Prerequisites:
MGMT4600 and MGMT 4610. These are not suggested – they are required. They may not be concurrent.
Dropping this
course:
While the normal procedures for dropping this course still apply, the Department Head has asked that all MIS majors be informed that, because of the extraordinary demand for courses in the MIS major, there is no guarantee that sufficient seats in any specific course will be available in subsequent semesters. Thus, dropping this course may adversely affect your ability to finish your MIS major in three semesters. This is equally true for all MIS courses within the major.
Course Objectives:
This course should be viewed as the cornerstone upon which all subsequent MIS activities are based. Skills you learn in this class will be applied again and again throughout your college and IS careers. Consequently, you should expect to work hard in this course to develop these skills. It is expected that students will spend at least 7 hours per week reading and working on assignments and projects. This course introduces the concepts and methods of information systems analysis and design, with an emphasis on systems analysis methods and tools. A major focus of the course is a group project.
A systems analyst shall be responsible
for studying the problems and needs set forth by an organization and to
determine how people, methods, and computer technology can best accomplish
improvements. When computer technology is used, the analyst shall be responsible
for the efficient capture of data from its business source, the flow of that
data to the computer, the processing and storage of that data by the computer,
and the flow of useful and timely information back to business
users.
After an overview of the entire systems development lifecycle, the question of how systems development projects are identified is discussed. Then the focus of the course shifts to the analysis phase where the requirements for an information system are defined using graphical models and supporting documentation. Coverage of system design emphasizes what is often called external design (or user interface design) rather than software design. In the first part of the course we focus on traditional methods, with an emphasis on process modeling with data flow diagrams. In the last third of the course we cover much of the same ground using an objected oriented approach.
The course focuses on the issues and management techniques involved in the analysis, design, and implementation of information systems. Most businesses expect their systems analysts to be knowledgeable of three general areas:
· Interpersonal skills: The systems analyst should be effective in both verbal and written communications, should be able to facilitate meetings, and should be a competent change agent.
· Information Systems: The systems analyst should be familiar with the general IS concepts such as the Systems Development Life Cycle, CASE tools, prototyping, process and data modeling tools and techniques, rapid and joint application development, and programming.
· Functional Business Areas: The systems analyst should be familiar with the accounting, marketing, and customer service areas.
This course will focus on items 1 and 2 above to achieve the following outcomes. Upon completion of this course, you should be able to effectively:
· understand the concepts and principles of the systems development life cycle (SDLC), including systems planning, project management, and computer-aided systems engineering (CASE) tools.
· use the tools and techniques of the structured systems analysis methodology to model systems requirements, including an improvement to structured analysis called essential systems analysis.
· design and prototype forms, reports, screens, and user-computer dialogs which convey the look and feel of a new systems to end-users.
· be familiar with trends affecting the analysis and design of information systems, including alternative methodologies such as object oriented analysis and design.
· understand object oriented analysis concepts in terms of utilization, design, and implementation.
Specifically, upon completion of this course, you should be able to effectively:
· define the systems analyst’s role and responsibilities in a typical organization.
· define systems planning, systems analysis, systems design, systems implementation, and systems support.
· describe a phased approach to information systems development and describe cross-life activities that overlap the entire life cycle.
· compare and contrast the systems development life cycle and system development techniques, including structured programming, modern structured analysis, structured design, information engineering, and prototyping.
· define and perform data modeling, process modeling, and object modeling and explain why they are important.
Course Requirements:
Due Dates: All assignments are due at the beginning of class on the allocated due date. Due dates are subject to change by the instructor.
Individual Work: Assignments in this category are to be accomplished individually. This means that you are not to solve problems together or compare answers prior to turning in the work. Cooperative efforts on individual work are violations of academic honesty, and at the least result in a grade of zero for all parties involved, and may result in referal to the appropriate university body. Please refer to the University's academic honesty policy for more details. ( The policy is available at: http://www.uga.edu/ovpi/honesty/main.html )
Group Work: Assignments in this category are to be accomplished as members of a team. Team members are to be there to help each other. If a team member must miss class, then the other team members are to make sure that the person receives notes and handouts from that class and is informed of any assignments or activities discussed during class. All team members must participate in all team activities, and it is the responsibility of the team to ensure that all team members understand all concepts related to the completed projects and presentations. Early in the quarter (start thinking about it today) students in the class must form their own teams. Your team must be self-managing, and you will have the opportunity to grade your team members on their contributions.
