Article index

The study proposes a combination of the function points model for software estimation with the ADISSA methodology for systems analysis and design. This combined approach, which is supported by a software tool, enables one to estimate various software metrics, such as size, effort, and duration, in the early stages of systems development, by basing them on the products of a thorough system analysis and design process.

The extended evolution of systems analysis has created a challenging problem for the modern student, scholar, teacher, and practitioner: an overabundant, highly specialized body of literature that is difficult to grasp in terms of a generalized framework and methodology. The need for a comprehensive synthesis of systems analysis knowledge is apparent, since modern systems analysts apply their skills in a complex arena: policy analysis of large-scale societal systems. The purpose of the paper is to: 1) propose a generalized system analysis framework that is composed of a) steps in the systems analysis process, b) areas of application and problem categories, and c) analytical techniques for accomplishing the steps; 2) describe, in detail, a methodology of fundamental tasks in the systems analysis process; and 3) briefly describe a few techniques that have particular relevance in the proposed systems analysis methodology.

This paper advances the long term project of developing a situated information systems analysis and design methodology. Conventional approaches to information systems design are informed by the widely-held view that human purposeful action proceeds by deliberation on a mental model of the world of action. In contrast, situated information systems are informed by the view of situated action theory that routine action is largely non-deliberative and makes crucial use of structures in the action environment for attainment of goals. The expectation is that systems designed using this situated approach will be more effective in supporting routine activity than systems designed using the conventional approach. This paper reports on a case study conducted in the chemotherapy unit of a large hospital. The case study was conducted using the preexisting version of the situated systems methodology with the results of the case study informing further development of the methodology. The research provides further evidence of the ability of information systems informed by a situated model of action to effectively support complex but largely routine activity.

An examination of designer and user perceptions of JAD and the traditional IS design methodology

A Combined Methodology for information systems analysis and design based on ISAC and NIAM

System analysis and design is an engineering technique which is widely used in industrial projects to ensure a solution is reached which fulfills the requirements of the user. The same technique has been used in this research for the design and implementation of a cricket bowling system which has been designed with both existing technology and the requirements of players and coaches in mind. The structured analysis and design methodology has been teamed with an object oriented approach to provide a component based solution which includes a bowling machine able to recreate any common bowling delivery, a visualization to provide temporal and spatial information about the delivery and an independent user interface to ensure robustness. This papers looks in more detail at the design and analysis methodologies used to create this solution.

The effectiveness of system analysis and design methodologies plays a pivotal role in the success of software development projects. This research conducts a comparative analysis of various methodologies, including the Waterfall Model, Spiral Model, Prototyping Model, Iterative Model, Unified Process, Object-Oriented Analysis and Design, Joint Application Design, Computer Aided Software Engineering Tools, Rapid Application Development / Rapid Systems Development, Feature- Driven Development, Extreme Programming, Agile Method, and DevOps, to explore their respective strengths and considerations. The study examines key aspects such as flexibility, documentation, risk management, complexity, and suitability across these methodologies. Findings reveal that each methodology offers unique advantages and challenges, influencing their applicability in different project contexts. The research underscores the importance of aligning methodology choices with project-specific requirements, organizational culture, and environmental factors to optimize software development outcomes. Moreover, it suggests that hybrid approaches, combining elements from multiple methodologies, may offer a balanced approach to address diverse project needs and maximize effectiveness. By providing insights into the comparative effectiveness of system analysis and design methodologies, this research contributes to informed decision- making and improved project success in software development endeavors.

The development of information systems is no longer limited to a few locations throughout the world. They are developed in countries whose business environment and culture are very different. Culture, we suggest, is therefore an important variable in the development process and may introduce its own set of problems, the consequences of which may range from project failure to delayed delivery of working systems. But culture’s influence may be indirect, difficult to isolate, and difficult to measure. For these reasons, perhaps, there has been no research that directly addresses culture’s role in the systems analysis and design process. This paper is an attempt to fill that void. It identifies the stages in the systems analysis and design process likely to be influenced by culture and the pattern which these influences are likely to take. The benefit of such a framework is that it draws attention to the issue of culture at the beginning of the development cycle and may reduce the chances of failure or costly delays.

Results of survey of use of SSADM in commercial and government sectors in United Kingdom

PurposeThis paper aims to examine the differences in epistemological underpinnings of conventional information systems analysis and design (ISAD) approaches (such as structured system and analysis design methodologies) and a recently developed situated ISAD approach.Design/methodology/approachThis empirical investigation involved constructing a simulated field situation to allow a conventionally trained IS analyst to analyse the same case as had been previously analysed by applying the situated ISAD methodology.FindingsWhile the conventional approach focuses on articulated knowledge and observes the system under study with a detached stance, the situated approach includes tacit knowledge and recognises the importance of the environment. The situated analyst is immersed in the system, attempting to take the subject position of an actor in the system, while also maintaining some analytical distance.Research limitations/implicationsThe research method and framework presented is a novel way to compare the epistemological underpinnings of other systems analysis and design methodologies. Validity issues are explicitly addressed in the paper; although it is based on a single case, the fact that it is a real‐world problem gives it high external validity.Practical implicationsThe investigation is based on an actual system design case and shows that, in analysis and design, the different epistemological underpinnings affect what is identified as a problem and hence the type of solution proposed.Originality/valueThere has been little previous work comparing epistemological commitments of alternative ISAD methodologies as they are played out in actual application. This paper makes a significant contribution to the theoretical foundations of IS.

