• How useful you feel the module in Systems Analysis has been to you? Give reasons.

I feel that the module has been complimentary to me as a student as it allowed me to understand how business function using ICT.  Also how important it is to manage the system effectively so that it fuels the businesses output and contributes to their success.  The module also made me aware of how issues arise within a business from not planning beforehand or having a contingency plan, also how they can be fixed so that problems like it don’t happen in the future.  I feel that this subject also helped me when it came to my other modules as they all linked together therefore the modules were easier to comprehend.

• Do you think that all Computing and IT courses should have a module in Systems Analysis? Why?

Yes, as I had mentioned beforehand that it made all modules easier to understand as they all linked on how and why businesses use computers and how they are run within a company.  It was particularly important for when it came to how the implementation of any computing would be carried out as the analysis gave structure to the project.

• Given that most managers use IT systems in their daily work and often are involved in requesting new IT systems. Do you think that it would be useful if courses in Business and Management included a module in Systems Analysis? Why?

Yes, as technology is being consistently updated and managers have to train staff on new IT systems therefore systems analysis  propose is to improve a business through the use of computerized information systems.

• What topics did you find most useful in the Systems Analysis module? Why?

• What topics did you find least useful in the Systems Analysis module? Why?

• Are there any topics which were not covered which you think should have been?

It has been made significant that communication is the main priority to the business as effective customer service with the end user is important in order to meet the end product.  However written communication can have its drawbacks as it can be poorly communicated from one person to another become misunderstood.

My first example of written communication being misunderstood would be through an email from system analyst to their end user.  The email could consist of a message stating “The system had been completed” the end user assumes that the system is finished and ready for their own use.  The system analyst sends another email weeks later stating that “The system is now ready for testing”.  Therefore the end user realises that their system isn’t completed and that they have to wait for a longer period of time, which could affect any plans they’ve made for the new system.  This has been caused simply by miscommunication as each person has viewed the emails in a different context.

 My second example was to do with the putting together a contract of the completed system and giving it to our designers to allow them to know what is needed in the implementation process of the new system.  A problem can occur here as the systems analyst knows exactly what they want within the system so therefore write the contract deliberately obtuse.  The contract can consist of what is needed within the new system yet not go into depth to the designers, although these commands may be obvious and precise to the systems analyst they may not convey a true understanding to the designers.

Task 2

Diagrams allow analysts to illustrate the system and breakdown the system in an easy to read format.  This allows the systems analyst to identify important details in relation to the system and use it to their benefit rather than use out a longer process which isn’t necessary.  Being able to obtain this information will increase the chances of the system being successful.

There are many diagrams available which can be used to portrait information across to the analyst or end user.  Choosing the one most suitable diagram for the system will improve the outcome, some diagrams are chosen to show an overview of the project while others specify and highlight details.  As for an end user they require diagrams which are easily interpreted and easy to abstract information from.

Diagrams are used instead of a written format as a sense of shortening the communication and bring direct data to the end user.  Also written communication can sometimes be misinterpreted and can cause uncertainty and affect the systems efficiency.  Therefore diagrams are used to transcribe the message in which has been written.  There are a number of diagrams which can be usual some include:

Decision Trees

Spider Diagrams

Flow Diagrams

Class Diagrams (Entity Relationship)

System Sequence Diagrams

For this assignment I have chosen to analyze decision trees and flow charts.

Decision trees are a simple method of displaying data through the use of a graphical representation.  They allow the system to be presented in an easy to read format and identify problems within the system.  Decision trees have a number of options to choose from and allow a time scale to be allocated and options to be eliminated in order for a final decision to be made which will be the most effective output.

An example of a Decision Tree is shown below:

Decision trees have a number of advantages some of these include:

• Data can be analyzed in large amounts quick and effective
• Data is broken down making it easy to interpret
• The diagram is easily constructed and designed within a short amount of time
• Decision trees take little, is any participation and can include both numerical and written criteria
• Members with all different technical abilities can review decision trees as they are simplified.

