Introduction
In today’s technology-driven world, companies or organizations heavily rely on efficient and effective systems for their operations. System Analysis and Design (SAD) plays an important role in ensuring that these systems meet the needs of a specific business. This blog post will provide you with a comprehensive overview of SAD, covering its key ideas, methodologies, and the value it brings to any organization.
What is a System?
A system is a collection of various components working together to achieve a specific goal or objective. It can also be viewed as a group of components assembled to achieve a specific business outcome. These components can be physical or abstract.
Types of System
There are many ways to classify systems. The following types will be based on two common classifications:
There are many ways to classify systems. The following types are based on two common classifications:
Physical or Natural Systems: These are systems not created by humans but by nature without human intervention. Examples include:
Stellar system: This refers to celestial objects, e.g., the solar system.
Geographical system: This includes natural features that cannot be modified, e.g., mountains, rivers, etc.
Living system: These are things that cannot be seen or touched but can be felt, e.g., memories, human desires, the human body, ecosystems.
Man-made Systems: These are systems created, developed, and organized by humans. Examples include:
Communication systems: e.g., the web.
Transportation systems: e.g., air, road, river transportation.
Financial systems: e.g., accounting, inventory systems.
Elements of a system
Resources: these are divided into two money and people
Procedure
Data/ information
Intermediate data
Processes
What is Analysis?
Analysis is the process of studying various components of a system to meet user specifications or requirements.
What is design?
Design is the process of creating the architectural components and data of a system to satisfy specific requirements.
Now that we have glimpsed into each word of the title (SAD), let’s take a look into the general meaning of the title and see what it means.
What is System Analysis AND Design?
System Analysis and Design involves the planning and development of information systems by understanding and specifying in detail what a system should do and how its various components should be developed and work together to meet the requirements of users and stakeholders. It can also be seen as a process used to identify, analyze, and design a computer system that meets stakeholder requirements.
System Analysis and Design involves understanding the needs of users, identifying the functional and non-functional components of the system, and then creating a high-level design for the system. It’s a structured process for understanding and maintaining information systems, guiding analysts and designers in creating systems that align with an organization’s strategic goals and user requirements.
Importance of SAD
System Analysis and Design plays an important role in organizations for several reasons which are mentioned below:
It helps in understanding the requirement of the user.
It ensures that system meets it’s requirement.
It provides blue print for the development team.
It helps in identifying risen issues with the system.
It helps in reducing project failure.
It improves communication between the team.
It helps in estimating the effort that is required for a specific pproject.
It improves customer satisfaction.
Types of SAD
There are various types of SAD methodologies, and the following are a few examples. Each has its strengths and weaknesses, and the choice of method will depend on the specific needs and goals of the project:
Waterfall
Prototype
V-model
Agile
Spiral model
Relational unified process (RUP)
Future driven development (FDD)
Test driven development(TDD)
Understanding the user needs
This is categorized into three sections:
Identification of user need and rules: This can be seen or refer to the different categories of users who will use the product or service.
Defining user goals and objectives: It can be seen as an action, activities, or outcome that a user wants to achieve when interacting with the system. We have ways of defining user need, which are solicited and unsolicited proposal. The solicited proposal is when the company commands you to create or develop the system. That means they will give you details description of the way the system should be. While the unsolicited proposal is when the company did not ask you to create the system. And also the solicited proposal has to do with use case, this is has to do with the company calling the people that are interacting with system to sit and have interaction face by face with the system designer and or with the development team. While the unsolicited has to do with user case this is when the designer has to find the information by him/ herself not really depending on the company to provide the explanation. That is the system designer will just go ahead and use a case study to develop or create the system, since is not the company that asks him to create it. There are many categories of people who will be using the developed system. These people categorized into:
END USERS: These are people that make use of the system or product. They have specific needs and expectations that most be meeting in order for them to be certified with the product or service.
DECISION MAKERS: These are the people who have the authority and power to make decision about purchasing or using the product or service.
BUSINESS USERS: These are the categories of people that will be using the product or service as part of their business operation. They may have specific need that must be made, in order for them to be able to use the product or services effectively.
TECHNICAL USERS: These are the people who will be implementing, or maintaining the product or services. They may have or must have specific technical requirement that must be met in order for them to be able to use the product effectively.
POWER USERS: These are the people that use the product extensively and have a high level of expertise in using it. They have specific needs.
EARLY ADOPTERS: These are people who are willing to try out new products or services before they are widely available. They may have specific needs for the product.
INFLUENCERS: These are people who have the power to influence others to purchase or use a product or service. They may have specific needs and expectations that must be met.
By understanding the user group and their roles, designers and developers of a system can create product and services that meets the need and expectation of the target audience and provide a positive user expectation.
Determination of user expectation from the system: This can be seen or refer to as a process of determining what the user of the proposed system is expecting from the system and the functionality of the system.
To determine user needs, the following methods can be used:
Survey Method: This involves visiting the site of the system both before and after implementation. It falls under the unsolicited method.
Interview Method: This involves having face-to-face discussions with the people using the system. It falls under the solicited method.
Questionnaire Method: This involves providing users with questions on how the system should be. It falls under the solicited method.
Process of determining user expectation
There are many processes that are involved here, theses are:
Survey method: This is the process of visiting the place of the system before implementation and after implementation, and it falls under unsolicited method.
