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CIS3002 Business Analysis

Subject Cat-nbr Class Term Mode Description Units Campus
CIS 3002 86359 1, 2009 EXT Business Analysis 1.00 Toowoomba
Academic group: FOBUS
Academic org: FOB005
Student contribution band: 2
ASCED code: 020305

Contents


STAFFING

Examiner: Glen Van Der Vyver
Moderator: Kristeen Casey


OTHER REQUISITES

Students are required to have access to a personal computer, e-mail capabilities and Internet access to USQConnect. Current details of computer requirements can be found at <http://www.usq.edu.au/ict/students/standards/default.htm>. It is recommended, where possible, that students complete CIS2000 (Systems Analysis and Design) or an equivalent course before CIS3002. Students who have not completed a course of this nature will probably need to complete additional reading during the first few weeks of the semester.


RATIONALE

The Information Technology professional faces a climate of rapid technological and business change. Organizations demand flexible, high quality information systems that are well aligned with corporate goals and strategies. Even as clients become more demanding, Information Systems Architectures (ISA) become increasingly complex. Systems Professionals should develop a wide range of skills, including verbal and oral communication capabilities, the ability to identify business problems and opportunities and formulate Information Technology and related solutions to these, and the ability to implement and co-ordinate the delivery of IT projects. The Business Analyst acts as a liaison between the business side of the enterprise and service providers, including IT services. Traditionally, Business Analysts have liaised extensively with clients, gathered information, provided specifications and documented processes while Systems Analysts have focused on bridging the divide between business and technical solutions. Even as the Business Analyst career path becomes more commonplace and even dominant, it often takes on many aspects of the Systems Analyst role. In some organizations, the roles are virtually synonymous while in others their boundaries are clearly demarcated. Our point of departure in this course is a Business Analyst who is focused on requirements and conceptual design but has a sufficient understanding of the bigger picture to manage the production of comprehensive and fully costed proposals and, where appropriate, aspects of the overall project.



SYNOPSIS

This course complements CIS2000 (Systems Analysis and Design) and CIS2002 (Database Design). The course focuses on developing key Business Analysis skills using object oriented methodologies, in particular UML and Use Case Diagrams. Popular requirements analysis and design specification methods are given detailed coverage and the issue of system acquisition via packages is also considered. The importance of written and verbal communication skills is given due prominence. The course will enable students to understand the overall Systems Development Lifecycle, and particularly contemporary approaches to Systems Development Methodologies, as well as a range of tools and techniques. Students will be exposed to current software industry Quality Assurance concepts and standards and will apply a standard in their assessment tasks. Major trends and issues affecting business/systems analysis and design in the business sector are also studied.



OBJECTIVES

The course objectives define the student learning outcomes for a course. The assessment item/s that may be used to assess student achievement of an objective is/are shown in parentheses after each objective. On successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

1.
demonstrate strong communication skills in the preparation and delivery of formal systems documentation to management and user groups (Assignment 3, Examination)
2.
outline the phases in the development of a business system and describe purposes of each (Assignment 1, Assignment 2, Assignment 3, Examination)
3.
apply the major activities and techniques relevant to the analysis and design phases (Assignment 3, Examination)
4.
discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the major contemporary system development methodologies (Assignment 1, Assignment 2, Assignment 3, Examination)
5.
discuss the major trends and issues associated with system development and package acquisition (Assignment 1, Assignment 2, Assignment 3, Examination)
6.
explain the project management issues associated with system development and package acquisition (Assignment 1, Assignment 2, Assignment 3, Examination)
7.
accurately and consistently develop a systems proposal; define systems requirements; and prepare systems specification (Assignment 3, Examination)
8.
demonstrate basic literature research and academic report writing skills (Assignment 3, Examination).


