so no going back if they have
difficulties.
 Most difficult to train staff on as the new system was not in place to learn on before the
change over.
 Most stressful for the developers - all the data and files from the old system will have
to be converted ready for use on the new one.
 Most risky - if the new system does not work properly then there is nothing to fall back
on.

Phased Implementation
This method introduces each task separately and ensures that it is running smoothly
before another task is brought into the system. If each phase is successful then the next
phase is started, eventually leading to the final phase when the new system fully replaces
the old one.

For example in a supermarket system the stock control might be implemented first.

With phase
implementation, each job
is introduced separately
rather than all jobs being
introduced in one go


 Advantages:

 Very structured, each phase can be fully evaluated before moving onto the next one.
 Lower risk, a well planned and controlled introduction of the new system.
  Easy to train staff by letting them learn new skills on each phase as it is introduced.
 Disadvantages:
 Slower than direct implementation.
 Although each phase is easy to evaluate, you have to wait until all the phases are complete
before you can evaluate the whole change over.

Parallel Implementation
With this strategy, the old and the new system are both used alongside each other, both
being able to operate independently. If all goes well, the new system gradually takes
over.

 Advantages:
 If there are initial problems with the new system then the old one can still be used.
 Both systems can easily be compared.
 Easy to train staff by letting them learn new skills on the parallel system.
 Easy to evaluate because the new and old systems are both running.

 Disadvantages:
 Expensive - both systems are being run as fully operating versions so both are doing the
same job.  This may mean duplication of staff and hardware.
 Some risk - there is a greater chance of confusion or errors if the two different systems are
being run side-by-side.
 There's a heavy workload on staff

Pilot Implementation
With this strategy, the new system replaces the old one in one operation but only on a
small scale.  For example it might be tried out in one branch of the company or in one
location.  If successful then the pilot is extended until it eventually replaces the old
system completely.

Advantages:

 Easy to control, the pilot can be halted at any time.

 Easy to evaluate because the new and old systems are both running.
 Low risk, if a small-scale pilot fails then not too much has been lost.
 Easy to train staff by letting them learn new skills on the pilot system.
Disadvantages:

 It can be slow to get a pilot to completely replace the old system.

 A pilot may not show up problems that a full-scale implementation would. This is because a
system can work fine as a small-scale pilot but has difficulties when it is scaled up to a full
operating system with more realistic volumes of data to be processed for example.
6 Testing the system

Before the new system is introduced, it must be tested. Testing is carried as follows:
1) System is tested with data that contains no errors to see if it produces the correct results.
2) Known errors are introduced to see how the computer will process it.
3) Process very large amount of data to see how the data copes with this.
4)
Testing of software (or a system) is needed to make sure it works properly.

Testing is the process of ensuring that the system does what it is expected to do. It is the process of running the
system with the intension of finding errors.

Stages in testing
 The system is tested with data that contains no errors to see if it produces the correct result.
 known errors (abnormal data) are introduced into the data to see how the computer will process it.
 Process very large amount of data to see how the data copes with this.
 Extreme data should be entered to make sure that the range checks included in the validation
program

The new system has to be created and tested according to the specifications set out in the design:
1. Any new programs have to be written

2. System Testing - programs and methods have to be tested and debugged:

 The test strategy is a very important part of testing. In this part, we would decide
the various data that we would use for testing the modules so as to show how
they work and how the programs respond to different data that are input.

The objectives of testing are:

a) To ensure the system works correctly under all circumstances

b) To ensure that all systems perform all the functions listed in the original
specification.

