BCA: 3rd SEMESTER US03CBCA27:SYSTEM ANALYSIS AND DESIGN

UNIT: 1: THE CONCEPTS OF SYSTEM & SYSTEM ANALYSIS &

SYSTEM DESIGN
 The characteristics and elements of a system
 The concept of a system
 Types of systems
 What is systems analysis?
 Role of a systems analyst.
 Comparison between System Analysis and System Design
 What is System?
• The word „system‟ means different things to different people.
• “A system is an integrated collection of components which satisfy functions necessary to achieve the
system‟s goals and which have relationships to one another that give cohesion to the system and
define structure.”
• A physical system is a set of elements which operate together to achieve an objective.

 Characteristics of a system
There are five characteristics of a system
1) Basic Components
2) Interaction and Structure
3) Goal
4) Behavior
5) Life cycle
1) Basic components
• Every system has a set of interrelated elements or basic components. The basic components are
simply the various identifiable parts of a system. They are the moving parts of a system. Thus the
basic components may be man, material, machines, information, concepts or energy. For example,
System Basic Components
Education Students, teachers, buildings, administration, textbooks.
Computer Keyboard, display unit, arithmetic unit, logic unit, programs, magnetic discs.
Accounting Records, rules, procedures and equipments.

2) Interaction and Structure:

• An important feature of a system is that the basic components interact among themselves. There
must be activity or processing procedure between the elements of a system.
• For example, in the computer system, what is being keyed in gets processed by the arithmetic
unit or logic unit or both. The display unit shows the processed information. Hence a system has
to be dynamic in nature.
• Interaction alone can establish relationships that exist among the components and define the
boundary between a system and its environment are called its structure.
3) Goal
• A system is an organized whole. It has a purpose, goal or objective. Without a common objective
a system starts moving in all directions and co-ordination among parts will be lost.
• All subsystems and components work more effectively together in the system than if they were
acting independently. Consider the human body as a system.
• If the legs move in one direction and the eyes in another direction and the mind in third
direction, what will happen to the body?
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 • Thus the system has to be viewed as a whole rather than just the sum of its parts. This integrating
effect is known as „Synergistic Effect‟.
4) Behavior
• Behavior is the way a system reacts to its environment. Behavior is determined by procedure or
instructions designed to make sure that components behave in ways that will allow a system to
achieve its goals.
• While a procedure describes what ought to be done, behavior describes what is actually done.
When human skin touches something extremely hot, nervous system causes that part of the body
to withdraw rapidly from the environment.
• The reaction is the behavior and the instructions in the nervous system as to how to react are the
procedure.
5) Life Cycle
• Just like a human body, every system has birth, life and death. Buildings, automobiles,
equipments have their own life spans. Whatever be the system, the life cycle includes evolution,
wear, obsolescence, aging, replacement, repair and finally an end to the system‟s existence.
 The Elements of a System
The characteristics of a „system‟ are determined by a given set of system elements and their
properties and relationships. The system elements are:
1) Input
2) Processor
3) Output
a) General Model of a System:
• A system can be better understood with a general model. A general model of a physical system is
made up of system elements like input, processor and output with the system concepts like control
and feedback.
Figure of General system model

CONTROL

INPUT PROCESSOR OUTPUT

Feed back

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 The model of a business system is as shown in figure
CONTROL
POLICIES
PLANS
INPUT PROCESSOR OUTPUT STANDARDS
MEN PRODUCT OBJECTIVES
MATERIAL
MACHINES ORGANIZATION SERVICES
FACILITIES
INFORMATION PROFIT/LOSS

FEEDBACK

b) System Elements:
• Input, processor and output are elements common to all systems. They are the elements by which
all systems are described. They are set in fixed positions which help the systems analyst to design
and work with the system more easily.
i)Input
• Input is defined as the start-up component on which the system operates.
• The inputs may be raw materials, physical resources, human energy, knowledge or information.
• Input largely determines the nature of the output. This is truer in information system. Unless the
input data are accurate, output information cannot be expected to be accurate.
• It may be seen that in most cases, output of one system becomes inputs for the other.
ii)Process:
• Process is defined as the activity that makes possible the transformation of input to output.
• Men, machines, functions, operations, organizations and combinations of these may act as
processor. e.g. when data are processed through computer, processing involves a set of logical steps.
iii)Output
• Output is defined as the result of an operation.
• It is the purpose or objective for which the system is designed. Through output largely depends
upon the input, its nature, utility and format may be vastly different from those of input.
• For e.g. in information system, input data may be numerical (statistical) in nature but the output
may be pictorial diagrams like pie diagram, bar diagram etc.
System Input Processor Output feedback
Various
University Students Changed Students Alumni Opinions
Departments
Management Reports
Computer information People, computer Decision About its
system effectiveness