TOPICS


Description Weighting (%)
1. Communication skills
 25.00
2. SA&D methodologies and techniques
2.1. The systems development life cycle, including project feasibility
2.2. Contemporary system development methodologies including Agile/XP, Spiral, RUP and RAD
2.3. Requirements and design formal specification document production
2.4. Requirements modelling: UML modelling (in depth) and event tables
2.5. SAD tools and techniques including: prototyping, JAD and CASE tools - theory and practice
2.6. Interface design
 50.00
3. SA&D issues
3.1. Software QA including software industry standards and testing (including test plans, test cases, testing tools)
3.2. Packaged software
3.3. Configuration management
3.4. Data conversion
3.5. Project management
 25.00

TEXT and MATERIALS required to be PURCHASED or accessed

ALL textbooks and materials are available for purchase from USQ BOOKSHOP (unless otherwise stated). Orders may be placed via secure internet, free fax 1800642453, phone 07 46312742 (within Australia), or mail. Overseas students should fax +61 7 46311743, or phone +61 7 46312742. For costs, further details, and internet ordering, use the 'Textbook Search' facility at http://bookshop.usq.edu.au click 'Semester', then enter your 'Course Code' (no spaces).

Students are encouraged to use a case tool package (see CIS3002 Introductory Book).

Satzinger, JW, Jackson, RB & Burd, SD 2007, Systems analysis and design in a changing world, 4th edn, Thomson Course Technology, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.

Summers, J & Smith, B 2006, Communication skills handbook: how to succeed in written and oral communication, 2nd edn, John Wiley & Sons, Milton, Queensland.



REFERENCE MATERIALS

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.

Booch, G, Rumbaugh, J & Jacobson, I 2005, The unified modeling language user guide, 2nd edn, Addison-Wesley, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.

Brown, DW 2002, An introduction to object-oriented analysis: objects and UML in plain English, 2nd edn, John Wiley & Sons, New York.

Bruegge, B & Dutoit, AH 2000, Object-oriented software engineering: conquering complex and changing systems, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.

Dennis, A & Wixom, BH 2000, Systems analysis and design: an applied approach, John Wiley & Sons, New York.

Fowler, M 2004, UML distilled: a brief guide to the standard object modeling language, 3rd edn, Addison-Wesley, Boston, Massachusetts.

Henderson-Sellers, B & Unhelkar, B 2000, OPEN modeling with UML, Addison-Wesley, New York.

Kruchten, P 2004, The rational unified process: an introduction, 3rd edn, Addison-Wesley, Boston, Massachusetts.

Maciaszek, LA 2001, Requirements analysis and system design: developing information systems with UML, Addison-Wesley, Harlow, UK.

Oestereich, B 2002, Developing software with UML: object-oriented analysis and design in practice, 2nd edn, Addison-Wesley, Boston, Massachusetts.

Rumbaugh, J, Jacobson, I & Booch, G 2005, The unified modeling language reference manual, 2nd edn, Addison-Wesley, Boston, Massachusetts.

Satzinger, JW & Orvik, TU 2001, The object-oriented approach: concepts, system development, and modeling with UML, 2nd edn, Course Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Stevens, P & Pooley, R 2006, Using UML: software engineering with objects and components, 2nd edn, Addison-Wesley, Harlow, UK.



STUDENT WORKLOAD REQUIREMENTS

ACTIVITY HOURS
Private Study 100.00
Project Work 70.00


ASSESSMENT DETAILS

Description Marks out of Wtg(%) Due date Notes
ASSIGNMENT 1 10.00 2.00 20 Mar 2009  
ASSIGNMENT 2 10.00 3.00 08 May 2009  
ASSIGNMENT 3 100.00 25.00 05 Jun 2009  
2 HOUR EXAMINATION 100.00 70.00 END S1 (see note 1)
NOTES
1.
The examination is scheduled to be held in the end-of-semester examination period. Students will be advised of the official examination date after the timetable has been finalised.

