IMS1805 Systems Analysis Topic 3: Doing analysis

2 Recap of last lecture You have all demonstrated significant analytical skills You have certain biases in your analytical techniques which make you favour certain approaches You need to learn different techniques and become more flexible in your analytical thinking

3 Agenda Aim: To identify some of the main areas of difficulty you will find in doing information- related analysis To examine important aspects of thinking like an information systems analyst To discuss the first assignment and your approach to it

Problems in changing scale and scope of analysis From last week’s tute to this week’s tute From actions to information processes From movement of objects to movement of information From things to information about things From hierarchies of objects to hierarchies of processes From small/localised/simple to large/extensive/ complex

5 Dealing with systems For want of a nail …. How you make things happen at Coles-Myer Understanding interactions/connections Partitioning systems horizontally Keeping the system manageable Setting boundaries and identifying movement across them How many partitions? The magical number 7 (plus or minus 2)

6 Dealing with information The problem of dealing with the intangible Recognising information and information processes Breaking information and information processes into their component parts Computers, data and information

7 Understanding the big picture The hierarchy of objectives and functions: Basic objectives of the system? Main functions needed to achieve these objectives? Smaller functions needed to support these main functions And so on? An analyst needs to be clear about the big picture, and keep it as context within which the details can be understood Consider supermarket example from tute

8 Understanding the small (ie detailed) picture What is needed to make the lowest-level functions work? The importance of precision in understanding and language The importance of getting it right (more horse shoe nails) The way computers make things worse (or at least harder)

9 Learning the language Every business/organisation has a specialised vocabulary/jargon Some industry-specific (invoice, purchase order; enrolment, course); some company- specific (EFTSL, Form L2A) Usually not very large or complex, but it needs to be learned Beware of words and phrases which are familiar – but which you don’t actually understand

10 Detail and comprehensibility Partitioning vertically: decomposing to specify functions in more detail breaking objects into multiple smaller objects How much do you partition? How low do you need to go? (how deep the hierarchy) When is the detail too much? The magical number 7 (plus or minus 2) Adapting your descriptions – from general and broad (high-level) to specific and precise (low-level)

11 “Logical” vs “physical” models Understanding the difference: Physical vs logical processes Physical vs logical objects See examples given in class Why are they both useful? Physical models to aid understanding and implementation Logical models to aid flexibility of thought and creativity

Analysis as a part of development - the story of the bracket The need – what was the objective and how was it to be achieved? The initial analysis and request The response The formal analysis The model The final outcome

13 Being a systems analyst: Living in the middle In the middle of the organisation Going from top-level/management to bottom-level operations Analysis at each end and analysis in the middle The analyst as organisational expert In the middle of the development process Going from user needs to technological capabilities Analysis at each end and analysis in the middle The analyst as interpreter Choosing the analytical position which suits you and the situation

14 Making assumptions No data collection about a problem or situation will ever describe all aspects of it fully You make assumptions to “fill the gaps” in what you have been told This is sometimes necessary and often dangerous! Always be alert to your assumptions and test them Assumptions in your assignment

15 Minimising assumptions: the most important phrases in systems analysis Some very powerful analytical tools: “Please explain” “I don’t know what you mean” “Could you please take me through that again?” “Is this what you said?” Your capacity to absorb is limited Asking the same thing in different ways Confirming what you have heard

First assignment Assignment requirements Finding out what you need to know Developing your explanations of how it works Testing your assumptions Selecting diagramming technique(s) Explaining and justifying your choices

17 What do you need to know? Modelling (diagramming), data collection and problem definition as iterative processes Problem definition System representation (modelling) Data collection Problem definition Data collection System representation (modelling) Simplistic picture (waterfall) More realistic picture (iteration)

Summary Analysis is as much an art as a science Learning about how to do it requires experience and reflection You never master it; but you can get better!