 System Concepts
The major system concepts are:
1) Boundary and Environment
2) Subsystem
3) Interface
4) Black-box
5) Feed-back control
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1) Boundary and Environment
• The features which defines and delineate a system from the environment from its boundary. The
system is inside the boundary and the environment is outside the boundary.

System
Environment Environment
For example,
System Boundary
Human Body Skin, hair, nails from the boundary. All parts contained inside from the
system.
Production Production machines, production inventory, work in process, production
employees, and production procedures from the system. The rest of the
company is in environment.
The boundary of a system may exist either physically or conceptually. Hence the operational
definition of a system in terms of its boundary is:
1) List all components that are to make up the system and circumscribe (limit) them. Everything
within circumscribed space is called the boundary and everything outside is called the environment.
2) List all flows across the boundary. Flows from the environment into the system are input and
flows from the inside the boundary to outside are called outputs.
2) Subsystem
A complex system is difficult to comprehend when considered as a whole. Therefore the system is
decomposed into subsystems.
These subsystems are again divided into smaller subsystem until the smallest subsystems are of
manageable size.
SYSTEM: BUSINESS
ORGANIZATION

Accounting Material

Equity Planning
Expense Control
Liability Inspection
Assets

Long term Short term

Plans Cash
Land Account
receivable
Investment

3) Interface
• The inter connections and interactions between the subsystems are termed as interfaces.
• Interface occurs at the boundary and takes the form of inputs and outputs. For example, consider
the computer configuration system.

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 Storage Unit

Input Unit CPU Output Unit

• Now consider the CPU subsystem and the interface in it.
• As the subsystems increase, the number of interfaces also increases. The maximum number of
interfaces are
• n (n-1)/2 for n subsystem.
4) Black-Box
• A subsystem at the lowest level is not defined as to the process. This subsystem is termed as
black-box, since the inputs and outputs are known but not the actual transformation from one to
other.
Defined Input
Defined Output

• For example, the economic system is a black box. The inputs are men, materials, energy,
information and money. The outputs are products or services. But we are not clear as to method in
which the economic system works.
5) Feedback control
• Feedback is a device for the control and modification of input after analyzing the output with the
objective of improving the system performances. Feedback helps to keep the system in equilibrium.
• In many systems output are compared with desired output. Any difference causes an input to be
sent to adjust the operations so that the output will be closer to the standards.
• The feedback is of two types:
Positive feedback
Negative feedback
• If feedback is positive, we have a growth system in which deviation is amplified. Positive
feedback reinforces the direction in which the system is moving.
• Negative feedback, on the other hand, reduces fluctuations around the standard or normal. E.g. if
the actual inventory level is more than the desired level then the feedback control is exercised by
adjusting the purchase rate.
 Types of system
1. Conceptual and Physical Systems:
Conceptual system:
• This system consists of the different concepts or theory. It cannot have the physical
components inside the system. For example Pythagoras theorem, de-Morgan's law etc.
Physical system:
• This system consists of the physical components like man material, money, machines etc.
• For example any organization system.
2. Deterministic and probabilistic systems
Deterministic system:
• In this system we know the state of a system at the particular time so it is sure to have
particular output at the particular time.
• For example computerized system.
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 Probabilistic System:
• In this system one can not be sure the output at particular time.
• For example share market, inventory system.
3. Open and Closed system
Open system
• A business system is an open system because it exchanges men, material, money and
information with the environment. It does not supervise itself. It needs to be supervised by
people.
• For ex. If the high speed printers used with computer systems do not have a switch to sense
whether paper is in the printer, then a person would haveto notice when the paper runs out and
signal the system to stop printing.
Closed system
• A closed system is a system which is self-contained. It does not exchange material,
information or energy with its environment.
• For example a computer system is relatively closed system. A relatively closed system is one
that has only controlled and well defined inputs and outputs. It is not subject to disturbances
from outside the system.
4. Natural and artificial system:
Natural system
• The systems which are not formed by human being but created by nature are known as
natural system.
For example, solar system, water system.
Artificial system
• The systems which are created by human being is known as artificial system.
• For example, business organization system, computer system, air-conditioning system.
5. Man-Machine System:
•Normally most of the artificial systems are man-machine systems.
•A motor car is a machine system. But motor car cannot work without a person; information
system is a men-machine system.
 What is Systems Analysis?
• In our day-to-day life there are many problems which can be solved with the help of computers.
Such problems may be related to transportation system, communication system, educational
system or business system.
• The system analysis in broad outlines decides how these problems in the outside world can be
related to a computer system. So, systems analysis in management information science may be
considered as a link between the actual problem and the computer.
 System Analyst
 Who is System Analyst?
•Individuals who perform the systems investigations as distinct from those merely involved in
the detailed computer programming are called “Systems Analysts”.
•The programmer works within the framework provided by the System Analyst.
•A system analyst is like an architect and his work assumes greater importance because he has
to design a system for the future.
•Thus a System Analyst designs information systems which meet organizational objective,
promote integration of activities, and facilitate control and which are flexible and robust.
•Data processing technology mainly involves systems analysis techniques. That is, systems
analysis is the brain for data processing. Though computer is a powerful tool in the systems
analyst‟s work, in the final analysis, it is the systems analyst who determines what data should
be processed and how, when and where.
So, a system analyst‟s job consist of
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 1. Gathering facts about existing information system.
2. Analyzing the basic methods and procedures of current information system.
3. Determining information needs.
4. Modifying, redesigning and integrating the existing procedures in the new system
specifications to provide the needed information.

