Project management and company

Introduction to Systems Analysis and Design

Q1. Ans 1. Information Technology refers to the combination of the hardware, software and the services that people use to manage, communicate and share information. Information Technology is vital and are extremely important because the innovation, the technological advancements and the industrial knowhow are derived from the advancements and the progress made on information technology. Information technology is also vital in the areas of business where customization of business processes and the integration of information technology into the business knowhow as well as the production techniques, are very useful in getting optimum results and it does certainly help a lot in cost reduction as well as getting quality products at a minimal rate.

Three fictitious headlines that might be added to figure 1-1 on page 2 are :- 1) Apple shares receives a huge slump, Apple finally files for bankruptcy!!! 2) Twitter shuts down amidst concerns of hackers stealing tweets… 3) Microsoft and Apple ended their long standing rivalry and founded a new company in the Silicon Valley named Applesoft.

Q2. Ans 2. The groups that would normally be involved when the system analysts acts as translators are the programmers and the managers. The systems analysts acts as translators by describing the business processes to the programmers by speaking in a language in which the programmer understands- by using models, diagram, descriptive tools as well as other techniques. The system analysts also acts as translators to managers when they would often have to translate complex technical issues into words and images that would be relatively easier for the non techno-savvy people to understand. The analysts requires various skills such as presentation and communication skills to perform these actions.

Q3. Ans.

Q4. Ans 4. Walmart and Lowe’s are traditional brick and mortar companies and it was evident that these two companies need to incorporate the use of web services into their business. Due to this need, these companies have expanded their web based marketing channels in order to improve their customer service and to increase their revenue by increasing the sales. These features have combined the convenience of online shopping and hands on purchasing.

Q5. Ans 5. The main components of an information system are: -Hardware, Software, Data, Processes and People. A mission critical system is one that is vital to a company’s operation. For instance, An order processing system is a mission critical system because the company cannot do business without it.

Q6. Ans 6. Enterprise computing systems refers to the information systems that support company wide operating and data managing requirements. The main objective of enterprise computing is to integrate a company’s primary functions such as production, sales, services , inventory control and accounting to improve efficiency, reduce costs and help managers make key decisions. Enterprise computing also improves data security and reliability by imposing a company wide framework for data access and storage. Three examples of Enterprise computing systems are Walmart’s inventory control system, Boeing’s production control system and Hilton Hotels reservation system.

Transaction processing or TP systems process the data generated by day-to-day business operations. TP systems perform a series of tasks whenever a specific transaction occurs. TP systems verifies the customers data, checks the customers credit status, checks the stock status, posts to accounts receivable, adjusts the inventory level, and updates the sales file. TP systems typically involve large amounts of data and they are mission critical systems because the enterprise cannot function without them. Examples of transaction processing or TP systems are customer order processing, accounts receivable and warranty claim processing.

Q7. Ans 7. The four organizational levels common to many businesses are the top managers, middle managers and knowledge workers, supervisors and team leaders, and organizational employees. The top managers typically requires data that supports long term strategic planning and overall business enterprise, because they are the ones that defines the company’s missions and goals. The organizational employees are the ones that rely on TP systems to enter and receive data they need to perform their jobs.

Q8. Ans 8. The three systems development tools are :- Modeling- produces a graphical representation of a concept or a process that systems developers can analyze, test, and modify. A systems analyst can describe and simplify an information system by using a set of business, data, object, network, and process models. A business model describes the information that a system must provide. Analysts also create models to represent data, objects, network, and other system components.

Prototyping- Prototyping tests a system concepts and provides an opportunity to examine input, output, and user interfaces before final decisions are made. A prototype is an early working version of an information system. Just as an aircraft manufacturer tests a new design in a wind tunnel, system analysts construct and study information system prototypes.

Computer-Aided Systems Engineering (CASE) Tools- CASE tools is a technique that uses powerful software called CASE tools, to help systems analysts develop and maintain information systems. CASE tools provide an over development and support a wide variety of design methodologies, including structured analysis and object-oriented analysis.

Systems development methods:-

Structured Analysis- Represents the system in terms of data and the processes that act upon that data. System development is organized into phases, with the deliverables and milestones to measure progress. The waterfall model typically consists of five phases iteration is possible among the phases.

Object-oriented analysis- Views the system in terms of objects that combine data and processes. The objects represent actual people, things , transactions, and events. Compared to structured analysis, O-O phases tend to be more interactive.

Agile/Adaptive methods- Stresses intense team-based effort and breaks development into cycles, or iterations that add functionality. Each cycle is designed , built and tested in an ongoing process. Attempts to reduce major risks by incremental steps in short time intervals.

Q9. Ans 9. The phase of the SDLC waterfall model is Systems Planning, Systems Analysis, Systems Design, Systems Implementation and Systems Security and Support. Barry Boehm was a noted software engineering professor and he stated that each iteration or phase, of the model must have a specific goal that is accepted, rejected or changed by the user or client. Thus each iteration produces feedback and enhancements, which enable the team to reach the overall project goal. Typically each iteration in a spiral model includes planning, risk analysis, engineering and evaluation.

Q10. Ans 10. There is a connection between the powerful statement and the history of IBM because IBM was a first mover in the market in the modern computer era and IBM supports its employees to come up with new innovations that can shape up the lives of citizens at the time , one of the inventions was the punch card technology , and that resulted from the support from the company. Even today, IBM offers a conducive environment to its employees to come up with good and useful innovations and to be able to collaborate with the experts in the same field of study as well as help in producing quality employees. The organizational trends are seen to be continuing in this case.