ISSA221

• TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY

  - The analyst must find out whether it is possible to develop the new system given the current technical resources.

  - The analyst can ask whether the organization has the staff who are technically proficient enough to accomplish the objectives.
• ECONOMIC FEASIBILITY - The

  basic resources to consider are your time and that of the systems analysis team, the cost of doing

  a full systems study (including the time of employees you will be working with), the cost of the

  business employee time, the estimated cost of hardware, and the estimated cost of software or

  software development.
• OPERATIONAL FEASIBILITY - involves projecting whether the system will operate and be used once it is installed.
• Buying - implies that the business itself will own the equipment. has Ability to change system
• Leasing - is more practical when the projected life of the system is less than four years.
• Forecasting - Systems analysts are required to predict certain key variables before the proposal is submitted to the client.
• tangible benefits - can actually be measured in terms of dollars, resources, or time saved.
• Intangible benefits - include improving the decision-making process, enhancing accuracy, becoming more competitive in customer service, maintaining a good business image, and increasing job satisfaction for employees by eliminating tedious tasks.
• tangible costs - are the cost of equipment such as computers and terminals, the cost of resources, the cost of systems analysts’ time, the cost of programmers’ time, and other employees’ salaries.
• Intangible Costs - They include

  losing a competitive edge, losing the reputation for being first with an innovation or the leader in

  a field, declining company image due to increased customer dissatisfaction, and ineffective

  decision making due to untimely or inaccessible information.
• Renting - No capital is tied up, no financing is required, easy to change systems, maintenance and insurance are usually included.
• Gantt chart - a chart on which bars represent each task or activity. The length of each bar represents the relative length of the task. (Sequence)
• PERT Diagram

  - A graphical representation of the relationship between the duration of each activity and the duration of the project as a whole.

  • an acronym for Program Evaluation and Review Techniques.
• PERT Diagram - is represented by a network of nodes and arrows that are then evaluated to determine the critical activities, improve the schedule if necessary, and review progress once the project is undertaken.
• Read Background Material - Read and understand as much background information about the interviewees and their organization as possible.
• Establish Interviewing Objectives

  • Identify the purpose of the interview and the questions you want to ask.
  • Use the background information you gathered as well as your own experience to establish interview objectives. There should be four to six key areas concerning HCI, information processing, and decision-making behavior about which you will want to ask questions.
• Decide Whom to Interview - include key people at all levels who will be affected by the system in some manner. Strive for balance so that as many users’ needs are addressed as possible
• Prepare the Interviewee - Prepare the person to be interviewed by calling ahead or sending an email message and allowing the interviewee time to think about the interview.
• Decide on Question Types and Structure - Write questions to cover the key areas of HCI and decision making that you discovered when you ascertained interview objectives. Proper questioning techniques are the heart of interviewing. Questions have some basic forms you need

  to know.
• Open-ended questions

  • questions that allow the respondent to answer in their own words.
  • describes the interviewee’s options for responding. They are open. The response can be two words or two paragraphs.
• Closed questions

  • The possible responses are closed to the interviewee, because he or she can only reply with a finite number such as “None,” “One,” or “Fifteen.
  • A closed question limits the response available to the interviewee.
• Bipolar questions - This type of question limits the interviewee even further by only allowing a choice on either pole, such as yes or no, true or false, agree or disagree.
• Probes

  • follow up
  • The purpose of this is to go beyond the initial answer to get more meaning, to clarify, and to draw out and expand on the interviewee’s point.
• Pyramid structure

  • the interviewer then expands the topics by allowing open-ended questions and more generalized responses.
  • used if you believe your interviewee needs to warm up to the topic.
• Funnel structure - the interviewer takes a deductive approach by beginning with generalized, open-ended questions and then narrowing the possible responses by using closed questions.
• Diamond-shape structure - This structure entails beginning in a very specific way, then examining general issues, and finally coming to a very specific conclusion.