SAD1-Assignment 11

You were tasked by the IC-dean to evaluate the enrollment system of the university, list and briefly describe the characteristics that an anlayst(you) examines when choosing or defining deployment environment.


The characteristics that an analyst examines when defining deployment environment:

Security Configuration

The objective of computer security includes protection of information and property from theft, corruption, or natural disaster, while allowing the information and property to remain accessible and productive to its intended users. The term computer system security means the collective processes and mechanisms by which sensitive and valuable information and services are protected from publication, tampering or collapse by unauthorized activities or untrustworthy individuals and unplanned events respectively. The strategies and methodologies of computer security often differ from most other computer technologies because of its somewhat eluding objective of preventing unwanted computer behavior instead of enabling wanted computer behavior.

Security has to be compared to related concepts: Safety, continuity, reliability. The key difference between security and reliability is that security must take into account the actions of people attempting to cause destruction.

Usability Planning

Usability planning provides an important means of managing individual usability activities as well as the overall role played by usability input within a software engineering programme. It defines the scope of usability work required to produce a user- interface design that is efficient, effective and satisfying in use.
Usability planning involves defining and managing user-centred design activities that will take place during the development of a product. A usability plan report is created, which details the scope of selected usability activities and defines actions and time-scales required to implement them. Usability planning should be carried out for all development projects, but in particular development projects purporting a high degree of user-centred design.
Cost benefit analyses of user-centred design activities may be carried out and its results summarised in the first part of the usability plan. Wherever an investment in user-centred design activities is made during development, one or more tasks will be identified. A task manager is appointed for each task, an appropriate activity is selected and a schedule specified. The usability plan is a living document, and undergoes regular reviews as the project progresses.

Benefits
• Ensures that usability work is co-ordinated and not performed in a piecemeal fashion.
• Provides clear visibility of what usability work is going on and what its overall aims are.
• Enables priorities to be assessed, and facilitates the efficient allocation of resources.

However, it is important to remember that usability plans may not be stable because of continually changing project plans. Also, usability plans are constrained by the need to schedule the delivery of results in sufficient time for them to be acted upon by designers and implementers.

Cost and schedule

Identify the deployment pattern or strategy used.
The target deployment environment for an application may already be rigidly defined, and so the application design must reflect the restrictions. Sometimes design tradeoffs are required; for example, because of protocol or port restrictions, or specific deployment topologies. Identify constraints early in the design phase to avoid surprises later, and involve members of the network and infrastructure teams to help with this process.


Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security
http://www.usabilitynet.org/tools/planning.htm

SAD1-Assignment 10

With reference to assignments 8 and 9, what characteristics does an analyst(you) examine when evalauating DFD quality?

According to my research, Data-flow diagram (DFD) is a graphical representation of the "flow" of data through an information system. DFDs can also be used for the visualization of data processing (structured design). On a DFD, data items flow from an external data source or an internal data store to an internal data store or an external data sink, via an internal process.
A DFD provides no information about the timing of processes, or about whether processes will operate in sequence or in parallel. It is therefore quite different from a flowchart, which shows the flow of control through an algorithm, allowing a reader to determine what operations will be performed, in what order, and under what circumstances, but not what kinds of data will be input to and output from the system, nor where the data will come from and go to, nor where the data will be stored (all of which are shown on a DFD).

Characteristics Examined in Evaluating Data Flow Diagram:

Balancing of data flows

The concept of balancing states that all the incoming flows to a process and all the outgoing flows from a process in the parent diagram should be preserved at the next level of decomposition. Process decomposition lets you organize your overall DFD in a series of levels so that each level provides successively more detail about a portion of the level above it. The goal of the balancing feature is to check your system internal consistency, which is particularly useful as different levels of expertise are generally involved in a project. When you decompose a process, PowerDesigner helps you initialize, in the sub diagram, the objects from the upper-level to link to the sub-process. PowerDesigner automatically retrieves global objects, such as external entities or data stores and creates object shortcuts, if need be. A data flow diagram illustrates the processes, data stores, and external entities in a business or other system and the data flows between these things. Four diagramatical components are used to develop a DFD.

