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Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
1
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
Introduction
 The chapter will address the following questions:
 What is the difference between the system development life cycle
and a methodology?
 What are the eight basic principles of systems development?
 What are the definitions of problems, opportunities, and directives
– the triggers for systems development projects?
 What is the framework that can be used to categorize problems,
opportunities, and directives?
 What is the phased approach to systems development? For each
phase or activity, what is its purpose, participants, prerequisites,
deliverables, activities, postrequisites, and impact?
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
2
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
Introduction
 The chapter will address the following questions:
 What are the cross life cycle activities that overlap the entire life
cycle?
 What is the definition of computer-aided systems engineering
(CASE) and describe the role of CASE tools in system
development?
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
3
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
System Development Life Cycles
and Methodologies
 The process used to develop information systems is
called a methodology.
 All methodologies are derived from a logical system problem-
solving process that is sometimes called a system development life
cycle.
 A system development life cycle (SDLC) is a logical process
by which systems analysts, software engineers, programmers,
and end-users build information systems and computer
applications to solve business problems and needs. It is
sometimes called an application development life cycle.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
4
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
System Development Life Cycles
and Methodologies
 What is a Methodology?
 A methodology is the physical implementation of the logical life
cycle that incorporates (1) step-by-step activities for each phase,
(2) individual and group roles to be played in each activity, (3)
deliverables and quality standards for each activity, and (4) tools
and techniques to be used for each activity.
 A true methodology should encompass the entire system’s
development life cycle.
 Most modern methodologies incorporate the use of several
development tools and techniques.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
5
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
System Development Life Cycles
and Methodologies
 Why Do Companies use Methodologies?
 Methodologies ensure that a consistent, reproducible approach is
applied to all projects.
 Methodologies reduce the risk associated with shortcuts and
mistakes.
 Methodologies produce complete and consistent documentation
from one project to the next.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
6
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
Underlying Principles of Systems
Development
 Principle 1: Get the Owners and Users Involved
 Owner and user involvement is an absolute necessity for successful
systems development.
 The individuals responsible for systems development must make
time for owners and users, insist on their participation, and seek
agreement from them on all decisions that may affect them.
 Methodologies reduce the risk associated with shortcuts and
mistakes.
 Methodologies produce complete and consistent documentation
from one project to the next.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
7
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
Underlying Principles of Systems
Development
 Principle 2: Use a Problem-Solving Approach
 A methodology is, first and foremost, a problem-solving approach
to building systems.
 The classical problem-solving approach is as follows:
 Study and understand the problem (opportunity, and/or
directive) and its system context.
 Define the requirements of a suitable solution.
 Identify candidate solutions and select the ``best'' solution.
 Design and/or implement the solution.
 Observe and evaluate the solution's impact, and refine the
solution accordingly.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
8
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
Underlying Principles of Systems
Development
 Principle 2: Use a Problem-Solving Approach
 There is tendency among inexperienced problem solvers to
eliminate or abbreviate one or more of the problem solving steps.
 The result can be range from:
 solving the wrong problem
 incorrectly solving the problem
 picking the wrong solution
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
9
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
Underlying Principles of Systems
Development
 Principle 3: Establish Phases and Activities
 Most life cycles and methodologies consist of phases.
 In its simplest, classical form, the life cycle consists of four phases:
 systems survey
 systems analysis
 systems design
 systems implementation
 A fifth activity, systems support, refines the resulting system by
iterating through the previous four phases on a smaller scale to
refine and improve the system.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
10
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
INFORMATION SYSTEMS FRAMEWORK
S
Y
S
T
E
M
A
N
A
L
Y
S
T
S
SYSTEM
BUILDERS
(components)
SYSTEM
DESIGNERS
(specification)
SYSTEM
USERS
(requirements)
SYSTEM
OWNERS
(scope)
Database
Technology
Database Structures
Database Scehma
Data Requirements
Business Subjects
FOCUS ON
SYSTEM
DATA
Application Programs
Application Schema
Business Processes
Business Functions
FOCUS ON
SYSTEM
PROCESSES
Component Programs
Interface Schema
Interface Requirements
System Context
FOCUS ON
SYSTEM
INTERFACES
Software
(and Hardware)
Technology
Interface
Technology
Networking
Telchnology
Network Programs
Network Schema
Communication Reqts.
Operating Locations
FOCUS ON
SYSTEM
GEOGRAPHY
SYSTEM
SUPPORT
SYSTEM
IMPLEMENTATION
SYSTEM
DESIGN
SYSTEM
ANALYSIS
SYSTEM
PLANNING
System
Development
CREATE TABLE CUSTOMER
(customer_no CHAR(10) NOT NULL
customer_name CHAR(32) NOT NULL
customer _rating CHAR(1) NOT NULL
balance_due DECIMAL(5,2)
CREATE INDEX cust_no_idx on CUSTOMER
CREATE INDEX cust_rt_idx on CUSTOMER
CUSTOMER
customer-no
customer-name
customer-rating
balance-due
PRODUCT
product-no
product-name
unit-of-measure
unit-price
quantity-available
ORDER
order-no
order-date
products-ordered
quantities-ordered
Or der Form
Help +
Custom er
Form
Pr oduct
Lookup
Logon
New Custom er
New Order
Or der Accepted
Change
of
Addr ess
Fir st Order
Request Or der Help
Or der Help Com plete
Request
Pr oduct
Lookup
Request Pr oduct Lookup Help
Pr oduct Lookup Help Com plete
On Event Help.ButtonClick Do
Change Focus HelpDialog
On Event OKButton Do
Begin
{proecdure}
End
On Event CancelButton Do
Create AccountType =
SalesClerk
Set OrderDir.Rights=full
Set CustomerDir.Rights=full
Set ProductDir.Rights=read
Set OrderAppDir.Rights=copy
Customers order zero,
one, or more products.
Products may be ordered
by zero, one, or more
customers.
Marketing
Advertising
Orders
Sales
Cancellations Services
O
rder
Management
System
Customer
Accounts
Receivable
Database
Warehouse
Bank
O
rder
Picking
O
rder
Credit
Credit
Voucher
Check
credit
Validate
customer
Validate
products
Release
order
Customers
Orders
Products
order
customer
number
valid order
order without
valid
customer
credit
order with
valid products
approved order
quantity
in stock
approved
order
rejected order
prices
picking
ticket
Fi recracker Sal es
EDI
Cust
St.
Louis
HQ
LA
Office
Indy
W ar e-
house
NY
Office
W est
Custom ers
East
Custom ers
Maintenance
Records
Pr oducts
Catalog
or der
catalog
changes
ship
or der
ship
or der
ship or der
cr edit cr edit
service
CUSTOMER
customer_no [Alpha (10)] INDEX
customer_name [Alpha(32)]
customer_rating [Alpha(1)] INDEX
balance_due [Real(5,2)]
PRODUCT
product_no [Alpha(10)] INDEX
product_name [Alpha(32)]
unit_of_measure [Alpha(2)]
unit_price [Real(3,2)]
quantity_available [Integer(4)]
ORDER
order_no [Alpha(12)] INDEX
order_date [Date(mmddyyyy)
CUSTOMER.customer_no
ORDER_PRODUCT
ORDER.order_no
PRODUCT.product_no
quantity_ordered [Integer(2)
Order
Processing
Program
Process
an Order
Initiation
Routine
Shutdown
Routine
Get an
Order
Validate
an Order
File an
Order
Check
Customer
Credit
Check
Product
Data
Check
Credit
Data
Release
an
Order
Customers Products
Orders
St. Louis
Mainframe
Indy AIX Server
NT Server LA
NT Server NY
Communications
Controller
PBX
Enternet LAN AIX/Lan
Manager
Ethernet LAN/NT
Ethernet LAN/NT
Client PC Client PC
Client PC Client PC
VALIDAT E_AN_ORDER.
REPEAT UNT IL NO_MORE_ORDERS
PERFORM CUST OMER_VALIDAT IO
REPEAT UNT IL NO_MORE_ORDER
PERFORM PRODUCT _VALIDATI
END REPEAT .
PERFORM CREDIT _CHECK.
IF CREDIT _CHECK 'BAD' THEN
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
11
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
Underlying Principles of Systems
Development
 Principle 3: Establish Phases and Activities
 Phases are usually broken down into activities and tasks that can
be more easily managed and accomplished.
 The phases of a project should be completed top-to-bottom, in
sequence.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
12
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
Underlying Principles of Systems
Development
 Principle 4: Establish Standards for Consistent
Development and Documentation
 Systems development standards usually describe:
 activities
 responsibilities
 documentation guidelines or requirements
 quality checks
 The need for documentation standards underscores a common
failure of many analysts – the failure to document as an ongoing
activity during the life cycle.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
13
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
Underlying Principles of Systems
Development
 Principle 5: Justify Systems as Capital Investments
 Information systems are capital investments.
 When considering a capital investment, two issues must be
addressed:
 for any problem, there are likely to be several possible solutions
 after identifying alternative solutions, the systems analyst
should evaluate each possible solution for feasibility, especially
for cost-effectiveness.
• Cost-effectiveness is defined as the result obtained by striking a
balance between the cost of developing and operating a system,
and the benefits derived from that system.
 Cost-benefit analysis is an important skill to be mastered.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
14
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
Underlying Principles of Systems
Development
 Principle 6: Don’t Be Afraid to Cancel or Revise Scope
 A significant advantage of the phased approach to systems
development is that it provides several opportunities to reevaluate
feasibility.
 In the long run, canceled projects are less costly than implemented
disasters!
 Most analysts fail to adjust estimated costs and schedules as scope
increases. As a result, the analyst frequently and needlessly accepts
responsibility for cost and schedule overruns.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
15
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
Underlying Principles of Systems
Development
 Principle 6: Don’t Be Afraid to Cancel or Revise Scope
 The creeping commitment approach:
 Multiple feasibility checkpoints are built into the systems
development methodology.
 At any feasibility checkpoint, all costs are considered sunk
(meaning irrecoverable) and irrelevant to the decision.
 The project should be reevaluated at each checkpoint to
determine if it is still feasible.
 At each checkpoint, the analyst should consider:
• cancellation of the project if it is no longer feasible
• reevaluation of costs and schedule if project scope is to be
increased
• reduction of scope if the project budget and schedule are frozen,
but not sufficient to cover all project objectives.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
16
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
Underlying Principles of Systems
Development
 Principle 7: Divide and Conquer
 All systems are part of larger systems (called super-systems).
 Virtually all systems contain smaller systems (called subsystems).
 We divide a system into its subsystems in order to more easily
conquer the problem and build the larger system.
 By dividing a larger problem (system) into more easily
managed pieces (subsystems), the analyst can simplify the
problem-solving process.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
17
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
Underlying Principles of Systems
Development
 Principle 8: Design Systems for Growth and Change
 Many systems analysts have fallen into the trap of developing
systems to meet only today's user requirements.
 Entropy is the term system scientists use to describe the natural
and inevitable decay of all systems.
 During the support phase, the cost of maintenance exceeds the
costs of starting over – the system has become obsolete.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
18
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
Systems
Planning
Systems
Analysis
Systems
Design
Systems
Implementation
Systems
Support
Obsolete System
New 'business' problem or requirement
New 'technology'
alternative or requirement
Implementation error
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
19
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
Underlying Principles of Systems
Development
 Principle 8: Design Systems for Growth and Change
 Systems that are designed to meet only current requirements are
difficult to modify in response to new requirements.
 Many systems analysts become frustrated with how much time
must be dedicated to supporting existing systems (often called
legacy systems), and how little time is left to work on important,
new systems development.
 Today's tools and techniques make it possible to design systems
that can grow and change as requirements grow and change.
 Flexibility and adaptability do not happen by accident – they must
be built into a system.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
20
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
Underlying Principles of Systems
Development
 Get the owners and users involved
 Use a problem-solving approach
 Establish phases and activities
 Establish standards for consistent
development and documentation
 Justify systems as capital investments
 Don’t be afraid to cancel
 Divide and conquer
 Design systems for growth and change
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
21
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 How a FAST Project Gets Started
 When system owners, system users, or systems analysts initiate a
project, FAST calls this a unplanned system request.
 Unplanned system requests are frequently screened and
prioritized by a steering committee of system owners to
determine which requests get approved.
 The requests which are not approved are often said to be
backlogged until resources become available (which
sometimes never happens).
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
22
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 How a FAST Project Gets Started
 The opposite of an unplanned system request is a planned system
initiative.
 A planned system initiative is the result of one of the following
earlier projects:
• an information strategy plan that has examined the business as a
whole for the purpose of identifying those systems and application
development projects that will return the greatest strategic (long
term) value to the business.
• a business process redesign that has thoroughly analyzed a series
of fundamental business processes to eliminate redundancy and
bureaucracy, and to improve efficiency and value-added – now it is
time to redesign the supporting information systems for those
business processes.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
23
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 How a FAST Project Gets Started
 Planned or unplanned, the impetus for most projects is some
combination of problems, opportunities, or directives.
 Problems are undesirable situations that prevent the
organization from fully achieving its purpose, goals, and
objectives.
• Problems may either be current, suspected, or anticipated.
 An opportunity is a chance to improve the organization even
in the absence of specific problems.
 A directive is a new requirement that's imposed by
management, government, or some external influence.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
24
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 How a FAST Project Gets Started
 PIECES - a useful framework for classifying problems,
opportunities, and directives.
 It is called PIECES because each of the letters represent one of six
categories.
