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Unit 12: Building and Deploying an Information System

products, such as reports and displays. Then you should document how the information system notes
activities of input, processing, output, storage, and control are accomplished.

12.2.2 systems analysis

This step of systems analysis is one of the most difficult. You may need to work as a team with
systems analysts and other end users to determine your specific business information needs.
Functional requirements are end user information requirements that are not linked to the
hardware, software, network, data, and people resources that end users presently use or might
use in the new system. Your main goal is to identify what should be done, not how to do it.

12.2.3 systems Design

System analysis describes what a system, should do to meet the information needs of users.
Systems design specifies how the system will accomplish this objective. Systems design process
generates the system specifications that satisfy the functional requirements identified in the
earlier phase.

12.2.4 implementation

Once a new information system has been designed, it must be implemented. The systems
implementation stage involves hardware and software acquisition, software development,
testing of programs and procedures, development of documentation, and a variety of installation
activities. It also involves the education and training of end users and specialists who will operate
a new system.
Finally, implementation involves a transition process from the use of a present system to the
operation of a new or improved application. Transition methods can soften the impact of
introducing new technology into an organization. Thus, transition may involve operating both
new and old systems in parallel for a trial period, or operation of a pilot system on a trial basis at
one location. Phasing in the new system in one application or location at a time is another popular
transition method. However, a plunge or immediate cutover to a new information system is also
a widely used transition method.

12.2.5 maintenance

Systems maintenance is the final stage of the information systems life cycle. It involves
the monitoring, evaluation and modification of a system to make desirable or necessary
improvements. This is a continuous phase and includes a post implementation review process
to ensure that the newly implemented system is meeting the functional business requirements
that were established for it when it was designed. Errors in the development of a system are
corrected by the maintenance activity. Systems maintenance also includes modifying a system
due to internal changes in a business or external changes in the business environment. For
example, development of new products or services, or changes in the tax laws might require
making changes to a company’s marketing and accounting systems.

12.3 software Development models

Given the important role of software in business, great attention has been paid to designing
effective processes for its development. Early attempts at standardizing a formal model for
developing software date back to at least the 1960s. In response to the problems in managing
large custom software development projects, the so-called “Waterfall” model of software
development was introduced. This model identified the separate stages that all software projects

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