INTRODUCTION TO

INFORMATION
SYSTEM

What is a system?

A system is an interrelated set of components that function together to

achieve an outcome
It consists of three major components:
Input
Process
Output

What is a system?
It consists of the following elements:
Purpose
Subsystems
Environment
Boundary
Connections
Control Mechanism

SYSTEM CONCEPTS
Business System
collection of policies, procedures, methods, people, machines, and

other elements that interact and enable the organization to achieve

its goals.
Information System
collection of interrelated components that collect, process, store, and

provide as output the information needed to complete a business task

Information Systems

Components
Work practice
Information
People
Information technology

Information Systems

Reasons for the need of an information system

growing size of the organization and the number of competitors

growing ability of computers to process large amount of data with

great speed

dramatic increase in volumes of data generated

advances in communication technologies to

permit faster data transmission

increase in pace of business transactions

much more sophisticated technology today

Types of Information Systems

Transaction Processing Systems (TPS)

process large amount of data for routine business activities or

transactions
very important for the organization since they gather all the input
necessary for other types of information systems

Types of Information Systems

Management Information Systems (MIS)
provide a standard reports for managers about transaction data
work on the purposeful interaction between people and computers
supports a broader range of organizational tasks to include not

only TPS but also decision analysis and decision making

help unite some of the computerized information functions of a

business
designed to take the relatively raw data available through a TPS

and convert them into a summarized and aggregated form for

managers, usually in a report format

Types of Information Systems

Decision Support Systems (DSS)
designed to help organizational decision makers identify and

choose between options or decisions

provides an interactive environment in which decision makers can

quickly manipulate data and models of business operations

depend on a database as a source of data

Types of Information Systems

Office Automation Systems (OAS)
support general office work for handling and managing

documents and facilitating communication

aspects include word processing, spreadsheets, desktop

publishing, electronic scheduling, and communication through

voice mail, email, and video conferencing

Types of Information Systems

Expert Systems (ES)
perform a task that would otherwise be performed by a human

expert
designed to take the place of human expert, while others are

designed to aid them

are part of a general category of computer applications known as

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Types of Information Systems

Executive Information Systems (EIS)
provide a generalized computing and communication environment

to senior managers to support strategic decisions

rely on the information generated by MIS and allow

communication with external sources of information

designed to facilitate senior managers access to information

quickly and effectively

General System Principles

The more specialized a system is, the less able it is to adapt to different

circumstances.
The more general-purpose a system is, the less optimized it is for any

particular situation. But the more the system is optimized for a particular
situation, the less adaptable it will be to new circumstances.
The larger the system is the more of its resources that must be devoted to

its everyday maintenance.

Systems are always part of larger systems, and they can always be

partitioned into smaller systems.

Systems grow. This principle could not be true for all systems, but many of

the systems with which we are familiar do grow, because we often fail to
take it into account when we begin developing the system.

Players in the System Game

System sponsors/owners
pay for the system to be built and operated and set the vision and

priorities for the system

System users
who actually use the system on a regular basis to support the

operation and management of the organization

System designers
technical specialists that translate the business requirements into a

feasible technical solution

Players in the System Game

System builders
technical specialists who build, test, and deliver the information

system
System analysts
who determine the requirements that must be met by the

information system

Roles of the Systems Analyst

Systems Analyst as Consultant
address specific information systems issues within a business
Systems Analyst as Supporting Expert
draws on professional expertise concerning computer hardware and

software and their uses in the business

Systems Analyst as Agent of Change
perform any of the activities in the SDLC and are present in the business for

an extended period
advocates a particular avenue of change involving the use of information
systems

Required Skills of the Systems

Analyst

TECHNICAL
KNOWLEDGE

TECHNICAL
SKILLS

Required Skills of the Systems

Analyst

BUSINESS
KNOWLEDGE

BUSINESS
SKILLS

Required Skills of the Systems

Analyst

PEOPLE
KNOWLEDGE

PEOPLE SKILLS

Technical Knowledge and Skills

Computers and how they work

Devices that interact with computers, including input devices, storage

devices, and output devices

Communications networks that connect computers
Databases and database management systems
Programming languages
Operating systems and utilities

Technical Knowledge and Skills

Software packages such as Microsoft Access that can be used to

develop systems
Integrated development environments (IDEs) for specific

programming languages
Computer-aided system engineering (CASE) tools that store

information about system specifications created by analysts and

sometimes generate program code
Program code generators, testing tools, configuration management

tools, software library management tools, documentation support

tools, project management tools, and others

Business Knowledge and Skills

Have an understanding of the business organizations in general
Understand the type of organization for which they work
Some specifics the analyst needs to know about the company:
What the specific organization does
What makes it successful
What its strategies and plans are
What its traditions and values are

People Knowledge and Skills

Understand a lot about people since they usually work on

development teams with other employees

Possess many interpersonal skills
Understand how people:
Think
Learn
React to change
Communicate
Work (in a variety of jobs and levels)

END OF WEEK 1