ANALYSIS PHASE

The analysis phase begins after the project team selects a development methodology, draws up the Project Development Plan, and receives permission to proceed from management. The goal of the analysis phase is to produce a list of requirements for a new or revised information system.

Typically, a new information system is designed to replace a system or process that is already in place. It is important to study the current system to understand its strengths and weaknesses before planning a new system.

System requirements are the criteria for successfully solving problems identified in an information system. There requirements guide the design and implementation for a new or updated information system. They also serve as an evaluation checklist at the end of the development project, so they are sometimes called success factors. A new or updated information system should meet the requirements the project team defines.

The project team determines requirements by interviewing users and studying successful information system that solve problems similar to those in the current system. Another way to determine requirements is to construct a prototype as an experimental or trial version of an information system. Often the prototype is not a fully functioning system because it is designed to demonstrate only selected features that might be incorporated into a new information system. A systems analyst shows the prototype to users, who evaluate which features of the prototype are important for the new information system.

After the project team studies the current system and then determines what the new system should do, system requirements are incorporated into a document called a System Requirements Report that describes the objectives for an information system. If management or the project sponsor approves the report, the project can move on to the design phase.

Comprehension check. Indicate the paragraph where the following ideas are found in the text.

1. These plans are developed during the planning phase.

2. You can determine the system requirements by this way.

3. A list of requirements for a new system should be produced at this phase.

4. Several phases are required for information process.

5. A plan is inseparable part of an information system.

6. There are plenty of tools for diagramming and specifying the current system.

Vocabulary practice

1. Match up the words that are opposite in the meaning.

succeed essential

permission computerized

updated fail

manual destroy

create out out of date

obsolete ban

2. Fill in the blanks choosing from the variants given.

1. Project management software is an effective tool for … and scheduling.

a) planning b) maintenance c) analysis d) development

2. “A project team” is a group of people who are assigned to analyze and … an information system.

a) maintain b) develop c) implement d) test

3. Users and analysts work together to identify problems and look for solution in a development process called … application design.

a) co-operative b) united c) joint d) mutual

4. A modified waterfall SDLC allows to … between SDLC phases

a) overlap b) break c) skip d) stretch

5. A System Requirements Report describes the … for a new information system.

a) innovations b) ideas c) objectives d) goals

6. It is difficult to complete the design phase until system … have a chance to work with software tools that are purchased in the implementation phase.

a) analysts b) developers c) builders d) administrators

3. Make three-word combinations using the words in columns and them fill in the gaps in the following sentences.

A: information B: source C: source

joint requirements software

project application plan

open system report

system management project

project development software

1. … describes the objectives for an information system.

2. … is developed during the planning phase.

3. … must be reviewed and approved by the management.

4. You can use … for planning and scheduling.

5. OpenWork Bench and Microsoft Project are …, aren’t they?

6. … is based on the idea that the best information systems are designed when end-users and system analysts work together as equal partners.

4. Fill in the gaps in the text.

The process of planning and building an information system is referred to as systems ___.The development process is supervised by an organization’s Information Systems (IS) department, but the ___ team includes members from other departments as well. System development follows some type of system development ___ cycle(SDLC), which consists of several phases. In the ___ SDLC one phase of the SDLC must be completed before the next phase begins. A project begins with a ___ phase in which a member of the IS department creates a Project Development Plan. The project team then proceeds to the ___ phase, with the goal of producing a list of requirements for a new or revised information system.

Speaking. Discuss the following questions.

1. What is a system development life cycle?

2. How does an information project begin?

3. What does the planning phase entail?

4. Do computers offer tools for planning activities?

5. How does the project team determine what the new system should do?

6. How does the project team document system requirements?

7. What does the project team do with system requirements?

Text C

Pre-reading. Match the terms with their definitions.

centralized processing - describes the information system problem and the requirements for the solution.

distributed processing - describes the way the information system’s software should interact with users, store data, process data, and format reports.

request for proposal (RFP) - in which processing tasks are distributed to servers and workstations.

request for quotation (RFQ) - is a request for a formal price quotation on a list of hardware and software.

application specifications - in which data is processed on a centrally located computer.

Reading. Read the text and try to guess the meaning of the words in bold. Check your variants in the dictionary.

Date: 2015-01-12; view: 1003