Leveling of Data Flow Diagram

All data flows entering and leaving a process must appear on the corresponding diagram which decomposes that process.
The access to data stores across levels of diagrams must be consistent:
• the direction of accesses must match and all accesses on higher level diagrams must appear on corresponding lower level diagrams
• a data store is first shown on the highest level diagram where it is accessed by more than one process
• it can then appear on all lower level diagrams where it is accessed

Develop a Physical Data Flow Diagram

Most logical design level TPS structured design is data flow diagram (DFD) based, since typically the data is simple in structure and independent from the procedural modules because of the need for sharing of data between applications. Complex entity relationship diagrams (ERD) based design methods are therefore seldom required for TPS systems. At the physical design level however, no predominate structured design approach has appeared.

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_flow_diagram
http://www.experiencefestival.com/data_flow_diagram_-_balancing_a_dfd

SAD1-Assignment 9

Exploded Diagram of Pre-Enrollment System for New Students




CONTEXT DIAGRAM of Pre-Enrollment Process in USEP




Current logical Data Flow Diagram of Pre-Enrollment Process in USEP

SAD1-Assignment 8

Using the same narrative as refelcted in your assignment 4, develop an activity diagram and a fully developed description for a use case.


Description:

The student will submit the following documents require to the UGTO Personnel, the UGTO Personnel will provide an application form to the student. The student will write down the require data on the form, he/she will proceed to the cashier office to pay the examination fee and the cashier will issue a receipt. The UGTO Personnel will give schedule to the student. The student will take an USEPAT and English Plus examination. After the examination the UGTO Personnel will post the qualified student who passed the entrance examination, if the student will be failed in English Plus, she/he will take English Bridge Program. The student will require obtaining an interview to the college/department that she/he selects. After the interview, the student will take a medical check-up to the USEP clinic. The college/department will post qualified students. If he/she will pass the college interview, the student will submit the require documents to the department.

SAD1-Assignment 7

USEP Pre-enrollment System Use Case Diagram

ACTORS: STUDENT, UGTO PERSONNEL, CASHIER, INTERVIEWER, CLINIC NURSE, ADVISER DEAN


Use Cases:

Step 1- Submit Necessary Documents- The student will submit the following documents require to the UGTO Personnel.
Step 2-Give the Application Form- The UGTO Personnel will provide an application form to the student.
Step 3-Fill-up the Application Form-The student will write down the require data on the form.
Step 4-Pay the Examination Fee-The student will proceed to the cashier office to pay the examination fee.
Step 5-Give the Examination Schedule-The UGTO Personnel will give schedule to the student.
Step 6-Take USEPAT and English Plus Examination-The student will take an USEPAT and English Plus examination.
Step 7-Give the Examination Result-The UGTO Personnel will provide the qualified student who passed the entrance examination.
Step 8-Take English Bridge Program (if failed in English Plus)-If the student will not pass in the English Plus, she/he will take English Bridge Program.
Step 9-College Interview-The student will require to obtain an interview to the college/department that she/he select.
Step 10-Take Medical Examination-The student should take a medical check-up to the USEP clinic.
Step 11-Post Qualified Applicant-The college/department will post a qualified students.
Step 12-Submission of Documents to the adviser/dean-The student will submit the require documents to the department.

SAD1- Assignment 6

Consider the following dialogue between a systems professional, John Juan, and a manager of a department targeted for a new information system, Peter Pedro:

Juan: The way to go about the analysis is to first examine the old system, such as reviewing key documents and observing the workers perform their tasks. Then we can determine which aspects are working well and which should be preserved.

Pedro: We have been through these types of projects before and what always ends up happening is that we do not get the new system we are promised; we get a modified version of the old system.

Juan: Well, I can assure you that will not happen this time. We just want a thorough understanding of what is working well and what isn’t.

