1. Fundamentals of Information Systems Fourth Edition
Chapter 8
Systems Development

2. Principles and Learning Objectives
Effective systems development requires a team effort of stakeholders, users, managers, systems development specialists, and various support personnel, and it starts with careful planning
Identify the key participants in the systems development process and discuss their roles
Define the term information systems planning and discuss the importance of planning a project
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

3. Principles and Learning Objectives (continued)
Systems development often uses different approaches and tools such as traditional development, prototyping, rapid application development, end-user development, computer-aided software engineering, and object-oriented development to select, implement, and monitor projects
Discuss the key features, advantages, and disadvantages of the traditional, prototyping, rapid application development, and end-user systems development life cycles
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

4. Principles and Learning Objectives (continued)
Systems development often uses different approaches and tools such as traditional development, prototyping, rapid application development, end-user development, computer-aided software engineering, and object-oriented development to select, implement, and monitor projects (continued)
Discuss the use of computer-aided software engineering (CASE) tools and the object-oriented approach to systems development
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

5. Principles and Learning Objectives (continued)
Systems development starts with investigation and analysis of existing systems
State the purpose of systems investigation
State the purpose of systems analysis and discuss some of the tools and techniques used in this phase of systems development
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

6. Principles and Learning Objectives (continued)
Designing new systems or modifying existing ones should always be aimed at helping an organization achieve its goals
State the purpose of systems design and discuss the differences between logical and physical systems design
Define the term RFP and discuss how this document is used to drive the acquisition of hardware and software
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

7. Principles and Learning Objectives (continued)
The primary emphasis of systems implementation is to make sure that the right information is delivered to the right person in the right format at the right time
State the purpose of systems implementation and discuss the various activities associated with this phase of systems development
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

8. Principles and Learning Objectives (continued)
Maintenance and review add to the useful life of a system but can consume large amounts of resources, so they benefit from the same rigorous methods and project management techniques applied to systems development
State the importance of systems and software maintenance and discuss the activities involved
Describe the systems review process
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

9. Why Learn About Systems Development?
Important to learn how to:
Initiate systems development process
Analyze your needs with help of IS personnel
Learn how a project can be:
Planned
Aligned with corporate goals
Rapidly developed
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

10. An Overview of Systems Development
Managers and employees in all functional areas work together in a business information system
Users help and often lead the way with development process
Participants in systems development:
Determine when a project fails
Are critical to systems development success
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

11. Participants in Systems Development
Development team consists of the following:
Project managers: coordinate system development effort
Stakeholders: directly or indirectly benefit from the project
Users: interact with the system regularly
Systems analysts: analyze and design business systems
Programmers: modify or develop programs to satisfy user requirements
Various support personnel: specialists, vendors
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

12. Information Systems Planning and Aligning Corporate and IS Goals
Information systems planning: translating strategic and organizational goals into systems development initiatives
Aligning organizational goals and IS goals is critical for any successful systems development effort
Determining whether organizational and IS goals are aligned can be difficult
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

13. Figure 8.2: Information Systems Planning
Information Systems Planning and Aligning Corporate and IS Goals (continued)
Figure 8.2: Information Systems Planning
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

14. Systems Development Life Cycles
The systems development process is also called a systems development life cycle (SDLC)
Common SDLCs
Traditional systems development life cycle
Prototyping
Rapid application development (RAD)
End-user development
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

15. The Traditional Systems Development Life Cycle
Figure 8.3: The Traditional Systems Development Life Cycle
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

16. The Traditional Systems Development Life Cycle (continued)
Systems investigation: problems and opportunities are identified and considered in light of the goals of the business
Systems analysis: study of existing systems and work processes to identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement
Systems design: answers the question “How will the information system do what it must do to obtain the problem solution?”
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

17. The Traditional Systems Development Life Cycle (continued)
Systems implementation: creation or acquisition of various system components detailed in the systems design, assembling them, and placing the new or modified system into operation
Systems maintenance and review: ensures the system operates as intended and modifies the system so that it continues to meet changing business needs
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

18. Prototyping An iterative approach to systems development
Figure 8.4: Prototyping
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

19. Rapid Application Development, Agile Development, Joint Application Development, and Other Systems Development Approaches
Rapid application development (RAD)
Systems development approach that employs tools, techniques, and methodologies designed to speed application development
Some iterative development approaches allow the system to change as it is being developed
Agile development: frequent face-to-face meetings between systems developers and users
XP programming: pairs of programmers work together to develop robust systems quickly
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

20. Rapid Application Development, Agile Development, Joint Application Development, and Other Systems Development Approaches (continued)
Joint application development (JAD)
Process for data collection and requirements analysis in which users, stakeholders, and IS professionals work together to analyze existing systems, propose possible solutions, and define the requirements of a new or modified system
Used extensively by RAD
Often utilizes group support systems (GSS) software to foster positive group interactions
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

21. The End-User Systems Development Life Cycle
End-user systems development: any systems development project in which the primary effort is undertaken by a combination of business managers and users
End-user-developed systems can be structured as complementary to, rather than in conflict with, existing and emerging information systems
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

