FEATURES
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FEATURES
SUMMARY
System development projects are organized around the systems development life cycle (SDLC), and phases of
the SDLC include activities that must be completed for any system development project. The traditional SDLC
phases are project planning, analysis, design, implementation, and support. Some SDLCs are based on a more
predictive approach to the project, and other SDLCs are based on a more adaptive approach. System develop-
ers learn the SDLC phases and activities sequentially, based on the waterfall model; in practice, however, the
phases overlap and projects contain many iterations of analysis, design, and implementation activities.
You can develop an information system in lots of ways. All development projects use the SDLC to manage
the project, plus models, techniques, and tools that make up a system development methodology. A system
development methodology provides guidelines to follow for completing every activity in the SDLC, and many
different methodologies are in use. Most methodologies are based on one of two approaches to information
systems development: the traditional approach or the object-oriented approach.
Some current trends in system development include the Unified Process (UP), Extreme Programming (XP),
and Scrum. These methodologies provide innovative insights into best practices in system development and
are becoming influential.
Visual modeling tools are special tools designed to help analysts complete development tasks, including
modeling and generating program statements directly from the models.
KEY TERMS
adaptive approach, p. 39
analysis activities, p. 45
application, p. 47
class diagram, p. 60
data flow diagram (DFD), p. 56
design activities, p. 46
entity-relationship diagram (ERD), p. 57
help desk, p. 49
implementation activities, p. 47
incremental development, p. 44
information engineering, p. 58
integrated development environment (IDE), p.51
iteration, p. 43
model, p. 50
object, p. 59
object-oriented analysis (OOA), p. 60
object-oriented approach, p. 59
object-oriented design (OOD), p. 60
object-oriented programming (OOP), p. 60
phases, p. 40
predictive approach, p. 39
problem domain, p. 46
project, p. 38
project planning, p. 45
prototype, p. 42
repository, p. 64
spiral model, p. 42
structure chart, p. 55
structured analysis, p. 56
structured approach, p. 53
structured design, p. 55
structured program, p. 53
support activities, p. 48
system development methodology, p. 49
systems development life cycle (SDLC), p. 38
technique, p. 51
tool, p. 51
top-down programming, p. 54
Unified Process (UP), p. 61
visual modeling tools, p. 51
waterfall model, p. 40
CHAPTER 2 Approaches to System Development
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67
End-of-chapter
material includes a
detailed summary,
and an indexed list
of key terms.
EXPERIENTIAL EXERCISES
1. Using Microsoft Project, build a project schedule based on the
following scenario. Print the Gantt chart. If required by your
teacher, also print the Network Diagram (i.e., a PERT chart).
In the table to the right is a list of tasks a student can per-
form to have an international experience by attending a
university abroad. You can build schedules for several ver-
sions of this set of tasks. For the first version, assume that
all predecessor tasks must finish before the succeeding
task can begin (the simplest version). For a second version,
identify several tasks that can begin a few days before the
end of the predecessor task. For a third version, modify the
second version so that some tasks can begin a few days
after the beginning of a predecessor task. Also, insert a
few overview tasks such as Application tasks, Preparation
tasks, Travel tasks, and Arrival tasks. Be sure to state your
assumptions for each version.
2. Build a project plan to show your progress through college.
Include the course prerequisite information. If you have
access to Microsoft Project or another tool, enter the infor-
mation in the project management tool.
3. Using information from your organizational behavior classes
or other sources, write a one-page paper on what kinds of
team-building and training activities might be appropriate
as the project team is expanded for the analysis phase.
4. Ask a systems analyst about the SDLC that his or her com-
pany uses. If possible, ask the analyst to show you a copy
of the project schedule. To what extent is iterative develop-
ment used?
5. Ask a project manager for his or her opinion on each of the
eight project management knowledge areas.
6. Go to the CompTIA Web site (www.compTIA.org) and find
the requirements for the project manager exam (CompTIA
Project+). Write a one-page summary of the expertise and
knowledge required to pass the exam.