Company Computer department

Management
Objective
Systems Systems Implementation
Manual
Analyst Design
system
 Role of a Systems Analyst:
• Systems analysis is a difficult task and it requires a multifunctional personality. At different
times, he will play some or all of the following roles:
1) System Analyst – an agent of change:
• A systems analyst works towards the future.
• Future is uncertain and different. Change is the only thing which is permanent and the systems
analyst has to prepare a tool to work in that changing environment.
• The greatest difficulties for him are that people resist change.
• To overcome this, he has to secure user acceptance through user participation in the design and
implementation of the system. Hence, he is the creator of new environments.
2) Systems Analyst – a motivator:
• Acceptance cannot be forced down the throats of system users.
• Proper identification of right personnel and exacting feeding of right motivating factor can go a
long way in making a system successful.
• A good motivator has to be a good psychologist.
3) System Analyst – an organizer:
• A system is the system analyst‟s conceptual child. Hence he has to be clear about all activities
of the system.
• The sequence of activities, their purpose and their consequences must be clear to him. He is
responsible for the execution of all activities and events of the system.
• The role of organizer includes that of puzzle solver whenever problems arise. He is also an
evaluator of his own system.
4) System Analyst – an architect:
• A system analyst must have a fairly good idea of his final system at the raw material stage
itself.
• He prepares the blue print, modifies, improves, and provides aesthetic values to his product.
• For example, a system analyst may bring in a better changed environment for the users. It may
bring changed attitudes towards systems.
5) System Analyst – an intelligent salesperson:
• A system Analyst is one who can sell a refrigerator to an Eskimo. System selling is harder than
that because the system analyst has to sell it to a user, who knows the existing system in an out.
• To sell his system he should be a good communicator and genuinely interested in
understanding the real needs of the user. In fact, system selling takes place at all stages of
design and later at all levels of organization.

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 • Diplomacy and fineness are the watchwords of any systems analyst. Logic is the only tool in
his hands to succeed.

 Difference between System Analysis and System Design

System Analysis System Design

1. System analysis is the examination 1. System design is the creator of the information system which
of the problem is the solution to the problem.

2. It is concerned with identifying all 2. It is concerned with the coordination of the activities, job
the constraints and influences procedures and equipment utilization in order to achieve system
(authority). goals.

3. It deals with data collection and a 3. It deals with general design specification, detailed design
detailed evaluation of present system specifications, output, input, files and procedures. It also deals
with program construction, testing and user acceptance
4. It portrays logical model of the 4. It provides technical
system through Data Flow Diagrams Specifications and reports with which the problem can be
and Data Dictionaries tackled.

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