In this paper, we continue our long-term project of developing a situated information systems analysis and design methodology, and present it as a radical alternative to conventional information systems analysis and design. Taking a situated approach entails focusing on action and a situated analysis and design methodology aims to increase efficiency and effectiveness through supporting routine action. We suggest that, as well as improving effectiveness and temporal efficiency, applying the situated methodology will result in less wasted human effort expended in search of information. We discuss the implications of an action focus for our conception of what an information system should be, and illustrate the application of the methodology with examples from a case study.

One approach to learning information systems design is case-based reasoning (CBR). However, learning from design cases can be superficial, if cases are not accessible at the level of meaningful design components and are not contextualised in the situation in which they have been conceived. StoryNet is a learning environment inspired by CBR and by a methodology for information systems analysis and design grounded in scenario-based modelling. StoryNet features ‘cases’ produced by a community of learners and linked in a network to highlight how design solutions evolve across time and different groups of learners. This fosters in the learners the ability to perform a deeper analysis of the business organisation and stimulates innovative solutions. Also, the network of cases affords the opportunity to capitalise on the learners' differences. It provides a richer context, in which design quality can be better understood and advanced, through the interplay of the different roles, motivations and expectations of the actors involved and a collective process of selection of the best-fit design features.

There is considerable interest within office automation for the creation of methodologies to describe the needs of offices and build tools to support those needs. Most of the analysis, design, and implementation methodologies, however, involve only a single type of support — the creation of tools to automate procedures found in the office. Although the procedures to be supported are generally less well structured than the procedures supported by classic data processing, the focus is still on procedures. These procedurally-oriented methodologies are likely to work extremely well in only one kind of office, which the author and Sprague have called the Type I department [10]. There is another general category of offices, Type II, that handles the firm's nonroutine information processing chores. Examples are the offices of top executives, the offices of line managers, legal departments, and engineering departments. In these offices, procedures exist, but immediately jumping from functional analysis and goals to the analysis of procedures is not likely to be helpful. First, the procedures in these offices are usually few, so their automation is not likely to bring extensive gains. Second, the strategies that Type II offices do need are likely to be professionally complex and nonprocedural. To strong a procedural focus in a methodology could blind analysts to the real needs of the office. Two studies were conducted in an attempt to test a broader analysis methodology that the author had earlier proposed to study Type II offices as well as Type I offices. While it was concluded that there were differences in Type I and Type II office support, it was found that people in both kinds of offices tended to pick mundane applications. A major goal for the future should be to find ways to help office principals articulate more visionary goals that can be made possible because of computer support. Type II offices present a major problem to designers of office methodologies. The traditional procedural analysis skills taught in systems analysis and office analysis methodologies are not likely to be central to the needs of the office. The strategies that must be designed and supported, rather, are likely to depend very heavily on the professional content of the work being done in that office. It is possible that the office analyst in the future will be less a driving force in the design of support systems than a catalyst to help users define their own needs — just as designers of decision support systems are increasily helping managers define their own data needs [13]. Critical success factors and external contribution analysis are likely to be only preludes to comprehensive methodologies to help office principals define their goals and strategies.

This article outlines the analytical basis of logistics. The concept of logistics management is described in a business context, and its strategic, tactical and operational tiers are discussed. The relationship that exists between systems analysis and logistics management is indicated. The seven consecutive steps in the systems analysis process are outlined. The role and essence of operations research in systems analysis and business logistics decision-making are described. The most pertinent operations research applications in the field of logistics management, as well as the analytical competencies that a logistician should possess, are identified. The role that operations researchers can fulfil in the successful execution and control of business logistics processes are detailed.

The paper examined the problem of modeling and design of software computer systems. The article briefly describes the content aspects of the various stages of the implementation of software complexes and systems. The methodology of research and analysis of systems, which uses the method of computer simulation modeling, is given. The aim of the work is to create a new universal approach to the design and implementation of software systems of various levels of complexity. During the study, the following general scientific methods were used: system analysis, synthesis, formalization, modeling, decomposition, structuring, description, comparison. The materials used in the study were: computers and software development tools. As a result of the study proposed a universal agent-module approach to the design and implementation of software systems based on simulation agent-based modeling. The study presents the processes of modeling and designing software systems, their stages, and the possibility of their integration within the described approach. Examples of formal model and structure of the software system under design based on the agent-module approach are presented. The proposed approach can be used in the process of software development at the initial stages related to modeling and designing of software systems. Integration of modeling and design stages in the proposed approach will significantly reduce software development time and simplify the design process by making it clearer and more formalized. Materials of the article are of scientific and practical value for a wide range of specialists interested in system analysis, modeling, design and implementation of software systems.