P - the need to improve performance.
I - the need to improve information (and data).
E - the need to improve economics, control costs, or increase
profits.
C - the need to improve control or security.
E - the need to improve efficiency of people and processes
S - the need to improve service to customers, suppliers, partners,
employees, etc.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
25
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
The PIECES Problem-Solving Framework
The following checklist for problem, opportunity, and directive identification uses Wetherbe's PIECES
framework. Note that the categories of PIECES are not mutually exclusive; some possible problems show
up in multiple lists. Also, the list of possible problems is not exhaustive. The PIECES framework is
equally suited to analyzing both manual and computerized systems and applications.
PERFORMANCE Problems, Opportunities, and Directives
A. Throughput – the amount of work performed over some period of time.
B. Response time – the average delay between a transaction or request and a response to that
transaction or request
INFORMATION (and Data) Problems, Opportunities, and Directives
A. Outputs
1. Lack of any information
2. Lack of necessary information
3. Lack of relevant information
4. Too much information – ``information overload''
5. Information that is not in a useful format
6. Information that is not accurate
7. Information that is difficult to produce
8. Information is not timely to its subsequent use
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
26
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
The PIECES Problem-Solving Framework
INFORMATION (and Data) Problems, Opportunities, and Directives
B. Inputs
1. Data is not captured
2. Data is not captured in time to be useful
3. Data is not accurately captured -- contains errors
4. Data is difficult to capture
5. Data is captured redundantly -- same data captured more than once
6. Too much data is captured
7. Illegal data is captured
C. Stored Data
1. Data is stored redundantly in multiple files and/or databases
2. Stored data is not accurate (may be related to #1)
3. Data is not secure to accident or vandalism
4. Data is not well organized
5. Data is not flexible – not easy to meet new information needs from stored data
6. Data is not accessible
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
27
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
The PIECES Problem-Solving Framework
ECONOMICS Problems, Opportunities, and Directives
A. Costs
1. Costs are unknown
2. Costs are untraceable to source
3. Costs are too high
B. Profits
1. New markets can be explored
2. Current marketing can be improved
3. Orders can be increased
CONTROL (and Security) Problems, Opportunities, and Directives
A. Too little security or control
1. Input data is not adequately edited
2. Crimes are (or can be) committed against data
a. Fraud
b. Embezzlement
3. Ethics are breached on data or information – refers to data or information letting to
unauthorized people
4. Redundantly stored data is inconsistent in different files or databases
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
28
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
The PIECES Problem-Solving Framework
CONTROL (and Security) Problems, Opportunities, and Directives
A. Too little security or control (continued)
5. Data privacy regulations or guidelines are being (or can be) violated
6. Processing errors are occurring (either by people, machines, or software)
7. Decision-making errors are occurring
B. Too much security or control
1. Bureaucratic red tape slows the system
2. Controls inconvenience customers or employees
3. Excessive controls cause processing delays
EFFICIENCY Problems, Opportunities, and Directives
A. People, machines, or computers waste time
1. Data is redundantly input or copied
2. Data is redundantly processed
3. Information is redundantly generated
B. People, machines, or computers waste materials and supplies
C. Effort required for tasks is excessive
D. Materials required for tasks is excessive
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
29
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
The PIECES Problem-Solving Framework
SERVICE Problems, Opportunities, and Directives
A. The system produces inaccurate results
B. The system produces inconsistent results
C. The system produces unreliable results
D. The system is not easy to learn
E. The system is not easy to use
F. The system is awkward to use
G. The system is inflexible to new or exceptional situations
H. The system is inflexible to change
I. The system is incompatible with other systems
J. The system is not coordinated with other systems
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
30
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 An Overview of the FAST Life Cycle and Methodology
 The final output of the methodology is the production system (so
named because the system ‘produces results’).
 As you develop a system, you need a place to store various by-
products such as documentation, production data, and software.
 The three data stores are described as follows:
 the repository is a place where systems analysts and other
developers store documentation about the system. Examples of
such documentation might include written memos, user
requirements, and program flowcharts.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
31
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 An Overview of the FAST Life Cycle and Methodology
 The three data stores are described as follows: (continued)
 the database is built during the project to store actual business
data about such things as CUSTOMERS, PRODUCTS, and
ORDERS. This database will be maintained by the application
programs written (or purchased) for the information system.
 the program library is where any application software and
programs will be stored once they are written (or purchased).
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
32
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
REASON:
A
System
Development
Methodology
System
Users
System
Owners
Production
System
Database
Program
Library
Repository
START
START
System
Knowledge
and
Documentation
Database
Structures
and actual
Business Data
Application
Programs
FINISH
Planned
System
Initiative
Unplanned
System
Request
OR
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
33
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 An Overview of the FAST Life Cycle and Methodology
 The symbology used in FAST is as follows:
 The rounded rectangles represent phases in a FAST system
development project.
 The thick green arrows represent the information flows that
trigger (or start) a FAST project.
 The thick black arrows represent the major deliverables (or
outputs) of the phases. Each deliverable contains important
documentation and/or specifications. Notice that the deliverable
of one phase may serve as input to another phase.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
34
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 An Overview of the FAST Life Cycle and Methodology
 The symbology used in FAST is as follows: (continued)
 The thin black, doubled-ended arrows represent other
secondary information and communication flows. These flows
can take the form of conversations, meetings, letters, memos,
reports, and the like.
 The people silhouettes indicate people or organizations with
whom the analyst may interact.
 Finally, consistent with our creeping commitment principle, the
black circles indicate checkpoints at which time the project
participants should reevaluate feasibility and/or project scope.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
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Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
1
Survey
Phase
2
Study
Phase
3
Definition
Phase
4
Targeting
Phase
6
Design
Phase
7
Construction
Phase
5
Purchasing
Phase
(if necessary)
8
Delivery
Phase
System
Users
System
Owners
Information
Technology
Vendors
Unplanned System Problem
Planned
System
Project
Project and
System Scope
System
Objectives
Business
Requirements
Technology
Requirements
Design
Requirements
Technology
Integration
Requirements
Design
Specifications
Prototypes
Operational
System
Business Requirements
Business
Requirements
Request
for
Proposals
Proposals
Production System
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
36
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 An Overview of the FAST Life Cycle and Methodology
 The FAST methodology consists of eight phases. They are as
follows:
 The Survey Phase establishes the project context, scope,
budget, staffing, and schedule.
 The Study Phase identifies and analyzes both the business and
technical problem domains for specific problems, causes, and
effects.
 The Definition Phase identifies and analyzes business
requirements that should apply to any possible technical
solution to the problems.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
37
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 An Overview of the FAST Life Cycle and Methodology
 The FAST methodology consists of eight phases. They are as
follows: (continued)
 The Targeting Phase identifies and analyzes candidate technical
solutions that might solve the problem and fulfill the business
requirements. The result is a feasible, target solution.
 The Purchasing Phase (optional) identifies and analyzes
hardware and software products that will be purchased as part
of the target solution.
 The Design Phase specifies the technical requirements for the
target solution. Today, the design phase typically has significant
overlap with the construction phase.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
38
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 An Overview of the FAST Life Cycle and Methodology
 The FAST methodology consists of eight phases. They are as
follows: (continued)
 The Construction Phase builds and tests the actual solution (or
interim prototypes of the solution).
 The Delivery Phase puts the solution into daily production.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
39
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
1
Survey and
plan the
project
2
Study and
analyze the
existing
system
3
Define
and priortize
the business
requirements
4
Target a
feasible
system
solution
6
Design and
integrate
the
target
system
7
Construct
and test
the target
system
5
Purchase
any new
hardware and
software
8
Install and
implement
the
production
system
System
Users
System
Owners
Information
Technology
Vendors
training, support, and feedback
demonstrations
and
feedback
ideas
and
opinions
ideas
and
opinions
requirements
and
rriorities
the business,
problems,
causes, and
effects
Unplanned System Request
Planned
System
Project
Project and
System Scope
System
Objectives
Business
Requirements
Technology
Requirements
Design
Requirements
Technology
Integration
Requirements
Design
Specifications
Prototypes
Functional
System
technology standards
technology
standards
system
proposal
problem statement
and
feasibility analysis
Business Requirements
Business
Requirements
Request
for
Proposals
Proposals
technical
support
installation
support
consulting
services
Production System
executive
leadership
Feasibility
Assessment
and
Project
Plan
technical
leadership
scope
technology proposal
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
40
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
INFORMATION SYSTEMS FRAMEWORK
S
Y
S
T
E
M
A
N
A
L
Y
S
T
S
SYSTEM
BUILDERS
(components)
SYSTEM
DESIGNERS
(specification)
SYSTEM
USERS
(requirements)
SYSTEM
OWNERS
(scope)
Database
Technology
(and standards)
Database Structures
Database Scehma
Data Requirements
Business Subjects
FOCUS ON
SYSTEM
DATA
Application Programs
Application Schema
Business Processes
Business Functions
FOCUS ON
SYSTEM
PROCESSES
Component Programs
Interface Schema
Interface Requirements
System Context
FOCUS ON
SYSTEM
INTERFACES
Software
(and Hardware)
Technology
(and standards)
Interface
Technology
(and standards)
Networking
Telchnology
(and standards)
Network Programs
Network Schema
Communication Reqts.
Operating Locations
FOCUS ON
SYSTEM
GEOGRAPHY
On-Going Support
Maintenance
Continuous
Improvement
Construction Phase
Delivery Phase
Targeting Phase
Purchasing Phase
Design Phase
Study Phase
Definition Phase
Survey Phase
(and project
planning)
Methodology
CREATE TABLE CUSTOMER
(customer_no CHAR(10) NOT NULL
customer_name CHAR(32) NOT NULL
customer _rating CHAR(1) NOT NULL
balance_due DECIMAL(5,2)
CREATE INDEX cust_no_idx on CUSTOMER
CREATE INDEX cust_rt_idx on CUSTOMER
CUSTOMER
customer-no
customer-name
customer-rating
balance-due
PRODUCT
product-no
product-name
unit-of-measure
unit-price
quantity-available
ORDER
order-no
order-date
products-ordered
quantities-ordered
Or der Form
Help +
Custom er
Form
Pr oduct
Lookup
Logon
New Custom er
New Order
Or der Accepted
Change
of
Addr ess
Fir st Order
Request Or der Help
Or der Help Com plete
Request
Pr oduct
Lookup
Request Pr oduct Lookup Help
Pr oduct Lookup Help Com plete
On Event Help.ButtonClick Do
Change Focus HelpDialog
On Event OKButton Do
Begin
{proecdure}
End
On Event CancelButton Do
Create AccountType =
SalesClerk
Set OrderDir.Rights=full
Set CustomerDir.Rights=full
Set ProductDir.Rights=read
Set OrderAppDir.Rights=copy
Customers order zero,
one, or more products.
Products may be ordered
by zero, one, or more
customers.
Marketing
Advertising
Orders
Sales
Cancellations Services
O
rder
Management
System
Customer
Accounts
Receivable
Database
Warehouse
Bank
O
rder
Picking
O
rder
Credit
Credit
Voucher
Check
credit
Validate
customer
Validate
products
Release
order
Customers
Orders
Products
order
customer
number
valid order
order without
valid
customer
credit
order with
valid products
approved order
quantity
in stock
approved
order
rejected order
prices
picking
ticket
Fi recracker Sal es
EDI
Cust
St.
Louis
HQ
LA
Office
Indy
W ar e-
house
NY
Office
W est
Custom ers
East
Custom ers
Maintenance
Records
Pr oducts
Catalog
or der
catalog
changes
ship
or der
ship
or der
ship or der
cr edit cr edit
service
CUSTOMER
customer_no [Alpha (10)] INDEX
customer_name [Alpha(32)]
customer_rating [Alpha(1)] INDEX
balance_due [Real(5,2)]
PRODUCT
product_no [Alpha(10)] INDEX
product_name [Alpha(32)]
unit_of_measure [Alpha(2)]
unit_price [Real(3,2)]
quantity_available [Integer(4)]
ORDER
order_no [Alpha(12)] INDEX
order_date [Date(mmddyyyy)
CUSTOMER.customer_no
ORDER_PRODUCT
ORDER.order_no
PRODUCT.product_no
quantity_ordered [Integer(2)
Order
Processing
Program
Process
an Order
Initiation
Routine
Shutdown
Routine
Get an
Order
Validate
an Order
File an
Order
Check
Customer
Credit
Check
Product
Data
Check
Credit
Data
Release
an
Order
Customers Products
Orders
St. Louis
Mainframe
Indy AIX Server
NT Server LA
NT Server NY
Communications
Controller
PBX
Enternet LAN AIX/Lan
Manager
Ethernet LAN/NT
Ethernet LAN/NT
Client PC Client PC
Client PC Client PC
VALIDAT E_AN_ORDER.
REPEAT UNT IL NO_MORE_ORDERS
PERFORM CUST OMER_VALIDAT IO
REPEAT UNT IL NO_MORE_ORDER
PERFORM PRODUCT _VALIDATI
END REPEAT .
PERFORM CREDIT _CHECK.
IF CREDIT _CHECK 'BAD' THEN
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
41
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Survey Phase
 Purpose:
 The purpose of the survey phase is threefold.
• The survey phase answers the question, “Is this project worth
looking at?”
• The survey phase must define the scope of the project and the
perceived problems, opportunities, and directives that triggered the
project.
