Bis Assignment 1

Tutor: Sean Boylan-Toomey.

Student: Owen Mc Crudden.

I have been set this assignment be my tutor Sean Boylan-Toomey who teaches System Analysis & Design. This assignment requires me to analyse a case study of a medium sized organisation. It is open to a degree of interpretation. I can make any valid assumptions as long as I indicate my reasons. From this case study, which is of the Belfast Independent Food & Household Enterprises (B.I.F.H.E.), I am to answer a set of tasks.

I will begin by summarise the stages of the Systems Development Life Cycle (Water method). The Systems Development Life Cycle is something that consists of a set of series of distinct phases or stages. These phases or stages must be achieved so that you can proceed onto the next stage and so forth. The first point that you must achieve is:

Requirements analysis & Definition. This is the stage that you have to analyse or inspect the problem at hand and say what exactly is the problem is. In this case the task is to look at the current BIFHE. It says that it is a Wholesale Cash & Carry warehouse and it is situated on the outskirts of Belfast in the Millfield Industrial Estate. It serves the local retail trade with the supply of foodstuffs and other household needs. It is comprised of 3 main areas: 1) Sales / Marketing.

2) Warehousing / Purchasing.

3) Accounting / Finance.

Each of these areas is managed by one of three Department Managers.

They have set the task of wanting a new up-to-date system that will be able to cope with their problem which is: At present the systems that support these activities are all paper based, i.e. they rely on all the data being held on paper files. And as a result of this the Senior Management Team of BIFHE has now realised that the operation and development of the organisations is being severely restricted by the limitations on their ability to use and maintain the data files. And now they have decided to give the whole current system a complete overhaul and design a new system to cope with this problem.

Requirements Analysis: This stage gathers required information about what the users want in the new system theoretically does not include items in current system - however, information on current system likely to be obtained at the same time. Also where the Software Developers and users agree on a mutual understanding of what is required.

System Analysis: This finds out what is done and why it is done, records it all, generates models (diagrams) showing who does what, when (physical model), refines, adds more detail to requirements analysis, probably uncovers new requirements, generates new diagrams showing just what is done (logical model) and checks analysis with the user. Systems and Software Design: States what new system will do, generates logical diagrams for new system, defines processes at all levels (highest to lowest), and defines all data required. Systems Analysis is to access the full requirements. Fact-finding must be carried out also. A logical model of the existing system must be produced as a starting block for implementing the changes to the system (current) that are necessary to meet the requirements of the new/improved system.

Deliverables: 1) Requirements Report.

2) Revised Project Plan.

3) Revised Costs and Benefits.

At the end of the System Analysis phase you will have come up with the following results:

1) That all the data has been identified.

2) The relationships between data structures are determined.

3) Also the specifications for all procedures have been defined.

4) The flow of data is also known.

System & Software design. This is the stage that you have to design a new type of Software so that it will be incorporated into the new system and that it can cope with the task at hand and to ultimately help with the overall system. I will find the relevant solution to the Belfast Institute Food & Household Enterprises' by targeting the problem areas and providing a suitable solution to these in the form of a new computer system, which will solve the problem and "do-away" with their old system which comprised of BIFHE handling a lot of paper files which they used to keep their records on. The new system will be on computer which will not only solve their problem by doing away with their method of keeping all of their records on paper file, but also the new system will be on computer and will inevitably bring them into the future, because all business regardless of importance or size must get into the Digital Age or they will be behind the other rival companies in terms of how technologically advanced their company is.

System design: e.g. 1) How the new system will fulfil specification?

2) Which parts will be done by computer?

3) Which parts will be done manually?

4) What size/type of computer?

5) Networking and comms?

Deliverables: 1) System/software Specification.

2) Database Definition.

3) Training Manuals.

4) Hardware Specification (if relevant).

5) Revised Project Plan.

6) Revised Costs and Benefits.

System & Software design is a refinement of the results of the System Analysis,

I.E,

Systems Analysis - "What has to be done"

Systems & Software design - "How it will be done"

Implementation