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Entries for the 'Structured Systems Analysis (DFDs, ERDs, etc.)' Category

» FEATURED: An Introduction to Data Flow Diagrams

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A data flow diagram (commonly abbreviated to DFD) shows what information is needed within a process, where it is stored, and how it moves through a system to accomplish an objective. As its name implies, a data flow diagram depicts the flow of data within a system.

» FEATURED: Data Flow Diagram with Examples & Tips

(12469 Views) (4 Comments)

The Data Flow Diagram (DFD) provides a graphical representation of the flow of data through a system. It shows logically what information is exchanged by our system processes and external interfaces or data stores, but it does not explicitly show when or in what sequence the information is exchanged.

» FEATURED: Putting Systems Analysis “Into Context” using the Context Diagram

(6098 Views) (2 Comments)

This article is all about putting your systems analysis into context; literally and metaphorically. It’s all about drawing and interpreting the not-quite-UML Context Diagram that is sometimes referred to as the System Context Diagram.

» Three Types of Design Effort

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In I.T., are we really spending too much time on "maintenance"? Within any systems development organization, there are but three types of work effort: new systems development, maintenance, and modification/improvements. A mature development organization will spend approximately 5% of its time on new development, 10% on maintenance, and 85% of...

» FEATURED: Introduction to Context Diagrams

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Context diagrams are instrumental in unearthing unknown requirements during the discovery phase, both by forcing an analyst to think through the context (thus the moniker context diagram) of a project methodically and by enabling stakeholders to do so as well.

» Information Systems Theory 101

(6571 Views) (1 Comments)

Systems work is not as hard as you might think. However, we have a tendency in this business to complicate things by changing the vocabulary of systems work and introducing convoluted concepts and techniques, all of which makes it difficult to produce systems in a consistent manner. Consequently, there is a tendency to reinvent the wheel with each ...

» The How To of Essential Modeling

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Also called abstract or business modelling, essential modelling can be an extremely valuable tool for the business analyst. Instead of modelling how things are done (the current system), or how they might be done (a proposed system), we model what is done, or what might be done. For example the purpose of a Customer Service Department is to provide...

» Stakeholder Communications - Pictures not Words

(7115 Views) (5 Comments)

Many people on our Business Analysis workshop ask why we use dataflow diagrams (DFDs). Why not Use Case…or even BPMN? After all DFDs have been around for 20 years, surely the world has moved on? Well, has it? The primary purpose of a business analyst is to communicate – to stakeholders and to solution providers – and when it comes to communication...

» FEATURED: Eight Competencies a Business Analyst Needs to Know

(45877 Views) (12 Comments)

Every year, organizations around the world face startlingly high project failure rates. Some research has shown that less than 30 percent of software projects are completed on time and on budget—and barely 50 percent end up meeting their proposed functionality. If you’re a big league baseball player, failing five to seven times out of ten will get ...

» A Short History of Systems Development

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I always find it amusing when I tell a young person in this industry that I worked with punch cards and plastic templates years ago. Its kind of the same dumbfounded look I get from my kids when I tell them we used to watch black and white television with three channels, no remote control, and station signoffs at midnight. It has been my observatio...

» Functional Specification - a Tutorial

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What Is A Functional Specification? Functional specifications (functional specs), in the end, are the blueprint for how you want a particular web project or application to look and work. It details what the finished product will do, how a user will interact with it, and what it will look like. By creating a blueprint of the product first, time an...

» From Use Case Diagrams to Context Diagrams

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As long as practitioners recognize that use case diagrams are optional and iconic (as opposed to schematic), they shouldn't have problems. The diagrams are useful, for example, on whiteboards as a way of sketching and framing an agenda while people are writing up and reviewing use case detail on index cards. The trouble starts, however, when pr...

» "Analysis and Design" Considered Harmful

(2385 Views) (2 Comments)

This article describes a common pitfall of thinking of analysis and design together as a single process, and highlights the need to treat analysis and design as two separate processes. The author, points out that much of the UML standard, as it is explained today, is described in terms of design artifacts rather than analysis artifacts. Author: Co...

» Implicit Data Dictionaries are Dangerous!

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Describes the difference between a data dictionary and an implicit data dictionary and why an implicit data dictionary (or no data dictionary at all) may spell trouble for your project. Can data dictionaries be used with UML Use Cases or an XP methodology? Author: Conrad Weisert

» Separating Analysis from Design

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"Business Analysis is about thinking what your solution should do, while Design is about how to make it happen using the technology available. Don't ever combine the two - you save nothing." This paper by Brian Cooney, principal instructor at IRM, describes the need for clear separation between the two phases and the benefits this provides for a...

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Business Analyst Articles: Business Analysis & Systems Analysis

Entries for the 'Structured Systems Analysis (DFDs, ERDs, etc.)' Category

Join the Premier Community for Business Analysts, Business Process Professionals, Systems Analysts, Data Analysts, and more…

Business Analyst Articles: Business Analysis & Systems Analysis

Entries for the 'Structured Systems Analysis (DFDs, ERDs, etc.)' Category

Join the Premier Community for
Business Analysts, Business Process Professionals,
Systems Analysts, Data Analysts, and more…