Analysis of Information Systems

Three hours of lecture per week for one-half of the semester. Project planning and scheduling, process design, project management and coordination. Analysis of information needs, specification of system requirements, analysis of alternatives, design of alternatives. Quantitative methods and tools for analysis and decision making. Design, implementation, and evaluation of a project.

This is part of the fourth required course for all Masters students in the School of Information Management and Systems, and it is open for enrollment only to students in the School.

The course provides a general introduction to information and knowledge management in organizations, including:

1. An introduction to tools and methods for the analysis and design of information systems.
2. The management of the process of information system analysis and design, that is, project management.

One primary objective of the course is for the student to conduct an analysis of an information system and, if appropriate, design an alternate system. This system may be a manual procedure in need of improvement, a manual system that needs automation, automated procedures that need improvement, or an analytic study of an existing system. This analysis will be accompanied by a class presentation of its results. Projects are to be done on an individual or group basis.

The course provides the student with the tools to conduct the study. Among the topics covered in the lectures and readings are the process of identifying and selecting projects, project initiation, systems requirements determination, system data collection, interviewing and questionnaire development, workflow analysis and design, data flow diagramming, statistical and cost analysis, and the implementation and evaluation of systems. It is up to the student to find a project for the course. The instructor will provide guidance. The break between semesters is a good time to begin looking for organizations and/or systems that need analysis and/or improvement.

Part of the course is devoted to the use of Microsoft Project to develop a schedule of the activities for the project and to supply updated schedules to the instructor during the semester.

In addition to the analysis/design project, there will be additional assignments in specific management areas and to develop skills on the topics covered in the lectures. Among these assignments are the use of statistical analysis tools, spreadsheet programs, and dataflow modeling tools.