System Analysis and Design - Useful Terms

---

Requirements Analysis:

Requirements analysis is the process of analysing the information needs of the end users, the organisational environment, and any system presently being used, developing the functional requirements of a system that can meet the needs of the users. The requirements are usually recorded in a specification document. The requirement specification should be referred to throughout the rest of the system development process to ensure the developing project aligns with user needs and requirements. We also need to involve end users to ensure that the new system will function adequately and meets their needs and expectations.

Architectural Design:

After the requirements have been determined, the necessary specifications for the hardware, software, people, and data resources, and the information products that will satisfy the functional requirements of the proposed system can be determined. The design will serve as a blueprint for the system and helps detect problems before these errors or problems are built into the final system. As with analysis when we create a system design, we must again review the work with the users to ensure the design meets users' needs.

Coding & Debugging:

Coding and debugging is the act of creating the final system. If there were no reason for coding we would not be doing any Analysis and Design at all!

System Testing:

The system must be tested to evaluate its actual functionality in relation to expected or intended functionality. Some other issues to consider during this stage would be converting old data into the  new system and training employees to use the new system. End users will be key in determining whether the developed system meets the intended requirements, and the extent to which the system is actually used.

Buy vs Develop:

The system development life cycle does not change if the decision were to purchase an off-the-shelf program rather than develop a home grown system. The coding and debugging process is replaced with a process to evaluate the products, and to purchase the software. Coding and debugging may be required for the interfaces that link the purchased software to existing systems that must communicate with the new system. In practice some tailoring of the software might have been agreed with the supplier and these would need to go through the usual cycle.

Importance of Planning:

The planning stages, requirements analysis and architectural design, are the most important stages. Good planning will help reduce errors and reduce the chance for missing or extending production schedules. An undetected design error will take very much longer to fix during the debugging stage than had it been detected and corrected during the planning stage.

Moving Back (iteration):

It is possible to go back to previous steps as subsequent analysis warrants. The life cycle has a spiral shape rather than a linear one, with repeated steps back to prior activities as requirements are refined and new information is gathered.

Business Case & Project Plan:

A business case and a project plan are created at the start. Some of the best-laid plans may need updating throughout the life cycle as users and developers gain a clearer idea of the scope of the project. Management reviews both of these revised documents on a regular basis and determines whether resources should continue to be committed to the project. Sometimes there isn’t a choice, you have to work to an immovable deadline when the only option is to provide adequate resources to complete the project on time. It may also be possible to go for a stepwise implementation where the emphasis is on getting each step implemented on time.

---

Reference(s)
	Book		Bennett, S., Skelton, J. & Lunn, K. (2001) Schaum's outline of UML. McGraw-Hill: United States of America (USA), New York (NY). [ISBN: 9780077096731]. [Available on: Amazon: https://amzn.to/3MXOZMT].
	Book		Britton, C. & Doake, J. (2002) Software Systems Development: A Gentle Introduction. 3rd Edition. McGraw-Hill: United Kingdom (UK), England, London. [ISBN: 9780077099749]. [Available on: Amazon: https://amzn.to/3gyIq7d].
	Book		Weaver, P., Lambrou, N. & Walkley, M. (2002) Practical Business Systems Development Using SSADM: A Complete Tutorial Guide. 3rd Edition. Financial Times Prentice Hall: United Kingdom (UK), England, Essex, Harlow. [ISBN: 9780273655756]. [Available on: Amazon: https://amzn.to/3FiDJsm].

---

Reference (or cite) Article
	Kahlon, R. S. (2012) System Analysis & Design - Useful Terms [Online]. dkode: United Kingdom, England, London. [Published on: 2012-06-22]. [Article ID: RSK666-0000048]. [Available on: dkode | Ravi - https://ravi.dkode.co/2012/06/system-analysis-design-useful-terms.html].

---