Introduction to Systems Analysis and Design: The Role of Information Technology

1. Introduction to Systems Analysis and Design Chapter 1

2. Introduction • Companies use information as a weapon in the battle to increase productivity, deliver quality products and services, maintain customer loyalty, and make sound decisions. • Information technology can mean the difference between success and failure Figure 1-1

3. The Impact of Information Technology • Information Technology • Combination of hardware and software products and services that companies use to manage, access, communicate, and share information • A vital asset that must be used effectively, updated constantly, and safeguarded carefully

4. The Impact of Information Technology • The Future of IT • Will see robust growth for at least a decade • The greatest need will be for systems analysts, network administrators, data communications analysts, and software engineers Figure 1-3

5. The Impact of Information Technology • The importance of Systems Analysis and Design • To ensure information system’s (IS) quality • The Role of Systems Analysis and Design • Systems Analysis and Design • Step-by-step process for developing high-quality information systems • Systems Analyst • Plan, develop, and maintain information systems

6. The Impact of Information Technology • What do we need in IS? -> How to do it? • Who develops Information Systems? • In-house applications • Software packages • Internet-based application services • Outsourcing • Custom solutions • Why, When, What, How, Who

7. Information System Components • A System is a set of related components that produces specific results • Information systems have five key components: hardware, software, data, processes, and people Figure 1-6

8. Information System Components • Hardware • Everything in the physical layer of the information system • Moore’s Law accurately predicted that computer processing power would double every 18 to 24 months

9. Information System Components • Software • System software • Network operating system • Application software • Enterprise applications ============================= • Horizontal system (橫向系統) • Vertical system (縱向系統) • Legacy systems (老舊系統)

10. Information System Components • Data • The raw material that an information system transforms into useful information Figure 1-11

11. Information System Components • Processes • Describe the tasks and business functions that users, managers, and IT staff members perform to achieve specific results • People • Users, or end users, are the people who interact with an information system, both inside and outside the company

12. Information System Components Figure 1-9

13. Understanding The Business • Business Profile • Overview of a company • Business Models • Graphical representation of one or more business processes Figure 1-12

14. Understanding The Business • New Kinds of Companies • Production-oriented • Service-oriented • Internet-dependent • Dot-com (.com) • Brick-and-mortar

15. Understanding The Business • Companies are classified based on their main activities: • Brick-and-mortar • Production-oriented • Service-oriented • Click-and-mortar or pure play • Dot-com (.com) Figure 1-14

16. Impact of the Internet • E-Commerce (I-Commerce) • B2C (Business-to-Consumer) • B2B (Business-to-Business) • EDI, XML, HTML

17. Impact of the Internet • Web-Based System Development • WebSphere • .NET • Web services • Internet-based systems involve various hardware and software designs

18. How Business Uses InformationSystems • In the past, IT managers divided systems into categories based on the user group the system served • Office systems • Operational systems • Decision support systems • Executive information systems

19. How Business Uses Information Systems • Today, it makes more sense to identify a system by its functions, rather than by users • Enterprise computing systems • Transaction processing systems • Business support systems • Knowledge management systems • User productivity systems

20. How Business Uses Information Systems Enterprise computing systems • Support company-wide operations and data management requirements • Enterprise resource planning (ERP) • Many hardware and software vendors target the enterprise computing market

21. How Business Uses Information Systems • Transaction processing systems • Involve large amounts of data and are mission-critical systems • Process data generated by day-to-day business operations

22. How Business Uses Information Systems • Business support systems • Provide job-related information to users at all levels of a company • Management information systems (MIS) • Radio frequency identification (RFID) • What-if

23. How Business Uses Information Systems • Knowledge management systems • Called expert systems • Simulate human reasoning by combining a knowledge base and inference rules • Many knowledge management systems use a technique called fuzzy logic

24. How Business Uses Information Systems • User productivity systems • Technology that improves productivity(生產力) • Groupware • Information systems integration • Most large companies require systems that combine transaction processing, business support, knowledge management, and user productivity features

25. Information System Users and Their Needs Figure 1-21

26. Information System Users and Their Needs • Top mangers– Strategic planning • Middle managers and knowledge workers– provide direction, necessary resources and performance feedback to supervisors and team leaders • Supervisors and team leaders– oversee operational employees and carry out day-to-day functions • Operational employees– enter and receive data they need to perform jobs

27. Systems Development Tools and Techniques • Prototyping • Early working version of an information system • Speeds up the development process significantly • Can be an extremely valuable tool

28. Systems Development Tools and Techniques • Computer-Aided Systems Engineering (CASE) Tools • CASE uses powerful software to help systems analysts develop and maintain information systems

29. Systems Development Methods • Structured Analysis • traditional systems development technique • Uses the systems development life cycle to plan, analyze, design, implement, and support an information system Figure 1-25

30. Overview of Systems Development Methods • Agile Methods • Are the newest development • Emphasizes continuous feedback • Iterative development • Agile community has published the Agile Manifesto • Spiral model

31. Systems Development Methods • Joint Application Development and Rapid Application Development • Both composed of users, managers, and IT staff • JAD – Team based fact finding • RAD – compressed version of the entire process

32. The Systems Development Life Cycle • SDLC used to plan and manage the systems development process. • It includes the following steps: • Systems planning • Systems analysis • Systems design • Systems implementation • Systems operation and support

33. The Systems Development Life Cycle Figures 1-28 & 1-29

34. Systems Development Guidelines • Develop a project plan • Involve users and listen carefully to them • Use project management tools to identify tasks and milestones • Develop accurate cost and benefit information • Remain flexible

35. Information Technology Department • The information technology (IT) department develops and maintains a company’s information systems Figure 1-30

36. The Systems Analyst Position • A systems analyst investigates, analyzes, designs, develops, installs, evaluates, and maintains a company’s information systems • On large projects, the analyst works as a member of an IT department team. • Smaller companies often use consultants to perform the work

37. The Systems Analyst Position • Responsibilities • Overlap business and technical issues • Help translate business requirements into IT projects • Plans projects, develops schedules, estimates costs • Required Skills and Background • Solid technical knowledge • Strong oral and written communication skill • Good analytical ability • Understand business operations and processes

38. Homework • 搜尋兩家公司之組織圖，並比較MIS部門在組織圖中的位階。 • 請說明所選擇的企業之相關資訊，如： • 公司歷史與重要里程碑、資本額、營業額、員工人數、行業別、主要產品等。