Authorised by Academic Registrar, April 1996
Objectives At the completion of this subject students should know the activities involved in the systems analysis phase, and the role of the systems analyst; understand the nature, process, context, and perspectives of systems analysis; be able to apply various information modelling techniques in the analysis of an information system, and to communicate effectively during analysis activities; and appreciate how to cooperate with clients and users, and realise the impact of an information system on the organisation.
Synopsis This subject provides students with an understanding of the process of systems analysis and the context in which it fits into systems development. Students will develop their analytical and problem-solving skills to determine new information systems requirements. Different perspectives for looking at systems are introduced. Students are taught to better understand and design information systems. The following topics are covered. Systems analysis: the nature and role of systems analysis within the systems development life cycle; organisational and human aspects; the use of abstraction and modelling within systems analysis; data, process, behaviour and location perspectives. Methodologies for systems analysis. Techniques for systems analysis. Data perspective: data structures; entity relationship model; attribute collection and normalisation; data structure diagrams. Process perspective: activity decomposition; data flow diagrams; minispecs, process descriptions. Behaviour perspective: events; entity life-cycle models. Location perspective: network modelling. Integration of the models and interface to design.
Assessment Examination (3 hours): 50% + Practical work: 50%