Information Systems Analysis
Current Events Discussions and Announcements
 What are the benefits of modern systems analysis? Find out here.
 Prototyping
- Introduction of Prototyping
- An analogy: Prototyping Star Wars Figures as an example of how different kinds of prototypes are used to answer different kinds of questions
- The
Effects of Practical Business Constraints on User Interface Design
- A Fable: Joey's Airplane
- A Fable: The Chick's Coat
- An example of how prototyping can be used
to elicit user feedback: this example is replicated
here for you to consider as a way of doing prototyping, and does not function
- The Analysis and Prototyping of
Effective Graphical User Interfaces
- VIDEO: Suspended Roller Coaster Prototype
- VIDEO: Transformation Lab - Prototyping the Future
- VIDEO: Low Fidelity Prototyping
- VIDEO: Paper Prototyping Usability Testing
- VIDEO: Microsoft CIW Prototype Demo - UXE
(11/18/09)
Social networking groups and higher education: the video. Note: You must
register at the bottom of the page before being able to watch the video (11/16/09)
Product Design by BusinessWeek
Visio Demos
- Demo from Microsoft
- Visio Self Training
- Business Process Diagramming
- Linking Data to Diagrams
- How To Use MS Visio
- Visio: Using the Status Bar
- Using Autoconnect
- Applying a Theme
- Connect your Data to the Diagram
- Add and Customize Data Graphics
- Visio Demos
(11/12/09)
Questionnaires and Interviews
- Why Interview?
- Introduction to Interviews
- Interview Hints
- Interview Content
- Be careful about jargon!
- Fables about Interviewing
- The King's Companion
- The Kingdom of Beal
- The Fairy and the Pig
- Card Sorting -- a specific kind of interview
(11/12/09)
The quality is not good, but here are three photos of the Level 0 DFD from this morning's class: first view, second view, and third view
The midterms are graded. The distribution of grades is shown here.
The presentation on Project Management by Mr. Obernuefemann and Mr. Lemmons. (11/2/09)
Dr. Ackoff talk about his views of thinking, check out his YouTube video, Exploring Systems Thinking. (11/2/09)
More about Use Case Modeling. (10/30/09)
More about design from IDEO: Paul Bennett finds design in the details.
Feasibility
- Estimation and Feasibility Analyses
- Initiating Projects
- Project Risks
- Project Mix
- To learn more about interacting with clients, read the article Know Thy Client
- Political Considerations in Requirements Analysis
- Managing Customer Expectations
- Screening Feasibility Issues
- Overview of Issues
- VIDEO: Roman Fountains
- VIDEO: Brydon vs. Not Brydon
(10/26/09)
10 Business Lessons I Learned from Playing Dungeons & Dragons (10/26/09)
More about the work at IDEO (10/25/09)
Object Oriented Analysis
- Object Oriented Analysis Tutorial
- Overview
- Use Case Notation (view as a pdf
- An Example
- VIDEO: Creating UML Use Case Diagrams
- VIDEO: Use Cases
(10/20/09)
Visio Demos
- Demo from Microsoft
- Visio Self Training
- Business Process Diagramming
- Linking Data to Diagrams
- How To Use MS Visio
- Visio: Using the Status Bar
- Using Autoconnect
- Applying a Theme
- Connect your Data to the Diagram
- Add and Customize Data Graphics
- Visio Demos
(10/20/09)
My stencil for use case diagrams.
Copy this file to C:\Documents and Settings\user name\My Documents\My Shapes
To open the stencil, on the File menu, point to Shapes, point to My Shapes, and then click the use_case.
(10/20/09)
The midterm.
Data Flow Diagrams
- Process Modeling
- Introduction to Data Flow Diagram (DFD)
- Data Flow Diagram (DFD) Example (Context and Level 0 Diagrams)
- Data Flow Diagram (DFD) Example (Level 4 Explosion)
- An example (9/28/09)
Data Dictionaries
- Data Dictionary
- More samples (9/28/09)
Information about Methodologies has already been posted below. It is
reposted here for your convenience.