In conclusion I feel that this method is effective for it specific purpose and should be used when it will benefit the system, such as making decisions as it reduces the amount of time and money needed.  I have experienced using decision trees and found them easy to extract information from and found them useful when it came to making the best final decision.  Although I also found that it was hard to draw up decision trees as I had no previous experience using them so it took time to get comfortable making one I felt would produce a beneficial outcome.  In my opinion I don’t think a decision tree should be solely relied on as important data can be left out and the diagrams final decision would not be reliable.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decision_tree

Systems Analysis and Design – Shelly Cashman Rosenblatt

Flow charts

Flow charts are used to represent a process; the data is shown within a series of boxes and arrows representing each step by step with different shapes allocating different tasks.  These charts are mainly used in order to design, analyze and manage a project.

An example of a Flow Chart is shown below:

http://www.edrawsoft.com/images/examples/Process-Flowchart.png

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_diagram

Programmers are specialists who can translate business requirements and processes that need to be carried out into a computer language which controls the computers output.  Programmers attend meetings to identify a variety of tasks within a specific time scale in which they have to complete these.  Programmers time within meetings in order to know what their end user requires of them such as converting their requirements and statements into computer language.  Also if the programmers were only told what to do outside meetings this could cause issues as they wouldn’t have the opportunities to bring up necessary questions they have or any queries, which is why it’s very important for them to be included within the face to face communications within meetings.  I predict that programmers would spend at least 16 hours a week within meetings in order to get what information they require to get on with their job role.

Systems analysts will spend around 12 hours a week within meetings as they have to attend meetings in order to get feedback and any addition information which may improve the system, helping them within their planning and coordinating.  Meetings are useful for system analysts as they can allow other members within the meeting who haven’t been including within the implementation of the system to review the system from a different perspective and test the system allowing upgrades and software improvements to be introduced to improve the overall efficiency of the system. 

http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4798478_sap-system-analyst-spend-workday.html

http://www.alexonsager.com/programmers-stop-whining-be-productive

Task 2

A Post Implementation Review allows the business to evaluate the overall output of the system; this must be carried out every 4-5months.  This ensures that the system meets its initial requirements and in return produces benefits for the business.  Having the meeting allows the creator of the system to find out external feedback and any additional information people feel is necessary to add in order to improve the system or future systems and how they are implemented.

The meeting will give the business the opportunity to discover the effective of the implementation, the performance of the system currently and most importantly what the end users thoughts are and whether they are satisfied with the end product.  Also within the meeting costs must be discussed as it’s important to ensure that the budget has not been overspent, also to discover whether the costs will be covered from the new system and how long the process will take.  Overall the purpose of the meeting was to ensure that the benefits that were indicated before implementation were meant from the final product.

A structured walkthrough is basically when the project has been completed by the members initially assigned to do so, and then the project is reviewed by additional members who were not involved in the implementation of the project.

Before – Before a structured walkthrough the project team members prepare in advance by gathering and drawing up material in which they wish to address within the review.  Also the project itself needs go through a number of tests which will be carried out by a peer group in order to produce better results.  The team can prepare to set up a meeting to take place a week or 2 following the meeting.  Team members can prepare materials such as a design walkthrough and diagrams to show results within the meeting.  Also the team must decide who will be the main member to communicate within the meeting and cover the review.  Once all this has been completed all the participants included within the meeting are notified. 

During – During the structured walkthrough the meeting takes place and all the material prepared beforehand is presented.  The team members elected will present a speech to the external members within the meeting and answer any additional queries.  Within the meeting discussions will take place to identify if the members not involved within the implementation felt whether or not the main objectives of the project have been and the review will allow the teams to evaluate the project and allow improvement for future references. 

After – Once the review has been completed the team can approach the errors in which they have identified and addressed within the meeting and beforehand and follow up by implementing the projects corrections.  After this stage the project review is complete and the actions can finally be put into practise.

The roles of ‘chicken’ and ‘pig’ in a Scrum meeting

A scrum meeting allows the business to review its progress and is held for around 15mins every day.  This allows the team to stay motivated and ensure they meet their initial goal.  Within the meeting the team discuss issues and how to address these, and arrange what they would like to have completed by the end of the working day.   