Task ID Description Duration (days) Predecessor
1 Obtain forms 1 None
from the international
exchange office
2 Fill out and send 3 1
in the foreign
university application
3 Receive approval 21 2
from the foreign
university
4 Apply for scholarship 3 2
5 Receive notice of 30 4
approval for
scholarship
6 Arrange financing 5 3, 5
7 Arrange for housing 25 6
in dormitory
8 Obtain a passport 35 6
and the required visa
9 Send in preregistration 2 8
forms to the university
10 Make travel 1 7, 9
arrangements
11 Determine clothing 10 10
requirements and
go shopping
12 Pack and make final 3 11
arrangements to leave
13 Travel 1 12
14 Move into the 1 13
dormitory
15 Finalize registration 2 14
for classes and other
university paperwork
16 Begin classes 1 15
CUSTOM LOAD TRUCKING
It was time for Stewart Stockton’s annual performance review. As
Monica Gibbons, an assistant vice president of information systems,
prepared for the interview, she reviewed Stewart’s assignments over
the last year and his performance. Stewart was one of the “up and
coming” systems analysts in the company, and she wanted to be
sure to give him solid advice on how to advance his career. She
knew, for example, that he had a strong desire to become a project
manager and accept increasing levels of responsibility. His desire
was certainly in agreement with the needs of the company.
Custom Load Trucking (CLT) is a nationwide trucking firm that
specializes in the rapid movement of high-technology equipment.
With the rapid growth of the communications and computer indus-
tries, CLT was feeling more and more pressure from its clients to be
able to move its loads more rapidly and precisely. Several new infor-
mation systems were planned that would enable CLT to schedule and
track shipments and trucks almost to the minute. However, trucking
was not necessarily a high-interest industry for information systems
experts. With the shortage in the job market, CLT had decided not to
try to hire project managers for these new projects but to build strong
project managers from within the organization.
CASE STUDIES
CHAPTER 3 The Analyst as a Project Manager
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113
As Monica reviewed Stewart’s record, she found that he had
done an excellent job as a team leader on his last project. His last
assignment was as a combination team leader/systems analyst on a
four-person team. He had been involved in systems analysis, design,
and programming, and he also managed the work of the other three
team members. He had assisted in the development of the project
schedule and had been able to keep his team right on schedule. It
also appeared that the quality of his team’s work was as good as, if
not better than, other teams on the project. She wondered what
advice she should give him to help him advance his career. She was
also wondering if now was the time to give him his own project.
1. Do you think the decision by CLT to build its own project
managers from the existing employee base is a good one?
What advice would you give to CLT to make sure that it
has strong project management skills in the company?
2. What kind of criteria would you develop for Monica to use
to measure whether Stewart (or any other potential project
manager) is ready for project management responsibility?
3. How would you structure the job for new project man-
agers to ensure, or at least increase the possibility of, a
high level of success?
4. If you were Monica, what kind of advice would you give to
Stewart about managing his career and attaining his
immediate goal to become a project manager?
RETHINKING ROCKY MOUNTAIN OUTFITTERS
The chapter identified six areas of project feasibility
that need to be evaluated for any new project.
However, as indicated, each of these areas of feasi-
bility can also be considered an evaluation of the
potential risks of the project. Based on your under-
standing of Rocky Mountain Outfitters, both from this chapter and
the information provided in Chapter 1, build a table that summa-
rizes the risks faced by RMO for this new project. Include four
columns titled (1) Project risk, (2) Type of risk, (3) Probability of risk,
and (4) Steps to alleviate risk.
Identify as many risks to the project as you can. Type of risk
means the category or area of the project feasibility that is at risk. It
might help you think about risks in the different categories, for
example (1) risk management, (2) economic, (3) organizational and
cultural, (4) technological, (5) schedule, and (6) resources. The chap-
ter provided a few examples of risk in each of these areas. However,
many other risks can cause project failures. Think as broadly as pos-
sible and expand the list of potential risks in each area.
Obviously, other kinds of risks are associated with a project of
the magnitude of the customer support system. You might want to
consider some risks external to the company, such as economic,
marketplace, legal, environment, and so forth. Other types of inter-
nal risks might also be associated with components that are pur-
chased or outsourced, such as development tools, learning curves,
poor quality of purchased components, and failure of vendors.
A common risk management technique is to build a table and iden-
tify the top 10 risks to the project. Contingency plans can then be built
for the top 10 risks. Periodically, the project management team reevalu-
ates the risk list to determine the current top 10 risks. After you build the
table, identify which risks you would classify as the top 10 risks.
FOCUSING ON RELIABLE PHARMACEUTICAL SERVICE
Chapter 2 discussed Reliable Pharmaceutical
Service’s Web-based application to connect its
client nursing homes directly with a new pre-
scription and billing system. You considered both the risks of a
sequential, waterfall approach to the SDLC and the risks of an itera-
tive and incremental approach to the SDLC for its development.
1. Now consider the way the project was probably initiated.
To what extent is the project the result of (a) an opportu-
nity, (b) a problem, or (c) a directive?
2. Many of the system users (such as employees at health-care
facilities) are not Reliable employees. What risks of project
failure are associated with the mixed user community? What
would you, as a project manager, do to minimize those risks?
