Types of Information Systems

• By management level (Conventional

Approach)
– Transaction processing system (operational)
– Management information system
– Decision support system
– Executive information system (Strategic)
• Education levels and computer usage skills?
Figure 2-2
Types of IS: Conventional

Figure 2-
13
 Types of IS: Contemporary

Figure 2-14

Business operations = Business logic = Business processes. All

three terms will be used interchangeably.
 Conventional VS Contemporary
• Conventional
– Designed in a way to fit in
the operations of a
business unit.
– Different department will
have a different system.
– Scope of the system is
smaller.
– Analysis and design are
simpler.
– Easy to maintain.
• Contemporary
– Designed in a way to fit in
the operations of the
whole enterprise.
– Processes or services
oriented.
– Scope of the system is
huge.
– Analysis and design are
complicated ?
– Difficult to maintain ?
 Key Concepts in Systems Development
• Initiating a systems development
– Participants involved in a SD project
– Reasons for having a new system

• Information systems planning

– High level system requirement
– Feasibility analysis (Financially and technologically)
– Selection of system development model
– Objectives and schedule for SD
• Build the system (System Development)
– Detail analysis – Precise system requirements (user accepted), a
list of user acceptance tests
– System design – modules, interfacing amongst modules, hardware
requirements, programming language, OS
– Coding
– In-house testing – unit test, system test, stress test
– User acceptance test
SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT LIFE CYCLE
(SDLC)
 SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT LIFE CYCLE
(SDLC)
• The SDLC has 7 phases:
1. Planning
2. Analysis
3. Design
4. Development
5. Testing
6. Implementation
7. Maintenance
Phase 2: Analysis
Participants in Systems Development
Management
Team
Application
Business of IT
Process

Staff,
Clients

Suppliers
Business
Process
 Participants in Systems
Development
• Stakeholders
– Individuals who either themselves or through the organization
are beneficiaries of the systems development effort.
• Users
– Individuals who interact with the system regularly
• System Analyst
– Professional who specializes in analyzing and designing business
systems.
• Programmers
– Individual responsible for modifying or developing programs to
satisfy user requirements.
Reasons to Initiate a Development
Project
 Planning

Information Systems Planning

The translation of strategic and
organizational goals into systems
development initiatives.

Creative Analysis
The investigation of new
approaches to existing problems.

Critical and difficult task

 Planning

Critical Analysis
The unbiased and careful
questioning of whether
system elements are
related in the most
effective or efficient
ways.

Critical and One approach,

difficult task not universal

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 Planning
• Design objectives
– Performance objectives
• Quality or usefulness of the output
• The speed at which the output is generated
– Cost objectives
• Development costs
• Costs related to the uniqueness of the system application
• Fixed investments in hardware and related equipment
• On-going operating costs of the system

• Challenges
– We would like to have a website for IEC.
– We would like to have a website for IEC, which is similar to the following:
• www.ucla.edu
• www.anderson.ucla.edu
• www.cism.kingston.ac.uk
• www.igec.umbc.edu
– We would like to have a website for IEC, with design, outlook and functions similar to
the above.
15
 System Development Model
• Waterfall model
• Spiral Model
• Component-based Development
• Prototyping
• Rapid Application Development
• Others

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 Waterfall Model

Systems Investigation
Problems and opportunities are identified

Systems Analysis
Existing systems and work processes are studied

Systems Design
Defines how the information system will do
what it must do to solve the problem.

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 Waterfall Model

Systems Implementation
System components are
assembled and the new or
modified system is placed
into operation.

Systems Maintenance and Review

Ensures the system operates and is
modified to keep up with business
changes.

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 Spiral Model

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 Spiral Model

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 Component-based Model

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 Prototyping
Operational Prototype
Accesses real data files, edits input
data, makes necessary computations
and comparisons, and produces real
output.

Nonoperational Prototype
A mockup or model that includes
output and input specifications and
formats.

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 Rapid Application Development

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 Extreme Programming (XP)
• Extreme programming (XP) - breaks a project
into tiny phases and developers cannot
continue on to the next phase until the first
phase is complete

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 Agile Methodology
• Agile methodology - a form of XP, aims for
customer satisfaction through early and
continuous delivery of useful software
components
 Factors Affecting System Development
• Resource Constraint Analysis
• Project Schedule and Tracking
• Systems Configuration Management
• Selected Project Management Software Packages
• Use of Computer-Aided Software Engineering (CASE) Tools
• Systems Investigation
• Requirements Analysis
• Systems Analysis

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 Project Schedule and Tracking
• Use of project management tools
– Schedule
– Milestone
– Deadline
– Critical path
– Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT)
– Gantt chart

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 Gantt Chart
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 Systems Investigation
• Identify potential problems
and opportunities and
consider them in light of the
goals of the company.
• It is the second round
analysis. The first round
analysis has been conducted
during system planning.

