Combining function points software estimation model with ADISSA methodology for systems analysis and design

Article index

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

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 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.

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.

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

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.

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.

The paper focuses on the global analysis of FPSOs in shallow water, with an emphasis on vessel motions and offsets, mooring and riser design. The paper emphasizes the complex hydrodynamic interaction between the vessel and the environment, and the prediction of the vessel responses unique to shallow water. This done by using two examples of FPSOs moored in shallow water using an external turret mooring system and a tower yoke mooring system. Results are presented that illustrate the unique nature of both mooring systems and their sensitivity to variation in the environment and system damping. The design of compatible riser systems for both mooring systems is also presented and discussed. Introduction The Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) system is the most mature of all floating production systems with over 100 installed and operating worldwide. It is also one of the most versatile floating production systems being installed in water depths from 20 meters to over 1800 meters, for a wide range of environmental conditions and can be easily extended to water depths even greater than 3000 meters. The majority of the FPSOs have been installed in water depths less than 200 meters of water. This is in contrast with other floating production systems that are focused on deepwater (greater than 500 meters). The market for shallow water FPSOs or Floating Storage and Offloading Systems (FSOs) is still very strong with a large number of facilities being designed and planned for water depths of 100 meters or less. From a global analysis perspective, shallow water FPSO/FSO systems can be much more challenging to analyze and design than ultra-deepwater systems. This is due to the:Environmental loading on the system in shallow water,"Hardening" nonlinear stiffness of the mooring system that at extreme offsets can result in large variability in loads,Low level of associated damping in the system, andDesign of an appropriate riser system for fluid transfer. The first objective of this paper is to provide the reader with the basic information to understand the analysis and design methodologies for a shallow water FPSO system focusing on the four items discussed above. Due to the focus on ultra-deepwater systems, the complexity and challenges of shallow water hydrodynamic design are not always well understood, and software tools and global analysis methodologies are being developed for these ultra-deepwater systems without much verification or application to shallow water systems. The second objective of the paper is to review two typical shallow water FPSO systems and the associated riser systems and relate their response to the discussion above. The examples are based on actual mooring system designs and help illustrate the challenges and solutions available for mooring FPSOs in shallow water. These examples are also important as they apply to future shallow water concepts, e.g. LNG offloading terminals. Typical Shallow Water FPSO Mooring Systems Shallow water FPSO systems have been developed using a number of vessel-mooring configurations depending on site specific and project requirements. Typical configurations include mooring to a CALM buoy using hawsers or hard yokes, spread-moored, internal or external turret catenary mooring systems, or mechanical mooring systems like tower yoke moorings.

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.

PurposeThe generic design environment for a flexible printed‐circuit board assemblies (PCBA) remanufacturing cell contains four interrelated complex design domains. Mechanical design domains are really complex and the use of well‐proven mechanical product design methodologies does not help the designer. Hence, this paper aims to develop a generic systematic design methodology for a flexible PCBA remanufacturing cell.Design/methodology/approachThe study investigates the use of conventional mechanical product design techniques for the design of a flexible PCBA rework (remanufacturing) cell. It indicates problems and the weaknesses when conventional product design techniques are used for the development of flexible manufacturing systems (FMS). It then provides a new systematic mechanical design methodology for designing a flexible PCBA rework (remanufacturing) cell. The design methodology is intended to be generic in order to apply successfully to any FMS design.FindingsConventional product design methodology cannot be used directly for the design of a flexible PCBA remanufacturing cell. Hence, two design methodologies were developed: the generic FMS mechanical design methodology and a specific FMS design methodology for a PCBA rework cell. The first one was developed based on the tasks of the conventional product design process integrated with new design tools. The generic design methodology was then extended to obtain the second methodology for a PCBA rework cell design. Both of the methodologies were applied to a flexible PCBA rework cell design problem. Both design methodologies eliminated unusable design solutions at the early design stages of the conceptual design process and made the design process easier.Practical implicationsThe generic and specific design methodologies provide a better design environment, even for less specialized FMS designers.Originality/valueThe design methodologies may help for the commercialization of a flexible PCBA remanufacturing cell that may be used for SM rework and assembly.

The Data Time Flow Simulator (DTF) has been developed at the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology in the course of the EU ARTEMIS Project POLLUX which is related to the design of electronic control systems for the next generation of electric vehicles. In previous work, we have introduced a generic approach for performance analysis of vehicle electronic control systems using the DTF. The main issue of this paper is to demonstrate the practicability of this design methodology by means of a specific use case, namely the performance analysis of a vehicle control system for an electric city car, designed using inputs from different POLLUX project partners from the automotive industry.

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.