The Systems Life Cycle: Analysis

Collecting information on how the existing system works

Why a new system?

Why do companies want to change their systems? After all, they have spent a fortune on developing their existing one. All the staff know how to use it. The technicians know how to fix it. Management understand its capabilities.

As you can imagine, changing things is an expensive, risky undertaking. Staff will have to re-trained. Equipment will have to be replaced. Offices may need to be re-wired causing disruption to every-day work.

Reasons for introducing a new system

1. The current system may no longer be suitable for its purpose.

Changes in the way work is carried out means the system is no longer suitable  

Happily, the business has grown. Starting out with only ten staff a few short years ago, the system could easily cope with the workload. But now there are a thousand staff in many offices around the world. The system just can't cope.  

External influences. For example, new regulations have come along which insist that certain records are kept for years. The existing system was never designed for this.

2. Technological developments may have made the current system redundant or outdated.

Competitors are using more advanced systems that perhaps reduce their costs compared to yours, thus placing the company at a disadvantage.  

Customers use more modern systems and insist that you upgrade yours to allow for easier data transfer.  

The software supplier has warned that the version you are using will no longer be supported after next year. You have to plan for change.  

3. The current system may be too inflexible or expensive to maintain.

A company has to to be able to cope with changing circumstances and this includes having the systems in place to deliver what the customer needs at the least internal cost.

For example, the customer has changed the way it sends data to its suppliers - you - and now your employees are having to manually type in invoices because the system cannot cope with the new format. Added costs, less profit, less competitive. Time for a new system.

Why is the SLC needed?

Change is risky. IT change is particularly  risky! Consider the sobering results obtained from a

survey of over 14,000 organisations (OASIG study): 80-90% of systems fail to meet performance goals 80% of systems are late and over budget 40% of systems fail or are abandoned Less than 40% of businesses fully address training

and skills requirements Less than 25% properly integrate business and

technology objectives Just 10-20% of businesses meet all their success

criteria. Therefore only between 1 in 5 and 1 in

10 of the IT projects in the survey were successful.

SYSTEMS LIFE CYCLE

A series of stages that take a project from its very first stages to the final outcome of a fully working, fully integrated system.

Analysis

First you define how the old system works (investigation) and the problem(s) it is causing. This is done by a variety of techniques that include: Questionnaires and interviews Observing people actually using

the existing system 'Paper trail' : Following

information from the point it enters the system and observing what outputs are created at each point in the system.

Noting how / why the defined problem happens.

Systems analysis is…

Examining the existing system in detail

Collecting info on how it works

Establishing inputs, processes & outputs

Recording info about how it works (DFDs)

Identifying problems

Collecting information

Four main methods: Examination of documents Interviews Observations questionnaires

Examining documents

All documents which are used within a system need to be examined. These will be eventually duplicated or replaced with alternative versions or even discarded in the new system. The types of document which need to be examined are – Data capture forms system documentation business reports Bills Invoices Letters Order forms Pay slips etc

Examining documents

Helps the analyst identify inputs & outputs

He can then assess the processing needed

Calculate the number of docs processed & volume of data

This will help him decide on memory/input & output devices needed in the new system

Questionnaires

The use of questionnaires is a very popular method of fact finding. A great deal of time is spent on preparing questionnaires in order that the right type of question is asked in order that the most relevant information is gathered.

Most common way of gathering information Takes time to get it right Once right, many people can complete one all at the same time, so

quickBUT•Impersonal & anonymous•Workers may exaggerate their answers

Factors to bear in mind when creating a questionnaire ?

Interviews

This method is used in some form in gathering information in every situation.

A great deal of time and energy is spent on producing the most appropriate ‘script’ or lists of questions.

An interview can take more time to organise and it is extremely difficult to repeat so it is vital that the questions asked are the right ones.

Need to: Determine the people to interview establish objectives for the interview prepare for the interview conduct the interview document the interview evaluate the interview

what causes unsuccessful interviews?

Interviews

Time Usually not used with

every worker but only with key personnel

Flexible: interviewer can move away from script

BUT Appointments necessary Time Answers: what the

interviewer wants to hear

Observation

The point of observation is to see who does what in an organisation and what information they do it with.

Watch how data flow around a system

Observation

Enables the analyst to see the process as a whole

DFDs can be produced so that he can determine IPSOs in the current system

BUT Hawthorne effect:

This is where workers modify their behaviour because they know they are being watched. The aim of observation is to find out what actually happens, not what the workers think observers expect to see.