System Analysis

The basic objective of system analysis is to determine the feasibility of a system, and how it will meet the requirments of system users. Though in a typical system development life cycle, these activities among different teams having members with specialisation in different fields. A system analyst is an information system expert having intensive knowledge of computer hardware and software. His major functions are defining requirments, gathering data, analysing data, drawing up system specification, designing system, and testing system. System analysis involves the following aspects of system development :

1. Feasibility study
2. Requirment analysis
3. Structure analysis

Feasibility study : -

Feasibility study is the process of determining whether a system is appropriate in the context of organizational resources and constraints and meets the user requirments. The basic objectives of the feasible study are to identify whether the proposed system is feasible and will be more appropiate than the existing system, At this stage, the system development team defines the problems or opportunities, establishes feasibility study covers economit feasibility technical feasibilty, operational feasibility, and legal feasibility. There are many types of feasibility study : -

1. Economical feasibility : -

Economical feasibility involves determination of whether the given system is economically viable. it is done through cost/ benifit analysis to identify whether the benifits must be more than the cost.

2. Technical feasibility : -

Technical feasibility analyses whether the proposed system is technically viable with the available hardware, software and resources.

3. Operational feasibility : -

Operational feasibility, also known as behavioural feasibility, determines whether the proposed system will work effectively within the exisiting managerial and organisational frameworks. It is a comman phenomenon that computer installations have something to do with transfer, retraining and job status of employees.

4. Legal feasibility : -

Legal feasibility tries to ensure whether the new system meets the requirments of various information technology regulation , such as privacy laws, computer crimie law, malicious access to data, international law, etc.

STEP IN FEASIBILITY STUDY : -

1. Constitution of a project team
2. Identification of potential candidates systems
3. Identification of characteristics of candidates system
4. Performance and cost evaluation
5. Weighing system performance and cost data
6. Selection of the best system
7. Preparation of feasibility report

Requirment analysis : -

Requirment analysis is the most crucial stage of system analysis in which an analysis is done about who requires what information in what form and when. These three We are very important aspects because a system is meant for it s users and not for designer and operators. REquirment analysis define the scope of the system and the functions it is expected to perform. if the system is not designed according to information requirments, it will fail to achieve its objective inspite of choosing the best system. The system development team may use a variety of tools to identify the requirments-procedures and form used, on-site observation, interviews, questionnaires, and system used in other similar organizations.

1.Procedures and forms used : -

Every organisation uses certain procedures and forms i performing different functions. A procedure is a series of related tasks that make up the ohronological sequence and the established way of performing the work to be accomplished. If an organisation has adopted the policy of formalisation, various procedures are codified in a procedure manual. An organisation uses different types of forms for conducting its operation. Printed forms are widely used for capturing and providing information.

2. On-site observation : -

Another method of gethering information for analysis in on-site observation.
It is the process of recognising and nothing people. Object and occurrences to obtain information. The anlyst's role is that of information seeker and he is expected to be detached from the system being observed.

3. interview : -

information can be collected about the likely requirments through the personal interviews. interview is a formal, in-depth conservation conducted to gather information about how the present systems work and what modification are required in them. Interviews can be used for two main purposes-as an exploratory devise to identify relations or verify information and to capture information as it exist.

4. Questionnaires : -

A questionnaire is a formalised written schedule containing different question relevant to the object being studied. It obtains and records specified and relevant information with tolerable accuracy and completeness. A questionnaire can be directly administered by the analyst himself and gets the questionnaire filled himself on the basis of information provided by the respodent or can be adminisred indirectly by requesting the respondent to fill up the questionnaire.

5. System used in other organisation : -

When the organisation for which a system is being developed, does not have specific and methodological systems, information can be collected by studying the system of the similar nature. Information about such system can be gathered from professional journals, consulants, reports, and other publications.

Structured analysis : -

In analysing the present system and likely future requirments of the proposed system, the analyst collects a great deal od relatively unstructured data through procedure manuals, interviews, questionnaires, and other sources. The traditional apporach is to organise and convert the data through system flowcharts which support future development of the system and simplify communication with the users. Structured analysis has the following features :
1. Structured analysis is graphic that presents a picyure of what is being specified and is a conceptually easy-to-understand presentation of the application.
2.The process used in structured analysis is partitioned so that a clear picture of progression from general to specific in the system flow emerges.
3. Structured analysis is logical rather than physical. it specifies in a precise, consine, and highly readable manner the working of the system.
4. in structures analysis, certain tasks that are normally carried out late in the system development are undertaken at the analysis phase. For example, user procedures are documented during analysis rather than ins design or implementtation phase.