System Analysis and Design Course

Lesson 1 • Development Methodologies Compared

Contrasts waterfall, iterative, and agile approaches by risk, scope, and team size. Enables informed methodology selection for a given project.

Lesson 2 • Roles in Systems Analysis

Defines the analyst role relative to stakeholders, developers, and managers. Clarifies professional responsibilities students will practise throughout the course.

Lesson 3 • What Is a System

Defines systems, boundaries, and environments using real-world examples. Establishes vocabulary used throughout the entire course.

Lesson 4 • Types of Information Systems

Surveys transaction, management, decision-support, and enterprise systems. Connects system type to appropriate analysis approach.

Lesson 1 • Work Breakdown and Scheduling

Decomposes project work into tasks and maps them onto a timeline. Produces Gantt charts and critical-path schedules as planning artefacts.

Lesson 2 • Project Estimation Techniques

Applies function point, use-case point, and analogous estimation methods. Builds accuracy in predicting effort, cost, and duration.

Lesson 3 • Identifying and Scoping the Problem

Techniques for defining the problem statement and setting project boundaries. Prevents scope creep by establishing clear constraints early.

Lesson 4 • Risk Identification and Mitigation

Catalogues project risks by probability and impact, then assigns mitigation strategies. Integrates risk management into the project plan.

Lesson 1 • Document and System Analysis

Extracts requirements from existing documentation, reports, and legacy systems. Bridges current-state understanding with future-state needs.

Lesson 2 • Stakeholder Interviews

Designs and conducts structured and semi-structured interviews to surface needs. Produces interview guides and transcribed findings.

Lesson 3 • Surveys and Questionnaires

Designs quantitative and qualitative surveys for large stakeholder populations. Analyses response data to identify requirement patterns.

Lesson 4 • Observation and Ethnographic Study

Uses direct observation and contextual inquiry to uncover tacit user needs. Complements interview data with behavioural evidence.

Lesson 1 • Writing the Requirements Specification

Assembles validated requirements into a structured specification document. Establishes the authoritative reference for all subsequent design work.

Lesson 2 • Classifying and Prioritising Requirements

Distinguishes functional, non-functional, and constraint requirements and ranks them. Ensures the specification reflects true stakeholder priorities.

Lesson 3 • User Stories and Acceptance Criteria

Writes user stories in agile format and defines testable acceptance criteria. Bridges requirements modelling with iterative development practices.

Lesson 4 • Requirements Validation and Review

Applies walkthroughs, inspections, and prototyping to verify requirement correctness. Reduces costly defects before design begins.

Lesson 1 • Process Modelling with BPMN

Uses Business Process Model and Notation to document workflows and decision logic. Bridges business process analysis with system design.

Lesson 2 • Data Flow Diagrams

Builds context, level-0, and level-1 DFDs to model data movement through a system. Develops decomposition skills for complex process analysis.

Lesson 3 • Model Consistency and Integration

Checks cross-model consistency and integrates DFD, ER, and process models. Produces a coherent logical model package ready for design.

Lesson 4 • State and Sequence Diagrams

Models object states and interaction sequences using UML notation. Captures dynamic system behaviour missed by structural diagrams.

Lesson 1 • Design Goals and Quality Attributes

Defines correctness, reliability, scalability, and maintainability as design targets. Establishes evaluation criteria applied throughout the design phase.

Lesson 2 • Database Design

Translates ER models into normalised relational schemas and indexes. Connects data modelling from Chapter 5 to physical database design.

Lesson 3 • Modular Design and Coupling

Applies cohesion and coupling principles to decompose systems into modules. Produces a module structure chart with defined interfaces.

Lesson 4 • User Interface Design Principles

Applies usability heuristics and accessibility standards to UI layout design. Produces wireframes aligned with user requirements.

Lesson 5 • Architectural Patterns and Styles

Surveys layered, client-server, microservices, and event-driven architectural styles. Guides pattern selection based on system requirements.

Lesson 1 • Testing Levels and Strategies

Covers unit, integration, system, and acceptance testing levels and their objectives. Enables analysts to design a comprehensive multi-level test strategy.

Lesson 2 • Defect Management

Establishes a defect lifecycle, severity classification, and resolution workflow. Ensures defects are tracked and resolved before deployment.

Lesson 3 • Test Case Design

Applies equivalence partitioning, boundary analysis, and decision tables to design tests. Produces test cases traceable to specific requirements.

Lesson 4 • Implementation Planning

Defines coding standards, environment setup, and build management for implementation. Bridges design artefacts to a structured development execution plan.

Lesson 1 • Deployment and Cutover Strategies

Compares direct, parallel, phased, and pilot cutover strategies by risk and cost. Selects and plans the appropriate strategy for a given context.

Lesson 2 • System Maintenance and Evolution

Classifies corrective, adaptive, perfective, and preventive maintenance types. Establishes processes for managing ongoing system change requests.

Lesson 3 • Post-Implementation Review

Evaluates system performance against original requirements and success criteria. Captures lessons learned to improve future projects.

Lesson 4 • User Training and Change Management

Designs training programmes and change management plans to drive user adoption. Reduces resistance and accelerates productivity after go-live.