22. Outsourcing and On Demand Computing
An outside consulting firm or computer company that specializes in systems development can take over some or all of the development and operations activities
Reasons for using outsourcing and on demand computing
Reducing costs, obtaining state-of-the-art technology, eliminating staffing and personnel problems, and increasing technological flexibility
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

23. Use of Computer-Aided Software Engineering (CASE) Tools
Computer-aided software engineering (CASE): tools that automate many of the tasks required in a systems development effort and encourage adherence to the SDLC
Instill a high degree of rigor and standardization to the entire systems development process
Upper-CASE tools focus on investigation, analysis, and design
Lower-CASE tools focus on implementation
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

24. Use of Computer-Aided Software Engineering (CASE) Tools (continued)
Table 8.2: Advantages and Disadvantages of CASE Tools
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

25. Object-Oriented Systems Development
Object-oriented systems development (OOSD): approach to systems development that combines the logic of the systems development life cycle with the power of object-oriented modeling and programming
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

26. Object-Oriented Systems Development (continued)
Object-oriented systems development typically involves:
Identifying potential problems and opportunities within the organization that would be appropriate for the OO approach
Defining the kind of system users require
Designing the system
Programming or modifying modules
Evaluation by users
Periodic review and modification
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

27. Systems Investigation
What primary problems might a new or enhanced system solve?
What opportunities might a new or enhanced system provide?
What new hardware, software, databases, telecommunications, personnel, or procedures will improve an existing system or are required in a new system?
What are the potential costs (variable and fixed)?
What are the associated risks?
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

28. Initiating Systems Investigation
Systems request form: document filled out by someone who wants the IS department to initiate systems investigation
Helps rationalize and prioritize the activities of the IS department
Includes the following information:
Problems in and opportunities for system
Objectives in investigation
Overview, costs, and benefits of proposed system
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

29. Feasibility Analysis
Technical feasibility: hardware, software, and other system components
Economic feasibility: predicted benefits vs. cost and time
Legal feasibility: limitations of laws and regulations on project
Operational feasibility: logistical and motivational considerations
Schedule feasibility: completion of project in reasonable amount of time
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

30. Object-Oriented Systems Investigation
Key objects can be identified during systems investigation
Use case diagram
Part of the Unified Modeling Language (UML) used in object-oriented systems development
Actors represent objects
Use cases represent events
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

31. Object-Oriented Systems Investigation (continued)
Figure 8.8: Use Case Diagram for a Kayak Rental Application
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

32. The Systems Investigation Report
Summary of the results of the systems investigation and the process of feasibility analysis
Recommendation of a course of action
Continue systems analysis
Modify the project
Abandon the project
Reviewed by steering committee of senior management and users
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

33. The Systems Investigation Report (continued)
Figure 8.9: A Typical Table of Contents for a Systems Investigation Report
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

34. Systems Analysis
Answers the question “What must the information system do to solve the problem?”
Overall emphasis of systems analysis is:
Gathering data on the existing system
Determining the requirements for the new system
Considering alternatives within these constraints
Investigating the feasibility of the solutions
Primary outcome: prioritized list of systems requirements
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

35. Data Collection Identifying sources of data Collecting data
Internal sources
External sources
Collecting data
Interviews: structured and unstructured
Direct observation
Questionnaires: structured or unstructured
Used when data sources are spread over a wide geographic area
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

36. Data Collection (continued)
Figure 8.10: Internal and External Sources of Data for Systems Analysis
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

37. Data Analysis Data analysis Data modeling Activity modeling
Manipulation of collected data so that systems development team can use the data
Data modeling
Entity-relationship (ER) diagrams: objects, attributes, and associations
Activity modeling
Data-flow diagrams (DFDs): objects, associations, and activities
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

38. Data Analysis (continued)
Figure 8.12: Data and Activity Modeling (a) An entity-relationship diagram
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

39. Data Analysis (continued)
Figure 8.12: Data and Activity Modeling (b) A data-flow diagram
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

40. Data Analysis (continued)
Figure 8.12: Data and Activity Modeling (c) A semantic description of the business process
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

41. Requirements Analysis
Determines user, stakeholder, and organizational needs through the following techniques:
Asking directly: best for stable systems
Critical success factors: asks for critical factors in interviewee’s area
IS plan: translates strategic plan into initiatives
Requirements analysis tools: CASE tools
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

42. Requirements Analysis (continued)
Figure 8.13: Converting Organizational Goals into Systems Requirements
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

43. Object-Oriented Systems Analysis
Identifying problems or potential opportunities
Identifying key participants and collecting data
Uses classes and generalization/specialization hierarchies instead of data-flow diagrams and flowcharts
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

44. Object-Oriented Systems Analysis (continued)
Figure 8.14: Generalization/Specialization Hierarchy Diagram for Single and Tandem Kayak Classes
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

45. The Systems Analysis Report
Systems analysis report should cover:
Strengths and weaknesses of the existing system from a stakeholder’s perspective
User/stakeholder requirements for the new system (also called the functional requirements)
Organizational requirements for the new system
Description of what the new information system should do to solve the problem
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

