and a review of the types of information systems and systems development. The

Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.Chapter 1 The Systems Development Environment

Chapter Overview

Chapter 1 is a foundation chapter, introducing students to basic, core systems analysis and design concepts. These basic concepts include a definition of information systems analysis and design, an overview of systems analysis and design core concepts, a discussion of a system and its parts, an introduction to the modern approach to systems analysis and design, an overview of the systems analyst’s role in systems development, and a review of the types of information systems and systems development. The chapter concludes with an introduction to the systems development life cycle, its four phases, and alternative approaches to development.

Instructional Objectives

Specific student learning objectives are included at the beginning of the chapter. From

an instructor’s point of view, the objectives of this chapter are to:

• Define information systems analysis and design.
• Define and discuss the modern approach to systems analysis and design.
• Illustrate how systems development extends to different types of information systems

and not just transaction processing systems.

• Introduce the traditional information systems development life cycle, which serves as

the basis for the organization of the material in this book.

• Show students that the life cycle is a flexible basis for systems analysis and design

and that it can support many different tools and techniques, such as prototyping and JAD.

• Discuss the importance and role of CASE in systems development.
• Discuss information systems development options, including IT services firms,

packaged software producers, enterprise-wide solutions, open-source software, and in-house developers.

• Discuss the different approaches to systems development, including prototyping,

CASE tools, joint application development, rapid application development, participatory design, and Agile Methodologies.

(Essentials of Systems Analysis and Design 6e Joseph Joey Hoffer) (Solution Manual all Chapters) 1 / 4

Chapter 1 The Systems Development Environment 2 Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.Classroom Ideas

• Emphasize the differences between methodologies, techniques, and tools. Such

differences are not obvious to students; often they think of methodologies as just a set of techniques and that techniques and tools are synonymous.

• Give concrete examples during class discussion of the following types of IS:

transaction processing systems, management information systems, and decision support systems. Ask students to talk about the information systems with which they are familiar.

• When discussing different types of information systems, discuss the differences

between systems that support back room operations, such as basic accounting functions, and systems that directly affect the bottom line. If students are aware of such systems, they usually are not aware of how these systems provide a competitive advantage. Discussing different types of systems provides a chance to talk about the differences between these two categories of systems.

• When introducing the life cycle model in the text, you may want to introduce other

life cycle models from other textbook authors or in other forms. This shows students that there is no one standard life cycle model and that the model they will rely on when they begin work as a systems analyst will likely differ from the life cycle model in the text. The point is to show them they can use the life cycle as an archetype to understand other models, and they should understand there is no one “correct” life cycle model. The life cycle represents activities that must be done, and the phases are a way to introduce, in an organized way, the methods, techniques, tools, and skills necessary for successful systems analysis and design.

• Give a brief overview of the activities and outputs from each of the four life cycle

phases, based on your own experience or from your reading of the rest of the book.Table 1–1 identifies the products of the four SDLC phases.

• Although prototyping and joint application design are covered in more depth later in

the book, you can provide a more in-depth introduction to these techniques than discussed in Chapter 1. Figure 1–13 is a good point of departure for a discussion of prototyping and what it adds to structured development techniques.

• Participatory Design is briefly introduced in this chapter but can be discussed in

more depth. A brief overview of the Participatory Design concept is available at http://www.cpsr.org/issues/pd/index_html. Several books are available on this topic, as well as numerous Web sites. You can also ask your students to find recent articles about this topic.

• Spend a few minutes discussing the importance of analytical, technical, managerial,

and interpersonal skills for a systems analyst. Ask students to identify which of the skills categories they think is the most important and why.

• Figure 1–2 is an excellent tool for illustrating the basic system components.
• Use Table 1–1 to summarize the products, outputs and deliverables of the phases

of the SDLC. 2 / 4

Chapter 1 The Systems Development Environment 3 Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.

• Compare and contrast Agile Methodologies with the traditional SDLC.

Lecture Notes

What Is Information Systems Analysis and Design?

