Rediscovering the Essence, the Core, the Purpose of Systems Analysis for the Pragmatic Analyst
Axel Vanhooren
Business Analyst - Solution Analyst - Adaptive phased approaches - Agile scepticus
“Systems and System’s Environment Analysis and Design for IT”
>> Business Analysis, Process Analysis, Functional Analysis, Business Solution Analysis, Business Solution Architecture, Business Systems Analysis, Business Systems Modelling, …
Axel Vanhooren - 16/08/2021
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CONTENT:
1. Definition of Systems Analysis
2. The product is the mission
3. Purpose of Systems Analysis
4. Advantages of Systems Analysis
5. The five core activities
6. The Why’s, the What’s and the How’s
7. Execution and management of the activities
8. Main ideas and principles
9. The progressive elaboration of the Analysis and Design
10. Intellectual activity and knowledge acquisition
11. Areas, aspects and elements of systems to study
12. Main elements that can be created or adapted
13. Analyst’s areas of knowledge
14. Approaches and models
15. Practical Considerations
THIS ARTICLE IS A SHORT OVERVIEW OF THE CONTENT OF THE DOCUMENT “REDISCOVERING THE ESSENCE OF SYSTEMS ANALYSIS FOR THE PRAGMATIC ANALYST”. ALTHOUGH IT ENUMERATES A LOT OF POINTS, PRINCIPLES AND LESSONS FROM THIS DOCUMENT, THE FULL DOCUMENT CONTAINS MUCH MORE INSIGHT AND IMPORTANT LESSONS.
Importance
Systems play a very important role in our society, in our economy and in our companies. They shape our society and deliver incredible benefits and wealth. Systems multiply human capabilities.
Information is a critical resource for organisations and many other man-made systems. The lifetime of larger software systems in corporate environment is more than 15 years. Even a lifetime of 20 years is not exceptional.
To engineer well-functioning, well-designed, valuable, viable and sustainable systems, it is essential to understand what systems are; what their nature is. That’s the domain of Systems Analysis and Design, or in short “Systems Analysis” (SA).
Put in very general terms, the goal of Systems Analysis is to strengthen, to improve and to develop the company or organisation. An improvement in Systems Analysis in an organisation should thus benefit the entire organisation.
If we miss a profound understanding of the true nature of the product and the true nature of the work, we increase the chance for failure.
1 Definition of Systems Analysis
Systems Analysis is a (professional) discipline that studies systems and their environment and conceives systems or system-related solutions (*) or adaptations to systems and to their environment with a certain purpose or intent.
Major perspectives of SA in Informatics are information in and information exploitation by systems.
*: parts of systems, aspects of systems (ex. processes, structures, chunks of logic, concepts, …)
Systems Analysis is mainly concerned with the functional/logical/conceptual solution.
Systems Analysis is a discipline of METHODICAL INVESTIGATION, LEARNING and PROBLEM SOLVING IN and WITH SYSTEMS. It is an ENGINEERING DISCIPLINE.
2 The Product is the Mission
The company needs information to function. The company requires information capabilities to maximise the amount of valuable information, to maximise its value and to maximally exploit it. These capabilities are preferably implemented as a heterogeneous system of systems, of which a huge part is automated. These systems contain business logic and are intertwined with business systems and with the company’s organisation. They process information and feed the business operations with this information where and when needed. The entire solution implementing information capabilities is much broader than software applications and IT infrastructure.
3 Purpose of Systems Analysis
Not for easy problems and simple solutions
The purpose is to understand more complex systems and their environment, to identify root problems and opportunities for change and to determine what a solution should do to solve a problem or to be able to reach a goal. Since everything in a system is interconnected and systems highly depend of their environment, this understanding allows to define interventions on systems and on their environment.
The purpose is also to devise not just solutions that do the job, but superior solutions.
Strategic advantage is not acquired through mediocrity, neither through superficial and short-term thinking.
A system that is good is NOT good enough.
A correctly functioning system is absolutely insufficient as criteria to evaluate a system.
All this cannot be achieved with common knowledge. The expertise in Systems Analysis is required.
The purpose of Systems Analysis and Design of Enterprise Information Solutions, as professional discipline, is to facilitate the acquisition of understanding, to ensure a right diagnosis and to support the design of better systems or systemic solution.
Better systems are systems that solve real problems and which are well-functioning, well-designed, efficient, effective, manageable, sustainable, reliable, scalable, flexible, evolvable, etc.
Systems Analysis, as a field of knowledge, provides theories, principles, concepts, approaches and methods to study existing systems as well as to conceive new systems or systemic solutions.
“Systems Analysis won’t always give you what you want. But it will give you what you need.”
4 Advantages of Systems Analysis
· Goal-oriented. Focussed. Ensuring contributing to real goals and to real needs
· Aligned with plans
· Increased detection of issues and identification of opportunities
· Ensuring solutions solving the real causes and problems through informed diagnosis and understanding of the problem
· Determination of the ramifications (more issues and opportunities?)
· Identification of the involved stakeholders, systems, business areas, …
· Acquired insight can support the decision making
· Defining the right intervention
· Detecting and focussing on what is necessary. Systems matching and fitting in the reality.
· Ability to define an approach based on insight
· Increasing the efficient and effectiveness of systems.
