Modern System Analysis and Design

Modern Systems Analysis and design covers the concepts, skills, methodologies, techniques, tools, and perspectives essential for systems analysts to successfully develop information systems. The primary target audience is upper division undergraduates in a management information system (MIS) or computer information systems curriculum; a secondary target audience is MIS majors in MBA and MS programs. Although not explicitly written for the junior college and professional development markets, this book can also be used by these programs. We have over 50 years of combnined teaching experience in systems analysis and design and have used that experience to create this newest edition of Modern Systems Analysis and Design. We provide a clear presentation of the concepts, skills, and techniques that students need to become effective systems analysts who work with others to create information systems for business. We use the systems development life cycle (SDLC) model as an organizing toll throughout the book to provide students with a strong conceptual and systematic framework. The SDLC in this edition is new, with five phases instead of six, and a circular design instead of the old "waterfall"design. With this text, we assume that students have taken an introductory course on computer systems and have experience designing programs in several programming languages. We review basic system principles for those students who have not been exposed to the material on which systems development methods are bases. We also assume that students have a solid background in computing literacy and a general understanding of the core elements of a business, including basic terms associated with the production, marketing, finance, and accounting functions. Modern Systems Analmysis and Design is characterized by the following themes: 1. Systems development is firmly rooted in an organizational context. The successsful systems analyst requires a broad undertanding of organizations, organizational culture, and organizational operations. 2. Systems development is a practical field. Coverage of current practices as well as accepted concepts and principles is essential in am texbook. 3. Systems development is a profession. Standards of practice, a sense of continuing personal development, ethics, and a respect for and collaboration with the work of others are general themes in the textbook. 4. Systems development has significantly changed with the explolsive growth in databases, data-driven systems architectures, Rapid Application Development (RAD), and the Internet. Systems development and database management can be and should be taught in am highly coordinated fashion. We show when RAD methos should and sould not applied. The Internet has rapidly become a common development platform for database-driven electronic commerce systems. This text is comptabile with the Hoffer, Prescott, and McFadden database