07-07-2012, 04:01 PM
analysis strategy
Introduction
The analysis phase answers the questions of who will use the system, what the system will do, and here and when it will be used. During this phase, the project team investigates any current system(s), identifies improvement opportunities, and develops a concept for the new system. This phase has three steps:
1. An analysis strategy is developed to guide the project team’s efforts. Such a strategy usually includes an analysis of the current system (called the as-is system) and its problems, and then ways to design a new system (called the to-be system).
2. The next step is requirements gathering (e.g., through interviews or questionnaires). The analysis of this information—in conjunction with input from the project sponsor and many other people—leads to the development of a concept for a new system. The system concept is then used as a basis to develop a set of business analysis models that describes how the business will operate if the new system were developed. The set of models typically includes models that represent the data and processes necessary to support the underlying business process.
3. The analyses, system concept, and models are combined into a document called the system proposal, which is presented to the project sponsor and other key decision makers (e.g., members of the approval committee) that decide whether the project should continue to move forward.
The system proposal is the initial deliverable that describes what business requirements the new system should meet. Because it is really the first step in the design of the new system, some experts argue that it is inappropriate to use the term analysis as the name for this phase; some argue a better name would be analysis and initial design. Because most organizations continue to use the name analysis for this phase, we will use it in this book as well. It is important to remember, however, that the deliverable from the analysis phase is both an analysis and a high-level initial design for the new system.
Preliminary Investigation
The preliminary investigation, or feasibility study, is a brief study of the problem area.The purpose of this investigation is to define and evaluate the problem at hand quickly, to see if it is worthy of further study, and to suggest some possible courses of action.
The main output of this step is the feasibility report.
The steps involved in Preliminary Investigation:
a) Understand the problems: Analyze the problem statement, Identify affected groups, understand the current system and its interaction with other systems, develop the business profile of the company
b) Project Scope and constraints Identify System Boundaries, and constraints. Identify what is a part of our system and what is to be excluded.
c) Determine Feasibility: The three types of feasibility (Operational Feasibility, Technical Feasibility, and Economic Feasibility) must be done. The one that will be done now, is that; the former is done by the SRC, and the later by the System Analyst
d) Estimate time and cost to continue development: This activity involves a complete Project cost and time estimate. Here the analyst will use SW Engineering techniques like FPA, line of code based estimation techniques and others, to give a precise estimate.
e) Present Results and recommendations to Management: This will be in form of a formal document called Preliminary Investigation Report.
Scope of Study
(a) System Study
System study is the first stage of system development life cycle. This gives a clear picture of what actually the physical system is? In practice, the system study is done in two phases. In the first phase, the preliminary survey of the system is done which helps in identifying the scope of the system. The second phase of the system study is more detailed and in-depth study in which the identification of user’s requirement and the limitations and problems of the present system are studied. After completing the system study, a system proposal is prepared by the System Analyst (who studies the system) and placed before the user. The proposed system contains the findings of the present system and recommendations to overcome the limitations and problems of the present system in the light of the user’s requirements.
To describe the system study phase more analytically, we would say that system study phase passes through the following steps:
• problem identification and project initiation
• background analysis
• inference or findings
(b) Feasibility Study
On the basis of result of the initial study, feasibility study takes place. The feasibility study is basically the test of the proposed system in the light of its workability, meeting user’s requirements, effective use of resources and .of course, the cost effectiveness. The main goal of feasibility study is not to solve the problem but to achieve the scope. In the process of feasibility study, the cost and benefits are estimated with greater accuracy.
Conducting the Investigation
A preliminary investigation is an inquiry conducted by law enforcement representatives to gather more information about an allegation. The purpose of the inquiry is twofold. It is designed to determine whether or not a crime was committed and to identify a suspect or confirm a suspect's identity. Using the results of the preliminary investigation, a decision is made about whether or not to move forward with a full investigation, formal accusation, and trial.