Focus group:
User interview:
Analyze user behavior:
Review user feedback:
Gathering Requirement of the system
This phase main focus is on understanding the needs of the users and the organization. System analyst applies so many techniques like surveys, documents review and so on to gather the requirement for the system.
SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT LIFE-CYCLE (SDLC)
This can be seen as a well defined or structured series of stages and activities that are used in the development of a new system. This includes the following stages mentioned below:
SDLC STAGES
System initiation and selection
System preparation and planning
Analyses of the system
Physical design
Logical design
Implementation
Installation
Testing
Maintenance
Documentation
The above mentioned stages are serially stated. Meaning you cannot start from stage three and jump back again to stage one, no, you must follow the sequential order. Now let’s see the roles that a system analyst plays in the system development life-cycle.
Roles of system analyst
A system analyst plays a very important role in an organization. They have the following roles:
Change Agent: A system analyst acts as an agent of change by implementing new systems or improving existing ones.
Monitor: The system analyst monitors the system throughout its life cycle, ensuring it meets user requirements.
Motivator: The system analyst encourages the team to stay focused on the project goals and meet deadlines.
Intermediary: The system analyst acts as a bridge between the user and the development team, ensuring that user requirements are met.
Architect: The system analyst designs the overall structure of the system, ensuring all components work together.
Psychologist: A good analyst should have psychological skills to understand people’s perspectives.
System design
System design is divided into two as followed below:
Physical design: This has to do with designing the physical components of the proposed system. This can be carried out using paper and pencil or using the available digital materials.
Logical design: This is described as how the database and the real program can be implemented on a computer system.
Implementation
This is process of putting the system into effective usage based on the physical and logical design.
Installation
This can be seen as the process of putting or inserting the newly developed system into user’s computers. There are three (3) ways to install a system, namely:
Direct conversion: In this type of conversion the newly developed system will be directly install into the user’s system.
Parallel conversion: In this type of conversion, both the newly developed system and the existing system will work in parallel. Meaning hand in hand, or to say the two systems will work together.
Phase conversion: In this type of conversion, the new system will be installing module by module or badge by badge, Or to say part after part.
System testing
System is the process of testing the newly developed system. This is categorized into two, namely:
Physical testing
Logical testing
Maintenance
This is the process of taking good care of the newly developed system in order to prevent it from any harm or threat that may tender the operational or physical appearance of the system. We know you might ask, isn’t there any type of maintenance?
There for, Maintenance is the process of keeping the system operational. There are three types of maintenance:
Types of maintenance
There are three types of maintenance and they are:
Adoptive maintenance: this can be seen as the process of removing or eliminating the existing errors or thread in the system.
Corrective maintenance: This is the process of removing or eliminating the existing errors or thread in the system.
Perfective maintenance: This type of maintenance is used based on the user’s requirement in order to make the system more and more perfect.
Documentation
Documentation is the process of communicating about the developed system. The person responsible for this communication is called Documentor.
Processes of documentation
There are some series of processes involved in the documentation phase. The following processes are crucial segment of the SDLC. Namely:
Collection of source materials.
Documentation plan
Review of documentation plan
Construction of the document
Testing of document
Maintenance i.e. maintaining the document
Overall system analysis and Design is a powerful way of ensuring that information systems meet the needs of your organization.
Stay tuned for the next part of this blog series, where we’ll be going a little bit deeper to see why documentation is highly needed. Subscribe for our weekly newsletter and have the updated information and tools in the Tech industry. Thank you for being the most enthusiasm learner staying with us till now. We value your time here most. Tell us what you want us to write about
Questions and Answers
1 What is a system?
A system is a collection of various components working together to achieve a specific goal or objective. It can be physical or abstract.
2 What are the types of systems mentioned in the document?
The document mentions physical systems (e.g., solar system, geographical systems like mountains) and man-made systems (e.g., communication systems, transportation systems, financial systems).
3 What is system analysis?
System analysis is the process of analyzing and studying various components of a system to meet user specifications or requirements.
4 Why is System Analysis and Design important for organizations?
System Analysis and Design is important because it helps in understanding user requirements, ensures systems meet their requirements, provides a blueprint for the development team, identifies issues with the system, reduces project failure, improves team communication, helps estimate project effort, and improves customer satisfaction.
5 What are some methodologies of System Analysis and Design mentioned?
The methodologies mentioned include Waterfall, Prototype, V-model, Agile, Spiral model, Rational Unified Process (RUP), Feature-Driven Development (FDD), and Test-Driven Development (TDD).
6 Who are the different user groups considered in System Analysis and Design?
User groups include End Users, Decision Makers, Business Users, Technical Users, Power Users, Early Adopters, and Influencers.
7 What is the System Development Life Cycle (SDLC)?
The SDLC is a structured series of stages and activities used in the development of a new system, including stages like system implication and selection, system preparation and planning, analysis, physical and logical design, implementation, installation, testing, maintenance, and documentation.
8 What roles does a system analyst play in the SDLC?
A system analyst acts as a change agent, monitor, motivator, intermediary, architect, and psychologist, among other roles.
9 What are the types of maintenance mentioned for systems?
The types of maintenance are Adaptive maintenance (modifying the system to meet new requirements), Corrective maintenance (fixing errors), and Perfective maintenance (improving system performance based on user requirements).
10 What is system design?
System design involves designing the architectural components and data of a system to satisfy specific requirements.