Systems Design Project
CMIS 407
(Last Update: Monday, November 25, 2002)

Your design can refer either to an improvement of an existing system or an entirely new system. Experience teaches that the former option is more feasible than the latter.

The system you choose to design could be placed in any organizational context - for example, a library, some of IU departments, a small business, a department of a larger video store, etc.

Your project can be broken down into following tasks:

• Analyze the system. This task typically results in a textual description accompanied by appropriate charts (e.g., a context/data flow/other diagrams);
• Collect user requirements (this means interrogating the users through interviewing, observing or some other method; from this step you will learn about information needs the functionality needed, preferences regarding user interface, etc.). Given that users are the central part of an IS, this step is necessary;
• Complete your understanding of the users (if appropriate, check the literature on jobs/tasks and user behavior);
• Propose design of the system (an improvement or an entirely new design).

 
You are to report about the whole project in a paper that is to be submitted on the final day of class. The paper needs to contain:

1.  A brief introduction on the project's purpose;
2.  A section on the organizational context that your system supports (e.g., goals/objectives, tasks/jobs supported, structure, etc.);
3.  A section on users (e.g., educational background, information/computer literacy, typical information needs);
4.  A section on other parts of the existing system (data, procedures,  computer hardware, computer software);
5.  A section on user requirements along with the description of your understanding of the user context. It is a good idea to summarize 
    this section with a straightforward list of redesign requirements; 
6.  A section describing the design you propose; Include sections on Process, Logical and Data Modeling. Specifically, the following deliverables should be attached:

• Transcripts of interviews; notes from observation and analysis of documents; analyzed responses from questionaires; sets of forms, reports, job descriptions, and other documents (See Chapter 7, Page 204). Volume is not important here--a representative sample is fine.
• Context data flow diagram; DFD's of current physical system; DFDs of current logical system; DFDs of new logical system; a description of each DFD component (See Chapter 8, Page 239). Again, volume is not important here--a representative sample is fine, but if the system you are designing is small enough, you can include everthing.
• Structured Descriptions and diagrams that outline the logic contained within each DFD process as well as diagrams that show the temporal dimension of system--when processes or events occur and how these events change the state of the system.  (See Chapter 9, Page 283) Completing this for one DFD process is fine.
• An E-R diagram (See Chapter 10, Page 308). Again, you need not do this for the entire system. Concentrate on a subset.
• Generate alternative design strategies and select the best one (See Chapter 11, Page 351)
• Account for every data element on a system input of output--form or report--and on the E-R diagram. (See Chapter 12, Page 389)
• Create a Design spec for one form and one report in your system (See Chapter 13, Page 437)
• Create a Design spec for one Interface or dialogue (See Chapter 14, Page 462)

7.  A section briefly summarizing the whole report; 
8.  A bibliography section (if any); and
9.  An appendix (if any).

Note that sections 5 and 6 are crucial, which may then be reflected in their length. 

No special recommendation could be given regarding the length of the paper, although 20-40 pages seems reasonable for a project of this scope. Formatting and grammatical features that characterize an academic paper are assumed.