Pedro: I would feel much more comfortable if we first started with a list of our requirements. We should spend some time up-front determining exactly what we want the system to do for my department. Then you systems people can come in and determine what portions to salvage if you wish. Just don’t constrain us to the old system.

Required:

a.Obviously these two workers have different views on how the systems analysis phase should be conducted. Comment on whose position you sympathize with the most.

In this scenario both side had their own views about the systems analysis phase, in Juan, he wanted to examine first the old system, analyze the system and reviewing the documents, observing the workers performances, so that they can determine what aspects they should be preserved. In this situation, Juan wanted again to apply the previous method that he generated, but suddenly, Pedro differ the process because they have already tried that method but they didn’t succeed because they observed that after the process they cannot provide the system they promise to the client. There’s a problem they encountered and they cannot offered a perfect system that will apply to the client. In other side, Pedro tried a new method to generate a new system that has a perfect quality, he stated that they first started with a list of their requirements determined what were the system should be needed and required to their department, spending a long time to studies the process and give a method that will create a good system.

For me, I sympathized with Juan, although they have been through those types of projects before and at the end they didn’t generated the system required that they promises. But for me, Juan was right as a system analyst they should considered first what are the negative sides they made and after determining the problem, give best solutions and accurate the right, in that way you could be determined the lessons you did and resolve it and generate best solutions that could be created a perfect system. Though they were failed but still there’s chance to exact the bad side and decide a better solution to the system.

b.What method would you propose they take? Why?

For me, I would propose a Waterfall Life Cycle Model because this is the most common and classic of life cycle models, also referred to as a linear-sequential life cycle model. It is very simple to understand and use. In a waterfall model, each phase must be completed in its entirety before the next phase can begin. At the end of each phase, a review takes place to determine if the project is on the right path and whether or not to continue or discard the project. Unlike what I mentioned in the general model, phases do not overlap in a waterfall model.

According to my research, the Waterfall Life Cycle Model is a sequential software development process, in which progress is seen as flowing steadily downwards (like a waterfall) through the phases of Conception, Initiation, Analysis, Design (validation), Construction, Testing and Maintenance. The waterfall development model has its origins in the manufacturing and construction industries; highly structured physical environments in which after-the-fact changes are prohibitively costly, if not impossible. Since no formal software development methodologies existed at the time, this hardware-oriented model was simply adapted for software development.
The first formal description of the waterfall model is often cited to be an article published in 1970 by Winston W. Royce,[1] although Royce did not use the term "waterfall" in this article. Royce was presenting this model as an example of a flawed, non-working model (Royce 1970). This is in fact the way the term has generally been used in writing about software development—as a way to criticize a commonly used software practice.

Advantages

• Simple and easy to use.
• Each phase has specific deliverables.
• Higher chance of success over the waterfall model due to the development of test plans early on during the life cycle.
• Works well for small projects where requirements are easily understood.
• Testing is inherent to every phase of the waterfall model
• It is an enforced disciplined approach
• It is documentation driven, that is, documentation is produced at every stage

Disadvantages

• Very rigid, like the waterfall model.
• Little flexibility and adjusting scope is difficult and expensive.
• Software is developed during the implementation phase, so no early prototypes of the software are produced.
• Model doesn’t provide a clear path for problems found during testing phases.
• Testing is inherent to every phase of the waterfall model
• It is an enforced disciplined approach
• It is documentation driven, that is, documentation is produced at every stage


Sources:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterfall_model
http://toostep.com/trends/types-of-sdlc-models

SAD1-Assignment 5

Consider your school, how do you know that the life cycle was developed specifically for the university. How do we know it meets our needs?