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 Systems Investigation
• Feasibility Analysis

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 Systems Investigation
• Systems Investigation Report
– A report that summarizes the results
of the systems investigation and the
process of feasibility analysis and
recommends a course of action.
– The investigation is usually
conducted by a system investigation
team and a steering committee.
– Steering committee is an advisory
group consisting of senior
management and users from the IS
department and other functional
areas.

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 Requirement Analysis
• Requirements Analysis
– It is the third round analysis.
– An assessment used to determine the need of
the users, the stakeholders, and the
organization.
– Converting organizational goals into systems
requirements

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 Systems Analysis
• External and Internal
Sources of Data
• It is the forth and the
last round analysis.
• The analysis must be
very precise.
• The results will be
used in system design.

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 Systems Analysis
• Data Collection
– To understand what exactly
the users needs
– What data/information should
be processed in the system,
and what sort of interface
design the users expect.
• Techniques
– Structured Interview
– Unstructured Interview
– Direct Observation
– Questionnaires
– Statistical Sampling
 Systems Analysis
• Data Analysis
– Manipulating the collected data so that it is
usable for the development team members
who are participating in systems analysis.

Data Modeling
A commonly accepted approach to modeling organizational
objects and associations that employ both text and graphics.

Activity (Process) Modeling Data Flow Diagram

A method to describe related A diagram that models objects, associations, and
objects, associations, and activities by describing how data can flow
activities. between and around them.

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 Entity-Relationship Diagram (ERD)

Data Flow Diagram

(DFD)

Semantic
Description of a
Business Process

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 Application Flowchart

Application Flowcharts
Charts that show relationships among applications or systems.

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 Grid Charts

Grid Charts
A table that shows relationships among the various aspects of a
systems development effort.

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 User
Interface

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 User
Interface

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 User
Interface

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 Systems Analysis Report
• Strength and weaknesses of
existing system from
stakeholders’ perspective.
• User/stakeholder
requirements for the new
system.
• Organizational requirements.
• Description of what new
information systems should
do to solve the problem
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 Major Problems in
SD Solutions
• Communication gaps
between the user (non- • User and developer should
IT) and the developer have a common ground
(IT) knowledge
– General and essential IT
– No common language
knowledge
– Lack of IT knowledge
– General and essential
(non-IT) business knowledge
– Lack of business sense
• Patient
(IT)
• Quality assurance process
– Lack of mutual trust
2008–
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 Technically How?
• Spend more time on – Project schedule
requirement analysis – User manual
• Documentation – Maintenance manual
– Project plan
– Quality plan
– Analysis model
– Design model
– Testing plan

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 Who?
• Requirement/System analysis
– Director, department manager, operational staff, IT
manager & programmer
• System design
– Department manager, IT manager & programmer
• System Implementation
– Department manager, operational staff, IT manager
& programmer
• System Maintenance & Review
– Operational staff & programmer
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• Service model
– Define the products or
services to be provided by the
company.
– Identify target customers
– Identify suppliers
• Revenue model
– Evaluate the size of the
customer bases for each
product or service.
– Expected earning of each
product or service
– Might need to analysis the
cumulative figures and
presented in quarterly or
yearly basis.
• Business process model
– Interaction amongst customers,
your company and the suppliers
– Identify the roles (persons) who
will take part in each operation,
such as data entry staff, customer
service staff, clerk, department
manager, and so on.
– Optimize the business processes
– Refine IS requirement model if
necessary
• IS requirement model
– Identify which tasks within these
operations can be replaced by
using IT
– Refine business model if
necessary
– Identify the users of the system
• Cost model • Profit & Lost analysis
– Investment on the entire – In quarterly or yearly basis
project – Identify when is the break-
– Staff salary, rental fee, even point
electricity & water bills,
insurance/pension
– IT equipments, leased line • Traceable analysis model
subscription fee, If there is any change on the
maintenance cost service model, IS
– Might need to analysis the
requirement model, the
cumulative figures and
presented in quarterly or
effects can easily be
yearly basis. identified.
 Effort Estimates

Planning Analysis Design Implementation

Industry
Standard
For Web 15% 20% 35% 30%
Applications

Time
Required 4 5.33 9.33 8
in Person
Months

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Project Estimation