• The survey phase must establish the project team and participants,
the project budget, and the project schedule.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
42
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Survey Phase
 Participants and Roles
 The facilitator of this phase is the systems analyst.
 This phase describes the system and project from the
perspective of system owners.
 Example system owner roles:
• Executive sponsor – the highest-level manager who will pay for
the project.
• Technical sponsor – the highest-level manager from Information
Services organization who will pay for the project.
• Project manager(s) – the manager(s) of the project team. This
person is responsible for the staffing, budget, and schedule.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
43
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Survey Phase
 Prerequisites
 The key input to the phase is either the unplanned system
request or the planned system initiative.
 Activities
 The most important activity in the survey phase is to define the
scope or size of the project.
 Once scope has been defined, we need to answer that question
– “Is this project worth looking at?”
 Assuming the system is worth looking at, the project manager
should formally plan the project. This includes establishing a
preliminary budget and schedule, and staffing the development
team.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
44
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Survey Phase
 Deliverables
 A key deliverable for the survey phase is a project charter that
presents the findings, recommendations, and plans of the team
to the executive sponsors.
• This might be a report or verbal presentation; possibly both.
– The report version is sometimes called an initial study report.
• The analyst's recommendation may prescribe:
– a ``quick fix,''
– an enhancement of the existing system and software
– a completely new information system.
• For the latter possibility, a statement of project scope and
objectives is delivered to the study phase.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
45
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Survey Phase
 Postrequisites and Feasibility Checkpoints
 A circle at the beginning of any information flow indicates that
the flow ‘may or may not occur’ based on our creeping
commitment principle.
 Circles define feasibility checkpoints in FAST.
 The definition of project and system scope will only occur if
the project has been approved to continue to the next phase.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
46
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Survey Phase
 Postrequisites and Feasibility Checkpoints (continued)
 The feasibility assessment and project plan will be reviewed
by the system owners (or a steering committee that includes
system owners).
• One of four decisions is possible:
– approve the project to continue to the study phase
– change the scope and continue on to the study phase
– reject the project outright
– delay the project in favor of some other project
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
47
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Survey Phase
 Impact Analysis
 Scope definition is critical to all projects, planned and
unplanned, but it could be deferred until the study phase for
those projects that have already been determined to be worth
looking at.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
48
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Study Phase
 Purpose:
 The purpose of the study phase is threefold.
• The project team must gain an appropriate understanding of the
business problem domain.
• We need to answer the question, “Are these problems
(opportunities, and directives) worth solving”?
• We need to determine if the system is worth developing.
 Participants and Roles
 The facilitator of this phase is the systems analyst.
 This phase describes the system and project from the
perspective of system users.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
49
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Study Phase
 Prerequisites
 The key input to the phase is the statement of project and
system scope from the survey phase.
 The project team studies the existing system by collecting
factual information from the system users concerning the
business and the perceived problems, causes, and effects.
 Activities
 Learning the system terminology, history, culture, and nuances
is the principle activity in this phase.
 During the study phase, we need to address the causes and
effects of the problems, opportunities, and directives. PIECES
can serve as a useful framework for doing this.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
50
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Study Phase
 Deliverables
 The findings of the study phase are reviewed with the system
owners as a business problem statement and feasibility
analysis (sometimes called a detailed study report).
• The problem statement may take the form of a formal written
report, an updated feasibility assessment, or a formal presentation
to management and users.
• The problem statement should include system objectives. These
objectives define the business criteria on which any new system
will be evaluated.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
51
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Study Phase
 Postrequisites and Feasibility Checkpoints
 The system owners will review findings and either agree or
disagree with recommendations.
• One of three decisions is possible:
– canceled if the problems prove not worth solving, or a new
system is not worth building
– approved to continue to the definition phase
– reduced in scope or increased in budget and schedule, and then
approved to continue to the definition phase
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
52
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Study Phase
 Impact Analysis
 Phase is rarely skipped because you almost always need some
understanding of the current system.
 Phase may be abbreviated because of:
• the project was triggered by a planned system initiative
• the project was triggered by a management directive
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
53
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Definition Phase
 Purpose:
 The purpose of requirements analysis is to identify the data,
process, interface, and geographic requirements for the users of
a new system.
• Specify these requirements without expressing computer
alternatives and technology details; at this point, keep analysis at
the business level.
 Participants and Roles
 The facilitator of this phase is the systems analyst.
 System users assigned to the team play an essential role in
specifying, clarifying, and documenting the business
requirements. It is, however, extremely important to involve
system users not on the team.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
54
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Definition Phase
 Prerequisites
 The definition phase is triggered by an approved statement of
system objectives.
 The team collects and discusses requirements and priorities
from the system users.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
55
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Definition Phase
 Activities
 The identification and validation of business requirements is the
principle activity in this phase.
• The most popular approach to documenting and validating users'
requirements is modeling.
– Modeling is the act of drawing one or more graphical
(meaning picture-oriented) representations of a system. The
resulting picture represents the users’ DATA, PROCESSING,
INTERFACE, or GEOGRAPHIC requirements from a
business point-of-view.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
56
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Definition Phase
 Activities
 The identification and validation of business requirements is the
principle activity in this phase. (continued)
• Another approach to documenting and validating requirements is
prototyping.
– Prototyping is the act of building a small-scale, representative
or working model of the users' requirements for purposes of
discovering or verifying those requirements.
 Another activity in the definition phase is to prioritize
requirements.
• Requirements can be classified as ‘mandatory’, ‘desirable’, or
‘optional’.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
57
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Definition Phase
 Deliverables
 The final models and prototypes are usually organized into a
business requirements statement.
 The requirements statement becomes the trigger for systems
design.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
58
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Definition Phase
 Postrequisites and Feasibility Checkpoints
 Although it is rare, the project could still be canceled at the end
of this phase.
 More realistically, the project scope (or schedule and budget)
could be adjusted if it becomes apparent that the new system's
requirements are much more substantive than originally
anticipated.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
59
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Definition Phase
 Postrequisites and Feasibility Checkpoints
 Today, it is popular to time box a project based on the business
requirements.
• Time boxing is a technique that divides the set of all business
requirements for a system into subsets, each of which will be
implemented as a version of the system. Essentially, the project
team guarantees that new versions will be implemented on a
regular and timely basis.
 If the project is not canceled, it proceeds to the targeting phase
and design phases.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
60
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Definition Phase
 Impact Analysis
 This phase is never skipped.
 The definition phase formally separates ``what'' from ``how'' to
properly define and prioritize those requirements.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
61
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Targeting Phase
 Purpose:
 There are almost always multiple candidate solutions to any set
of business requirements.
 The purpose of the configuration phase is to identify candidate
solutions, analyze those candidate solutions, and recommend a
target system that will be designed and implemented.
 Participants and Roles
 The facilitator of this phase is the systems analyst.
 All members of the project team including system owners,
system users, and system designers must be involved in this key
decision-making phase.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
62
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Targeting Phase
 Prerequisites
 The targeting phase is triggered by a reasonably complete
specification of business requirements.
 The project team also solicits ideas and opinions from all
classes system users.
 The project team also identifies or reviews any technology
standards via the technology-oriented system owners.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
63
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Targeting Phase
 Activities
 The first activity is to define the candidate solutions.
• Some technical choices may be limited by a predefined approved
technology architecture provided by systems managers.
 After defining candidates, each candidate is evaluated by the
following criteria:
• Technical feasibility. Is the solution technically practical? Does
our staff have the technical expertise to design and build this
solution?
• Operational feasibility. Will the solution fulfill the user's
requirements? To what degree? How will the solution change the
user's work environment? How do users feel about such a
solution?
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
64
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Targeting Phase
 Activities
 After defining candidates, each candidate is evaluated by the
following criteria: (continued)
• Economic feasibility. Is the solution cost-effective (as defined
earlier in the chapter)?
• Schedule feasibility. Can the solution be designed and
implemented within an acceptable time period?
 The final activity is to recommend a feasible candidate as the
target system.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
65
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Targeting Phase
 Deliverables
 The key deliverable of the targeting phase is a formal systems
proposal to systems owners.
• The system proposal must be presented, and usually negotiated,
with the system owners who will usually make the final business
and financial decisions.
• This proposal may be written or verbal.
 If it is decided to purchase some or all of the target system
(hardware or application software), the technology
requirements must be forwarded to the purchasing phase.
 The solution design requirements must be provided to the
design phase.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
66
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Targeting Phase
 Postrequisites and Feasibility Checkpoints
 Several outcomes are possible from the this phase.
• System owners might choose any one of the following options:
– Approve and fund the systems proposal (possibly including an
increased budget and timetable if scope has significantly
expanded).
– Approve or fund one of the alternative system proposals.
– Reject all of the proposals and either cancel the project, or send
it back for new recommendations.
– Approve a reduced-scope version of the proposed system.
 Based on the decision, a purchasing phase may be triggered.
 Also, based on the decision, the design phase (possibly already
in progress) may be canceled or modified in scope or direction.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
67
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Targeting Phase
 Impact Analysis
 This phase is not always required if the organization has an
application architecture.
• An application architecture defines an approved set of
technologies to be used when building any new information
system.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
68
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Purchasing Phase
 Purpose:
 The purpose of the purchasing phase is to research the
information technology marketplace, solicit vendor proposals,
and to recommend (to management) that proposal which best
fulfills the business and technology requirements.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
69
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Purchasing Phase
 Participants and Roles
 The facilitator of this phase is the systems analyst.
 Other participants:
• Information technology vendors (who sell hardware and/or
software).
• Users (both those on the project team and those in the user
community) must be involved since they must ultimately “live”
with the system.
• System owners must be involved because these purchases usually
exceed the authorized spending limits of the average project team.
• In most businesses, purchasing agents and legal staff must be
involved in negotiations for any contracts and service agreements.
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FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Purchasing Phase
 Prerequisites
 The key input to the phase is business requirements from the
definition phase, and the technology requirements from the
configuration phase.
 The project team should also be aware of and technology
standards imposed by systems management.
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FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Purchasing Phase
 Activities
 The project team’s initial activity is to research the technology
and marketplace.
 The project team organizes the business, technology, and
relationship requirements, and establishes the mechanisms that
will be used to evaluate the technical alternatives.
• These requirements and mechanisms are communicated to the
vendors as a request for proposals.
 The vendors usually respond with formal proposals that may
also have to be clarified or negotiated.
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FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Purchasing Phase
 Activities
 The project team must evaluate proposals and quotes to
determine (1) which ones meet requirements and specifications,
and (2) which one is the most cost effective.
 The analysts make a recommendation to the system owners
(and usually the information system managers as well).
 The authorized agents of the business execute the final orders,
contracts, licenses, and service agreements.
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FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Purchasing Phase
 Deliverables
 The key deliverable of the purchasing phase is a technology
proposal to systems owners to acquire specific hardware
and/or software.
 If that proposal is approved, the a technology integration
requirements statement is passed on to the design phase.
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FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Purchasing Phase
 Postrequisites and Feasibility Checkpoints
 The procurement phase is followed by the design phase unless
the purchased software fully meets the business and technology
requirements of the project.
 In the case where a purchased system fully meets requirements
(sometimes called a turn-key system because you just turn the
key to start the system), the project proceeds immediately to the
delivery phase.
 If the procurement phase results in a ‘no decision,’ the project
proceeds directly to the design phase to be designed and
constructed in-house as a custom solution.
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FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Purchasing Phase
 Impact Analysis
 This phase is entirely optional based on the make-versus-buy
decision in the target phase.
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FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Design Phase
 Purpose:
 The purpose of the design phase is to transform the business
requirements from the definition phase into a set of technical
design blueprints for construction.
 FAST encourages an iterative ‘design-and-construct’ strategy.
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FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Design Phase
 Participants and Roles
 The facilitator of this phase is the systems analyst.
 Other important participants:
• Database specialists might design or approve the design of any
new or modified databases.
• Network specialists might design or modify the structure of any
computer networks.
• Microcomputer specialists may assist in the design of workstation-
based software components.
• Human interface specialists may assist in the design of the user
interface.
• System users must be involved – they evaluate the new system's
ease-of-learning, ease-of-use, and compatibility with the stated
business requirements.
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FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Design Phase
 Prerequisites
 The design phase has two triggers:
• The business requirements from the definition phase.
• The design requirements from the targeting phase.
 In those projects which will purchase hardware and/or software,
the design phase also receives:
• Technology integration requirements from the purchasing phase.
 System users provide various ideas and opinions into or about
the system’s design.
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FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Design Phase
 Activities
 FAST has ‘merged’ the design and construction phases to form a
rapid application development (or RAD) approach based on
iterative prototyping.
• This strategy designs and constructs the system as a series of
prototypes to which the system users react.
• The prototyping process is as follows:
– Step 1. - Define the base-level scope of the first (or next)
version of the system.
– Step 2. - Define, design, construct, and load the database.
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FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Design Phase
 Activities
 FAST has ‘merged’ the design and construction phases to form a
rapid application development (or RAD) approach based on
iterative prototyping.
• The prototyping process is as follows: (continued)
– Step 3. - Define, design, and construct the inputs. Demonstrate
this prototype to the system users.
(Repeat step 3 until the system users are satisfied. If necessary, return
to step 1 to add new requirements to the database design.)
– Step 4. - Define, design, and construct the outputs.
Demonstrate this prototype to the system users.
(Repeat step 4 until the system users are satisfied. If necessary, return
to step 1 to add new database requirements, or step 2 to add new input
requirements.)