Group Project: The purpose of the major group project is to provide the opportunity to apply the tools and techniques demonstrated in class to a real world problem, within a project team environment. Your individual grade will depend on the overall quality of the project, how well the project satisfies the required tasks, and a peer evaluation. It is possible to receive a grade better or worse than the team grade.There will be two group presentations during the semester. There will be deliverables that are due throughout the semester as well. Details on the deliverables are available on the Web Site.
Due: Aug 29
Due: Oct 12 (see schedule for details on presentation times)
Due: Nov 12
Due: Dec 3
Note on Project Grades: Group project grades will not be counted if other (individual) grades are not at least at the C level. If you do not have acceptable performance on the process modeling tested in class, your project work will not help you. You must learn the process modeling skills!
Grading:
Attendance/ Participation:
Attendance at all class sessions is considered an essential part of your learning experience, and your participation is expected during each class period. Therefore, class attendance is mandatory; and 15 percent (15%) of your overall grade will be determined by your combined class participation and attendence.
The class attendence/class participation portion of the grades is calculated as follows:
Not only is attendance made mandatory in an
effort to assist in your learning experience, each student’s attendance and
participation in the class aids in the other students’ learning experience.
Therefore, if a student has either unexcused absences for an entire week or a
significant number of intermittent unexcused absences, I retain the right to
drop that student from the course with either a "W" or a "WF" as is
appropriate. Excused absences MUST be granted in advance
except for unforeseen medical or other emergency reasons. An email sent before the class in question will
constitute a request for an excused absence for that class. If you
have an excused absence, I MAY allow you to make up assignments from the missed
class. Any appeals of my decision concerning excused absences or to drop a
student from the course must be made to Dr. Richard Rose.
|
Class Part./Attendance |
15% |
Individual |
|
Project Deliverable #1 |
5% |
Group |
|
Project Deliverable #2 |
10% |
Group |
|
Project Deliverable #3 |
10% |
Group |
|
Project Deliverable #4 |
10% |
Group |
|
Test #1, Chapters 1-5 |
15% |
Individual |
|
Test #2, Chapter 6 |
15% |
Individual |
|
Test #3, Everything |
20% |
Individual |
|
Total |
100% |
|
|
89.5% - 100% |
A |
|
79.5% - 89.49...% |
B |
|
69.5% - 79.49...% |
C |
|
59.5% - 69.49...% |
D |
|
Below 59.5% |
F |
|
If one or more major assignments is incomplete or attendence becomes an issue as outlined above. |
I, W, WF |
Grade Reporting:
I will either post the test grades and all other grades on our WebCT site or on the course system I'm developing. Either way they will be available to each student at any time by logging in with their UGA student MyID. Given the difficulty of project presentation grading, grades are typically not available much before the cutoff time for turning in grades. Since the university system makes these grades available to students soon after they are turned in I may not post the final grades on the grade site. I am open to other ways of doing of this, but will have to be convinced.
Tests:
There will be three tests given during
the course of the semester. Make-up tests will only be given in the case of a
University of Georgia recognized excusable absence. A letter of approval must be obtained
from Dr. Richard Rose at Student Affairs before a make-up test will be
given. Please note that the make-up tests will be different than regular tests.
An unexcused absence for a test will lead to zero (0) points earned on that
test.
This
includes quizzes, homework, and in-class exercises. ERD and DFD homework assignments
will be distributed in class or posted on our course
site.
I intend that the classes will consist largely of lectures, discussion and in-class exercises. In order for discussion to be valuable, each student must not only be fully prepared at the beginning of each class, but must also participate in class discussions. Participation includes attendance and engaged discussion.