The process of a preliminary investigation starts when someone files a complaint. A police officer takes down details from the complainant, taking special note of facts that can be verified and people who may be related to the case. Once a complaint has been filed, a determination about whether or not it is valid must be made to rule out situations in which allegations are clearly false. Then, a preliminary investigation can be conducted.
In the preliminary investigation, steps are taken to verify information in the complaint, and to expand upon that information. This can involve collecting evidence, interviewing people, and taking other investigative steps. All of this information is pulled together in a report. The report can indicate whether or not the investigator agrees that a crime was committed and it may identify a suspect.
Steps involved in investigation are:
Step 1: Understand the problem or opportunity.
Step 2: Define the project scope and constraints.
Step 3: Perform fact-finding:
• Analyze organizational charts
• Conduct interviews
• Review documentation
• Observe operations
• Conduct a user survey
Step 4: Analyze project usability, cost, benefit, and schedule data.
Step 5: Evaluate feasibility:
• Operational
• Technical
• Economic
• Schedule
Testing Project Feasibility
Before actually implementing the new system into operations, a test run of the system is done removing all the bugs, if any. It is an important phase of a successful system. After codifying the whole programs of the system, a test plan should be developed and run on a given set of test data. The output of the test run should match the expected results.
Using the test data following test run are carried out:
• Unit test
• System test
Unit test: When the programs have been coded and compiled and brought to working conditions, they must be individually tested with the prepared test data. Any undesirable happening must be noted and debugged (error corrections).
System Test: After carrying out the unit test for each of the programs of the system and when errors are removed, then system test is done. At this stage the test is done on actual data. The complete system is executed on the actual data. At each stage of the execution, the results or output of the system is analyzed. During the result analysis, it may be found that the outputs are not matching the expected out of the system. In such case, the errors in the particular programs are identified and are fixed and further tested for the expected output.
When it is ensured that the system is running error-free, the users are called with their own actual data so that the system could be shown running as per their requirements.
Handling Infeasible Projects
Feasibility study is to determine whether a certain plan of action is feasible that is, whether or not it will work, and whether or not it is worth doing economically. Although the core of the study is dedicated to showing the outcomes of specific actions, it should begin with an evaluation of the entire operation. For example, a good feasibility study would review a company's strengths and weaknesses, its position in the marketplace, and its financial situation. It would also include information on a company's major competitors, primary customers, and any relevant industry trends. This sort of overview provides small business owners and managers with an objective view of the company's current situation and opportunities. By providing information on consumer needs and how best to meet them, a feasibility study can also lead to new ideas for strategic changes. The second part of a good feasibility study should focus on the proposed plan of action and provide a detailed estimate of its costs and benefits. In some cases, a feasibility study may lead management to determine that the company could achieve the same benefits through easier or cheaper means. For example, it may be possible to improve a manual filing system rather than purchase an expensive new computerized database. If the proposed project is determined to be both feasible and desirable, the information provided in the feasibility study can prove valuable in implementation. It can be used to develop a strategic plan for the project, translating general ideas into measurable goals. The goals can then be broken down further to create a series of concrete steps and outline how the steps can be implemented. Throughout the process, the feasibility study will show the various consequences and impacts associated with the plan of action. In most cases, a feasibility study should be performed by a qualified consultant in order to ensure its accuracy and objectivity. To be able to provide a meaningful analysis of the data, the consultant should have expertise in the industry. It is also important for small businesses to assign an internal person to help gather information for the feasibility study. The small business owner must be sure that those conducting the study have full access to the company and the specific information they need. Technical Feasibility:-In technical feasibility we analysts that the work for the project be done with current equipment, software and available personnel. Economic Feasibility:-It is the important step of feasibility study. If any organization which is going to develop a system or project and they are not getting any profit than they will left the project. It is known as Cost-benefit analysis, the procedure is to determine the benefits and savings that are expected from a candidate system and compare them with cost. If benefits outweigh costs, then the decision is made to design and implement the system otherwise further justification will have to be made to change the system. Operation Feasibility:-It is study that “Will system be used if it developed and implemented?”