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FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Design Phase
 Activities
 FAST has ‘merged’ the design and construction phases to form a
rapid application development (or RAD) approach based on
iterative prototyping.
• The prototyping process is as follows: (continued)
– Step 5. - Define, design, and construct the interface.
Demonstrate this prototype to the system users.
(Repeat step 5 until the system users are satisfied. If necessary, return
to step 1, 2, or 3 to add new database, input, or output requirements,
respectively.)
– Step 6. - Design and construct any missing system controls
such as security, backup, recovery, etc.
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FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Design Phase
 Activities
 FAST has ‘merged’ the design and construction phases to form a
rapid application development (or RAD) approach based on
iterative prototyping.
• The prototyping process is as follows: (continued)
– Step 7. - Implement this version of the system.
– Step 8. - Go to step 1 to begin the RAD cycle for the next
version of the system.
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FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Design Phase
 Deliverables
 The final deliverable is a technical set of design specifications.
• Design specifications can take several forms, but the most
common approach is modeling.
• General design models will depict:
– The structure of the database.
– The structure of the overall application.
– The overall ‘look and feel’ of the user interface.
– The structure of the computer network.
– The design structures for any complex software to be written.
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FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Design Phase
 Postrequisites and Feasibility Checkpoints
 At this point a project is rarely canceled.
 Each constructed prototype is refined or expanded by another
pass through system design until the final system is constructed.
 Impact Analysis
 This phase is mandatory.
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FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Construction Phase
 Purpose:
 The purpose of the construction phase is twofold:
• to build and test a functional system that fulfills business and
design requirements
• to implement the interfaces between the new system and existing
production systems
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FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Construction Phase
 Participants and Roles
 The facilitator of this phase is the systems analyst.
 The analyst serves as a general contractor for work done by
technical specialists or subcontractors.
 System users’ responsibilities are usually limited to reacting to
the functional system’s ease-of-learning and ease-of-use.
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FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Construction Phase
 Prerequisites
 The design specifications (general or detailed) are the key
input to the construction phase.
 Information technology vendors may provide installation
support for any packaged software or software development
tools.
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FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Construction Phase
 Activities
 The database and networks provide the system’s infrastructure;
therefore, they must be constructed first (unless they already
exist).
 Any new software packages must be installed and tested.
 Any new programs must be constructed and tested.
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FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Construction Phase
 Activities
 One of the most important aspects of application programming
is testing – both unit and system testing.
• Unit tests ensure that the applications programs work properly
when tested in isolation from other applications programs.
• System tests ensure that applications programs written in isolation
work properly when they are integrated into the total system.
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FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Construction Phase
 Deliverables
 The final deliverable of the construction phase is the functional
system.
 The rapid application development strategy of FAST results in
several interim deliverables called prototypes.
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FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Construction Phase
 Postrequisites, Feasibility Checkpoints, and Impact Analysis
 At this point a project is rarely canceled.
 This phase is optional.
 It is possible that a prototype might be implemented as a first
(next) version before the system has been fully constructed.
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FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Delivery Phase
 Purpose:
 The purpose of the delivery phase is to install, deploy, and
place the new system into operation or production.
 Participants and Roles
 The facilitator of this phase is the systems analyst.
 The systems analyst is the most visible player as they
communicate implementation problems and issues between
system users, system designers, and system builders.
 The entire project team is active in this phase.
 System owners and users step to the forefront as cheerleaders
for the new system.
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FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Delivery Phase
 Prerequisites
 The key input to the delivery phase is the functional system.
 System users provide continuous feedback as new problems
and issues are common (note: no system has achieved the
nirvana goal of ‘perfection’).
 For new information technology (hardware and software), the
information technology vendors provide necessary technical
support.
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FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Delivery Phase
 Activities
 The training of system users.
 The writing of various manuals.
 The loading of files and databases.
 Deliverables
 The final deliverable of the delivery phase (and the project) is
the production system for the system users.
 Another output of the delivery phase is training and support.
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FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 The Delivery Phase
 Postrequisites, Feasibility Checkpoints, and Impact Analysis
 The project is complete! There is no further feasibility analysis.
 There may be a project post-audit to evaluate the system,
methodology, and team.
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FAST –A System Development
Methodology
 Beyond Systems Development - Systems Support
 Once the system is placed into production, the analyst's role
changes to systems support.
 System support is the ongoing maintenance of a system after it
has been placed into operation. This includes program
maintenance and system improvements.
 Systems support doesn't consist of phases so much as it does
ongoing activities. These activities include:
• Fixing software ‘bugs’.
• Recovering the system.
• Assisting users.
• Adapting the system to new requirements.
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Cross Life Cycle Activities
 Cross Life Cycle Activities
 Cross life cycle activities are activities that overlap many or all
phases of the methodology – in fact, they are normally performed
in conjunction with several phases of the methodology.
 Cross life cycle activities include:
 fact finding
 documentation and presentation
 estimation and measurement
 feasibility analysis
 project management
 process management.
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ID Task Name
1 Survey Phase
2 Study Phase
3 Def inition Phase
4 Targeting Phase
5 Design Phase
6 Purchasing Phase
7 Construction Phase
8 Implementation Phase
9
10 Fact Finding
11 Documentation
12 Presentation
13 Estimation
14 Measurement
15 Feasibility Analysis
16 Project management
17 Process management
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
12/31 1/7 1/14 1/21 1/28 2/4 2/11 2/18 2/25 3/3 3/10 3/17 3/24 3/31 4/7 4/14 4/21 4/28 5/5 5/12 5/19
January February March April May
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Cross Life Cycle Activities
 Fact Finding
 Fact finding – also called information gathering or data collection
-- is the formal process of using research, interviews, meetings,
questionnaires, sampling, and other techniques to collect
information about systems, requirements, and preferences.
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Cross Life Cycle Activities
 Documentation and Presentations
 Communication skills are essential to the successful completion of
a project.
 Two forms of communication that are common to systems
development projects are documentation and presentation.
 Documentation is the activity of recording facts and
specifications for a system.
 Presentation is the related activity of formally packaging
documentation for review by interested users and managers.
Presentations may be either written or verbal.
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Cross Life Cycle Activities
 Documentation and Presentations
 Version control over documentation has become a critical success
factor; it involves keeping and tracking multiple versions of a
system's documentation.
 Most information systems shops want to keep documentation
for all of the following versions:
• One or more previous versions of the system.
• The current production version of the system.
• Any version of the system going through the build and test activity.
• Any version going through the life cycle to create a new version.
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1
The
Survey
Phase
2
The
Study
Phase
3
The
Definition
Phase
4
The
Targeting
Phase
5
The
Design
Phase
7
The
Construction
Phase
6
The
Purchasing
Phase
8
The
Implementa-
tion
Phase
Program
Library
Database
Repository
project
and
system
scope
system
objectives
business
requirements
design and
technology
requirements
design
specifications
technology
integration
requirements
functional
system
specifications
production
system
specifications
purchased
software
prototypes
and
functional
software
production
software
test
data
actual business data
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Cross Life Cycle Activities
 Estimation and Measurement
 Information systems are significant capital investments. For this
reason, estimation and measurement activities are commonly
performed to address the quality and productivity of systems.
 Estimation is the activity of approximating the time, effort,
costs, and benefits of developing systems. The term
guesstimation (as in ``make a guess'') is used to describe the
same activity in the absence of reliable data.
 Measurement is the activity of measuring and analyzing
developer productivity and quality (and sometimes costs).
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Cross Life Cycle Activities
 Estimation and Measurement
 There are two common approaches to estimation.
 First, some analysts avoid estimation out of fear, uncertainty,
or lack of confidence.
• The analyst may resort to what are jokingly called ``guesstimates.''
 Better analysts draw on experience and data (both their own
and the collective experience of others) from previous projects
to continually improve their estimates.
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Cross Life Cycle Activities
 Estimation and Measurement
 Measurement has become important because of the productivity
and quality problems that plague systems development.
 The field of software and systems metrics offers hope for the
future.
• Software and systems metrics provides an encyclopedia of
techniques and tools that can both simplify the estimation process
and provide a statistical database of estimates versus performance.
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Cross Life Cycle Activities
 Feasibility Analysis
 A system development life cycle that supports our creeping
commitment approach to systems development recognizes
feasibility analysis as a cross life cycle activity.
 Feasibility is a measure of how beneficial the development of
an information system would be to an organization.
 Feasibility analysis is the activity by which feasibility is
measured.
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Cross Life Cycle Activities
 Project Management and Process Management
 Systems development projects may involve a team of analysts,
programmers, users, and other IS professionals who work together.
 Project management is the ongoing activity by which an
analyst plans, delegates, directs, and controls progress to
develop an acceptable system within the allotted time and
budget.
 Most project development failures are attributed to poor leadership
and management.
 This mismanagement results in unfulfilled or unidentified
requirements, cost overruns, and late delivery.
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Cross Life Cycle Activities
 Project Management and Process Management
 The systems development life cycle provides the basic framework
for the management of systems projects.
 Process management’s intent is to standardize both the way we
approach projects, and the deliverables we produce during projects.
 Process management is an ongoing activity that establishes
standards for activities, methods, tools, and deliverables of the
life cycle.
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Computer-Aided Systems Engineering
(CASE)
 What is Computer-Aided Systems Engineering?
 Computer-aided systems engineering (CASE) is the application
of information technology to systems development activities,
techniques, and methodologies. CASE tools are programs
(software) that automate or support one or more phases of a
systems development life cycle. The technology is intended to
accelerate the process of developing systems and to improve the
quality of the resulting systems.
 CASE is not a methodology or an alternative to methodologies.
 CASE is an enabling technology that supports a methodology’s
preferred strategies, techniques, and deliverables.
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Computer-Aided Systems Engineering
(CASE)
 The History and Evolution of CASE Technology
 The true history of CASE dates back to the early- to mid-1970s.
 The ISDOS project used a language called Problem Statement
Language (PSL) for describing user problems and solution
requirements for an information system into a computerized
dictionary.
 A companion product called Problem Statement Analyzer
(PSA) was created to analyze those problems and requirements
for completeness and consistency.
 PSL/PSA ran on large mainframe computers.
 CASE success started with the advent of the personal computer.
 In 1984, Index Technology (now known as Intersolv) created a
PC software tool called Excelerator.
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Computer-Aided Systems Engineering
(CASE)
 A CASE Tool Framework
 CASE tools are classified according to which phases of the life
cycle they support.
 The term upper-CASE describes tools that automate or
support the ‘upper’ or earliest phases of systems development –
the survey, study, definition, and design phases.
 The term lower-CASE describes tools that automate or support
the ‘lower’ or later phases of systems development – detailed
design, construction, and implementation (and also support).
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Computer-Aided Systems Engineering
(CASE)
 CASE Tool Architecture
 At the center of any true CASE tool’s architecture is a database
called a repository (or a link into such a repository).
 Around the repository is a collection of tools or facilities to create
documentation or other system components.
 The real power of a ‘true’ CASE tool is derived from its repository
(or its ability to use and update some other tool’s repository).
 A CASE repository is a developers’ database. It is a place
where the developers can store diagrams, descriptions,
specifications, and other by-products of systems development.
Synonyms include dictionary and encyclopedia.
 Many different CASE tools can share information across a
single repository.
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CENTRAL
REPOSITORY
Local
Repository
(on a LAN
Server)
Security and
Version
Control
Tools
Inquiry and
Reporting
Tools
Data
Sharing
Tools
House-
keeping
Tools
Graphics
Tools
Decision
Support
Tools
Quality
Management
Tools
Design
Generators
Code
Generators
Document
Tools
INPUTS:
models,
descriptions
and
prototypes
OUTPUTS:
reports,
problems,
and
analyses
imported
and
exported
knowledge
check-out/
check in
knowledge
Repository
Server
CASE Tool
Facilities
(on a workstation)
Description
Tools
Prototyping
Tools
links links
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
115
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
Computer-Aided Systems Engineering
(CASE)
 CASE Tool Architecture
 CASE tools provide some of the following facilities:
 Diagramming tools are used to draw the system models
required or recommended in most methodologies.
 Description tools are used to record, delete, edit, and output
non-graphical documentation and specifications.
 Prototyping tools are used construct system components
including inputs, outputs, and programs.
 Inquiry and reporting tools are used to extract models,
descriptions, and specifications from the repository.
 Quality management tools analyze models, descriptions, and
prototypes for consistency, completeness, or conformance to
accepted ‘rules’ of the methodologies that the CASE tools
support.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
116
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
Computer-Aided Systems Engineering
(CASE)
 CASE Tool Architecture
 CASE tools provide some of the following facilities: (continued)
 Decision support tools provide information for various
decisions that occur during systems development.
 Documentation organization tools are used to assemble,
organize, and report repository information that can be
reviewed by system owners, users, designers, and builders.
 Design generation tools automatically generate first-draft
designs for various system components based on the business
requirements recorded in the repository, and technology
standards provided by the system designer.
 Code generator tools automatically generate application
programs, or significant portions of those programs.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
117
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
Computer-Aided Systems Engineering
(CASE)
 CASE Tool Architecture
 CASE tools provide some of the following facilities: (continued)
 Testing tools help the system designers and builders test
databases and application programs.
 Data sharing tools provide for import and export of repository
information to and from other software tools that cannot
directly access the repository.
 Version control tools maintain the integrity of the repository
by preventing unauthorized or inadvertent changes, and saving
prior versions of various information stored in the repository.