 Test data is designed and the results are forecast. The data has to be
chosen carefully to include:
a) Typical data like that which would be used in normal situations.
Normal data is data that would normally be used during current
execution of a program and smooth running of the system.
602-1200 for the telephone number
03/12/1988 for a date
b) Abnormal data – of the type which would not crop up very often
but could cause the system to fail when it did
 Abnormal testing where incorrect data is entered to check for
known errors and error messages. Abnormal data is entered data
which is not in the range of values or where an alphabet has been
entered in the place of a digit.

c) Extreme data - where the range checks included in the program

are tested, e.g. date, client id. It means entering data which are at
the boundary of normal data. It is the limits of the inputs allowed.
 The tests are carried out
 Programs are debugged and the tests repeated as necessary.
A test plan should be developed which will go through as many paths as
possible in the system. For each test the following points should be
included:
a) The test's purposes.
b) The test's location.
c) A description of the test.
d) Testing procedure.

7 Documentation
The term documentation refers to any information which has been prepared to help people who are using or trying
to adapt a computer system or some software

Documentation is very important in dealing with the system. No system is considered complete without
proper documentation.

Documentation of some kind is required at each stage of the system life cycle:

 To help the people designing and constructing a system to work together better
 To help analyst and programmers maintain or modify a system after it has been installed
 To explain how to install a program or a system
 To explain to the users what to do

Two types: 1) user

2) Technical

Documentation of a system is very important and is likely to be divided into two distinct types. People
who use the system every day will need clear instructions to get the best results from it, but they do not
really need to know how the system works.
They will need user documentation.

People responsible for maintaining the system do need to know how the system works, and may have to
adapt the system as user needs change.

They need technical documentation.

User documentation

User documentation outlines the purpose of the system and describes how the software is to be used. It
is designed for the user’s reference and should therefore be written in a non technical language.

Software may be accompanied by various user assistance including:

 Installation manual

This may be in the form of a small booklet containing instructions on:

 How to install the software on your computer

 How to operate peripherals such as the printer and the mouse

 User manual

Software is accompanied by one or more user manuals. The reason why there are sometimes different
manuals is that they are used for different purposes, e.g.

 To work through the steps of the program when it is first purchased

 To look up more complex operations when you are familiar with the
program
 As a quick reference guide if you forget how to carry out a particular
operation
This will usually take the form of a user guide or manual that users can turn to when they need to learn
new procedures, or deal with problems that arise.
 A user guide should cover points such as:

 How to load the software

 How to perform everyday functions
 How to save
 How to print

Technical documentation

This will explain the system to the programmers and systems analysts who will be responsible for
maintaining and possibly adapting the system.

The documentation will be written in precise technical language and will include test data and the
results of testing. In the longer term, it may be invaluable to explain the working of the system to a
new expert who was not around when the system was implemented. Like the user documentation,
technical documentation also requires a contents page and comprehensive index.

The technical documentation usually consists of system

documentation and program documentation.

 System documentation

When a system is developed the system designer normally documents each step carefully. This is done for
the benefit of:

 The person designing the system to make sure it is designed in a methodical way
 People working with the system designer as a means of communication with them. This
includes:
a) The designer’s supervisor who can check that the work is being done correctly
b) Programmers and others who are carrying out other parts of the work
 Programmers and others responsible for maintaining or modifying the program

 Program documentation

All stages of the program should be carefully documented. This is because:

 Revision of the program may be necessary because of an enforced change

 (e.g. new tax rates from the Budget may affect a payroll program.)
 The organization’s circumstances might change
 Other people may think of ways of improving the program

Therefore, program documentation is essential so that:

 Revisions can be made

 Efficient processing can take place

The documentation for a program would usually include:

 A system flowchart with notes

 Program flowcharts and/ or structure diagrams with notes
 Technical details of any limitations, special features, different versions…
 A program listing accompanied by a list of variables used in the program and an explanation of
their purposes
 Details of data structures used
 A set of test data and expected output which to check that the program operates successfully.

8 Evaluation

After a project has been implemented it should be reviewed periodically to make sure that it is still
meeting its objectives. A good way of evaluating a solution is to ask the users of the system. They will be
able to tell you if the system does what they originally wanted or if there are any improvements needed.