Systems Analysis and Design in a Changing World, seventh edition A-1

Online Chapter A – The Role of the Systems Analyst

Solutions to End-of-Chapter Problems

Review Questions

1. Give an example of a business problem.

The answer should focus on the business needs of the problem. Business problems that are
applicable for information systems include either a business process that requires or processes
information. The other type of applicable business problem entails producing reports or
providing critical information to the organization. For example, the self-insured health
insurance program needs to project expenses for the next year based on past claims, changes in
employee demographics, and estimated increases in health care costs. Notice that this example
has an extensive requirement for information that can best be provided by a computer system.

2. What are the main steps to follow when solving a problem?

Research and understand the problem, verify that the benefits of solving the problem outweigh
the costs, define requirements for a solution, develop a set of possible solutions (alternatives),
decide which solution is best, define the details of the chosen solution, and monitor to make
sure that you obtain the desired benefits. (See Figure A-1)

3. Define system.

A collection of interrelated components that function together to achieve some outcome.

4. Define information system.

A collection of interrelated components that collect, process, store, and provide as output the
information needed to complete business tasks.

5. What types of information systems are found in most organizations?

Customer relationship management system, Accounting and financial management system,

Manufacturing management system, and Human resources management system, Knowledge
management system, Business intelligence system, Supply chain management system,
Collaboration support system. (see Figure A-5)

6. List the six fundamental technologies an analyst needs to understand.

Computers and how they work; file, database, and storage technologies; input and output
hardware; computer networks and protocols; programming languages and operating systems;
and communication and collaboration.
Systems Analysis and Design in a Changing World, seventh edition A-2

7. List four types of tools the analyst needs to use to develop systems.

Software packages used to develop systems, integrated development environments (IDEs),

computer-aided system modeling and code generation tools, testing tools, and documentation
support tools.

8. List five types of techniques used during system development.

Project planning techniques, cost/benefit analysis techniques, interviewing techniques,

requirements modeling techniques, architectural design techniques, network configuration
techniques, and database design techniques.

9. What are some of the things an analyst needs to understand about businesses and
organizations in general?

The activities and processes that organizations perform, how organizations are structured, how
organizations are managed, the type of work that goes on in organizations—finance,
manufacturing, marketing, customer service, and so on—and the organizational structure.

10. What are some of the things an analyst needs to understand about people?

Most important is communication skills. Other skills include being able to build rapport, be
able to understand and translate people's problems into business requirements. The analyst
must play many roles, including teacher, mentor, confidante, collaborator, and manager.

11. List 10 job titles that involve analysis and design work.

Programmer analyst, business systems analyst, system liaison, end-user analyst, business
consultant, systems consultant, systems support analyst, systems designer, software engineer,
system architect, Web master, Web developer, project leader, project manager, and lead analyst.
Systems Analysis and Design in a Changing World, seventh edition A-3

Problems and Exercises

1. Describe a business problem your university has that you would like to see solved. How can
information technology help solve it?

Some likely answers are the following: It takes too long to register each semester (put
registration on the Web); information about open seats in course sections is out of date (use
real-time updating in the course enrollment database); information about required texts is only
at the bookstore (add required text information to the Web so students can purchase texts
anywhere); too many parking spaces are sold for student parking lots (develop a DSS/KBS to
forecast parking demand and balance the number of permits sold), and so on.

2. Describe how you would go about solving a problem you face. Is the approach taken by a
systems analyst, as described in the text, any different?

Students’ answers should be based on the steps in Figure A-1. You need to thoroughly
understand the problem, verify it is worth solving, define requirements for a solution, generate a
list of alternatives, decide which solution is best, define the details of the solution, implement
the solution, and follow up to make sure the solution is working.

3. Many different types of information systems were described in this chapter. Give an example
of each type of system that might be used by a university.

CRMS – Often some universities do not recognize who their customers are. Groups that may
be considered as university customers includes students, student's parents, alumni, recruiters,
local businesses and contributors. The university provides to services to all of these groups, and
thus they are customers. Hence a university could potentially require several different CRMS
systems.

KMS – This is probably one of the most underutilized areas in a university. A university is
founded on the accumulation of knowledge, yet most knowledge in a university is maintained
through a multitude of isolated and disparate systems such as library system and various
departmental databases of faculty publications, course materials, etc. It would be interesting to
attempt to provide a comprehensive KMS, or at least a comprehensive indexing system to
provide a university wide knowledge base.

CSS – Some universities provide support for collaboration between faculty members doing
research together. And there are many collaboration tools now available on the market. It
would be interesting for a university to identify specific collaboration needs within the
university and provide support.

HRMS – Universities are also employers and hence need payroll, benefits administration
and all other HR support systems.
Systems Analysis and Design in a Changing World, seventh edition A-4

MMS – Most universities are not in the business of manufacturing, or at least not major
manufacturing.

SCMS – Supply chain is also usually not a critical requirement of most universities.

BIS – Universities are organizations, and as such have similar needs as all other businesses to
do strategic planning and decision making. Some universities do have systems that support such
things as physical plant, strategic IT planning and project execution, fund raising, and so forth.

AFM – Universities require these types of systems. In fact many universities have extremely
large annual budgets as well as large endowments that require automated management.