 Housekeeping tools establish user accounts, privileges,
repository subsets, tool defaults, backup and recovery, and
other essential facilities.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
118
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
Computer-Aided Systems Engineering
(CASE)
 The Benefits of CASE
 Some of the most commonly cited benefits include:
 improved productivity (through automation of tasks and rapid
application development)
 improved quality (because CASE tools check for completeness,
consistency, and contradictions)
 better documentation (mostly because the tools make it easier
to create and assemble consistent, high quality documentation)
 reduced lifetime maintenance (because of the aforementioned
system quality improvements combined with better
documentation)
 methodologies that really work (through rule enforcement and
built in expertise)
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
119
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
Computer-Aided Systems Engineering
(CASE)
 The Benefits of CASE
 Many information systems organizations provide CASE training
and support through a development center.
 A development center is a central group of information
systems professionals who plan, implement, and support a
systems development environment for other developers. They
provide training and support for both the methodology and
CASE tools.
Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998
120
Information System Development
Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for
Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed
by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
Summary
 Introduction
 System Development Life Cycles and
Methodologies
 Underlying Principles of Systems Development
 FAST –A System Development Methodology
 Cross Life Cycle Activities
 Computer-Aided Systems Engineering (CASE)

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RTI System devolopment.ppt

  • 1. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 1 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley Introduction  The chapter will address the following questions:  What is the difference between the system development life cycle and a methodology?  What are the eight basic principles of systems development?  What are the definitions of problems, opportunities, and directives – the triggers for systems development projects?  What is the framework that can be used to categorize problems, opportunities, and directives?  What is the phased approach to systems development? For each phase or activity, what is its purpose, participants, prerequisites, deliverables, activities, postrequisites, and impact?
  • 2. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 2 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley Introduction  The chapter will address the following questions:  What are the cross life cycle activities that overlap the entire life cycle?  What is the definition of computer-aided systems engineering (CASE) and describe the role of CASE tools in system development?
  • 3. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 3 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley System Development Life Cycles and Methodologies  The process used to develop information systems is called a methodology.  All methodologies are derived from a logical system problem- solving process that is sometimes called a system development life cycle.  A system development life cycle (SDLC) is a logical process by which systems analysts, software engineers, programmers, and end-users build information systems and computer applications to solve business problems and needs. It is sometimes called an application development life cycle.
  • 4. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 4 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley System Development Life Cycles and Methodologies  What is a Methodology?  A methodology is the physical implementation of the logical life cycle that incorporates (1) step-by-step activities for each phase, (2) individual and group roles to be played in each activity, (3) deliverables and quality standards for each activity, and (4) tools and techniques to be used for each activity.  A true methodology should encompass the entire system’s development life cycle.  Most modern methodologies incorporate the use of several development tools and techniques.
  • 5. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 5 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley System Development Life Cycles and Methodologies  Why Do Companies use Methodologies?  Methodologies ensure that a consistent, reproducible approach is applied to all projects.  Methodologies reduce the risk associated with shortcuts and mistakes.  Methodologies produce complete and consistent documentation from one project to the next.
  • 6. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 6 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley Underlying Principles of Systems Development  Principle 1: Get the Owners and Users Involved  Owner and user involvement is an absolute necessity for successful systems development.  The individuals responsible for systems development must make time for owners and users, insist on their participation, and seek agreement from them on all decisions that may affect them.  Methodologies reduce the risk associated with shortcuts and mistakes.  Methodologies produce complete and consistent documentation from one project to the next.
  • 7. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 7 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley Underlying Principles of Systems Development  Principle 2: Use a Problem-Solving Approach  A methodology is, first and foremost, a problem-solving approach to building systems.  The classical problem-solving approach is as follows:  Study and understand the problem (opportunity, and/or directive) and its system context.  Define the requirements of a suitable solution.  Identify candidate solutions and select the ``best'' solution.  Design and/or implement the solution.  Observe and evaluate the solution's impact, and refine the solution accordingly.
  • 8. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 8 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley Underlying Principles of Systems Development  Principle 2: Use a Problem-Solving Approach  There is tendency among inexperienced problem solvers to eliminate or abbreviate one or more of the problem solving steps.  The result can be range from:  solving the wrong problem  incorrectly solving the problem  picking the wrong solution
  • 9. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 9 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley Underlying Principles of Systems Development  Principle 3: Establish Phases and Activities  Most life cycles and methodologies consist of phases.  In its simplest, classical form, the life cycle consists of four phases:  systems survey  systems analysis  systems design  systems implementation  A fifth activity, systems support, refines the resulting system by iterating through the previous four phases on a smaller scale to refine and improve the system.
  • 10. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 10 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley INFORMATION SYSTEMS FRAMEWORK S Y S T E M A N A L Y S T S SYSTEM BUILDERS (components) SYSTEM DESIGNERS (specification) SYSTEM USERS (requirements) SYSTEM OWNERS (scope) Database Technology Database Structures Database Scehma Data Requirements Business Subjects FOCUS ON SYSTEM DATA Application Programs Application Schema Business Processes Business Functions FOCUS ON SYSTEM PROCESSES Component Programs Interface Schema Interface Requirements System Context FOCUS ON SYSTEM INTERFACES Software (and Hardware) Technology Interface Technology Networking Telchnology Network Programs Network Schema Communication Reqts. Operating Locations FOCUS ON SYSTEM GEOGRAPHY SYSTEM SUPPORT SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION SYSTEM DESIGN SYSTEM ANALYSIS SYSTEM PLANNING System Development CREATE TABLE CUSTOMER (customer_no CHAR(10) NOT NULL customer_name CHAR(32) NOT NULL customer _rating CHAR(1) NOT NULL balance_due DECIMAL(5,2) CREATE INDEX cust_no_idx on CUSTOMER CREATE INDEX cust_rt_idx on CUSTOMER CUSTOMER customer-no customer-name customer-rating balance-due PRODUCT product-no product-name unit-of-measure unit-price quantity-available ORDER order-no order-date products-ordered quantities-ordered Or der Form Help + Custom er Form Pr oduct Lookup Logon New Custom er New Order Or der Accepted Change of Addr ess Fir st Order Request Or der Help Or der Help Com plete Request Pr oduct Lookup Request Pr oduct Lookup Help Pr oduct Lookup Help Com plete On Event Help.ButtonClick Do Change Focus HelpDialog On Event OKButton Do Begin {proecdure} End On Event CancelButton Do Create AccountType = SalesClerk Set OrderDir.Rights=full Set CustomerDir.Rights=full Set ProductDir.Rights=read Set OrderAppDir.Rights=copy Customers order zero, one, or more products. Products may be ordered by zero, one, or more customers. Marketing Advertising Orders Sales Cancellations Services O rder Management System Customer Accounts Receivable Database Warehouse Bank O rder Picking O rder Credit Credit Voucher Check credit Validate customer Validate products Release order Customers Orders Products order customer number valid order order without valid customer credit order with valid products approved order quantity in stock approved order rejected order prices picking ticket Fi recracker Sal es EDI Cust St. Louis HQ LA Office Indy W ar e- house NY Office W est Custom ers East Custom ers Maintenance Records Pr oducts Catalog or der catalog changes ship or der ship or der ship or der cr edit cr edit service CUSTOMER customer_no [Alpha (10)] INDEX customer_name [Alpha(32)] customer_rating [Alpha(1)] INDEX balance_due [Real(5,2)] PRODUCT product_no [Alpha(10)] INDEX product_name [Alpha(32)] unit_of_measure [Alpha(2)] unit_price [Real(3,2)] quantity_available [Integer(4)] ORDER order_no [Alpha(12)] INDEX order_date [Date(mmddyyyy) CUSTOMER.customer_no ORDER_PRODUCT ORDER.order_no PRODUCT.product_no quantity_ordered [Integer(2) Order Processing Program Process an Order Initiation Routine Shutdown Routine Get an Order Validate an Order File an Order Check Customer Credit Check Product Data Check Credit Data Release an Order Customers Products Orders St. Louis Mainframe Indy AIX Server NT Server LA NT Server NY Communications Controller PBX Enternet LAN AIX/Lan Manager Ethernet LAN/NT Ethernet LAN/NT Client PC Client PC Client PC Client PC VALIDAT E_AN_ORDER. REPEAT UNT IL NO_MORE_ORDERS PERFORM CUST OMER_VALIDAT IO REPEAT UNT IL NO_MORE_ORDER PERFORM PRODUCT _VALIDATI END REPEAT . PERFORM CREDIT _CHECK. IF CREDIT _CHECK 'BAD' THEN
  • 11. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 11 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley Underlying Principles of Systems Development  Principle 3: Establish Phases and Activities  Phases are usually broken down into activities and tasks that can be more easily managed and accomplished.  The phases of a project should be completed top-to-bottom, in sequence.
  • 12. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 12 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley Underlying Principles of Systems Development  Principle 4: Establish Standards for Consistent Development and Documentation  Systems development standards usually describe:  activities  responsibilities  documentation guidelines or requirements  quality checks  The need for documentation standards underscores a common failure of many analysts – the failure to document as an ongoing activity during the life cycle.
  • 13. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 13 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley Underlying Principles of Systems Development  Principle 5: Justify Systems as Capital Investments  Information systems are capital investments.  When considering a capital investment, two issues must be addressed:  for any problem, there are likely to be several possible solutions  after identifying alternative solutions, the systems analyst should evaluate each possible solution for feasibility, especially for cost-effectiveness. • Cost-effectiveness is defined as the result obtained by striking a balance between the cost of developing and operating a system, and the benefits derived from that system.  Cost-benefit analysis is an important skill to be mastered.
  • 14. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 14 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley Underlying Principles of Systems Development  Principle 6: Don’t Be Afraid to Cancel or Revise Scope  A significant advantage of the phased approach to systems development is that it provides several opportunities to reevaluate feasibility.  In the long run, canceled projects are less costly than implemented disasters!  Most analysts fail to adjust estimated costs and schedules as scope increases. As a result, the analyst frequently and needlessly accepts responsibility for cost and schedule overruns.
  • 15. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 15 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley Underlying Principles of Systems Development  Principle 6: Don’t Be Afraid to Cancel or Revise Scope  The creeping commitment approach:  Multiple feasibility checkpoints are built into the systems development methodology.  At any feasibility checkpoint, all costs are considered sunk (meaning irrecoverable) and irrelevant to the decision.  The project should be reevaluated at each checkpoint to determine if it is still feasible.  At each checkpoint, the analyst should consider: • cancellation of the project if it is no longer feasible • reevaluation of costs and schedule if project scope is to be increased • reduction of scope if the project budget and schedule are frozen, but not sufficient to cover all project objectives.
  • 16. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 16 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley Underlying Principles of Systems Development  Principle 7: Divide and Conquer  All systems are part of larger systems (called super-systems).  Virtually all systems contain smaller systems (called subsystems).  We divide a system into its subsystems in order to more easily conquer the problem and build the larger system.  By dividing a larger problem (system) into more easily managed pieces (subsystems), the analyst can simplify the problem-solving process.
  • 17. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 17 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley Underlying Principles of Systems Development  Principle 8: Design Systems for Growth and Change  Many systems analysts have fallen into the trap of developing systems to meet only today's user requirements.  Entropy is the term system scientists use to describe the natural and inevitable decay of all systems.  During the support phase, the cost of maintenance exceeds the costs of starting over – the system has become obsolete.
  • 18. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 18 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley Systems Planning Systems Analysis Systems Design Systems Implementation Systems Support Obsolete System New 'business' problem or requirement New 'technology' alternative or requirement Implementation error
  • 19. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 19 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley Underlying Principles of Systems Development  Principle 8: Design Systems for Growth and Change  Systems that are designed to meet only current requirements are difficult to modify in response to new requirements.  Many systems analysts become frustrated with how much time must be dedicated to supporting existing systems (often called legacy systems), and how little time is left to work on important, new systems development.  Today's tools and techniques make it possible to design systems that can grow and change as requirements grow and change.  Flexibility and adaptability do not happen by accident – they must be built into a system.
  • 20. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 20 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley Underlying Principles of Systems Development  Get the owners and users involved  Use a problem-solving approach  Establish phases and activities  Establish standards for consistent development and documentation  Justify systems as capital investments  Don’t be afraid to cancel  Divide and conquer  Design systems for growth and change
  • 21. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 21 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  How a FAST Project Gets Started  When system owners, system users, or systems analysts initiate a project, FAST calls this a unplanned system request.  Unplanned system requests are frequently screened and prioritized by a steering committee of system owners to determine which requests get approved.  The requests which are not approved are often said to be backlogged until resources become available (which sometimes never happens).
  • 22. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 22 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  How a FAST Project Gets Started  The opposite of an unplanned system request is a planned system initiative.  A planned system initiative is the result of one of the following earlier projects: • an information strategy plan that has examined the business as a whole for the purpose of identifying those systems and application development projects that will return the greatest strategic (long term) value to the business. • a business process redesign that has thoroughly analyzed a series of fundamental business processes to eliminate redundancy and bureaucracy, and to improve efficiency and value-added – now it is time to redesign the supporting information systems for those business processes.
  • 23. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 23 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  How a FAST Project Gets Started  Planned or unplanned, the impetus for most projects is some combination of problems, opportunities, or directives.  Problems are undesirable situations that prevent the organization from fully achieving its purpose, goals, and objectives. • Problems may either be current, suspected, or anticipated.  An opportunity is a chance to improve the organization even in the absence of specific problems.  A directive is a new requirement that's imposed by management, government, or some external influence.