There are two types of roles within a scrum both being a chicken and pig.  A pig’s role within a meeting is members who are present within the meeting and are fully committed to the project, these members are the only ones who participate in the actual progress and have the input on what is created and implemented.  As for the role of the chickens, these members are involved within the project but only through observation.  Chickens are members who have a specific interest within the project but are not fully committed to the project.  Examples of a pig include developers and testers of the project as it’s their responsibility to produce and implement the system, therefore spending a significant amount of time and commitment to the project.   As for chickens an example is a stakeholder within the system such as a customer, as they are outside the scrum and have a small interest in the project as it’s for their own specific need and they will benefit from the outcome.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrum_(development)

http://www.think-box.co.uk/blog/2006/05/daily-stand-up-scrum-meeting.html

http://www.surveymonkey.com/MySurvey_EditorPage.aspx?sm=BalrGnGSt5ZyDeczsREXGJg9ci0LInooSVr0J98c51E%3d

Part 1

In order for me to identify whether or not it is worth while opening the new cafe within Jordanstown University I had to create a survey listed with a number of questions in order for me to make my final decision for Emma’s Cafe.  The survey will conclude by allowing me to evaluate the pros and cons of Emma opening her cafe, and if there will be a big enough demand from consumers in order to do so.

1. 1.      What is your gender?

I included the question in order to identify which sex is more influenced by vegetarian eating habits.  It has been proven that women are twice more likely to be vegetarians as to males shown from my research (http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/poll2000.htm).  Therefore this will allow the cafe to market and promote the cafe to its advantage to target a larger segment or women rather than half women half men.

1. 2.      Are you a Vegetarian?

This question is one of the most basic and required questions in order for us to find out the amount of vegetarians we are dealing with roughly.  Although we know everyone is not going to be interested eating at the cafe all the time it is important to offer meals that can be advertised to non vegetarian who just want to consume a healthy lunch, snack or dinner.

1. 3.      Do you feel that you eat healthy?

The purpose of this question was to discover the number of students both vegetarian and non vegetarian; who eat healthy meals on a regular basis in order to take advantage of this to predict the number of customers a week.  Also because the university itself is known for its sport a lot of athletes eat healthy foods in which we can freshly prepare and offer to them, which the business can also target.

1. 4.      What is your current age?

This question is to obtain the specific age group that is interested in eating vegetarian food; the business can use this to their advantage and market the cafe to reflect this.  For example the atmosphere within the cafe whether it is laid back and relaxed or quirky and loud. 

1. 5.      Would you regularly eat within the shops at Jordanstown University?

This question allows the cafe to recognise whether students eat regularly within the university or so they prefer to bring lunch with them or wait until they leave.  This helps us to predict the consumer base in which we have to work with.  Also to see if the demand for eating inside the university is large enough as the competition is already large with a number of shops and restaurants already available.

1. 6.      Rate the shops below on how your opinion of their service and food they offer.

I recognise that there is already a gap within the market for our new cafe we must still identify our competition niche market and allow us to research into what they are selling which may be similar to our products in order to enhance our marketing and promote our business and make it the superior.  Knowing which outlets are the most popular we can strive to compete with their prices and deals in which they offer to their consumers.

1. 7.      What do you tend to buy within the shops of Jordanstown University?

This allows us to discover what to include within our own menu.  It is all about satisfying the consumer, therefore we must know what they prefer so we can contemplate and meet their demands.

      8. How much on average do you tend to spend on food each day?

This answer allows us to apply prices to our food, as we want to offer a high quality of food at a reasonable price to our consumers.  It allows us to identify the average amount spent so we can make the service affordable for all consumers by offering special offers such as meal deals.

9. What do you as a customer look for as the most important aspect when purchasing food?

Knowing what the consumer wants is one of the most important aspects within a business.  As a business Emma should try to meet all of these aspects to a certain degree, although will want to concentrate on the most important aspect in order to meet her consumers needs.

Part 2

My next step was to carry out an observation process; I decided to take the approach of participant observation while recording my data both using qualitative and quantitative methods.

In relation to timing and duration I plan analyse students eating happens within the university weeks in advance to identify patterns in which foods they go for.  This process may be a long process but will produce the factual and reliable results the business needs.  I predict to follow out this observation for around 2 weeks if needed, I will therefore be able to identify rush hour were students mainly get their lunch and gain instant results from both the students eating habits.  My time will be mainly targeted towards my main competitors which are Streat and Zest as they offer the healthy options for current students.