4. What is the difference between technical skills and business skills? Explain how a computer
science graduate might be strong in one area and weak in another. Discuss how the preparation
for a CIS or MIS graduate is different from that for a computer science graduate.

Technical skills involve understanding and using technology, including specific computer
hardware and software. Business skills involve understanding business organizations in general
and how they operate, including knowledge of functional areas, such as accounting, finance,
marketing, human resources, production, and so on. Computer science graduates are very strong
in technical skills; however, they have not studied management, accounting, finance, or
marketing. Therefore, they will have more difficulty understanding the business problems faced
by organizations. CIS and MIS graduates study both technology and business, so they are better
prepared to understand business problems and the needs of end users.

5. Explain why an analyst needs to understand how people think, how they learn, how they react
to change, how they communicate, and how they work.

Many business problems require support for communication and decision making of users.
Analysts need to understand human decision making and thought processes in order to provide
support for the problem. They also need to understand the limitations of human thinking and
memory when designing the user interface. On a political level, it is important to understand
how people think to be able to predict their attitudes and reactions to problems and solutions
provided. System developers need to make systems easy to learn and use, as well as provide
help and training resources for users. Therefore, they need to understand how users learn.
Because any new system (or change to an existing system) involves change, it is important to
understand how people view and react to change so the developers can overcome resistance and
help users deal with change.

Analysts need to get information from users throughout the project, so they need to understand
how people communicate. Additionally, the analyst needs to present information to users in oral
and written form, so it is important to master communication skills. Most information systems
are designed to support the work of users, so the analyst needs to understand what users need to
do to complete work tasks. Additionally, analysts need to understand the users’ preferences for
how they do their work.
Systems Analysis and Design in a Changing World, seventh edition A-5

6. Who needs greater integrity to be successful: a salesperson or a systems analyst? Or does every
working professional need integrity and ethical behavior to be successful? Discuss.

Both should have high ethical standards. However, a systems analyst may be put in a position
where he/she can cause major problems if he/she does not maintain high ethical standards.
Many systems analysts have access to private, confidential information that is critical to the
organization. Some systems consulting firms have statements of integrity that they expect their
employees to live up to.

7. Explain why developing a small information system for use by a single department requires
different skills than developing a large information system with many internal and external
users.

There is a lot to know about technology. Developing a system requires knowledge and skills
related to the specific technology. No one person can master all types of technology, but, for
example, if the analyst is working on designing and implementing a system with client-server
technology, he or she needs to understand all the details about how client-server architecture
works. Most people begin to specialize in types of technology for this reason. But it is important
to keep learning about new technology because technology is always changing.

8. How might working for a consulting firm for a variety of companies make it difficult for the
consultant to understand the business problem a particular company faces? What might be
easier for the consultant to understand about a business problem?

A consultant will not know much about the strategies, history, or culture of the client company,
so understanding a business problem specific to the company is more difficult. On the other
hand, the consultant will be more familiar with general industry problems and solutions and
may have encountered a very similar problem in the past. If this is the case, the consultant may
be able to understand the company’s specific business problem easily.

9. Explain why a strategic information systems planning project must involve people outside the
information systems department. Why would a consulting firm be called in to help organize the
project?

Consultants specialize in managing the planning process. They are generally brought in from
outside the company to train the staff and lead the effort. Sometimes it is better to have an
outsider direct a controversial project because people can feel threatened by change.
Additionally, people in all functional areas of the company are necessary because they best
understand the need for information systems support. Finally, top management is needed to
encourage the participation of everyone and to define the direction of the company.

10. Explain why a commitment to enterprise resource planning (ERP) would be very difficult to
undo after it has been made.
Systems Analysis and Design in a Changing World, seventh edition A-6

ERP involves committing to adopting a set of integrated packages for major information
systems support. Once the packages are installed, it is difficult to go back to the prior way of
doing business. In addition, the business often has to change the way it operates to conform to
the ERP system, making it even more difficult to go back. Finally, the large investment that was
made to implement the system makes it awkward for management to admit they made a
mistake.

11. It is important to understand the nature of the business you work for as an analyst. Contact
some information systems developers and ask them about their employers. Do they seem to know
a lot about the nature of the business? If so, how did the developers gain that knowledge; for
example, was it through self-study, formal training or course work, or on-the-job training via
participation in system development projects? What are the developers’ plans for the future; for
example, do the plans involve more training, more courses, or working on projects in specific
business areas?

Answers will vary.

Students should find that analysts: 1) know a lot about the business, 2) took some classes
related to the specific industry, and 3) probably think it would help to take more. This is an
opportunity to debate about the importance of general business courses versus information
systems courses versus industry-specific experience.

12. Think about the type of position you want (for example, working for a specific company,
working for a consulting firm, or working for a software vendor). Do some research on each job
by looking at companies’ recruiting brochures or Web sites. What do they indicate are the key
skills they look for in a new hire? Are there any noticeable differences between consulting firms
and the other organizations?

Answers will vary.

Most employers will emphasize problem-solving skills and communications skills, along with a
balanced technical background that provided by a CIS/MIS major. Most will offer training in
technology and will be less concerned about specific languages and environments. Consulting
firms will be similar to any other employer with even more emphasis on understanding the
business problems faced by clients.