3. What are some of the tangible benefits to the project? What
are some of the intangible benefits? What are some of the tan-
gible and intangible costs? How would you handle the project’s
benefits and costs that will accrue to the health-care facilities—
would you include tangible benefits and costs to the nursing
homes in the cost/benefit analyses? Why or why not?
4. Overall, do you think the approach taken to the project
(sequential waterfall versus iterative and incremental)
would make a difference in the tangible and intangible
costs and benefits? Discuss.
5. Overall, do you think the approach taken to the project
would make a difference in minimizing the risks of project
failure? Discuss.
114
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PART 1 THE SYSTEMS ANALYST
FURTHER RESOURCES
Scott W. Ambler, Agile Modeling: Effective Practices for XP and
the RUP. John Wiley and Sons, 2004.
Jim Highsmith, Agile Project Management: Creating Innovative
Products. John Wiley and Sons, 2004.
Gopal K. Kapur, Project Management for Information,
Technology, Business, and Certification. Prentice-Hall, 2005.
Jack R. Meredith and Samuel J. Mantel Jr., Project
Management: A Managerial Approach (6th ed.). John Wiley and
Sons, Inc., 2004.
Joseph Phillips, IT Project Management: On Track from Start to
Finish. McGraw-Hill, 2002.
Project Management Institute, A Guide to the Project Management
Body of Knowledge, 3rd edition. Project Management Institute, 2004.
Walker Royce, Software Project Management: A Unified
Framework. Addison-Wesley, 1998.
Kathy Schwalbe, Information Technology Project Management,
Fifth Edition. Course Technology, 2008.
Each chapter also includes ample review questions, problems and exercises to get
the student thinking critically, a collection of experiential exercises involving addi-
tional research or problem solving, end-of-chapter case studies that invite students
to practice completing analysis and design tasks appropriate to the chapter, and a list
of further resources and references.
1. What are the five phases of the traditional SDLC?
2. What characteristics of a project call for a predictive
approach to the SDLC? What characteristics of a project
call for an adaptive approach to the SDLC?
3. How is the SDLC based on the problem-solving approach
described in Chapter 1?
4. What is the objective of each phase of the SDLC? Describe
briefly.
5. How is iteration used across phases?
6. What is the difference between a model and a tool?
7. What is the difference between a technique and a
methodology?
8. Which of the two approaches to system development was
the earliest?
9. Which of the two approaches to system development is
the most recent?
10. Which of the traditional approaches focuses on overall
strategic systems planning?
11. Which of the traditional approaches is a more complete
methodology?
12. What are the three constructs used in structured
programming?
13. What graphical model is used with the structured design
technique?
14. What graphical model is used with the modern structured
analysis technique?
15. What model is the central focus of the information engi-
neering approach?
16. Explain what is meant by a waterfall life cycle model.
17. What concept suggests repeating activities over and over
until you achieve your objective?
18. What concept suggests completing part of the system and
putting it into operation before continuing with the rest of
the system?
19. What are some of the features of the Unified Process (UP)?
20. What are some of the features of Extreme
Programming (XP)?
21. What are some of the features of Scrum?
22. What are visual modeling tools? Why are they used?
THINKING CRITICALLY
1. Write a one-page paper that distinguishes among the fun-
damental purposes of the analysis phase, the design
phase, and the implementation phase.
2. Describe a system project that might have three subsys-
tems. Discuss how three iterations might be used for the
project.
3. Why might it make sense to teach analysis and design
phases and activities sequentially, like a waterfall, even
though in practice iterations are used in nearly all develop-
ment projects?
4. List some of the models that architects create to show dif-
ferent aspects of a house they are designing. Explain why
several models are needed.
5. What models might an automotive designer use to show
different aspects of a car?
6. Sketch the layout of your room at home. Now write a
description of the layout of your room. Are these both
models of your room? Which is more accurate? More
detailed? Easier to follow for someone unfamiliar with
your room?
7. Describe a “technique” you use to help you complete the
activity “Get to class on time.” What are some “tools” you
use with the technique?
8. Describe a “technique” you use to make sure you get
assignments done on time. What are some “tools” you use
with the technique?
9. What are some other techniques you use to help you com-
plete activities in your life?
10. There are at least two approaches to system development, a
variety of life cycles, and a long list of techniques and mod-
els that are used in some approaches but not in others.
Consider why this is so. Discuss these possible reasons, indi-
cating which are the most important: The field is so young;
the technology changes so fast; different organizations have
such different needs; there are so many different types of
systems; and people with widely different backgrounds are
developing systems.
REVIEW QUESTIONS
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