I tend to record my data through both written and feedback from students who wish to answer questions on their eating habits and express their feelings towards the new cafe.  I may have issues interacting with students as a lot just want to get on with their current business, so communicating and getting answers may become a problem.  Also continuous observation may cause the participant be observation to act abnormal to what their usual habits which wouldn’t make the results realistic.

Also investigating into what competitors best products are when it comes to healthy eating could be difficult to obtain as competitors aren’t going to negotiate in order to help our businesses progress.  This could be a problem as the start of our business when it comes to deciding what to offer to our students.  Finally getting the expenses and resources needed to do this type of research could become a problem as the business may have a small budget to deal with.  The amount of effort and time needed can become tedious as well so it must be made apparent that the study is carried out efficiently.

Task 1

Date: 14^th October 2009

Subject: Economic Feasibility

To: Seamus O’Kane

From: Stacie Morrow

Introduction

The suggestion to improve the business and conquer its issues is that we propose a new idea, which in this case is to develop an internet based business.  This aspect will mean that the company will be able to approach their business in a different manner and figure out their limitations in order for the business to grow and become stable.  I plan to fix this by suggesting new ways to tackle the issues and how ABC Bakeries should approach doing so.

Main Body

In order to decide whether or not to proceed with the new proposed idea I felt it was necessary for us to look into the idea in more depth and do some research beforehand to decide whether it was the best option for ABC Bakeries, this aspect was done through a feasibility study.  The study allowed us to evaluate whether the idea would work and was it worth going ahead with the initial plan.

Looking at the economic feasibility of the proposed system ABC Bakeries must consider the costs in which the new development will cost them and estimate and predict whether it will be worth it both short term and long term to progress with the idea.  In doing this it will allow ABC Bakeries to identify and give value to every cost within the proposed idea.  In order to make this possible we must ensure that the analysis is a number of things such as realistic for the business, ensuring that the goals and targets set are achievable for the business.  Also the analysis must be accurate in order for the business to predict future figures and allow them to see how the business will do long term.  Finally the analysis should be objective, and strive to meet its purpose the business has set out to achieve.

Looking at the costs and benefits of the proposed new system meant I had to look at it in more detail, I decided to divide them into two types of both tangible and intangible. Tangible costs I must identify are the costs of setting up the proposed idea, such as the costs of the hardware and software that ABC Bakeries will need in order to create their website.  The software cost will have to include Dreamweaver C24 to create the website which is around £400+ is purchase from our research.  Also the company will need other simple aspects of software such as Microsoft Office costing around 100+ in order to facilitate the businesses needs such as emailing, finances on spreadsheets and other aspects.  Microsoft Office is also very important so that the business can email its consumers to allow the business to keep up-to-date and on track of deliveries and orders.

Hardware the business will need includes around 6 all in one computers, an all in one printer and fax machine, and may include more within the future depending on how the business grows.  This will add more costs of around £329 per computer with the added costs of an all in one printer being £141.  As for the location of where the business will be situated, I suggest the best idea is to hire out an office near the location of ABC Bakeries employees and employer.  Therefore means they will have the added costs of rent per month and possibly heating and electricity.  The company’s website must also be tested in order to ensure it is fully functional and ready for consumers, this will have to be tested by a professional which will cost the business money either training their employees to do so or hiring someone to do the job.

ABC Bakeries must identify what market segment they are going to target and what consumers.  I suggest that they target mainly the larger firms, in which they can order large batches online which will save money when it comes to distribution.  Companies that they feel that will be beneficial to them and allow them to gain the business a stronger reputation within the food industry.

The business must also estimate intangible cost which can be a problem.  These can include motivating ABC Bakeries staff members on a daily basis to ensure that they are working to the best of their ability; this can be done by arranging benefits to staff members such as discount, bonuses and other financial or non financial incentives.  Costs that appear due to increased inflexibility of the system, such as keep the business running 24/7 and on bank holidays which will cost the business more money for staff wages as on specific days they have to be paid double. Finally the costs of the formality of the system, such as keeping up-to-date with the legal aspects of a business, such as ergonomics to ensure staffs are catered for, also ABC Bakeries will have other factors such as the Data Protection Act and other legal factors to follow due to the new system.