46. Systems Design
Answers the question “How will the information system solve a problem?”
Has two dimensions: logical and physical
Logical design: description of the functional requirements of a system
Physical design: specification of the characteristics of the system components necessary to put the logical design into action
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

47. Object-Oriented Design
Design key objects and classes of objects in the new or updated system
Consideration of the problem domain, the operating environment, and the user interface
Consideration of the sequence of events that must happen for the system to function correctly
Scenario: sequence of events
Can be diagrammed in a sequence diagram
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

48. Object-Oriented Design (continued)
Figure 8.16: A Sequence Diagram to Add a New KayakItem Scenario
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

49. Generating Systems Design Alternatives
Request for proposal (RFP): document that specifies in detail required resources such as hardware and software
Financial options
Purchasing
Leasing
Renting
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

50. Generating Systems Design Alternatives (continued)
Evaluating and Selecting a Systems Design
Preliminary evaluation
To dismiss unwanted proposals
Begins after all proposals have been submitted
Final evaluation
Detailed investigation of the proposals offered by the vendors remaining after the preliminary evaluation
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

51. The Design Report
Design report: primary result of systems design, reflecting the decisions made and preparing the way for systems implementation
System specifications include technical description of the following:
System outputs, inputs, and user interfaces
Hardware, software, databases, telecommunications, personnel, and procedure components and the way these components are related
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

52. The Design Report (continued)
Figure 8.18: A Typical Table of Contents for a Systems Design Report
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

53. Systems Implementation
Figure 8.19: Typical Steps in Systems Implementation
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

54. Acquiring Hardware from an IS Vendor
IS vendor: company that offers hardware, software, telecommunications systems, databases, IS personnel, and/or other computer-related resources
Buying computer hardware
Leasing computer hardware
Renting computer hardware
“Pay-as-you-go,” “on-demand,” or “utility” computing
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

55. Acquiring Software: Make or Buy?
Make-or-buy decision: decision regarding whether to obtain software from external or internal sources
Choices include:
Purchase software externally
Develop software in-house
Used a blend of external and internal software development
Rent software
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

56. Acquiring Database and Telecommunications Systems
Databases and telecommunications systems require a blend of hardware and software
New hardware is acquired from an IS vendor
New or upgraded software might be purchased or developed in-house
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

57. User Preparation
Process of readying managers, decision makers, employees, other users, and stakeholders for new systems
Provide users with proper training
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

58. IS Personnel: Hiring and Training
Personnel that might be needed for the new system
IS manager
Systems analysts
Computer programmers
Data-entry operators
Training programs should be conducted for the IS personnel who will be using the computer system
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

59. Site Preparation Preparation of the location of a new system
Making room for equipment
Special wiring and air conditioning
Special floor
Security system
Additional power circuits
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

60. Data Preparation Also called data conversion
Ensures all files and databases are ready to be used with new computer software and systems
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

61. Installation
Physically placing the computer equipment on the site and making it operational
Normally the manufacturer is responsible for installing computer equipment
Someone from the organization (usually the IS manager) should oversee the process
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

62. Testing Unit testing: testing of individual programs
System testing: testing the entire system of programs
Volume testing: testing the application with a large amount of data
Integration testing: testing all related systems together
Acceptance testing: conducting any tests required by the user
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

63. Start-Up
Process of making the final tested information system fully operational
Approaches
Direct conversion (plunge, direct cutover): stopping the old system and starting the new one on a given date
Phase-in approach (piecemeal): slowly replacing old system components with new system components
Pilot start-up: run new system with one group of users
Parallel start-up: running old and new systems together for a period of time
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

64. User Acceptance
User acceptance document: formal agreement signed by the user that states that a phase of the installation or the complete system is approved
Legal document that removes or reduces IS vendor’s liability
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

65. Systems Operation and Maintenance
Systems operation: use of a new or modified system
Help desk provides support
Systems maintenance: checking, changing, and enhancing the system to make it more useful in achieving user and organizational goals
Difficult and costly for legacy systems
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

66. Systems Review
Process of analyzing systems to make sure that they are operating as intended
Often compares the performance and benefits of the system as it was designed with the actual performance and benefits of the system in operation
Event-driven review: triggered by a problem or opportunity such as an error, a corporate merger, or a new market for products
Time-driven review: performed after a specified amount of time
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

67. Systems Review (continued)
Table 8.4: Examples of Review Types
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

68. Summary
Information systems planning: translating strategic and organizational goals into systems development initiatives
Common systems development life cycles: traditional, prototyping, rapid application development (RAD), and end-user development
Phases of traditional systems development life cycle: systems investigation, systems analysis, systems design, systems implementation, and systems maintenance and review
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

69. Summary (continued)
Systems investigation: problems and opportunities are identified and considered in light of the goals of the business
Systems analysis: study of existing systems and work processes to identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities for improvement
Systems design: defines how the information system will do what it must do to obtain the problem solution
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition

70. Summary (continued)
Systems implementation: creation or acquisition of various system components detailed in the systems design, assembling them, and placing the new or modified system into operation
Systems maintenance and review: ensures that the system operates as intended and modifies the system so that it continues to meet changing business needs
Fundamentals of Information Systems, Fourth Edition