SYSTEM ANALYSIS

AND DESIGN

ITT 06103
 A System is a set of components that interact
with one another and serve for a common
purpose or goal.


 Systems may be:

 (1) abstract or
 (2) physical
 An abstract system is conceptual, a product of a
human mind. That is, it cannot be seen or
pointed to as an existing
 entity. Social, theological, cultural systems are
abstract systems. None of them can be
photographed, drawn or otherwise
 physically pictured. However, they do exist and
can be discussed, studied and analyzed.
 A physical system, in contrast, has a material
nature. It is based on material basis rather than
on ideas or theoretical
 notions.
 Computer Systems Analyst
 A systems analyst is an information technology
(IT) professional who specializes in analyzing,
designing and implementing information
systems. Systems analysts assess the
suitability of information systems in terms of
their intended outcomes
 and liaise with end users, software vendors and
programmers in order to achieve these
outcomes.
 A systems analyst is a person who uses
analysis and design techniques to solve
business problems using information
Duties of Computer Systems Analyst
 Consult with managers to determine the role of
the IT system in an organization
 Research emerging technologies to decide if
installing them can increase the organization’s
efficiency and
 effectiveness
 Prepare an analysis of costs and benefits so
that management can decide if computer
upgrades are financially
 worthwhile
 Devise ways to make existing computer
systems meet new needs
 Design and develop new systems by choosing
and configuring hardware and software
 Oversee installing and configuring the new
system to customize it for the organization
 Do tests to ensure that the systems work as
expected
 Train the system’s end users and write
instruction manuals, when required
 System’s Characteristics
 Any system must have the following
Characteristics
Components ,
Interrelationships,
Boundary,
Purpose,
Environment,
Input,
Output,
Interface,
Constraints
  A component
 A component is either an irreducible part or an
aggregate of parts, also called a subsystem.
The simple concept of a component is very
powerful. For example, in case of an automobile
we can repair or upgrade the system by
changing individual components without having
to make changes the entire system.
 Interrelationships
 The components are interrelated; that is, the
function of one is somehow tied to the function
of the others.
 For example, in the Store system the work of
one component, such as producing a daily
report of customer orders, may not progress
successfully until the work of another
component is finished, such as sorting
customer orders by date of receipt.
 Boundary
 A system has a boundary, within which all of its
components are contained and which
establishes the limits of a system, separating it
from other systems.
 Purpose
 All of the components work together to achieve
some overall purpose: the system’s reason for
existing.
 Environment
 A system operates within an environment –
everything outside the system’s boundary. The
environment surrounds the system, both
affecting it and being affected by it.
 E.g.: the environment of a university includes
prospective students, foundations, funding
agencies and the new media.
 Usually the system interacts with its
environment. A university interacts with
prospective students by having open houses
and recruiting from local high schools.
 Interface && Constraints
 The point at which the system meets its
environment are called interface.
 A system must face constraints in its functioning
because there are limits to what it can do and
how it can achieve its
 purpose within its environment. Some of these
constraints are imposed inside the system (e.g.,
a limited number of staff available).
 Others are imposed by the environment (e.g.,
due to regulations).
 Input && Output
 A system interact with the environment by
means of inputs and outputs. Input is anything
entering the system from the environment;
 output is anything leaving the system crossing
the boundary to the environment . Information,
energy, and material can be both input and
output in relation to the environment.
 Methods of system’s study
 There are several important system’s concepts
that help to study a system and understand its
functioning:
 • Decomposition
 • Modularity
 • Coupling
 • Cohesion
  Decomposition
 Decomposition is the process of breaking down
a system into its smaller components. These
components may themselves be systems
(subsystems) and can be broken down into their
components as well.
 How does decomposition aid understanding of
a system? It results in smaller and less complex
pieces that are easier to understand than larger,
 complicated pieces.
  Modularity
 Modularity is a direct result of decomposition. It
refers to dividing a system into chunks or
modules of a relatively uniform size. Modules
can represent a system simply, making it easier
to redesign and rebuild.
 E.g.: a portable CD player, as a system,
accepts CDs and settings of volume and tone
as inputs and produces music as output. It
includes the separate systems as its
subsystems: 1) read the digital signals from
CDs; 2) amplify the signals; 3) turn the signals
into sound waves; and 4) control the volume
  Coupling
 Coupling means that subsystems are
dependent on each other. But they should be as
independent as possible.
 If one subsystem fails and other subsystems
are highly dependent on it, the others will either
fail themselves or have problems functioning.
  Cohesion
 Cohesion is the extent to which a subsystem
performs a single function. In the CD player
example, signal reading is a single function.