Identifying and Selecting Projects
Systems Development Environment 2 2 The Sources of Software 26 3 Managing the Information Systems Project 42
PART II SYSTEMS PLANNING AND SELECTION 82
4 Systems Planning and Selection 82
PART III SYSTEMS ANALYSIS 122
5 Determining System Requirements 122 6 Structuring System Requirements:
Process Modeling 152 7 Structuring System Requirements:
Conceptual Data Modeling 188
PART IV SYSTEMS DESIGN 232
8 Designing the Human Interface 232 9 Designing Databases 272
PART V SYSTEMS IMPLEMENTATION AND OPERATION 318
10 Systems Implementation and Operation 318
Appendix A Object-Oriented Analysis and Design 361 Appendix B Agile Methodologies 381
References 395 Glossary of Acronyms 401 Glossary of Terms 403 Index 409
vii
This page intentionally left blank
Contents Preface xix
PART I FOUNDATIONS FOR SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT 2
Chapter 1 The Systems Development Environment 2 What Is Information Systems Analysis and Design? 4
Systems Analysis and Design: Core Concepts 4
Systems 6
Definition of a System and Its Parts 6
Important System Concepts 7
A Modern Approach to Systems Analysis and Design 10
Your Role in Systems Development 11
Developing Information Systems and the Systems Development Life Cycle 12
Phase 1: Systems Planning and Selection 14
Phase 2: Systems Analysis 14
Phase 3: Systems Design 15
Phase 4: Systems Implementation and Operation 15
Alternative Approaches to Development 18
Prototyping 18
Computer-Aided Software Engineering (CASE) Tools 18
Joint Application Design 19
Rapid Application Development 19
Participatory Design 21
Agile Methodologies 21
Key Points Review 21 Key Terms Checkpoint 22 Review Questions 23 Problems and Exercises 23 Discussion Questions 24 Case Problems 24
Chapter 2 The Sources of Software 26 Introduction 27
Systems Acquisition 27
Outsourcing 28
Sources of Software 29
Choosing Off-the-Shelf Software 33
ix
x Contents
Reuse 36
Key Points Review 39 Key Terms Checkpoint 39 Review Questions 40 Problems and Exercises 40 Field Exercises 40 Case: Petrie’s Electronics 40
Chapter 3 Managing the Information Systems Project 42 Pine Valley Furniture Company Background 44
Managing the Information Systems Project 45
Initiating the Project 49
Planning the Project 53
Executing the Project 60
Closing Down the Project 63
Representing and Scheduling Project Plans 64
Representing Project Plans 66
Calculating Expected Time Durations Using PERT 67
Constructing a Gantt Chart and Network Diagram at Pine Valley Furniture 68
Using Project Management Software 71
Establishing a Project Starting Date 72
Entering Tasks and Assigning Task Relationships 72
Selecting a Scheduling Method to Review Project Reports 73
Key Points Review 74 Key Terms Checkpoint 75 Review Questions 76 Problems and Exercises 76 Discussion Questions 78 Case Problems 79 Case: Petrie’s Electronics 80
PART II SYSTEMS PLANNING AND SELECTION 82
Chapter 4 Systems Planning and Selection 82 Identifying and Selecting Projects 84
The Process of Identifying and Selecting Information Systems Development Projects 84
Deliverables and Outcomes 87
Initiating and Planning Systems Development Projects 88
The Process of Initiating and Planning Systems Development Projects 88
Deliverables and Outcomes 89
Assessing Project Feasibility 90
Assessing Economic Feasibility 92
Assessing Other Feasibility Concerns 98
Building the Baseline Project Plan 99
Reviewing the Baseline Project Plan 105
Pine Valley Furniture WebStore: Systems Planning and Selection 108
Internet Basics 108
Pine Valley Furniture WebStore 110
Key Points Review 113 Key Terms Checkpoint 114 Review Questions 116 Problems and Exercises 116 Discussion Questions 117 Case Problems 117 Case: Petrie’s Electronics 119
PART III SYSTEMS ANALYSIS 122
Chapter 5 Determining System Requirements 122 Performing Requirements Determination 124
The Process of Determining Requirements 124
Deliverables and Outcomes 125
Requirements Structuring 126
Traditional Methods for Determining Requirements 126
Interviewing and Listening 126
Directly Observing Users 131
Analyzing Procedures and Other Documents 132
Modern Methods for Determining System Requirements 135
Joint Application Design 136
The post Identifying and Selecting Projects