SDLC revisited. (9/14/09)
An overview of Methodologies (09/09/09)
Some information about Methodologies
- Software Development Life Cycle
- Cost of Software
- A Comparison of Methodologies
(09/14/09)
Soft Systems Methodology
- A video
- An Outline
- Flux
- Learning
- Modeling
(09/14/09)
The approach to design thinking, and more about Design Thinking (9/23/09)
Creativity and Systems Analysis - The Future of Design is Human-Centered
- An interview with Tim Brown, CEO of IDE-O
- Stanford Design Thinking Process
- Sustainability -- Part 1
- Sustainability -- Part 2
- Sustainability -- Part 3
- IDE-O comes to St. Louis
- IDE-O's Website
(9/21/09)
The term project assignments are:
| Group A
Jason Hugo
Niaz Khan
Steve Pacini
Lee Seckinger
Christine Witt
| |
Group B
Charles Dickinson
Brandie Franklin
Rachel Mayden
Ryan Reid
Binh Tran
| |
Group C
Martin Do
Nicholas Feng
Jared Goble
Corrie Hicks
Kyle Huang
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| Group D
January Johnson
Shawn Kainady
Travis Tatum
An Tran
Philip Ziebol
| |
Group E
Spencer Malaney
Sean Mccandlish
Rodney Mcnew
Diwakar Sankaran
Anna Tatum
| |
Group F
Ibrahim Daranijo
Anthony Debellis
Sarah Randall
David Stehr
Howard Tsui
|
The groups for Wednesday's assignment are:
| Group A
Steve Pacini
Nicholas Feng
Travis Tatum
Ryan Reid
Shawn Kainady
| |
Group B
Christine Witt
Sean Mccandlish
W. Spencer Malaney
Anna Tatum
Niaz Khan
| |
Group C
Corrie Hicks
An(thien) Tran
Philip Ziebol
Sarah Randall
Brandie Franklin
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| Group D
Charles Dickinson
Martin Do
Kyle Huang
Jared Goble
Binh Tran
| |
Group E
Rodney Mcnew
Ibrahim Daranijo
Anthony Debellis
January Johnson
Rachel Mayden
| |
Group F
Jason Hugo
Diwakar Sankaran
Leland Seckinger
David Stehr
Howard Tsui
|
A team is "a group of people where the whole is more than the sum of the parts." As you work in your team, remember the Characteristics of Successful Teams.
Your task is available on your homework page and the resumes are now available.
Standish view of Best Practices for SAD. (9/9/09)
 View pdf Version
SDLC revisited. (9/9/09)
An overview of Methodologies (09/09/09)
Some information about Methodologies
- Software Development Life Cycle
- Cost of Software
- A Comparison of Methodologies
(09/09/09)
Soft Systems Methodology
- A video
- An Outline
- Flux
- Learning
- Modeling
(09/09/09)
Information
- Measures
of the value of information
- alternate
syllabus (an example of data, not information)
- Information
Comparison (View pdf version)
- Building
Blocks of IS
(8/31/09)
Creativity exercises
- A man walked into a bar and asked the barman for a glass of water. They had never met before. The barman
pulled a gun from under the counter and pointed it at the man. The man said "Thank you" and walked out. Why
should that be so?
- Two brothers were having a drink in a bar. Suddenly one of the brothers got into a heated argument with the
barman. He pulled out a knife and, despite his brother's attempts to stop him, stabbed the barman in the chest. At
the trial, he was found guilty of assault with a deadly weapon and grievous bodily harm. At the end of the trial, the
judge said, "You have been found guilty of a vicious crime. However, I have no choice but to set you free." Why
should that be so?
- A traveller came to a small town. He had never visited it before, he knew no one there, and knew nothing about the
town or its inhabitants. He needed a haircut. There happened to be two barbershops close to each other on the
main thoroughfare -- the only barbershops in town. The man studied each of them with care. One shop was very
neat and tidy. Everything about it was smart. The barber was sweeping away the last traces of hair from the floor
while waiting for his next customer. The other barber's shop was very untidy. Everything looked rather run down
and ramshackle. The scruffylooking barber within was lolling on a chair waiting for his next customer. Both shops
charged the same amount for a haircut. After careful consideration, the traveler decided to go to the scruffy barber
for his haircut. Why?