  • 24. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 24 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  How a FAST Project Gets Started  PIECES - a useful framework for classifying problems, opportunities, and directives.  It is called PIECES because each of the letters represent one of six categories. P - the need to improve performance. I - the need to improve information (and data). E - the need to improve economics, control costs, or increase profits. C - the need to improve control or security. E - the need to improve efficiency of people and processes S - the need to improve service to customers, suppliers, partners, employees, etc.
  • 25. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 25 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology The PIECES Problem-Solving Framework The following checklist for problem, opportunity, and directive identification uses Wetherbe's PIECES framework. Note that the categories of PIECES are not mutually exclusive; some possible problems show up in multiple lists. Also, the list of possible problems is not exhaustive. The PIECES framework is equally suited to analyzing both manual and computerized systems and applications. PERFORMANCE Problems, Opportunities, and Directives A. Throughput – the amount of work performed over some period of time. B. Response time – the average delay between a transaction or request and a response to that transaction or request INFORMATION (and Data) Problems, Opportunities, and Directives A. Outputs 1. Lack of any information 2. Lack of necessary information 3. Lack of relevant information 4. Too much information – ``information overload'' 5. Information that is not in a useful format 6. Information that is not accurate 7. Information that is difficult to produce 8. Information is not timely to its subsequent use
  • 26. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 26 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology The PIECES Problem-Solving Framework INFORMATION (and Data) Problems, Opportunities, and Directives B. Inputs 1. Data is not captured 2. Data is not captured in time to be useful 3. Data is not accurately captured -- contains errors 4. Data is difficult to capture 5. Data is captured redundantly -- same data captured more than once 6. Too much data is captured 7. Illegal data is captured C. Stored Data 1. Data is stored redundantly in multiple files and/or databases 2. Stored data is not accurate (may be related to #1) 3. Data is not secure to accident or vandalism 4. Data is not well organized 5. Data is not flexible – not easy to meet new information needs from stored data 6. Data is not accessible
  • 27. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 27 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology The PIECES Problem-Solving Framework ECONOMICS Problems, Opportunities, and Directives A. Costs 1. Costs are unknown 2. Costs are untraceable to source 3. Costs are too high B. Profits 1. New markets can be explored 2. Current marketing can be improved 3. Orders can be increased CONTROL (and Security) Problems, Opportunities, and Directives A. Too little security or control 1. Input data is not adequately edited 2. Crimes are (or can be) committed against data a. Fraud b. Embezzlement 3. Ethics are breached on data or information – refers to data or information letting to unauthorized people 4. Redundantly stored data is inconsistent in different files or databases
  • 28. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 28 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology The PIECES Problem-Solving Framework CONTROL (and Security) Problems, Opportunities, and Directives A. Too little security or control (continued) 5. Data privacy regulations or guidelines are being (or can be) violated 6. Processing errors are occurring (either by people, machines, or software) 7. Decision-making errors are occurring B. Too much security or control 1. Bureaucratic red tape slows the system 2. Controls inconvenience customers or employees 3. Excessive controls cause processing delays EFFICIENCY Problems, Opportunities, and Directives A. People, machines, or computers waste time 1. Data is redundantly input or copied 2. Data is redundantly processed 3. Information is redundantly generated B. People, machines, or computers waste materials and supplies C. Effort required for tasks is excessive D. Materials required for tasks is excessive
  • 29. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 29 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology The PIECES Problem-Solving Framework SERVICE Problems, Opportunities, and Directives A. The system produces inaccurate results B. The system produces inconsistent results C. The system produces unreliable results D. The system is not easy to learn E. The system is not easy to use F. The system is awkward to use G. The system is inflexible to new or exceptional situations H. The system is inflexible to change I. The system is incompatible with other systems J. The system is not coordinated with other systems
  • 30. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 30 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  An Overview of the FAST Life Cycle and Methodology  The final output of the methodology is the production system (so named because the system ‘produces results’).  As you develop a system, you need a place to store various by- products such as documentation, production data, and software.  The three data stores are described as follows:  the repository is a place where systems analysts and other developers store documentation about the system. Examples of such documentation might include written memos, user requirements, and program flowcharts.
  • 31. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 31 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  An Overview of the FAST Life Cycle and Methodology  The three data stores are described as follows: (continued)  the database is built during the project to store actual business data about such things as CUSTOMERS, PRODUCTS, and ORDERS. This database will be maintained by the application programs written (or purchased) for the information system.  the program library is where any application software and programs will be stored once they are written (or purchased).
  • 32. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 32 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley REASON: A System Development Methodology System Users System Owners Production System Database Program Library Repository START START System Knowledge and Documentation Database Structures and actual Business Data Application Programs FINISH Planned System Initiative Unplanned System Request OR
  • 33. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 33 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  An Overview of the FAST Life Cycle and Methodology  The symbology used in FAST is as follows:  The rounded rectangles represent phases in a FAST system development project.  The thick green arrows represent the information flows that trigger (or start) a FAST project.  The thick black arrows represent the major deliverables (or outputs) of the phases. Each deliverable contains important documentation and/or specifications. Notice that the deliverable of one phase may serve as input to another phase.
  • 34. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 34 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  An Overview of the FAST Life Cycle and Methodology  The symbology used in FAST is as follows: (continued)  The thin black, doubled-ended arrows represent other secondary information and communication flows. These flows can take the form of conversations, meetings, letters, memos, reports, and the like.  The people silhouettes indicate people or organizations with whom the analyst may interact.  Finally, consistent with our creeping commitment principle, the black circles indicate checkpoints at which time the project participants should reevaluate feasibility and/or project scope.
  • 35. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 35 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley 1 Survey Phase 2 Study Phase 3 Definition Phase 4 Targeting Phase 6 Design Phase 7 Construction Phase 5 Purchasing Phase (if necessary) 8 Delivery Phase System Users System Owners Information Technology Vendors Unplanned System Problem Planned System Project Project and System Scope System Objectives Business Requirements Technology Requirements Design Requirements Technology Integration Requirements Design Specifications Prototypes Operational System Business Requirements Business Requirements Request for Proposals Proposals Production System
  • 36. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 36 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  An Overview of the FAST Life Cycle and Methodology  The FAST methodology consists of eight phases. They are as follows:  The Survey Phase establishes the project context, scope, budget, staffing, and schedule.  The Study Phase identifies and analyzes both the business and technical problem domains for specific problems, causes, and effects.  The Definition Phase identifies and analyzes business requirements that should apply to any possible technical solution to the problems.
  • 37. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 37 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  An Overview of the FAST Life Cycle and Methodology  The FAST methodology consists of eight phases. They are as follows: (continued)  The Targeting Phase identifies and analyzes candidate technical solutions that might solve the problem and fulfill the business requirements. The result is a feasible, target solution.  The Purchasing Phase (optional) identifies and analyzes hardware and software products that will be purchased as part of the target solution.  The Design Phase specifies the technical requirements for the target solution. Today, the design phase typically has significant overlap with the construction phase.
  • 38. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 38 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  An Overview of the FAST Life Cycle and Methodology  The FAST methodology consists of eight phases. They are as follows: (continued)  The Construction Phase builds and tests the actual solution (or interim prototypes of the solution).  The Delivery Phase puts the solution into daily production.
  • 39. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 39 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley 1 Survey and plan the project 2 Study and analyze the existing system 3 Define and priortize the business requirements 4 Target a feasible system solution 6 Design and integrate the target system 7 Construct and test the target system 5 Purchase any new hardware and software 8 Install and implement the production system System Users System Owners Information Technology Vendors training, support, and feedback demonstrations and feedback ideas and opinions ideas and opinions requirements and rriorities the business, problems, causes, and effects Unplanned System Request Planned System Project Project and System Scope System Objectives Business Requirements Technology Requirements Design Requirements Technology Integration Requirements Design Specifications Prototypes Functional System technology standards technology standards system proposal problem statement and feasibility analysis Business Requirements Business Requirements Request for Proposals Proposals technical support installation support consulting services Production System executive leadership Feasibility Assessment and Project Plan technical leadership scope technology proposal
  • 40. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 40 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley INFORMATION SYSTEMS FRAMEWORK S Y S T E M A N A L Y S T S SYSTEM BUILDERS (components) SYSTEM DESIGNERS (specification) SYSTEM USERS (requirements) SYSTEM OWNERS (scope) Database Technology (and standards) Database Structures Database Scehma Data Requirements Business Subjects FOCUS ON SYSTEM DATA Application Programs Application Schema Business Processes Business Functions FOCUS ON SYSTEM PROCESSES Component Programs Interface Schema Interface Requirements System Context FOCUS ON SYSTEM INTERFACES Software (and Hardware) Technology (and standards) Interface Technology (and standards) Networking Telchnology (and standards) Network Programs Network Schema Communication Reqts. Operating Locations FOCUS ON SYSTEM GEOGRAPHY On-Going Support Maintenance Continuous Improvement Construction Phase Delivery Phase Targeting Phase Purchasing Phase Design Phase Study Phase Definition Phase Survey Phase (and project planning) Methodology CREATE TABLE CUSTOMER (customer_no CHAR(10) NOT NULL customer_name CHAR(32) NOT NULL customer _rating CHAR(1) NOT NULL balance_due DECIMAL(5,2) CREATE INDEX cust_no_idx on CUSTOMER CREATE INDEX cust_rt_idx on CUSTOMER CUSTOMER customer-no customer-name customer-rating balance-due PRODUCT product-no product-name unit-of-measure unit-price quantity-available ORDER order-no order-date products-ordered quantities-ordered Or der Form Help + Custom er Form Pr oduct Lookup Logon New Custom er New Order Or der Accepted Change of Addr ess Fir st Order Request Or der Help Or der Help Com plete Request Pr oduct Lookup Request Pr oduct Lookup Help Pr oduct Lookup Help Com plete On Event Help.ButtonClick Do Change Focus HelpDialog On Event OKButton Do Begin {proecdure} End On Event CancelButton Do Create AccountType = SalesClerk Set OrderDir.Rights=full Set CustomerDir.Rights=full Set ProductDir.Rights=read Set OrderAppDir.Rights=copy Customers order zero, one, or more products. Products may be ordered by zero, one, or more customers. Marketing Advertising Orders Sales Cancellations Services O rder Management System Customer Accounts Receivable Database Warehouse Bank O rder Picking O rder Credit Credit Voucher Check credit Validate customer Validate products Release order Customers Orders Products order customer number valid order order without valid customer credit order with valid products approved order quantity in stock approved order rejected order prices picking ticket Fi recracker Sal es EDI Cust St. Louis HQ LA Office Indy W ar e- house NY Office W est Custom ers East Custom ers Maintenance Records Pr oducts Catalog or der catalog changes ship or der ship or der ship or der cr edit cr edit service CUSTOMER customer_no [Alpha (10)] INDEX customer_name [Alpha(32)] customer_rating [Alpha(1)] INDEX balance_due [Real(5,2)] PRODUCT product_no [Alpha(10)] INDEX product_name [Alpha(32)] unit_of_measure [Alpha(2)] unit_price [Real(3,2)] quantity_available [Integer(4)] ORDER order_no [Alpha(12)] INDEX order_date [Date(mmddyyyy) CUSTOMER.customer_no ORDER_PRODUCT ORDER.order_no PRODUCT.product_no quantity_ordered [Integer(2) Order Processing Program Process an Order Initiation Routine Shutdown Routine Get an Order Validate an Order File an Order Check Customer Credit Check Product Data Check Credit Data Release an Order Customers Products Orders St. Louis Mainframe Indy AIX Server NT Server LA NT Server NY Communications Controller PBX Enternet LAN AIX/Lan Manager Ethernet LAN/NT Ethernet LAN/NT Client PC Client PC Client PC Client PC VALIDAT E_AN_ORDER. REPEAT UNT IL NO_MORE_ORDERS PERFORM CUST OMER_VALIDAT IO REPEAT UNT IL NO_MORE_ORDER PERFORM PRODUCT _VALIDATI END REPEAT . PERFORM CREDIT _CHECK. IF CREDIT _CHECK 'BAD' THEN
  • 41. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 41 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Survey Phase  Purpose:  The purpose of the survey phase is threefold. • The survey phase answers the question, “Is this project worth looking at?” • The survey phase must define the scope of the project and the perceived problems, opportunities, and directives that triggered the project. • The survey phase must establish the project team and participants, the project budget, and the project schedule.
  • 42. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 42 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Survey Phase  Participants and Roles  The facilitator of this phase is the systems analyst.  This phase describes the system and project from the perspective of system owners.  Example system owner roles: • Executive sponsor – the highest-level manager who will pay for the project. • Technical sponsor – the highest-level manager from Information Services organization who will pay for the project. • Project manager(s) – the manager(s) of the project team. This person is responsible for the staffing, budget, and schedule.
  • 43. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 43 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Survey Phase  Prerequisites  The key input to the phase is either the unplanned system request or the planned system initiative.  Activities  The most important activity in the survey phase is to define the scope or size of the project.  Once scope has been defined, we need to answer that question – “Is this project worth looking at?”  Assuming the system is worth looking at, the project manager should formally plan the project. This includes establishing a preliminary budget and schedule, and staffing the development team.
