INF 340 Week 5 Final Paper: System Analysis and Design

System Analysis and Design

INF 340 Business Systems Analysis

System Analysis and Design

During the first week of the course, we were tasked to choose a project idea for our final paper. For my paper I decided to choose the gym, because it’s a place that I’ve gone to for many years of my life. The objective of this paper is from the systems analysis standpoint, oversee a gym expansion project and see to it that the ideas and concepts into a thriving system. All of the avenues of a project system to include scope, overview, feasibility, models and diagrams will be reviewed to promote a dynamic change within the current system.

Within the system overview, its paramount to ensure Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is measured. The SDLC is a much “proven methodology that helps both large and small businesses reap the rewards of utilizing information to its fullest capacity” (Valacich, George & Hoffer, 2015). Planning and selection is the first step in initiating the newly designed gym system expansion. This involves eliminating the paper copy process and wet signatures and incorporating a digital format. The gym desires a user-friendly application which will essentially manage the new membership process, membership accounts and payments, remote class scheduling, fitness tracking, overall goals that are desired to be achieved and digital printouts for health and fitness advice. Furthermore, the system will be user friendly to employee, trainer and customer alike. For this new gym location, we have enough money to move to a larger facility to support more members. Currently our hours are 7 days a week, from 9am to 10pm and Sundays 11am to 8pm. With the influx of new members, we plan to expand our operating hours to better suit all workout schedules. In addition, we also plan to incorporate a child care facility to assist in child care, which we plan to incorporate a digital sign in/sign out roster for parents. The system will allow for users to log in and out of the system using ID cards for employees and key chains for customers. For trainers, the system will allow them to use smart phones and tablets for ease of use and mobility.

The main objective behind our analysis of the current system is to perform a scan of our current operational system and reveal what parts of the system can be modified for use. Our current system comprises of paper copies of all members and employees of the gym, to include private information, which should be protected under law. This information would be protected under the Freedom of Information Act which protects information involving matters of personal privacy (Dept of Justice, 2000). In doing this, the gym can focus on weaknesses, prioritize them and develop improvement actions to increase the ability to utilize resources in the specified area (Haeri, Rezaie & Amalnick, 2014). In this scenario, the largest issue results in the lack of communication between customer, trainer and employee records. Furthermore, the current system also lacks the digital dissemination of information between customer, trainer and management, which is vital to the expansion of the gym.

To ensure the design process runs smoothly, all parties must be involved to ensure success of the new system design, especially management. Furthermore, the overall goal of this collaboration is to identify: “organizational needs, potential/ongoing projects, availability of resources, evaluation criteria, current business conditions and perspectives of decision makers” (Valacich, George & Hoffer, 2015). Out of these factors, the gym system needs are paramount. It’s essential to make sure the proposed system is a beneficial one that puts the organization, its main strategy and needs of the organization first. The system would enable membership payment tracking dates for automated recurring payments where the customer can choose which day to debit their accounts for payment. We will ensure our payment system has advanced security to prevent damage and theft. Once a payment is made the customer can choose their means of confirmation by way of email or digital receipt (text message).

“Implementation and Operation are the final steps of SDLC where the information system is coded, tested, and installed in the organization, and in which the information system is systematically repaired and improved,” (Valacich, George & Hoffer, 2015). It is essential that management attain intimate knowledge of the new system and train their employees on the same. Trainers and employees are required to know the basic knowledge of operating the new system enough for them to input new and old memberships.

The next assessment consists of the scope and feasibility of the new project to determine if the resources and funds will be available for the expansion of the gym. Management has emphasized the need for a more efficient new member enrollment process in addition to the other requirements based on customer requests. Furthermore, they provided a list of recommendations based on customer questionnaires to ensure the customer comes first. The system would allow for customers to utilize their smart phone devices or tablets and allow them to track their fitness goals, select future classes and/or modify current courses, communicate with their assigned personal trainer and change account information. Although this system is program based, management has also expressed the option of a web-based system that will potentially reduce space within the work environment. Project scope is the process of the project where goals are set and defined in detail. For this to occur, the project scope statement must be established. The project scope statement describes product characteristics and requirements, user acceptance criteria and deliverables (Schwalbe, 2016). This step is crucial to the start of the project because it sets the tone for timeframe, cost and responsibilities for all team members involved. Planning scope management describes how the scope will be defined validated and controlled and provides guidance and direction on how the scope will be managed throughout the project (PMI, 2017). Once needs have been identified the project can then move forward in the process.

To conduct the feasibility assessment there are several factors that must be taken into consideration. Economic Analysis will allow low costs for the new system, which will allow the gym to operate smoothly. Technical analysis will require customers to have the basic knowledge of smart phone and tablet use, while managers, employees and trainers will be required to have knowledge of how to operate desktop computers. Operational analysis consists of a newly introduced system with an easier and more user-friendly interface, with technical support in case of any trouble with the system. The system needs to all-inclusive for trainers, employees and members. For the legal analysis, the most important issue comes in the form of protecting the information of our customers. Furthermore, while there is no political analysis to be performed, the schedule, timeline and resources analysis would essentially speed the membership process up, allowing for faster and less painful membership sign up.

“Process Modeling involves graphically representing the processes, or actions that capture, manipulate, store, and distribute data between a system and its environment and among components within a system” (Valacich, George & Hoffer, 2015). Customers have expressed concerns of a less painful sign up experience, and a way to monitor and track their fitness goals. When the member enters in their information they are asked to provide fitness data along with account information which will be stored with management.

Members can use their portion of the system to input fitness data into the system which will allow trainers to track their progress and adjust as needed.

In conclusion, the gym’s expansion and digital enrollment system will ultimately take time to implement. However, the newly modified system will benefit customers who desire to keep track of their fitness goals and communicate with their trainers. With system overview, a project undergoes planning and selection, analysis, design and implementation and operation. With Scope and Feasibility, one can determine if the resources and funds will be available and whether the project itself is capable of success.

References

Valacich, J., George, J., & Hoffer, J. (2015). Essentials of systems analysis and design (6th ed.).

Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Your right to federal records : questions and answers on the Freedom of Information Act and the

Privacy Act. (2000). Washington, D.C. : U.S. General Services Administration : U.S. Dept of Justice, 2000. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsgpr&AN=edsgpr.000531257&site=eds-live&scope=site

Haeri, A., Rezaie, K., & Amalnick, M.-S. (2014). Developing a novel approach to assess the

efficiency of resource utilisation in organisations: a case study for an automotive supplier. International Journal of Production Research, 52(10), 2815–2833. https://doi-org.proxy-library.ashford.edu/10.1080/00207543.2013.839891

Project Management Institute (PMI). (2017). Guide to the Project Management Body of

Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) — Sixth Edition and Agile Practice Guide (ENGLISH). Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.

Schwalbe, K. (2016). Revised an introduction to project management (5th ed.). Minneapolis,

MN: Schwalbe Publishing

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