News
Articles: You may present up to three articles during the semester,
each worth an extra point on your attendence grade. These are presented to
the class and must reference some aspect of systems analysis (e.g., a
company’s description of their plan to adopt a new
technology to meet a specific business need). The presentations should be no longer
than five minutes. The article topic will be used for class
discussion after the brief presentation. For each article, present either a URL referencing
the article or a scanned copy in PowerPoint plus keywords enlightening the value
of the content. These will be posted on the course Web site. To get an
article approved and reserve class time see me.
The
team project is the most valuable part of MIST 4620 to you as a future systems
analyst or other type of IS professional. This project is a fun, realistic way
to gain experience that you will build on throughout your IS career. I expect
you to work hard on this project and take it very seriously.
Your team is to choose a
business problem or need to address – this business problem or need can involve either
a proposed or existing system – from a company to which you
have access. You must have at least one (preferably more) accessible contact with this company,
and this contact should be able to give you adequate details on the system
that you will be designing. The contact can be a relative, someone at
the university, or someone at a local Athens establishment. By using a real-life
system as opposed to a textbook case, you should learn more accurately what
the systems analyst’s role is all about. The written portion of each project
deliverable for all teams will be turned
in on the first due date for that deliverable. Along with the written
deliverable, each member will turn in an evaluation form that will grade the
participation of each team member on that deliverable. I EXPECT
equal participation from each team member; therefore, each team member would
be expected to receive the maximum points on each set of the deliverable evaluations.
Individuals receiving below the average number of points may receive a somewhat
lower grade on that deliverable than the team grade. This team project is the
most valuable part of MIST 4620 to you as a future systems analyst or other type
of IS professional. This project is a fun, realistic way to gain experience that
you will build on throughout your systems career. I expect you to work hard on
this project and take it very seriously.
Your team is to choose an EXISTING organization with a business problem or need to address – this business problem or need can involve either a proposed or existing system – from a company to which you have access. You must have at least one (preferably more) accessible contact with this company, and this contact should be able to give you adequate details on the system that you will be designing. The contact can be a relative, someone at the university, or someone at a local Athens establishment. By using a real-life system as opposed to a textbook case, you should learn more accurately about the concerns and responsibilities of a systems’ analyst.
You will have deliverables due throughout the semester as well
as two major team presentations. Everyone in the team should speak at least
once during each presentation on behalf of the team. Also, you will be required to build a
simple, working prototype of your system for the final presentation. You may select the
prototype tool and language. The University provides Microsoft Access, Visual
Basic, and HTML, but I suggest that you choose a tool in which your team has
expertise.
Configuring an out-of-the-box solution does not constitute an acceptable
project.
The
final deliverable consists of a sales presentation for your prototype and the
supporting documentation for this presentation. Typically, IS professionals from
both consulting companies and corporate IS departments attend this final
deliverable presentation and comment on the presentations. The set of
deliverables that is produced in the class should serve as an excellent document
for your portfolio as an analyst. Every team member should have their own copy
of the final deliverable, and the deliverable should be available if a company
were to ask to look at it during an interview situation. The group should
complete each part of the deliverable to meet high quality standards. A disk or CD copy
of the prototype as an executable and copy
of the forms, reports, and database including all source code are required with
submission of Deliverable 4.
Final Exam Period: Wednesday , December 6, 12 noon - 3pm
There will not be a final exam; however, the final project deliverable
for the remaining project teams will be made during this exam period. Attendance is
mandatory . Failure to comply
attend on any
presentation day will result in a loss of five (5) points on your attendence
grade.
Cheating will not be tolerated in exams,
quizzes, homework, or projects; however, the homework, and the project are open
book. The work you do must be your work except when it is the assigned team
project. The assigned team project is to be the work of that team. Work done by
others, who are not a part of the team, MUST be identified as such (including
who the outside person is and why they are involved in the project). Involvement
of individuals who are not a part of the team is strongly discouraged. Further
details may be found in the University Academic
Policy.