As a student of University of Southeastern Philippines it is my opportunity to know the life cycle developed of the university, what are the different phases and models them used, how the development life cycle gives procedure to the university.
First, let’s define System Development System Life Cycle. According to my research, Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a conceptual model used in project management that describes the stages involved in an information system development project from an initial feasibility study through maintenance of the completed application. Various SDLC methodologies have been developed to guide the processes involved including the waterfall model (the original SDLC method), rapid application development (RAD), joint application development (JAD), the fountain model and the spiral model. Mostly, several models are combined into some sort of hybrid methodology. Documentation is crucial regardless of the type of model chosen or devised for any application, and is usually done in parallel with the development process. Some methods work better for specific types of projects, but in the final analysis, the most important factor for the success of a project may be how closely particular plan was followed. Processes of creating or altering systems, and the models and methodologies that people use to develop these systems. In software engineering the SDLC concept underpins many kinds of software development methodologies. These methodologies form the framework for planning and controlling the creation of an information system.

These are the System Development Life Cycle steps:

• Define
Define or classify first the problem, so that you could describe the nature or fundamental qualities of the project. You could easily precise the problem and determine the limitation.

• Design

In designing the project, it is planning or drawing the output that lays the basis for the making of every object or system. Systems design is most effective when more than one solution can be proposed. The plans for the care and feeding of a new system are as important as the problems they solve.

• Demonstrate
Demonstrate the project is very important task, it shows clearly and deliberately illustration with clear explanation and visual presentation showing how something works some main information.

• Develop
To generates the main requirements of the project and allow for the creation, development and running of application programs. Through a series of progressive changes they could provide a outstanding system with a good and high quality.

• Deliver
In this step, the proper place of the project transport into the expected output of the system and it would carry out to user the important thing to do in the using the system.

We could know the phases if the steps you select are compatible to your system or project development, the university would easily generate the steps and create system development life cycle that would compatible. The problem would easily to resolve if you select a phase that accurate and clear to solve the system.



Sources: http://www.startvbdotnet.com/sdlc/sdlc.aspx

SAD1- Assignment 4

Identify and discuss at least 3 systems development models .. discuss each phases ...

1. Waterfall Software Development Life Cycle Model

The simplest software development life cycle model is the waterfall model, which states that the phases are organized in a linear order. A project begins with feasibility analysis. On the successful demonstration of the feasibility analysis, the requirements analysis and project planning begins.
The design starts after the requirements analysis is done. And coding begins after the design is done. Once the programming is completed, the code is integrated and testing is done. On succeeful completion of testing, the system is installed. After this the regular operation and maintenance of the system takes place. The following figure demonstrates the steps involved in waterfall life cycle model.

2. The Spiral Life Cycle Model

This is a recent model that has been proposed by Boehm. As the name suggests, the activities in this model can be organized like a spiral. The spiral has many cycles. The radial dimension represents the cumulative cost incurred in accomplishing the steps dome so far and the angular dimension represents the progress made in completing each cycle of the spiral. The structure of the spiral model is shown in the figure given below. Each cycle in the spiral begins with the identification of objectives for that cycle and the different alternatives are possible for achieving the objectives and the imposed constraints.
The next step in the spiral life cycle model is to evaluate these different alternatives based on the objectives and constraints. This will also involve identifying uncertainties and risks involved. The next step is to develop strategies that resolve the uncertainties and risks. This step may involve activities such as benchmarking, simulation and prototyping. Next, the software is developed by keeping in mind the risks. Finally the next stage is planned.

3. Prototyping Software Life Cycle Model

The goal of prototyping based development is to counter the first two limitations of the waterfall model discussed earlier. The basic idea here is that instead of freezing the requirements before a design or coding can proceed, a throwaway prototype is built to understand the requirements. This prototype is developed based on the currently known requirements. Development of the prototype obviously undergoes design, coding and testing. But each of these phases is not done very formally or thoroughly. By using this prototype, the client can get an "actual feel" of the system, since the interactions with prototype can enable the client to better understand the requirements of the desired system.
Prototyping is an attractive idea for complicated and large systems for which there is no manual process or existing system to help determining the requirements. In such situations letting the client "plan" with the prototype provides invaluable and intangible inputs which helps in determining the requirements for the system. It is also an effective method to demonstrate the feasibility of a certain approach. This might be needed for novel systems where it is not clear that constraints can be met or that algorithms can be developed to implement the requirements. The process model of the prototyping approach is shown in the figure below.

