Section 11.1
System Development
11.1 Introduction
11.1.1 Project Selection
A business organisation may have more than one reason for the introduction of computers.
Usually a particular area of the business is selected for computerisation.
Reasons why an organisation may computerise an area of business:
- There is a large amount of data that requires repetitive processing.
- There is a need for better access for up-to-date information.
- Clerical costs could be reduced.
There may also be indirect benefits to customer service or cash flow.
For the project to be successful it must not be too complex.
11.1.2 The Systems Analyst
The job of the Systems Analyst:
- Analyse the data processing requirements of the organisation.
- Decide whether the current system could be computerised.
- Specify how the new system should work.
- Take the responsibility for implementing the new system.
In order to do this the analyst must:
- Have a very good understanding of the organisation and how computers
can be used.
11.1.3 The Systems Life Cycle
Commercial systems all share a commom life cycle pattern.
Business systems may need to change because of:
- expansion
- change of business activities
- the economic situation
- technological advances
- or other factors
At this point a Systems Analyst is employed.