(8/31/09)
From Ian I. Mitroff and Harold A.
Linstone, The Unbounded Mind: Breaking the Chains of
Traditional Business Thinking, New York: Oxford University
Press, 1993.
| Almost without exception, all who write about the
new, global information age acknowledge that we are literally drowning
in an overload and overabundance of information. Never before has
humankind had access to so much, so quickly, and from every part of the
globe. We have more data and information on every conceivable subject,
yet less understanding at the same time. Data and information do not
automatically lead to greater insight; they may now travel at the speed
of light, but understanding and wisdom do not.
There is also common agreement that "data,"
"information," and "knowledge" are not the same, even though they are
often -- wrongly so -- used interchangeably. Their differences are
often as unclear to the experts as to the layperson.
One aspect above all else is especially
disturbing. It is the strong, taken-for-granted assumption that agreement
between the monumental and voluminous databases that both government
and businesses are constantly producing will eventually result, and
further that agreement itself is fundamentally desirable. -- p.20
In the end, the most general conclusion is "seek agreement or consensus
but do not trust them fully." Agreement and consensus are
important in reaching conclusions and in achieving the necessary
support to carry out complex, important policies. However, as with all
things human, they cannot be followed blindly. Nor are they the
ultimate consideration for deciding all important questions. -- p. 37
Finally, we can state some rules of thumb ....
- ·Seek the obvious, but do everything
in your power to challenge and even ridicule it.
- ·Question all
constraints. The most limiting constraints in building a model or a
representation of a problem are usually imposed not by the problem
itself but by the mindset of the problem solver.
- ·Challenge as many assumptions about
the problem and the model as possible. Remember that what seems
self-evident to the problem formulator is not always evident to others.
- ·Question the scope or the
definition of a problem or model. Frequently what is omitted from the
statement of a problem or model is more important than what is
included.
- ·Question whether a problem is to be
"solved," "resolved," or "dissolved." There are important differences
between "solving," "resolving," or "dissolving" a problem. They are not
necessarily the same. To "solve" a problem means to produce an exact or
optimal solution to it. To "resolve" a problem means to seek a solution
that is "good enough." On the other hand, to "dissolve a problem is to
realize that there may be some other problem that is more important to
focus one's attention on. The old or initial problem may still exist
but may not be as important in the broader scope of things.
- ·Finally question the logic itself.
Being logical and being right are not always the same. The more logical
a solution to a complex problem sounds, the more strongly it deserves
to be challenged. -- p. 47-48
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(8/31/09)
We must always look for the unintended consequences in systems analysis. (8/31/09)
Systems analysis defined: View this video. Seriously, view this video to talk about soft systems methodologies. (8/31/09)
Cost of software repair by lifecycle stage. (8/24/09)
What is a relationship? (8/24/09)
The previous edition of your textbook had a chapter entitled "Succeeding as a Systems Analyst." It is available here with permission of the publisher. (8/24/09)
Standish Report Results
- Resolution of Projects (View pdf version)
- Resolution of Projects, 1994-2004 (View pdf version)
- Cost Overruns (View pdf version)
- Cost Overruns, 1994-2004 (View pdf version)
- Top Ten Reasons for Success (View pdf version)
- CHAOS Report: 1994
(8/24/09)
An example
consultant's analysis report: Strider and Cline evaluate UM's implementation of PeopleSoft. (8/24/09)
Systems Analysis
- What Does A Systems Analyst Really Do?
- What is Systems Analysis
- Systems Development Life Cycle
- Process v. Data Orientation
- Different Types of Systems
- Stage Deliverables
- Deliverables
- More about Deliverables
- Agile Methods
(8/24/09)
Think about the skills
associated with systems analysis. One of the items in the list is
"systems thinking." We will look at
the definition of a System
and think about what Systems
Thinking means. (8/24/09)
For more information about the
tasks necessary for Systems Analysis, visit some of the sites on the Analysis Links
page. In particular, visit the What
Does A Systems Analyst Really Do? and the Systems
Analysis Want Ads pages, and the Systems
Development Life Cycle page. (8/24/09)
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