Fundamental System Concepts Asper School of Business University of Manitoba Systems Analysis & Design Instructor: Bob Travica Updated: September 2014

MIS 3510 Systems Analysis & Design * Bob Travica Outline Different views of information system Analysis task and design task Systems analyst Types of Information Systems (recall) 2 of 16

MIS 3510 Systems Analysis & Design * Bob Travica Views of information system (1/5) Information system (system, IS) is a whole made of interrelated parts working together to deliver organized and meaningful data to the user. Different views of system Structural view: Focus on system parts’ nature IS consists of: Data Hardware & software User procedures This concept is often cited. 3 of 16

Views of information system (2/5) Functional view of system parts’ roles Application of general concept of system to IS IS consists of: Input part: takes data in Processing part: organizes and transforms data Output part: outputs results MIS 3510 Systems Analysis & Design * Bob Travica Input Processing Output Raw data Transformed data 4 of 16

Views of information system (3/5) Service view: Similar to functional with clear focus on data. Client-server focus. IS provides: Data storage (databases) service Data processing of functionality service User interface service (data input and output) MIS 3510 Systems Analysis & Design * Bob Travica Data storage; Some processing User interface; Some processing; Some storage; (Fat client) User interface Some processing (Fat client) User interface (Thin client) 5 of 16

MIS 3510 Systems Analysis & Design * Bob Travica Views of information system (4/5) Object Orientation view: Object orientation logic IS consists of objects and their interfaces Object is a software entity that encapsulates data and methods of processing data (functions) Service & functional view implied: user interface objects, application domain objects (functionality), & data access objects (storage) User Domain object Data access object Availability handler object User interface object 6 of 16

Views of information system (5/5) Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) view: IS consists of distributed & connectable services Software is designed as executable components that can be interfaced with non-native components Software storage is distributed (on the Internet, Cloud) Processing services and hardware also distributed Think of client-service in large space & across organizations MIS 3510 Systems Analysis & Design * Bob Travica7 of 16

MIS 3510 Systems Analysis & Design * Bob Travica System user From business perspective, thinking about IS starts with user User is outside the system, but the notion of procedure sets boundary conditions: a) The lower the level of IT used, the more manual procedures carried by people are included in the system. Manual data entry vs. automatic read (e.g., RFI*) Office filing systems (manual procedures combined with electronic) b) The more complex task (knowledge-intensive), the higher human involvement. Decision making by people vs. If-Then processing, DSS Group Decision Support System (human facilitation crucial) 8 of 16

MIS 3510 Systems Analysis & Design * Bob Travica Manual and automated parts 9 of 16

PROCEDURES (KNOW-HOW) - USING IT - HANDLING DATA System procedures often work procedures MIS 3510 Systems Analysis & Design * Bob Travica Structural view of IS (useful!) HARDWARE - COMPUTER - DIGITAL DEVICES - OTHER TOOLS (Not Computer-Based) INFORMATION = Output DATA understood by User DATA Other Systems User Information Technologies (IT) SOFTWARE - PROCESSES OF MANIPULATING DATA (READ/WRITE, TRANSFORM, MOVE) - PROCESS LOGIC (If-Then, Loops, Sequence, Parallelism) DATA CONTENT & RELATIONSHIPS PROCESSED, ORGANIZED DATA (Output) DATA (Input) 10 of 16

Systems analysis Systems analysis (SA) is a process of understanding: A part of business (tasks, processes) – “application domain” The data involved in business tasks and processes Present: what IT or IS exists (if any) and how these perform Future: what IS is needed (new output, functionality, IT, user interface) to get better organizational performance The lacking part is the problem to be solved or a gap SA determines whether an existing system be upgraded or a new system has to be built Final result of SA: System requirements – what IS needs to do and to be like: a) Functional (which functions and outputs are needed) b) Non-functional (user interface, speed, storage size) MIS 3510 Systems Analysis & Design * Bob Travica11 of 16

Systems analysis as Gap analysis The difference between the present and future states is a gap (e.g., the missing HR report) Gap Analysis reveals system requirements (e.g., provide the missing HR report – functional req.) MIS 3510 Systems Analysis & Design * Bob Travica IS or data mgt As-is Present Future IS To-be Gap Example 1 (Upgrade): HR system doesn’t deliver report on banked hours HR system delivers report on banked hours Example 2 (Build): Managing patient paper records is slow, erroneous, and space consuming Electronic system speeds it up, increases accuracy, and saves space 12 of 16

MIS 3510 Systems Analysis & Design * Bob Travica Systems design System design is a process of defining solutions to meet system requirements. Based on system analysis. How should system requirements be realized. A detailed description of the To-be system (diagrams, text) Logical design = various diagrams we study in this course. Format: In case of system upgrade, logical design is amendments to As-is diagrams or textual documents. Physical design selection of specific IT to be used (e.g., DBMS brand) definitions of data storage, performance parameters and other non-functional requirements physical design is sometimes called “system specifications” 13 of 16

MIS 3510 Systems Analysis & Design * Bob Travica Systems analyst Job: Performing systems analysis and design Competences: development methodologies, understanding business and IT, analysis/synthesis skills (process and data analysis), social skills Chief task: helping in defining business/IS problems and creating solutions solving business problems with IS 14 of 16

MIS 3510 Systems Analysis & Design * Bob Travica Systems analyst (Cont.) Deliverables: system requirements and design solutions Challenges: juggling organizational goals, users’ wishes, IT, budget, time, system project pressures, pressures from different management levels… 15 of 16

MIS 3510 Systems Analysis & Design * Bob Travica Types of information systems KNOWLEDGE WORK SYSTEM (KWS) REPRESEN- TATIONS OF KNOWLEDGE Each of these types can be placed in any organizational department (purchasing, production, marketing/sales, human resource management, etc.). Exception is ERPS that by definition covers more than one department. ERP SYSTEM 16 of 16