Systems analysis is "the process of studying a procedure or business to identify its goal and purposes and create

system A system is a group of interacting or interrelated elements that act according to a set of rules to form a unified whole. A system, surrounded and influenced by its environment, is described by its boundaries, structure and purpose and express ...

s and procedures that will efficiently achieve them". Another view sees system analysis as a

problem-solving Problem solving is the process of achieving a goal by overcoming obstacles, a frequent part of most activities. Problems in need of solutions range from simple personal tasks (e.g. how to turn on an appliance) to complex issues in business an ...

technique that breaks down a system into its component pieces, and how well those parts work and interact to accomplish their purpose. The field of system analysis relates closely to requirements analysis or to

operations research Operations research ( en-GB, operational research) (U.S. Air Force Specialty Code: Operations Analysis), often shortened to the initialism OR, is a discipline that deals with the development and application of analytical methods to improve decis ...

. It is also "an explicit formal inquiry carried out to help a

decision maker In psychology, decision-making (also spelled decision making and decisionmaking) is regarded as the cognitive process resulting in the selection of a belief or a course of action among several possible alternative options. It could be either rat ...

identify a better course of action and make a better decision than they might otherwise have made." The terms

analysis Analysis ( : analyses) is the process of breaking a complex topic or substance into smaller parts in order to gain a better understanding of it. The technique has been applied in the study of mathematics and logic since before Aristotle (3 ...

and

synthesis Synthesis or synthesize may refer to: Science Chemistry and biochemistry * Chemical synthesis, the execution of chemical reactions to form a more complex molecule from chemical precursors **Organic synthesis, the chemical synthesis of organ ...

stems from Greek, meaning "to take apart" and "to put together," respectively. These terms are used in many

scientific discipline The branches of science, also referred to as sciences, scientific fields or scientific disciplines, are commonly divided into three major groups: * Formal sciences: the study of formal systems, such as those under the branches of logic and ma ...

s, from mathematics and logic to economics and psychology, to denote similar investigative procedures. The analysis is defined as "the procedure by which we break down an intellectual or substantial whole into parts," while synthesis means "the procedure by which we combine separate elements or components to form a coherent whole." System analysis researchers apply

methodology In its most common sense, methodology is the study of research methods. However, the term can also refer to the methods themselves or to the philosophical discussion of associated background assumptions. A method is a structured procedure for br ...

to the systems involved, forming an overall picture. System analysis is used in every field where something is developed. Analysis can also be a series of components that perform organic functions together, such as system engineering. System engineering is an interdisciplinary field of engineering that focuses on how complex engineering projects should be designed and managed.

Information technology

The development of a computer-based information system includes a system analysis phase. This helps produce the data model, a precursor to creating or enhancing a

database In computing, a database is an organized collection of data stored and accessed electronically. Small databases can be stored on a file system, while large databases are hosted on computer clusters or cloud storage. The design of databases ...

. There are several different approaches to system analysis. When a computer-based information system is developed, system analysis (according to the Waterfall model) would constitute the following steps: * The development of a feasibility study: determining whether a project is economically, socially, technologically, and organizationally feasible * Fact-finding measures, designed to ascertain the requirements of the system's end-users (typically involving interviews, questionnaires, or visual observations of work on the existing system) * Gauging how the end-users would operate the system (in terms of general experience in using computer hardware or software), what the system would be used for, and so on Another view outlines a phased approach to the process. This approach breaks system analysis into 5 phases: * Scope Definition: Clearly defined objectives and requirements necessary to meet a project's requirements as defined by its stakeholders * Problem analysis: the process of understanding problems and needs and arriving at solutions that meet them * Requirements analysis: determining the conditions that need to be met * Logical design: looking at the logical relationship among the objects * Decision analysis: making a final decision

Use case In software and systems engineering, the phrase use case is a polyseme with two senses: # A usage scenario for a piece of software; often used in the plural to suggest situations where a piece of software may be useful. # A potential scenario ...

s are widely used system analysis modeling tools for identifying and expressing the functional requirements of a system. Each use case is a business scenario or event for which the system must provide a defined response. Use cases evolved from the object-oriented analysis.

Policy analysis

The discipline of what is today known as

policy analysis Policy analysis is a technique used in the public administration sub-field of political science to enable civil servants, nonprofit organizations, and others to examine and evaluate the available options to implement the goals of laws and elected ...

originated from the application of system analysis when it was first instituted by

United States Secretary of Defense The United States secretary of defense (SecDef) is the head of the United States Department of Defense, the executive department of the U.S. Armed Forces, and is a high ranking member of the federal cabinet. DoDD 5100.1: Enclosure 2: a The se ...

Robert McNamara.

Practitioners

Practitioners of system analysis are often called up to dissect systems that have grown haphazardly to determine the current components of the system. This was shown during the year 2000 re-engineering effort as business and manufacturing processes were examined as part of the Y2K automation upgrades.Géza HUSI: Mechatronics Control Systems Employment utilizing system analysis include

system analyst A systems analyst, also known as business technology analyst, is an information technology (IT) professional who specializes in analyzing, designing and implementing information systems. Systems analysts assess the suitability of information syst ...

business analyst A business analyst (BA) is a person who processes, interprets and documents business processes, products, services and software through analysis of data. The role of a business analyst is to ensure business efficiency increases through their k ...

, manufacturing engineer,

systems architect The systems architect is an information and communications technology professional. Systems architects define the architecture of a computerized system (i.e., a system composed of software and hardware) in order to fulfill certain requirements. ...

, enterprise architect, software architect, etc. While practitioners of system analysis can be called upon to create new systems, they often modify, expand, or document existing systems (

processes A process is a series or set of activities that interact to produce a result; it may occur once-only or be recurrent or periodic. Things called a process include: Business and management *Business process, activities that produce a specific se ...

, procedures, and

methods Method ( grc, μέθοδος, methodos) literally means a pursuit of knowledge, investigation, mode of prosecuting such inquiry, or system. In recent centuries it more often means a prescribed process for completing a task. It may refer to: *Scien ...

). Researchers and practitioners rely on system analysis. Activity system analysis has been already applied to various research and practice studies including business management, educational reform, educational technology, etc.

References

Selected publications

* Bentley, Lonnie D.,

Kevin C. Dittman Kevin C. Dittman (born ca. 1960) is an American computer scientist, IT consultant and Professor of Information Technology at the Purdue University, especially known for his textbook ''Systems analysis and design methods'' written with Lonnie D. Ben ...

, and Jeffrey L. Whitten. ''System analysis and design methods.'' (1986, 1997, 2004). * Hawryszkiewycz, Igor T. ''Introduction to system analysis and design.'' Prentice-Hall PTR, 1994. * Whitten, Jeffery L., Lonnie D. Bentley, and Kevin C. Dittman. ''Fundamentals of system analysis and design methods.'' (2004).

External links