Overview
In this unit, you will explore problems that require technological solutions as systems analysis involves determining what a system needs to accomplish. This unit covers concepts such as systems feasibility, user requirements elicitation, and systems modelling. You will learn how to analyse systems requirements, select and plan how to take the system through all stages of the system development life cycle.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 1 - 2022
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Unit coordinator
Quizzes as part of the assessments are helpful in learning the theoretical aspects of this unit.
Continue using quizzes to assess theoretical aspects of the unit.
Feedback from Unit coordinator
This unit lacks group work and team building activities.
Consider including group-based activities in the unit.
Feedback from Staff observation
The unit lectures currently focus mostly on the traditional waterfall model based on the textbook.
Consider a textbook with coverage on modern development models.
- Explain systems analysis concepts, terminologies, system analysis tasks, models, tools, techniques, and methodologies
- Select and plan appropriate models, tools, techniques, and methodologies in the systems analysis phase of a systems development project
- Apply information gathering techniques to derive system functionalities
- Construct modelling diagrams to depict system functionalities for users' requirements.
Australian Computer Society (ACS) recognises the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA). SFIA is in use in over 100 countries and provides a widely used and consistent definition of ICT skills. SFIA is increasingly being used when developing job descriptions and role profiles.
ACS members can use the tool MySFIA to build a skills profile at https://www.acs.org.au/professionalrecognition/mysfia-b2c.html
This unit contributes to the following workplace skills as defined by SFIA. The SFIA7 code is included:
- Business Analysis (BUAN)
- Requirements Definition and Management (REQM)
- Business Modelling (BSMO)
- Data Modelling and Design (DTAN)
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Online Quiz(zes) - 10% | ||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 20% | ||||
| 3 - Written Assessment - 30% | ||||
| 4 - Project (applied) - 40% | ||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Communication | ||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | ||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | ||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | ||||
| 5 - Team Work | ||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | ||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | ||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | ||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | ||||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
| 1 - Online Quiz(zes) - 10% | ||||||||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 20% | ||||||||||
| 3 - Written Assessment - 30% | ||||||||||
| 4 - Project (applied) - 40% | ||||||||||
Textbooks
Systems Analysis and Design in a Changing World
Edition: 7th (2016)
Authors: John Satzinger, Robert Jackson, Stephen Burd
Cengage
Australia
ISBN: 978-1-305-11720-4
Binding: Paperback
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- MS Office
- MS Project
- MS Visio
- VirtualBox - A Virtualization Software Package
- Joget
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
j.shield@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Overview of Systems Analysis
Chapter
- pp. 4-8, 42-46 Systems Analysis
- pp. 71-73 User stories
- pp. 81-87 Use Case diagrams
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Process Analysis
Chapter
pp. 60-63 Activity Diagrams
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Static Analysis
Chapter
pp. 103-111 Class diagrams
Events and Submissions/Topic
A1 Quiz 10%
Module/Topic
Dynamic Analysis Part 1
Chapter
pp. 139-146 Sequence diagrams
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Dynamic Analysis Part 2
Chapter
pp. 114-122 State Machines
Events and Submissions/Topic
A2 System Analysis 30%
Module/Topic
No class
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Specifying requirements
Chapter
pp. 133-138, 146-148 Use cases
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Investigating requirements
Chapter
pp. 50-58 Information gathering techniques
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Nonfunctional requirements
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Testing
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Systems Development
Chapter
- Chapter 10 Development Methods
- Chapter 14 Deployment
Events and Submissions/Topic
A3 Improve a System 40%
Module/Topic
Future
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
No class
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
A4 Testing 20%
1 Online Quiz(zes)
There will be one quiz to encourage your understanding of the Week 1 to 3 unit materials including concepts such as requirements, user stories, activity diagrams and class diagrams. You may attempt the quiz as many times as you like until the due date.
1
Other
End of Week 3
Feedback will be provided after each quiz attempt.
This assessment consists of short answer questions. Each question will be marked according to the correctness of the answer.
- Explain systems analysis concepts, terminologies, system analysis tasks, models, tools, techniques, and methodologies
- Select and plan appropriate models, tools, techniques, and methodologies in the systems analysis phase of a systems development project
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Information Literacy
- Information Technology Competence
2 Written Assessment
This assignment requires you to perform systems analyses. You will provided with several small case studies for which you will identify, analyse and specify the requirements. As part of your analysis you will be required to construct use case, class, activity and sequence diagrams.
End of Week 5
Within 2 weeks of due date
You will be assessed on aspects such as correct diagramming techniques, model explanations, and appropriate model abstraction including choice of use cases, classes and attributes.
- Apply information gathering techniques to derive system functionalities
- Construct modelling diagrams to depict system functionalities for users' requirements.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Technology Competence
3 Project (applied)
You will be provided with a case study for which you will analyse, specify and implement the requirements. You need to manage both functional and nonfunctional requirements. As part of your analysis you will be required to construct use case, class, activity and sequence diagrams.
You may complete this assignment individually or in groups of up to three.
End of Week 10
Within two weeks of the due date
You will be assessed on aspects such as:
- Specification and management of functional and nonfunctional requirements including prioritisation, lack of ambiguity and traceability
- Quality user stories that are prioritised and which adhere to the user story template and INVEST, e.g. independent, valuable for users and testable via excellent acceptance criteria
- Quality use case set that follow specified guidelines
- Analysis and quality of modelling including model abstraction, understandability, accuracy and explanations
- Quality of the implementation
- Professionalism of your documentation.
- Explain systems analysis concepts, terminologies, system analysis tasks, models, tools, techniques, and methodologies
- Construct modelling diagrams to depict system functionalities for users' requirements.
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Ethical practice
4 Written Assessment
You will test two specifications and implementations developed for the case study from the previous assignment.
For each specification you will:
- Verify the specification including identifying missing requirements, ambiguous or otherwise inappropriate specifications and critique the quality of the models' abstraction, understandability, accuracy and explanations
- Plan, execute and document user acceptance testing on the implementation of the specification.
End of Week 12
Grade certification day
You will be assessed on aspects such as:
- Identification and quality of explanation of issues found in the specifications and the models
- Evidence of coverage and traceability of tests
- Professionalism of your documentation.
- Select and plan appropriate models, tools, techniques, and methodologies in the systems analysis phase of a systems development project
- Apply information gathering techniques to derive system functionalities
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Information Technology Competence
- Ethical practice
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