IMPORTANT ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

  1. Attendance requirements:
    If you are an international student in Australia, you are advised to attend all classes at your campus. For all other students, there are no attendance requirements for this course. However, it is the students' responsibility to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration.
  2. Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
    To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks. (Depending upon the requirements in Statement 4 below, students may not have to satisfactorily complete each assessment item to receive a passing grade in this course.)
  3. Penalties for late submission of required work:
    If students submit assignments after the due date without prior approval of the examiner, then a penalty of 5% of the total marks gained by the student for the assignment may apply for each working day late up to ten working days at which time a mark of zero may be recorded.
  4. Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
    To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.
  5. Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
    The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the aggregate of the weighted marks obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course.
  6. Examination information:
    This is a restricted examination. Candidates are allowed access to specific materials during the examination. The only materials that candidates may use in the examination for this course are (i) Writing materials: non-electronic and free from material which could give the student an unfair advantage in the examination; (ii) Translation dictionaries: with the examiner's approval, candidates may, take an appropriate non-electronic translation dictionary into the examination room. This will be subject to perusal and, if it is found to contain annotations or markings that could give the candidate an unfair advantage, it may be removed from the candidate's possession until the appropriate disciplinary action is completed.
  7. Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
    Any Deferred or Supplementary examinations for this course will be held during the next examination period.
  8. University Regulations:
    Students should read USQ Regulations 5.1 Definitions, 5.6 Assessment, and 5.10 Student Academic Misconduct for further information and to avoid actions which might contravene university regulations. These regulations can be found at http://www.usq.edu.au/corporateservices/calendar/part5.htm. Students should also read the Faculty of Business Policies and Procedures which can be found at http://www.usq.edu.au/business/aboutfob.htm.

ASSESSMENT NOTES

1. Assignments: (i) The due date for an assignment is the date by which a student must despatch the assignment to the USQ. The onus is on the student to provide proof of the despatch date, if requested by the examiner. (ii) Students must retain a copy of each item submitted for assessment. This must be produced within 24 hours if required by the examiner. (iii) In accordance with university policy, the examiner may grant an extension of the due date of an assignment in extenuating circumstances. (iv) The examiner will normally only accept assignments which are electronically submitted through the USQ Study Desk for this course. Students who are unable to meet this submission requirement should contact the examiner of the course to negotiate alternative arrangements. (v) Students who do not have regular access to postal services or who are otherwise disadvantaged by these regulations may be given special consideration. They should contact the examiner to negotiate such special arrangements. (vi) In the event that a due date for an assignment falls on a local public holiday in their area, such as a show holiday, the due date for the assignment will be the next day. Students are to note on the assignment cover the date of the public holiday for the examiner's convenience.
2. Course weightings: Course weightings of topics should not be interpreted as applying to the number of marks allocated to questions testing those topics in an examination paper. The examination may test material already tested in assignments.
3. Referencing in assignments: Harvard (AGPS) is the referencing system required in this course. Students should use Harvard (AGPS) style in their assignments to format details of the information sources they have cited in their work. The USQ library provides advice on how to format information sources using this system. Details can be found at <http://www.usq.edu.au/library/help/ehelp/ref_guides/harvard.htm> and <http://www.usq.edu.au/library/help/ehelp/ref_guides/harvardonline.htm>.
4. Deferred work: Students who, for medical, family/personal, or employment-related reasons, are unable to complete an assignment or to sit for an examination at the scheduled time may apply to defer an assessment in a course. Such a request must be accompanied by appropriate supporting documentation. One of the following temporary grades may be awarded: IDS (Incomplete - Deferred Examination); IDM (Incomplete Deferred Make-up); IDB (Incomplete - Both Deferred Examination and Deferred Make-up).

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

  1. Computer, e-mail and Internet access: Students are required to have access to a personal computer, e-mail capabilities and Internet access to USQConnect. Current details of computer requirements can be found at <http://www.usq.edu.au/ict/students/standards/default.htm>.

This version produced 28 Aug 2009.
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