Overview
Systems analysis and design deal with planning the development of information systems through understanding and specifying in detail what a system should do and how the components of the system should be implemented and work together. System analysts solve business problems through analyzing the requirements of information systems and designing such systems by applying analysis and design techniques. This course deals with the concepts, skills, methodologies, techniques, tools, and perspectives essential for systems analysts. The practical component of COMP 361 is object-oriented and use-case driven, requiring students to go through the steps of systems analysis and design to solve a real-life business problem.
Outline
Unit 1: An Introduction to Systems Development
You will learn about the organizational and business context of systems development.
Unit 2: Approaches to Systems Development and Project Management
You will learn to explain and apply systems development methodologies, models, tools, and techniques for developing quality software. Furthermore, in this unit, you will learn about project management in the context of systems development.
Units 3 and 4: Systems Analysis Activities
You will learn about how to define, prioritize, and evaluate requirements of an information system, as well as build general and detailed models (e.g., use-case diagram, activity diagram, domain model class diagram, and system sequence diagram) that specify the system requirements.
Unit 5: Essentials of Systems Design
You will learn to describe, organize, and structure the components of a system, including decisions about the system controls and security, as well as the system architecture. Furthermore, you will learn about designing effective user interfaces by considering human-computer interaction principles. In addition, you will learn how to store and exchange data in the system through creating database models and considering database management.
Units 6 and 7: Advanced Design and Deployment Concepts
You will learn to apply object-oriented design in order to build detailed models (e.g., design class diagrams, communication diagrams, and sequence diagrams) that assist programmers in implementing the system. Furthermore, you will learn about how to make the system operational, including implementation, software testing, and deployment issues.
Learning outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, you should be able to
- explain approaches to systems development and how to manage a software development project.
- gather data to analyze and specify the requirements of a system.
- design system components and environments.
- build general and detailed models that assist programmers in implementing a system.
- design a database for storing data, user interfaces for data input and output, and controls to protect the system and its data.
Evaluation
To receive credit for COMP 361, you must achieve a course composite grade of at least D (50 percent), including at least 50 percent on participation and the final examination. The weighting of the composite grade is as follows:
| Activity | Weight |
| Assignment 1 | 15% |
| Assignment 2 | 20% |
| Assignment 3 | 20% |
| Assignment 4 | 15% |
| Participation | 10% |
| Final Exam | 20% |
| Total | 100% |
The final examination for this course must be requested in advance and written under the supervision of an AU-approved exam invigilator. Invigilators include either ProctorU or an approved in-person invigilation centre that can accommodate online exams. Students are responsible for payment of any invigilation fees. Information on exam request deadlines, invigilators, and other exam-related questions, can be found at the Exams and grades section of the Calendar.
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
Digital course materials
Links to the following course materials will be made available in the course:
Satzinger, J. W., Jackson, R. B., & Burd, S. D. (2016). Systems analysis and design in a changing world (7th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Other Resources
To supplement the eText, the course also includes several resources that highlight new trends and developments in the field.