IMS1805 Systems Analysis Topic 1(c): Analysis and Information Systems

2 Philosophical advice (also relevant to the study of analysis) Your course? Your course and your future career? Teaching and IS as a career? Analysis (and other ‘generic’ skills)

3 Some philosophical/career direction advice You should always keep trying to broaden your outlook and actively seek to find new ways of understanding All disciplines have something unique to offer in terms of ideas about analysis and the techniques for doing it Wherever your career takes you, you can take with you important insights about how to view the world and understand it IS has something to offer to any discipline, (and can learn useful lessons from other disciplines)

4 Recap of last week Fundamental importance of analysis Analysis in human behaviour Types of analysis – instinctive, informal, formal Analytical environments; varieties of formal analysis The key elements of analysis

5 Agenda Aim: To examine the nature of IS and how it influences the way in which we do analysis The nature of IS Elements of IS Choosing a focus for analysis (Note: dropping down still further to a 1000 ft view)

Defining Information Systems System: “an integrated set of components working together to achieve some specified objective” Information System: “a system designed to provide the information needed to achieve some specified purpose” Note the breadth of the term “Information Systems” Scope for multiple interpretations of what IS should include and therefore how we should do analysis

7 Some elements of Information Systems Objectives Organisations/individuals Information needs Information Information processes Information technology Inter-relationships between elements (systems aspects) In studying IS, any of these things (or others) may be an appropriate basis for doing an analysis

An example of IS analysis This example illustrates some of the elements which may be relevant to an IS analysis Few organisations have exactly these types of IS need, but the principles are the same Note how each analytical focus can also be applied at different perspectives/level of detail (think of aerial views again). For example: Student enrolments in my unit Student enrolments in BIS Student enrolments in FIT Student enrolments in Monash University

9 Elements of IS: The organisation and its objectives Top Level Organisational objectives; how structured to achieve them? For example: teaching, research, community service, profit, market domination, etc; faculties, schools, campuses, admin, support services, etc Middle level What things are needed to achieve that overall aim and how are they spread through the organisation? For example: courses, research programs, students (customers?!); campus/faculty/central admin responsibilities Lower level What are the specific immediate goals and who looks after them? For example: SIMS; courses, unit content, students, etc

10 Elements of Information Systems: Inter- relationships Top Level Inter-relationships between internal systems and the outside world For example: Links with DETYA, VTAC, other universities, businesses, schools, etc Middle level Inter-relationships between systems For example: Enrolments links to – marketing, fee payment, timetabling, resourcing, staffing, expenditure monitoring, etc Lower level Inter-relationships between elements in a specific system For example: Links between elements in the tutorial allocation process

11 Elements of IS: Information need Top Level What sorts of information does the organisation need? For example: students, disciplinary knowledge, business trends, market needs, etc Middle level What particular types of information are needed for specific organisational functions? For example: enrolment, student results, fees, room allocation, timetabling, etc Lower level What are the precise information needs of a specific task? For example: class list, assignment results, handouts, etc

12 Elements of IS: Information Top Level What are the characteristics of the different types of information which influence how they should be handled? For example: Accessibility, privacy, level of precision, level of detail, documentary form, etc Middle level What are the characteristics of the information required for a specific organisational function? For example: Student applications, personal information, course/unit enrolments, special consideration applications, results, etc Lower level What are the characteristics of individual information items? For example: Student name, student ID, unit results, etc

13 Elements of Information Systems: Processes Top Level What information processing is needed ? For example: Recording student information, storing student records, estimating income, assessing resource needs, disseminating student results, etc Middle level What are the processes needed to do a particular function? For example: Enrol students, record exam results, prepare course information brochures, collect fees, etc Lower level How is a specific process done? For example: Calculate final student result

14 Elements of Information Systems: Technology Top Level What is the basic information technology infrastructure needed? For example: Processing power, data input/output, storage, communications network, printing capabilities, operating systems, database, etc Middle level What technologies are required for particular functions? For example: Technology for managing enrolments, results, etc Lower level What is the right technology to do a specific process For example: Which database, programming language, printer, scanner, etc?

Choosing an analytical approach in IS The wide range of possible analytical approaches makes life confusing …. (but also interesting!) Many uses for IS within organisations means many different situations, requiring different analytical approaches On-going changes in technologies and their organisational use mean constant change and innovation in analytical approach Be receptive to new ideas; be aware of your own biases/ strengths/weaknesses in terms of the different analytical approaches

16 Examples of changing perspectives/ approaches in IS Analysis Changing technologies (from functional programming to database to O-O programming to web-based IT, etc) Changing types of information problem (from transaction processing to management support to enterprise systems, etc) Changing views of what is important (from efficiency to effectiveness to innovation to adaptability, etc) These things will all continue to change

17 Choosing the basis for analysis What is the primary purpose of the analysis? What are the key elements of the situation which need to be explained/represented? What is the best analytical technique for doing it? Note the need to overcome your own biases in deciding what suits the analytical need, rather than what suits you and your skills

Summary IS has many different elements which could be used as the focus for doing analysis Each of these elements has a range of possible analytical approaches and techniques Good IS analysis is about choosing the right elements to focus on and choosing the analytical technique accordingly We all have our own biases about what is important (and what we can do); we must learn to recognise these and manage them