All organizations have information systems, and use them for operational, tactical, and strategic advantage. For information systems to remain effective, these systems must efficiently capture, store, process, and distribute information according to business objectives. To properly maintain these systems, systems analysts will perform information systems analysis and design. Information systems analysis and design is based on an understanding of the organization’s objectives, structure, and processes, as well as the analyst’s knowledge of how to exploit information technology for competitive advantage.

Systems Analysis and Design: Core Concepts

Improving organizational information systems is the major goal of systems analysis and design. Figure 1–1 illustrates the four systems development life cycle phases. Although a systems analyst’s primary role is application software development, an analysis of the other computer-based information systems components is warranted. As Figure 1–

• shows, these components include hardware, controls, specific job roles, users of the

system, system software, and documentation and training manuals. As shown in Figure 1–3, methodologies, techniques, and tools are central to the software engineering process.

Systems

This section introduces students to the definition of a system, its parts, and other important system concepts. The textbook defines a system as a group of interrelated procedures used for a business function, with an identifiable boundary, working together for some purpose. A system has nine characteristics. Figure 1–4 shows seven of the

nine characteristics. The nine characteristics are: components, interrelated

components, boundary, purpose, environment, interfaces, input, output, and constraints. Figure 1–5 describes a university as a system. A systems analyst should also be familiar with decomposition, modularity, coupling, and cohesion system concepts. Figure 1–6 illustrates decomposition.

A Modern Approach to Systems Analysis and Design

Systems integration and enterprise-wide systems are two alternatives for company systems. The client/server model, illustrated in Figure 1–7, stresses the importance of systems integration, which is the focus of today’s systems development efforts.Organizations may also purchase an enterprise-wide system from companies like SAP or Oracle. 3 / 4

Chapter 1 The Systems Development Environment 4 Copyright © 2015 Pearson Education, Inc.The systems analyst is the person primarily responsible for performing systems analysis and design within an organization. A job advertisement for a systems analyst position is provided in Figure 1–8. As this job advertisement indicates, a systems analyst’s skills set should include analytical, technical, managerial, and interpersonal skills.

Developing Information Systems and the Systems Development Life Cycle

Organizations use a systems development methodology to develop and support their information systems. A systems development life cycle (SDLC) is a common methodology for systems development, and each organization will use a slightly different version. The life cycle presented in the textbook has four phases: (1) systems planning and selection; (2) systems analysis; (3) systems design; and (4) systems implementation and operation. Figure 1–9 illustrates these phases. Figure 1–10 illustrates the circular nature of the systems development life cycle.

Systems planning and selection has two primary activities: (1) identifying a potential project and (2) investigating the system and determining the proposed system’s scope.

Systems analysis consists of three subphases: requirements determination,

requirements structuring, and alternative generation and selection. Systems design, the third life cycle phase, has two primary activities: logical design and physical design.Figure 1–11 illustrates the differences between logical and physical design. The final phase, systems implementation and operation, involves implementing and operating the system. Table 1–1 summarizes the products of each SDLC phase.

Approaches to Development

This chapter discusses six approaches to systems development. These approaches are: prototyping, computer-aided software engineering (CASE) tools, joint application design (JAD), rapid application development (RAD), participatory design (PD), and the use of Agile Methodologies. Prototyping is the process of building a scaled-down version of the desired information system. Figure 1–12 illustrates the prototyping method. Computer-aided Software Engineering (CASE) tools provide automated support for some portion of the systems development process. Computer-aided Software Engineering tools use a repository. Joint Application Design (JAD) brings users, managers, and analysts together for several days in a series of intensive meetings to specify or review system requirements. Rapid Application Development (RAD) radically decreases the time necessary to design and implement information systems. Figure 1–13 compares the RAD systems development life cycle with the standard systems development life cycle. Participatory Design (PD), developed in northern Europe, has as its central focus users and the improvement of their work lives.Agile Methodologies focus on adaptive methodologies, people instead of roles, and a self-adaptive process.

Key Terms Checkpoint Solutions

Answers for the Key Terms Checkpoint section are provided below. The number following each key term indicates its location in the key term list.

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