Conclude

I have investigated the aspects which need to meet in order for ABC Bakeries to approach the idea of the proposed new system of developing an internet based business.  The systems will add a lot of costs to the business in the short term, but over the long run I feel that this will be the better option for them as it arranges our the businesses current issues and allows them to continue on with their profitability at a more up-to-date and modern technology to keep up with competitors and the market segment.

http://planningskills.com/glossary/27.php

http://womeninbusiness.about.com/od/businessplans/a/feasibilitystud.htm

https://store2.adobe.com/cfusion/store/index.cfm?&store=OLS-UK&view=ols_prod&category=/Applications/Dreamweaver&distributionMethod=FULL&nr=0&tt=CS_US_P_DW_CS4_B_1&promoid=121DJGPM_CS_US_P_DW_CS4_B_1#category=/Applications/Dreamweaver&loc=en_gb&store=OLS-UK&view=ols_prod

http://www1.euro.dell.com/content/products/features.aspx/desktops_great_deals?c=uk&l=en&s=dhs&cs=ukdhs1&~ck=mn

http://www1.euro.dell.com/uk/en/home/Peripherals/allinone/ct.aspx?refid=allinone&s=dhs&cs=ukdhs1&~ck=mn

Task 2

It has been decided that ABC Bakeries would go ahead to produce an ecommerce website.  I will now suggest a number of personnel to be included within the companies’ team.

First the team will need a web designer in order to create the new website, they must be fully qualified in order to take instructions from management on what exactly they want the website to feature and how they want it portrayed to their consumers.

Another team member the business will need is a business analyst in order to help to analyze what will be included within the website when it comes to explaining the existing business and its reasons for changing its method of distribution and what the business it about.  This member of the team will also help with the final implementing of the finished website.

The team will also need to include a number of staff members, around 2 to go around with sorting out the costs and making sure the website is running effectively, these team members are most likely to be trained by experienced staff member in order to help with the implementation of the business.

Finally the team will need an IT technician to deal with implementing the hardware and software as they will need to be set up in order for the team to work with them.  Also the IT technician can also focus on the design of the website and make suggestions to the web designer of what would work best for the business.

Introduction

The enrolment system was designed to ensure each student was registered within the university before we began our course.  The system used itself has a number of pros and cons in which I will evaluate.

How well or badly did the system work?

I felt that the system used to enrol students was successful as it worked efficiently through the use of good communication skills with both the members of staff and the new students.  The drawback that I found in the system was that I was unsure about the particular modules in which I would be completing, so I basically had to assume that the modules listed were the correct ones.  Also another negative aspect was that we were unsure if we had a time scale to register, our if each process had to be completed straight after another as it had not been suggested that we could have a break and then continue on with registering as we had been at the campus for a long period of time.

How easy was it for you to go through?

We were told to proceed onto the L.R.C to complete the online registry.  This was particularly straightforward as we had been given our student Id numbers beforehand within induction which allowed us to log into the system and complete the series of questions required to complete the online registry.  The process of this was completed effortlessly as each stage was simple and set out clearly and the process being fast, also the first stage explained in detail what would be the outcome of the enrolment which gave me a good insight of its purpose.  Another benefit was that I could proceed back to previous pages if I had made a mistake, also if I hadn’t filled in a specific question the system would inform me, so I could identify and take action straight away.

Would it have been harder for someone coming from a non IT background?

Genuinely I felt that the system would be accessible to any student whether they came from an IT background or not and it was fairly straightforward.  There were also members of the university nearby all the computers to offer their assistance at any time in the case of any queries we had.  Although as I have had experience with doing IT at A Level myself I could only assume that the process was effortless.    

How well or badly did the manual and the computer based parts of the system fit together?

This process was efficient throughout the enrolment as it was fast and I found no issues arose.  Throughout each stage within the online enrolment the systems worked aside in order to allow me to fill in my details and update my status straight away.

Is the user interface well designed?

I found the user interface well designed as the font and size was clear and easily understood.  Also it wasn’t too complex as it made use of drop down boxes which made it simple and straightforward to all students.  Information was clearly stated on each stage of the enrolment and I found the whole process effortless as it made good use of its navigation tools.

Conclusion

Overall I felt that the whole enrolment process was successful, as it clearly works as hundreds of student enrolment each year. I feel there could be changes within the manual system such as reducing the length of time taken to complete the whole process, but overall I feel that it is a continuous system that works effectively.

Source used:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_interface_design