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Systems analysis and design (4th ed.)
Wixom B., Roth R., Dennis A., Wiley Publishing, Hoboken, NJ, 2009. 576 pp. Type: Book
Date Reviewed: Apr 13 2011

In this introductory book on the analysis and design of information systems, the authors take readers through the four key phases of a system’s life cycle: planning, analysis, design, and implementation.

Part 1, “Planning Phase,” focuses on the “why” of a system. This part begins with chapter 1, “The Systems Analyst and Information Systems Development.” In chapter 2’s section titled “Creating a Project Plan,” the authors consider various systems development life cycle (SDLC) methods. In any project where a project plan is created, a statement of work (SOW) precedes it. The authors do not discuss the SOW anywhere in the book. Chapter 2 also discusses roles and responsibilities--however, every role is that of an analyst. Though the authors designate between business, systems, infrastructure, and change management analysts, they make no mention of designers, engineers, testers, programmers, and architects.

Part 2, “Analysis Phase,” focuses on the “who, what, where, and when” of systems development. Its main deliverables are a system proposal, a requirements definition, and use cases. Chapter 3 looks at the development of an analysis strategy and the determination of business requirements, and chapter 4 covers use cases. The authors consider use cases from a software engineering perspective rather than a systems engineering one. Chapter 5, “Process Modeling,” and chapter 6, “Data Modeling,” are excellent, providing ample information and examples so that students can create their own models.

Part 3, “Design Phase,” focuses on the “how” aspects of system design. The primary deliverable of this part is the system specification, which chapters 7 through 11 cover in terms of an architecture report, a hardware and software specification, interface design, a physical process model, program design, a database and storage specification, and a physical data model.

Part 4, “Implementation Phase,” begins with chapter 12’s exploration of the creation of test plans, programs, and documentation. Chapter 13 considers the migration plan in terms of planning for conversion to the new system, business contingency planning, and training. This chapter also briefly addresses service management topics such as support plans, change requests, problem reports, and audit reports. I would have liked to see better coverage of service management topics in this chapter, especially in line with the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL), which is the de facto standard methodology for service management. Part 4 ends with chapter 14, “The Movement to Objects.”

What I like is this book’s comprehensiveness. It covers the entire life cycle of a project, from the pre-initiation phase when a cost-benefit analysis is made to the post-implementation service management tasks. Most chapters end with excellent questions, exercises, and mini-cases.

However, some aspects of the book could be improved. Standards such as the unified modeling language (UML) should be discussed in the examples; as it stands, an overview of UML is presented in chapter 14 as an afterthought. Parts 2 and 3 should cover security, network-related design, and governance. Finally, the authors should consider tools and provide templates for producing deliverables.

The classic books in this field are those written by Yourdon [1] and Page-Jones [2]. Indeed, the latter is the only book to cover cohesion and coupling in detail. Although both books were written in the 1980s, most of the information is still relevant--both books delve into the generic aspects of analyzing and designing systems. A more up-to-date competitive title is Systems analysis and design [3], which is quite similar in scope and comprehensiveness to this book. That being said, Kendall and Kendall are more practical than Wixom et al.: they rightly emphasize requirements gathering through the use of questionnaires, interviews, observations, and prototypes.

Despite some omissions and inaccuracies, this book successfully provides an introduction to systems analysis and design in terms of a system’s life cycle. It effectively takes the student from basic principles to a broad level of understanding.

Reviewer:  Nayan Ruparelia Review #: CR138983 (1112-1270)
1) Page-Jones, M.; , The practical guide to structured systems design (2nd ed.). Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1988.
2) Kendall, K.E.; Kendall, J.E. Systems analysis and design (8th ed.). Pearson Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ, 2011.
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