Course Description:
This course familiarizes students with the concepts of information systems development including systems development life cycle, different approaches to systems development, project management, planning, analysis, design, implementation and maintenance. This course also covers some fundamental concepts of object oriented systems analysis and design.
Course Objectives:
The main objective of this course is to provide knowledge of different concepts of system analysis and design so that students will be able to develop information systems using different methodologies, tools, techniques, and approaches.
Course Contents:
Unit 1: Foundations for Systems Development (10 Hrs.)
Unit 1.1 The Systems Development Environment
Introduction (Information System and its Types, System Analysis and Design) ; A Modern Approach to Systems Analysis and Design; Developing Information Systems and the Systems Development Life Cycle; The Heart of the Systems Development Process and Traditional Waterfall SDLC; CASE Tools
Unit 1.2 Other Approaches
Prototyping; Spiral; Rapid Application Development; Introduction to Agile Development
Unit 1.3 Managing the Information Systems Project
Introduction; Managing the Information Systems Project (Project Management and it’s Phases); Representing and Scheduling Project Plans (Gantt Charts, Network Diagrams, Representing Project Plans, Calculating Expected Time Duration using PERT); Using Project Management Software
Unit 2: Planning (5 Hrs.)
Unit 2.1 Identifying and Selecting Systems Development Projects
Introduction; Identifying and Selecting Systems Development Projects (The Process of Identifying and Selecting IS Development Projects, Deliverables and Outcomes); Corporate and Information Systems Planning
Unit 2.2 Initiating and Planning Systems Development Projects
Introduction; Initiating and Planning Systems Development Projects (Process of Initiating and Planning IS Development Projects, Deliverables and Outcomes), Assessing Project Feasibility (Accessing Economic, Technical, Operational, Scheduling, Legal and contractual, and Political Feasibility); Commonly used Cost-Benefit Analysis Techniques (Net Present Value, Return on Investment, Break-Even Analysis); Building and Reviewing the Baseline Project Plan
Unit 3: Analysis (13 Hrs.)
Unit 3.1 Determining System Requirements
Introduction; Performing Requirements Determination (Process and Deliverables); Traditional Methods for Determining Requirements (Interviewing and Listening, Interviewing Groups, Directly Observing Users, Analyzing Procedures and other Documents); Contemporary Methods for Determining System Requirements (Joint Application Design, Prototyping); Radical Methods for Determining System Requirements (Business Process Reengineering, Identifying Process to Reengineer, Disruptive Technology)
Unit 3.2 Structuring System Process Requirements
Introduction; Process Modeling (Modeling a System’s Process for Structured Analysis, Deliverables and Outcomes); Data Flow Diagrams (Context Diagram and DFD, Data Flow Diagramming Rules, Decomposition and Balancing DFDs); Modeling Logic with Decision Tables, Decision Trees, and Pseudocodes
Unit 3.3 Structuring System Data Requirements
Introduction; Conceptual Data Modeling (Process, Deliverables and Outcomes); Gathering Information for Conceptual Data Modeling; Introduction to E-R Modeling (Entities, Attributes, Keys and Identifiers, Relationships: Degree, Cardinality, Naming and Defining Relatioships, Associative Entity )
Unit 4: Design (7 Hrs.)
Unit 4.1 Designing Databases
Introduction; Database Design (Process, Deliverables and Outcomes, Relational Database Model, Well-structured Relations); Normalization (Normalization up to 3NF); Transforming E-R Diagrams Into Relations; Merging Relations; Physical File and Database Design; Designing Fields; Designing Physical Tables
Unit 4.2 Designing Forms and Reports
Introduction; Designing Forms and Reports (Process, Deliverables and Outcomes); Formatting Forms and Reports (General Formatting Guidelines, Highlighting Information, Color vs. No-Color, Displaying Text, Designing Tables and Lists, Paper vs. Electronic Reports); Assessing Usability (Usability Success Factors, Measures of Usability)
Unit 4.3 Designing Interfaces and Dialogues
Introduction; Designing Interfaces and Dialogues (Process, Deliverables and Outcomes); Interaction Methods and Devices (Methods of Interacting, Hardware Options for System Interaction); Designing Interfaces (Designing Layouts, Structuring Data Entry, Controlling Data Input, Providing Feedback, Providing Help); Designing Dialogues; Designing Interfaces and Dialogues in Graphical Environments
Unit 5: Implementation and Maintenance (4 Hrs.)
Unit 5.1 System Implementation
Introduction, System Implementation (Coding, Testing and Installation Process, Deliverables and Outcomes from Coding, Testing, Installation, Documenting, and Training and Supporting Users), Software Application Testing (Different Types of Testing, the Testing Process), Installation (Installation and its Types), Documenting the System, Training and Supporting Users, Organizational Issues in Systems Implementation
Unit 5.2 Maintaining Information Systems
Introduction, Maintaining Information Systems(Process, Deliverables and Outcomes), Conducting Systems Maintenance (Types and Cost of Maintenance, Managing Maintenance, Using Automated Tools)
Unit 6: Introduction to Object-Oriented Development (6 Hrs.)
Introduction to Object-Oriented Development
Basic Characteristics of Object-Oriented Systems; Object-Oriented System Analysis and Design (OOSAD); Introduction to Unified Modeling Language, Structural (Class, Object, Deployment, and Component Diagram) and Behavioral (Use Case, Activity, Sequence, and State) Diagrams
Laboratory / Project Work:
In the practical session, students will learn to use project management, CASE, and modeling tools. They also prepare a project report that includes at least analysis, design, and implementation phases of system analysis and design. The project can be done in groups with at most four members in each group using any suitable database, programming, and interfacing technologies.
Text Books:
- Joseph S. Valacich and Joey F. George, Modern Systems Analysis and Design, 8th Edition, Pearson
- Alan Dennis, Barbara Haley Wixom, and David Tegarden, Systems Analysis and Design – An Object-Oriented Approach with UML, 5th Edition, Wiley
Recommended Books:
- Kenneth E. Kendall and Julie E. Kendall, System Analysis and Design, 9th Edition, Pearson
- Jeffrey Whitten and Lonnie Bently, System Analysis and Design Methods, 7th Edition Scott Tilley and Harry J. Rosenblatt, System Analysis and Design, 11th Edition