Sources:
http://www.freetutes.com/systemanalysis/sa2-waterfall-software-life-cycle.html
http://www.freetutes.com/systemanalysis/sa2-spiral-model.html
http://www.freetutes.com/systemanalysis/sa2-prototyping-model.html

SAD1- Assignment 3

Evidences

Discuss the role of a systems analyst as a project manager. (at least one thousand words) .... you need to interview an analyst/project manager ..show evidences

In assignment 3, we were task to interview a System Analyst. On April 29, 2010, we were having an interviewed in SAMULCO or Sta. Ana Multipurpose Cooperative in Uyanguren, Davao City. Together with my classmates in System Analysis and Design 1, we went to the office of SAMULCO to conduct an interview to their MIS Department. We interviewed Mr. James Bautista, a System Analyst in SAMULCO. First we interviewed him about the skills and characteristics must a system analyst develop in order to be more effective in any design modelling process. In this question, Mr. Bautista answered well and gave more important details about the techniques in how to become a good system analyst. He said that being a system analyst must looks into the over-all system and makes good steps before you develop a project. You do not need think as a programmer but think as a common to others. He us three skills and characteristics must a system analyst develop in order to be more productive in any design modeling process, first characteristic is being a System Analyst must be observant, because if you fail to notice the important details it will be failed to you as analyst. Second skills and characteristics must a system analyst develop in order to be more productive in any design modeling process, must have a basic programming skills, because if you do not have a basic programming skills, maybe you will not familiarize in terms of programming and developing the subject and third one is being a system analyst must be able to communicate well; he said that this is very important in terms of developing. In these three skills, as a system analyst you should have knowledge in terms of developing a project, accurate a project with good quality and good class.After answering the first question we proceeded into the second question which was the role of a systems analyst as a project manager. He answered well the question.
The first question were asking him was what is the role (system analyst) as a project manager?, he said that as a system analyst must manages the entire team or the entire project, be required to the time, you will taking the client, talking to the team and talking to the developer. As a system analyst you should able to manage the team, give a better opinion and recommendation about the project, so that the step in developing the project would be successful and has a high quality.

As a system analyst you should responsible every steps and procedure about the project and give a good opinion to exact the planning and developing the project. Always asking and talking in every parts of the team, accurate the wrong steps and wrong decisions in terms of working, also asked the client if what they wanted in generated their project, what output they wanted, so that you could generate a successful output. Talked to the developer if what is the possible output you wanted and if some are missing or lacking, give them a good recommendation and solutions to resolve the wrong mistakes into the right ways. Get the overall output of the project and specification about the system. That the agreement should be finished on time, because in developing a system you should finish the project on time and has a good quality, so that your client will be happy and satisfied about he project and will give you a high pay about the system. Always remember that in developing a good and effective project to your client could build you a better name and trusted and excellence quality to everyone.

Another example of the role of a system analyst as a project manager, must delegate the task to the team, he said you must give the time line to the team and finish the project earlier. Because in every members has their own task and abilities in developing a system, as a system analyst you should be able to set apart in every team their work, so that you can easily finish the project you were develop and each team can contribute a important ideas and give a main procedure the project, because in the end you could construct a good quality system to your client and submit the project on time and earlier. So that your client will be satisfied you work.
In this explanation, you could think that in every team and every task, you should be responsible in developing the project, and also be patience in every failed, because in creating a project we can’t say that there is no obstacle, but there is, so that we could test us how patience we are and how responsible we are. Because every steps we will encounter the problem but just try and try until we succeed and reach our goal. In certain project you will learn more, especially in developing, give a proper training and also teach the right things to do and avoid the bad things to act. Being a system analyst you should be a model to your team guide them into the right ways and give them a proper guidance to perform a good member in the team, because sometimes if there is problem everyone could depend and easily find a better method to resolve the problem.

Overall the interview was excellent, I learned more about how to become a good system analyst, and I got new knowledge and experienced from the interview. Mr. Baustista shared us the techniques as a good analyst and he gave us important aspect to be a successful system analyst.