Chapter 3Determining Feasibility and Managing Analysis and Design Activities

Systems Analysis and DesignKendall and Kendall

Fifth Edition

Kendall & Kendall Copyright © 2002 by Prentice Hall, Inc. 3-2

Major Topics

Project initiation Determining project feasibility Project scheduling Managing project activities Manage systems analysis team

members

Kendall & Kendall Copyright © 2002 by Prentice Hall, Inc. 3-3

Project Initiation

Projects are initiated for two broad reasons: Problems that lend themselves to

systems solutions Opportunities for improvement

through Upgrading systems Altering systems Installing new systems

Kendall & Kendall Copyright © 2002 by Prentice Hall, Inc. 3-4

Organizational Problems

Identify problems by Check output against performance

criteria Too many errors Work completed slowly Work done incorrectly Work done incompletely Work not done at all

Kendall & Kendall Copyright © 2002 by Prentice Hall, Inc. 3-5

Organizational Problems

Observe behavior of employees High absenteeism High job dissatisfaction High job turnover

Kendall & Kendall Copyright © 2002 by Prentice Hall, Inc. 3-6

Organizational Problems

Listen to feedback from vendors, customers, and suppliers Complaints Suggestions for improvement Loss of sales Lower sales

Kendall & Kendall Copyright © 2002 by Prentice Hall, Inc. 3-7

Project Selection

Five specific criteria for project selection Backed by management Timed appropriately for commitment of

resources It moves the business toward attainment of

its goals Practicable Important enough to be considered over

other projects

Kendall & Kendall Copyright © 2002 by Prentice Hall, Inc. 3-8

Possibilities for Improvement

Many possible objectives exist including Speeding up a process Streamlining a process Combining processes Reducing errors in input Reducing redundant storage Reducing redundant output Improving system and subsystem integration

Kendall & Kendall Copyright © 2002 by Prentice Hall, Inc. 3-9

Feasibility Impact Grid (FIG)

A feasibility impact grid (FIG) is used to assess the impact of any improvements to the existing system

Can increase awareness of the impacts made on the achievement of corporate objectives

Kendall & Kendall Copyright © 2002 by Prentice Hall, Inc. 3-10

Feasibility Impact Grid (FIG)

Current or proposed systems are listed on the left

Objectives are listed on the top Red arrows indicate a positive

impact Green arrows indicate

implementation

Kendall & Kendall Copyright © 2002 by Prentice Hall, Inc. 3-11

Feasibility

A feasibility study assesses the operational, technical, and economic merits of the proposed project

There are three types of feasibility: Technical feasibility Economic feasibility Operational feasibility

Kendall & Kendall Copyright © 2002 by Prentice Hall, Inc. 3-12

Technical Feasibility

Technical feasibility assesses whether the current technical resources are sufficient for the new system

If they are not available, can they be upgraded to provide the level of technology necessary for the new system

Kendall & Kendall Copyright © 2002 by Prentice Hall, Inc. 3-13

Economic Feasibility

Economic feasibility determines whether the time and money are available to develop the system

Includes the purchase of New equipment Hardware Software

Kendall & Kendall Copyright © 2002 by Prentice Hall, Inc. 3-14

Operational Feasibility

Operational feasibility determines if the human resources are available to operate the system once it has been installed

Users that do not want a new system may prevent it from becoming operationally feasible

Kendall & Kendall Copyright © 2002 by Prentice Hall, Inc. 3-15

Activity Planning

Activity planning includes Selecting a systems analysis team Estimating time required to complete

each task Scheduling the project

Two tools for project planning and control are Gantt charts and PERT diagrams

Kendall & Kendall Copyright © 2002 by Prentice Hall, Inc. 3-16

Estimating Time

Project is broken down into phases Further broken down into tasks or

activities Finally broken down into steps or

even smaller units Estimate time for each task or activity May use a most likely, pessimistic,

and optimistic estimates for time

Kendall & Kendall Copyright © 2002 by Prentice Hall, Inc. 3-17

Gantt Charts

Easy to construct and use Shows activities over a period of

time

Kendall & Kendall Copyright © 2002 by Prentice Hall, Inc. 3-18

Q u e s t io n n a i re s

R e a d R e p o rt s

A n a ly ze D a ta F lo w s

In tr o d u ce P r o to ty p e s

O b s e rv e R e a c t io n s

P e r fo r m C o s t /B e n e fi t

P r e p a re P r o p o s a l

P r e s e n t P ro p o s a l

C o n d u c t In te rv ie w s

1 5 10 15 20WeeksCurrent Week

Gantt Chart Example

Kendall & Kendall Copyright © 2002 by Prentice Hall, Inc. 3-19

PERT Diagram

PERT - Program Evaluation and Review Technique PERT diagrams show precedence,

activities that must be completed before the next activities may be started

Used to calculate the critical path, the longest path through the activities

This is the shortest time to complete the project

Kendall & Kendall Copyright © 2002 by Prentice Hall, Inc. 3-20

A N o n e 3C o n d u c t In te rv ie w s

B Q u e s t io n n a i re s A 4

C R e a d R e p o rt s N o n e 4D A n a ly ze D a ta F lo w s B , C 8

E In tr o d u ce P r o to typ e s B , C 5

F O b s e rv e R e a c t io n s E 3

G P e r fo r m C o s t /B e n e fi t D 3

H P r e p a re P r o p o s a l G 2

P r e s e n t P ro p o s a lI H 2

10

20

30 50 60 70 80

40

A, 3 B, 4

C, 4 D, 8 G, 3 H, 2 I, 2

E, 5 F, 3

PERT Diagram Example

Kendall & Kendall Copyright © 2002 by Prentice Hall, Inc. 3-21

PERT Diagram Advantages

Easy identification of the order of precedence

Easy identification of the critical path and thus critical activities

Easy determination of slack time, the leeway to fall behind on noncritical paths

Kendall & Kendall Copyright © 2002 by Prentice Hall, Inc. 3-22

Timeboxing

Timeboxing sets an absolute due date for project delivery

The most critical features are developed first and implemented by the due date

Other features are added later

Kendall & Kendall Copyright © 2002 by Prentice Hall, Inc. 3-23

Personal Information Manager Software

Personal information manager (PIM) software is useful for scheduling activities and includes features such as: Telephone and fax number lists To-do lists Online calendars

Kendall & Kendall Copyright © 2002 by Prentice Hall, Inc. 3-24

Team Management

Teams often have two leaders: One who leads members to accomplish

tasks One concerned with social relationships

The systems analyst must manage Team members Their activities Their time, and resources

Kendall & Kendall Copyright © 2002 by Prentice Hall, Inc. 3-25

Goal Setting

Successful projects require that reasonable productivity goals for tangible outputs and process activities be set

Goal setting helps to motivate team members

Kendall & Kendall Copyright © 2002 by Prentice Hall, Inc. 3-26

Ecommerce Project Management

Ecommerce and traditional software project management differences: The data used by ecommerce systems is

scattered across the organization Ecommerce systems need a staff with a

wide variety of skills Partnerships must be built externally and

internally well ahead of implementation Security is of utmost importance

Kendall & Kendall Copyright © 2002 by Prentice Hall, Inc. 3-27

Project Failures

Project failures may be prevented by Training Experience Learning why other projects have

failed