  • 44. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 44 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Survey Phase  Deliverables  A key deliverable for the survey phase is a project charter that presents the findings, recommendations, and plans of the team to the executive sponsors. • This might be a report or verbal presentation; possibly both. – The report version is sometimes called an initial study report. • The analyst's recommendation may prescribe: – a ``quick fix,'' – an enhancement of the existing system and software – a completely new information system. • For the latter possibility, a statement of project scope and objectives is delivered to the study phase.
  • 45. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 45 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Survey Phase  Postrequisites and Feasibility Checkpoints  A circle at the beginning of any information flow indicates that the flow ‘may or may not occur’ based on our creeping commitment principle.  Circles define feasibility checkpoints in FAST.  The definition of project and system scope will only occur if the project has been approved to continue to the next phase.
  • 46. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 46 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Survey Phase  Postrequisites and Feasibility Checkpoints (continued)  The feasibility assessment and project plan will be reviewed by the system owners (or a steering committee that includes system owners). • One of four decisions is possible: – approve the project to continue to the study phase – change the scope and continue on to the study phase – reject the project outright – delay the project in favor of some other project
  • 47. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 47 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Survey Phase  Impact Analysis  Scope definition is critical to all projects, planned and unplanned, but it could be deferred until the study phase for those projects that have already been determined to be worth looking at.
  • 48. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 48 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Study Phase  Purpose:  The purpose of the study phase is threefold. • The project team must gain an appropriate understanding of the business problem domain. • We need to answer the question, “Are these problems (opportunities, and directives) worth solving”? • We need to determine if the system is worth developing.  Participants and Roles  The facilitator of this phase is the systems analyst.  This phase describes the system and project from the perspective of system users.
  • 49. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 49 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Study Phase  Prerequisites  The key input to the phase is the statement of project and system scope from the survey phase.  The project team studies the existing system by collecting factual information from the system users concerning the business and the perceived problems, causes, and effects.  Activities  Learning the system terminology, history, culture, and nuances is the principle activity in this phase.  During the study phase, we need to address the causes and effects of the problems, opportunities, and directives. PIECES can serve as a useful framework for doing this.
  • 50. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 50 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Study Phase  Deliverables  The findings of the study phase are reviewed with the system owners as a business problem statement and feasibility analysis (sometimes called a detailed study report). • The problem statement may take the form of a formal written report, an updated feasibility assessment, or a formal presentation to management and users. • The problem statement should include system objectives. These objectives define the business criteria on which any new system will be evaluated.
  • 51. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 51 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Study Phase  Postrequisites and Feasibility Checkpoints  The system owners will review findings and either agree or disagree with recommendations. • One of three decisions is possible: – canceled if the problems prove not worth solving, or a new system is not worth building – approved to continue to the definition phase – reduced in scope or increased in budget and schedule, and then approved to continue to the definition phase
  • 52. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 52 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Study Phase  Impact Analysis  Phase is rarely skipped because you almost always need some understanding of the current system.  Phase may be abbreviated because of: • the project was triggered by a planned system initiative • the project was triggered by a management directive
  • 53. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 53 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Definition Phase  Purpose:  The purpose of requirements analysis is to identify the data, process, interface, and geographic requirements for the users of a new system. • Specify these requirements without expressing computer alternatives and technology details; at this point, keep analysis at the business level.  Participants and Roles  The facilitator of this phase is the systems analyst.  System users assigned to the team play an essential role in specifying, clarifying, and documenting the business requirements. It is, however, extremely important to involve system users not on the team.
  • 54. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 54 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Definition Phase  Prerequisites  The definition phase is triggered by an approved statement of system objectives.  The team collects and discusses requirements and priorities from the system users.
  • 55. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 55 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Definition Phase  Activities  The identification and validation of business requirements is the principle activity in this phase. • The most popular approach to documenting and validating users' requirements is modeling. – Modeling is the act of drawing one or more graphical (meaning picture-oriented) representations of a system. The resulting picture represents the users’ DATA, PROCESSING, INTERFACE, or GEOGRAPHIC requirements from a business point-of-view.
  • 56. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 56 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Definition Phase  Activities  The identification and validation of business requirements is the principle activity in this phase. (continued) • Another approach to documenting and validating requirements is prototyping. – Prototyping is the act of building a small-scale, representative or working model of the users' requirements for purposes of discovering or verifying those requirements.  Another activity in the definition phase is to prioritize requirements. • Requirements can be classified as ‘mandatory’, ‘desirable’, or ‘optional’.
  • 57. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 57 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Definition Phase  Deliverables  The final models and prototypes are usually organized into a business requirements statement.  The requirements statement becomes the trigger for systems design.
  • 58. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 58 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Definition Phase  Postrequisites and Feasibility Checkpoints  Although it is rare, the project could still be canceled at the end of this phase.  More realistically, the project scope (or schedule and budget) could be adjusted if it becomes apparent that the new system's requirements are much more substantive than originally anticipated.
  • 59. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 59 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Definition Phase  Postrequisites and Feasibility Checkpoints  Today, it is popular to time box a project based on the business requirements. • Time boxing is a technique that divides the set of all business requirements for a system into subsets, each of which will be implemented as a version of the system. Essentially, the project team guarantees that new versions will be implemented on a regular and timely basis.  If the project is not canceled, it proceeds to the targeting phase and design phases.
  • 60. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 60 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Definition Phase  Impact Analysis  This phase is never skipped.  The definition phase formally separates ``what'' from ``how'' to properly define and prioritize those requirements.
  • 61. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 61 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Targeting Phase  Purpose:  There are almost always multiple candidate solutions to any set of business requirements.  The purpose of the configuration phase is to identify candidate solutions, analyze those candidate solutions, and recommend a target system that will be designed and implemented.  Participants and Roles  The facilitator of this phase is the systems analyst.  All members of the project team including system owners, system users, and system designers must be involved in this key decision-making phase.
  • 62. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 62 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Targeting Phase  Prerequisites  The targeting phase is triggered by a reasonably complete specification of business requirements.  The project team also solicits ideas and opinions from all classes system users.  The project team also identifies or reviews any technology standards via the technology-oriented system owners.
  • 63. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 63 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Targeting Phase  Activities  The first activity is to define the candidate solutions. • Some technical choices may be limited by a predefined approved technology architecture provided by systems managers.  After defining candidates, each candidate is evaluated by the following criteria: • Technical feasibility. Is the solution technically practical? Does our staff have the technical expertise to design and build this solution? • Operational feasibility. Will the solution fulfill the user's requirements? To what degree? How will the solution change the user's work environment? How do users feel about such a solution?
  • 64. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 64 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Targeting Phase  Activities  After defining candidates, each candidate is evaluated by the following criteria: (continued) • Economic feasibility. Is the solution cost-effective (as defined earlier in the chapter)? • Schedule feasibility. Can the solution be designed and implemented within an acceptable time period?  The final activity is to recommend a feasible candidate as the target system.
  • 65. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 65 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Targeting Phase  Deliverables  The key deliverable of the targeting phase is a formal systems proposal to systems owners. • The system proposal must be presented, and usually negotiated, with the system owners who will usually make the final business and financial decisions. • This proposal may be written or verbal.  If it is decided to purchase some or all of the target system (hardware or application software), the technology requirements must be forwarded to the purchasing phase.  The solution design requirements must be provided to the design phase.
  • 66. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 66 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Targeting Phase  Postrequisites and Feasibility Checkpoints  Several outcomes are possible from the this phase. • System owners might choose any one of the following options: – Approve and fund the systems proposal (possibly including an increased budget and timetable if scope has significantly expanded). – Approve or fund one of the alternative system proposals. – Reject all of the proposals and either cancel the project, or send it back for new recommendations. – Approve a reduced-scope version of the proposed system.  Based on the decision, a purchasing phase may be triggered.  Also, based on the decision, the design phase (possibly already in progress) may be canceled or modified in scope or direction.
  • 67. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 67 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Targeting Phase  Impact Analysis  This phase is not always required if the organization has an application architecture. • An application architecture defines an approved set of technologies to be used when building any new information system.
  • 68. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 68 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Purchasing Phase  Purpose:  The purpose of the purchasing phase is to research the information technology marketplace, solicit vendor proposals, and to recommend (to management) that proposal which best fulfills the business and technology requirements.
  • 69. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 69 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Purchasing Phase  Participants and Roles  The facilitator of this phase is the systems analyst.  Other participants: • Information technology vendors (who sell hardware and/or software). • Users (both those on the project team and those in the user community) must be involved since they must ultimately “live” with the system. • System owners must be involved because these purchases usually exceed the authorized spending limits of the average project team. • In most businesses, purchasing agents and legal staff must be involved in negotiations for any contracts and service agreements.
  • 70. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 70 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Purchasing Phase  Prerequisites  The key input to the phase is business requirements from the definition phase, and the technology requirements from the configuration phase.  The project team should also be aware of and technology standards imposed by systems management.
  • 71. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 71 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Purchasing Phase  Activities  The project team’s initial activity is to research the technology and marketplace.  The project team organizes the business, technology, and relationship requirements, and establishes the mechanisms that will be used to evaluate the technical alternatives. • These requirements and mechanisms are communicated to the vendors as a request for proposals.  The vendors usually respond with formal proposals that may also have to be clarified or negotiated.
  • 72. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 72 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Purchasing Phase  Activities  The project team must evaluate proposals and quotes to determine (1) which ones meet requirements and specifications, and (2) which one is the most cost effective.  The analysts make a recommendation to the system owners (and usually the information system managers as well).  The authorized agents of the business execute the final orders, contracts, licenses, and service agreements.
  • 73. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 73 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Purchasing Phase  Deliverables  The key deliverable of the purchasing phase is a technology proposal to systems owners to acquire specific hardware and/or software.  If that proposal is approved, the a technology integration requirements statement is passed on to the design phase.
  • 74. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 74 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Purchasing Phase  Postrequisites and Feasibility Checkpoints  The procurement phase is followed by the design phase unless the purchased software fully meets the business and technology requirements of the project.  In the case where a purchased system fully meets requirements (sometimes called a turn-key system because you just turn the key to start the system), the project proceeds immediately to the delivery phase.  If the procurement phase results in a ‘no decision,’ the project proceeds directly to the design phase to be designed and constructed in-house as a custom solution.
  • 75. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 75 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Purchasing Phase  Impact Analysis  This phase is entirely optional based on the make-versus-buy decision in the target phase.
  • 76. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 76 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Design Phase  Purpose:  The purpose of the design phase is to transform the business requirements from the definition phase into a set of technical design blueprints for construction.  FAST encourages an iterative ‘design-and-construct’ strategy.
  • 77. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 77 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Design Phase  Participants and Roles  The facilitator of this phase is the systems analyst.  Other important participants: • Database specialists might design or approve the design of any new or modified databases. • Network specialists might design or modify the structure of any computer networks. • Microcomputer specialists may assist in the design of workstation- based software components. • Human interface specialists may assist in the design of the user interface. • System users must be involved – they evaluate the new system's ease-of-learning, ease-of-use, and compatibility with the stated business requirements.
  • 78. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 78 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Design Phase  Prerequisites  The design phase has two triggers: • The business requirements from the definition phase. • The design requirements from the targeting phase.  In those projects which will purchase hardware and/or software, the design phase also receives: • Technology integration requirements from the purchasing phase.  System users provide various ideas and opinions into or about the system’s design.
  • 79. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 79 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Design Phase  Activities  FAST has ‘merged’ the design and construction phases to form a rapid application development (or RAD) approach based on iterative prototyping. • This strategy designs and constructs the system as a series of prototypes to which the system users react. • The prototyping process is as follows: – Step 1. - Define the base-level scope of the first (or next) version of the system. – Step 2. - Define, design, construct, and load the database.
  • 80. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 80 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Design Phase  Activities  FAST has ‘merged’ the design and construction phases to form a rapid application development (or RAD) approach based on iterative prototyping. • The prototyping process is as follows: (continued) – Step 3. - Define, design, and construct the inputs. Demonstrate this prototype to the system users. (Repeat step 3 until the system users are satisfied. If necessary, return to step 1 to add new requirements to the database design.) – Step 4. - Define, design, and construct the outputs. Demonstrate this prototype to the system users. (Repeat step 4 until the system users are satisfied. If necessary, return to step 1 to add new database requirements, or step 2 to add new input requirements.)
  • 81. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 81 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Design Phase  Activities  FAST has ‘merged’ the design and construction phases to form a rapid application development (or RAD) approach based on iterative prototyping. • The prototyping process is as follows: (continued) – Step 5. - Define, design, and construct the interface. Demonstrate this prototype to the system users. (Repeat step 5 until the system users are satisfied. If necessary, return to step 1, 2, or 3 to add new database, input, or output requirements, respectively.) – Step 6. - Design and construct any missing system controls such as security, backup, recovery, etc.
  • 82. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 82 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Design Phase  Activities  FAST has ‘merged’ the design and construction phases to form a rapid application development (or RAD) approach based on iterative prototyping. • The prototyping process is as follows: (continued) – Step 7. - Implement this version of the system. – Step 8. - Go to step 1 to begin the RAD cycle for the next version of the system.
  • 83. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 83 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Design Phase  Deliverables  The final deliverable is a technical set of design specifications. • Design specifications can take several forms, but the most common approach is modeling. • General design models will depict: – The structure of the database. – The structure of the overall application. – The overall ‘look and feel’ of the user interface. – The structure of the computer network. – The design structures for any complex software to be written.
