H13 SYSTEMS ANALYSIS AND DESIGN

Students should have a working knowledge of the IMIS Code of Professional Conduct and be able to understand and apply the ethical and legal concepts contained therein.

By a single 3 hour externally set examination paper.

1. To equip the Systems Analyst with the necessary technical, personal and administrative skills to enable them to successfully carry out a role as a member of a systems team.

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the fundamentals of processing data and systems development.
2. Demonstrate an understanding of the basic concepts and knowledge of systems planning.
3. Demonstrate and use the various tools and techniques in system analysis.
4. Demonstrate and use the various techniques used in systems design.
5. Demonstrate a knowledge of the strategies and techniques used in Systems implementation.
6. Demonstrate comprehension of the need for Systems support.
7. Demonstrate the use of the various implicit cross life cycle tasks.

Changing role of the System Analyst. Information systems building blocks. Systems development life cycle logical phases/tasks etc. IT strategy.

• Study phase: business mission, critical success factors, competitive analysis
• Definition phase: define an information architecture, business area analysis - evaluate business area, exploiting the data resource, cross life cycle activities.

Feasibility phase: survey project feasibility. Study phase: study and analyse the current system.

Definition phase: define and prioritise user requirements.

System analysis tools, techniques and methods:

• Systems modelling: essential system: logical design, implementation system: physical design
• Data modelling: entity relationship diagrams
• Event modelling: events and states
• Process modelling: data flow diagrams, levels

• Network modelling: centralised computing,

• distributed computing:

• local area networks

• wide area networks

• client/server computing

• Project repository: data dictionary
• Cross life cycle activities: feasibility assessment, report writing, walkthroughs, presentations.

Selection phase: select and design target. Acquisition phase: purchase hardware/software. Design and integration phase: design and integrate new system design by prototyping. Data analysis. Normalisation. Process analysis. File and database design. I/O design. User interface design. Program design. Documentation to standards. Optimisation of access paths. Cross life cycle activities.

Devise test strategies for network and database. Build and test programs. Build and test new system.

Deliver new system into operations. Cross life cycle activities.

Post implementation review.

Project management tools/techniques. Fact finding techniques. Feasibility analysis Interpersonal skills.