  • 84. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 84 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Design Phase  Postrequisites and Feasibility Checkpoints  At this point a project is rarely canceled.  Each constructed prototype is refined or expanded by another pass through system design until the final system is constructed.  Impact Analysis  This phase is mandatory.
  • 85. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 85 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Construction Phase  Purpose:  The purpose of the construction phase is twofold: • to build and test a functional system that fulfills business and design requirements • to implement the interfaces between the new system and existing production systems
  • 86. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 86 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Construction Phase  Participants and Roles  The facilitator of this phase is the systems analyst.  The analyst serves as a general contractor for work done by technical specialists or subcontractors.  System users’ responsibilities are usually limited to reacting to the functional system’s ease-of-learning and ease-of-use.
  • 87. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 87 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Construction Phase  Prerequisites  The design specifications (general or detailed) are the key input to the construction phase.  Information technology vendors may provide installation support for any packaged software or software development tools.
  • 88. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 88 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Construction Phase  Activities  The database and networks provide the system’s infrastructure; therefore, they must be constructed first (unless they already exist).  Any new software packages must be installed and tested.  Any new programs must be constructed and tested.
  • 89. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 89 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Construction Phase  Activities  One of the most important aspects of application programming is testing – both unit and system testing. • Unit tests ensure that the applications programs work properly when tested in isolation from other applications programs. • System tests ensure that applications programs written in isolation work properly when they are integrated into the total system.
  • 90. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 90 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Construction Phase  Deliverables  The final deliverable of the construction phase is the functional system.  The rapid application development strategy of FAST results in several interim deliverables called prototypes.
  • 91. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 91 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Construction Phase  Postrequisites, Feasibility Checkpoints, and Impact Analysis  At this point a project is rarely canceled.  This phase is optional.  It is possible that a prototype might be implemented as a first (next) version before the system has been fully constructed.
  • 92. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 92 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Delivery Phase  Purpose:  The purpose of the delivery phase is to install, deploy, and place the new system into operation or production.  Participants and Roles  The facilitator of this phase is the systems analyst.  The systems analyst is the most visible player as they communicate implementation problems and issues between system users, system designers, and system builders.  The entire project team is active in this phase.  System owners and users step to the forefront as cheerleaders for the new system.
  • 93. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 93 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Delivery Phase  Prerequisites  The key input to the delivery phase is the functional system.  System users provide continuous feedback as new problems and issues are common (note: no system has achieved the nirvana goal of ‘perfection’).  For new information technology (hardware and software), the information technology vendors provide necessary technical support.
  • 94. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 94 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Delivery Phase  Activities  The training of system users.  The writing of various manuals.  The loading of files and databases.  Deliverables  The final deliverable of the delivery phase (and the project) is the production system for the system users.  Another output of the delivery phase is training and support.
  • 95. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 95 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  The Delivery Phase  Postrequisites, Feasibility Checkpoints, and Impact Analysis  The project is complete! There is no further feasibility analysis.  There may be a project post-audit to evaluate the system, methodology, and team.
  • 96. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 96 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley FAST –A System Development Methodology  Beyond Systems Development - Systems Support  Once the system is placed into production, the analyst's role changes to systems support.  System support is the ongoing maintenance of a system after it has been placed into operation. This includes program maintenance and system improvements.  Systems support doesn't consist of phases so much as it does ongoing activities. These activities include: • Fixing software ‘bugs’. • Recovering the system. • Assisting users. • Adapting the system to new requirements.
  • 97. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 97 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley Cross Life Cycle Activities  Cross Life Cycle Activities  Cross life cycle activities are activities that overlap many or all phases of the methodology – in fact, they are normally performed in conjunction with several phases of the methodology.  Cross life cycle activities include:  fact finding  documentation and presentation  estimation and measurement  feasibility analysis  project management  process management.
  • 98. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 98 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley ID Task Name 1 Survey Phase 2 Study Phase 3 Def inition Phase 4 Targeting Phase 5 Design Phase 6 Purchasing Phase 7 Construction Phase 8 Implementation Phase 9 10 Fact Finding 11 Documentation 12 Presentation 13 Estimation 14 Measurement 15 Feasibility Analysis 16 Project management 17 Process management 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 12/31 1/7 1/14 1/21 1/28 2/4 2/11 2/18 2/25 3/3 3/10 3/17 3/24 3/31 4/7 4/14 4/21 4/28 5/5 5/12 5/19 January February March April May
  • 99. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 99 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley Cross Life Cycle Activities  Fact Finding  Fact finding – also called information gathering or data collection -- is the formal process of using research, interviews, meetings, questionnaires, sampling, and other techniques to collect information about systems, requirements, and preferences.
  • 100. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 100 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley Cross Life Cycle Activities  Documentation and Presentations  Communication skills are essential to the successful completion of a project.  Two forms of communication that are common to systems development projects are documentation and presentation.  Documentation is the activity of recording facts and specifications for a system.  Presentation is the related activity of formally packaging documentation for review by interested users and managers. Presentations may be either written or verbal.
  • 101. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 101 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley Cross Life Cycle Activities  Documentation and Presentations  Version control over documentation has become a critical success factor; it involves keeping and tracking multiple versions of a system's documentation.  Most information systems shops want to keep documentation for all of the following versions: • One or more previous versions of the system. • The current production version of the system. • Any version of the system going through the build and test activity. • Any version going through the life cycle to create a new version.
  • 102. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 102 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley 1 The Survey Phase 2 The Study Phase 3 The Definition Phase 4 The Targeting Phase 5 The Design Phase 7 The Construction Phase 6 The Purchasing Phase 8 The Implementa- tion Phase Program Library Database Repository project and system scope system objectives business requirements design and technology requirements design specifications technology integration requirements functional system specifications production system specifications purchased software prototypes and functional software production software test data actual business data
  • 103. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 103 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley Cross Life Cycle Activities  Estimation and Measurement  Information systems are significant capital investments. For this reason, estimation and measurement activities are commonly performed to address the quality and productivity of systems.  Estimation is the activity of approximating the time, effort, costs, and benefits of developing systems. The term guesstimation (as in ``make a guess'') is used to describe the same activity in the absence of reliable data.  Measurement is the activity of measuring and analyzing developer productivity and quality (and sometimes costs).
  • 104. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 104 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley Cross Life Cycle Activities  Estimation and Measurement  There are two common approaches to estimation.  First, some analysts avoid estimation out of fear, uncertainty, or lack of confidence. • The analyst may resort to what are jokingly called ``guesstimates.''  Better analysts draw on experience and data (both their own and the collective experience of others) from previous projects to continually improve their estimates.
  • 105. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 105 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley Cross Life Cycle Activities  Estimation and Measurement  Measurement has become important because of the productivity and quality problems that plague systems development.  The field of software and systems metrics offers hope for the future. • Software and systems metrics provides an encyclopedia of techniques and tools that can both simplify the estimation process and provide a statistical database of estimates versus performance.
  • 106. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 106 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley Cross Life Cycle Activities  Feasibility Analysis  A system development life cycle that supports our creeping commitment approach to systems development recognizes feasibility analysis as a cross life cycle activity.  Feasibility is a measure of how beneficial the development of an information system would be to an organization.  Feasibility analysis is the activity by which feasibility is measured.
  • 107. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 107 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley Cross Life Cycle Activities  Project Management and Process Management  Systems development projects may involve a team of analysts, programmers, users, and other IS professionals who work together.  Project management is the ongoing activity by which an analyst plans, delegates, directs, and controls progress to develop an acceptable system within the allotted time and budget.  Most project development failures are attributed to poor leadership and management.  This mismanagement results in unfulfilled or unidentified requirements, cost overruns, and late delivery.
  • 108. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 108 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley Cross Life Cycle Activities  Project Management and Process Management  The systems development life cycle provides the basic framework for the management of systems projects.  Process management’s intent is to standardize both the way we approach projects, and the deliverables we produce during projects.  Process management is an ongoing activity that establishes standards for activities, methods, tools, and deliverables of the life cycle.
  • 109. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 109 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley Computer-Aided Systems Engineering (CASE)  What is Computer-Aided Systems Engineering?  Computer-aided systems engineering (CASE) is the application of information technology to systems development activities, techniques, and methodologies. CASE tools are programs (software) that automate or support one or more phases of a systems development life cycle. The technology is intended to accelerate the process of developing systems and to improve the quality of the resulting systems.  CASE is not a methodology or an alternative to methodologies.  CASE is an enabling technology that supports a methodology’s preferred strategies, techniques, and deliverables.
  • 110. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 110 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley Computer-Aided Systems Engineering (CASE)  The History and Evolution of CASE Technology  The true history of CASE dates back to the early- to mid-1970s.  The ISDOS project used a language called Problem Statement Language (PSL) for describing user problems and solution requirements for an information system into a computerized dictionary.  A companion product called Problem Statement Analyzer (PSA) was created to analyze those problems and requirements for completeness and consistency.  PSL/PSA ran on large mainframe computers.  CASE success started with the advent of the personal computer.  In 1984, Index Technology (now known as Intersolv) created a PC software tool called Excelerator.
  • 111. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 111 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley Computer-Aided Systems Engineering (CASE)  A CASE Tool Framework  CASE tools are classified according to which phases of the life cycle they support.  The term upper-CASE describes tools that automate or support the ‘upper’ or earliest phases of systems development – the survey, study, definition, and design phases.  The term lower-CASE describes tools that automate or support the ‘lower’ or later phases of systems development – detailed design, construction, and implementation (and also support).
  • 112. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 112 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley Computer-Aided Systems Engineering (CASE)  CASE Tool Architecture  At the center of any true CASE tool’s architecture is a database called a repository (or a link into such a repository).  Around the repository is a collection of tools or facilities to create documentation or other system components.  The real power of a ‘true’ CASE tool is derived from its repository (or its ability to use and update some other tool’s repository).  A CASE repository is a developers’ database. It is a place where the developers can store diagrams, descriptions, specifications, and other by-products of systems development. Synonyms include dictionary and encyclopedia.  Many different CASE tools can share information across a single repository.
  • 113. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 113 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley
  • 114. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 114 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley CENTRAL REPOSITORY Local Repository (on a LAN Server) Security and Version Control Tools Inquiry and Reporting Tools Data Sharing Tools House- keeping Tools Graphics Tools Decision Support Tools Quality Management Tools Design Generators Code Generators Document Tools INPUTS: models, descriptions and prototypes OUTPUTS: reports, problems, and analyses imported and exported knowledge check-out/ check in knowledge Repository Server CASE Tool Facilities (on a workstation) Description Tools Prototyping Tools links links
  • 115. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 115 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley Computer-Aided Systems Engineering (CASE)  CASE Tool Architecture  CASE tools provide some of the following facilities:  Diagramming tools are used to draw the system models required or recommended in most methodologies.  Description tools are used to record, delete, edit, and output non-graphical documentation and specifications.  Prototyping tools are used construct system components including inputs, outputs, and programs.  Inquiry and reporting tools are used to extract models, descriptions, and specifications from the repository.  Quality management tools analyze models, descriptions, and prototypes for consistency, completeness, or conformance to accepted ‘rules’ of the methodologies that the CASE tools support.
  • 116. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 116 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley Computer-Aided Systems Engineering (CASE)  CASE Tool Architecture  CASE tools provide some of the following facilities: (continued)  Decision support tools provide information for various decisions that occur during systems development.  Documentation organization tools are used to assemble, organize, and report repository information that can be reviewed by system owners, users, designers, and builders.  Design generation tools automatically generate first-draft designs for various system components based on the business requirements recorded in the repository, and technology standards provided by the system designer.  Code generator tools automatically generate application programs, or significant portions of those programs.
  • 117. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 117 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley Computer-Aided Systems Engineering (CASE)  CASE Tool Architecture  CASE tools provide some of the following facilities: (continued)  Testing tools help the system designers and builders test databases and application programs.  Data sharing tools provide for import and export of repository information to and from other software tools that cannot directly access the repository.  Version control tools maintain the integrity of the repository by preventing unauthorized or inadvertent changes, and saving prior versions of various information stored in the repository.  Housekeeping tools establish user accounts, privileges, repository subsets, tool defaults, backup and recovery, and other essential facilities.
  • 118. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 118 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley Computer-Aided Systems Engineering (CASE)  The Benefits of CASE  Some of the most commonly cited benefits include:  improved productivity (through automation of tasks and rapid application development)  improved quality (because CASE tools check for completeness, consistency, and contradictions)  better documentation (mostly because the tools make it easier to create and assemble consistent, high quality documentation)  reduced lifetime maintenance (because of the aforementioned system quality improvements combined with better documentation)  methodologies that really work (through rule enforcement and built in expertise)
  • 119. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 119 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley Computer-Aided Systems Engineering (CASE)  The Benefits of CASE  Many information systems organizations provide CASE training and support through a development center.  A development center is a central group of information systems professionals who plan, implement, and support a systems development environment for other developers. They provide training and support for both the methodology and CASE tools.
  • 120. Copyright Irwin/McGraw-Hill 1998 120 Information System Development Prepared by Kevin C. Dittman for Systems Analysis & Design Methods 4ed by J. L. Whitten & L. D. Bentley Summary  Introduction  System Development Life Cycles and Methodologies  Underlying Principles of Systems Development  FAST –A System Development Methodology  Cross Life Cycle Activities  Computer-Aided Systems Engineering (CASE)