· Flexible, expandable, scalable and evolvable solutions
· Early detection of mistakes (before building the wrong solution) and preventing many mistakes
· Risks detection
· Avoiding solutions creating problems elsewhere or later
· Manageable solutions
· Innovative solutions
· More sustainable solutions
· More robust systems
· Creation of consensus among the stakeholders
· Facilitates communication within and outside the project, necessary for verifications, synchronisation and scalability
· Organised solutions (structure, architecture) allowing more easy future transformations (changes)
· Solutions serving as foundation upon which can be built
· Creation and preservation of options for future expansions and evolutions
· Solutions that are already prepared for planned changes
Maybe different problems can be solved together, some can be solved later or the present project may take future developments already into account.
· Opportunity to organise and plan.
· … and many more
5 The Five Core Activities
Systems Analysis is about Problem Solving.
· We can’t solve a problem that hasn’t been detected and identified.
· We can’t solve a problem that we don’t understand.
We can’t conceive a solution if we don’t understand the problem, the problem area, the context and various related and relevant aspects.
Basic process:
Five activities present in any engineering process:
MOST FUNDAMENTAL SYSTEMS ANALYSIS MODEL
THE FIVE CORE ACTIVITIES OF SYSTEMS ANALYSIS ARE:
Diagnosis, Analysis and Conception are the three principal activities.
DIAGNOSIS: Too often we identify a consequence, an undesired effect as problem. We fail to identify the root problem.
The “diagnosis” also concerns the determination and study of goals.
ANALYSIS: Analysis is about investigating and learning. We learn first to identify and understand the problem (problem oriented). Then we learn in order to be able to conceive a solution (solution oriented). This is often the same matter, but the intention why we learn, the approach (method) and what exactly is learned may differ.
CONCEPTION: The diagnosis and the insight for the input for the design. If this input is faulty, partial and distorted, it is unlikely to conceive a right solution. Conceiving systems requires the ability to think like a system.
THOUGHTFUL AND DILIGENT SEARCH FOR INFORMATION: It’s more effective to have a systematic way and a goal oriented search for information.
EVALUATION: Evaluation ensures that what we do, what we obtained and what we created are right. Evaluation also precedes improvement.
An example of how the model can be expanded:
Each opportunity has a maximal potential value. We can obtain it by maximally exploit the opportunity. Solutions often don’t fully exploit opportunities. The diagram shows where value is ‘lost’. If we reflect about it, we can understand why it is lost and what can be done about it.
Common activities performed by the Analyst:
6 The Why’s, the What’s and the How’s
The intention, goal and purpose explain WHY we do something. Understanding the WHY allows doing a better job. It allows defining WHAT a solution should do more correctly. The question that follows is how the WHAT can be realised.
A second WHY explains why something is appropriate or why it isn’t. The answer to this second WHY is inspired, not by the goal, but by the reality. Solutions have to function in reality, in a real environment.
Understanding the WHY’s is important. They can be interrelated.
The WHY, WHAT and HOW are linked to levels, to layers, to perspectives and/or to roles. The WHAT n one layer, at one level or for one person, may be the WHY for a lower level, for a lower layer, for a person working downstream. The same is valid for the WHAT and HOW’s.
We have to deal differently with WHY’s, WHAT’s and HOW located in different layers than when they are located in a same layer. In the first case, it will require different goals, perspectives and expertise. In the latter, it’s generally mainly a difference in level of detail.
Layers solving questions of different nature have different goals and require different expertise.
A third important dimension is righteousness. Since systems multiply our capabilities, have a lifetime of decades, may affect many people and even shape our societies, it is important that systems respect much higher moral values.
7 Execution and Management of the Activities
In order to better perform, plan, manage and guide analysis and design activities, we need to understand their nature. The answers to the following questions provide this knowledge.
Is the knowledge necessary to perform the task variable in time?
Can the task be performed at a constant pace?
Can the task be fully completed?
In most cases, there is no set of clear and unambiguous criteria and there is no state that can be objectively observed indicating that the analysis and design job are fully completed. Often there is a gradual and overlapping transition from one task to another.
An analysis and design job, or other activities, cannot be fully completed. This means it is likely to remain incomplete. The consequence is that have to reengage in an activity. We may restart an activity on a part or subject already done or on a new part or subject.
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In a project, there might be many reasons why we may engage in activities that most people expect to come later in the process or to reengage in activities that have been performed earlier. What matter is whether is appropriate and necessary and efficient?
Some work may consist of precise steps to be executed in a certain order. They can be executed at constant, and thus predictable, pace. To get control over such a process, the process and the steps can be described, estimated and planned. Measurements, criteria and controls can be added. Since the very nature of Systems Analysis activities is very different, assuming that this approach to control the processes is completely ineffective. It doesn’t provide neither control, nor the information we need about the process and is likely to increase the risk for faulty or mediocre solutions, frustration and other undesired effects. It won’t help to create a, appropriate work environment for Systems Analysis and won’t help to learn and improve Analysis and Design expertise (and even project skills).
8 Main Ideas and Principles
1) Systems Analysts in the context of corporate IT seeks to satisfy the customer by
· offering real and superior solutions to real problems.
· offering an appropriate way to feed the company with information and to maximally exploit this information.
· developing systems that are necessary, appropriate, efficient, effective, well-designed, manageable, sustainable and evolvable with the intention to create the greatest business advantage.
· strengthening the company's body.
2) Systems Analysis aims to provide true value.
3) Systems Analysis aims to design solutions and systems that work over a longer period of time.
4) Main Goal: Conceiving a right and well-designed solutions solving the right problems or contributing to the right goals capable of delivering a maximum of value during a longer lifetime while minimising the undesired side-effects from the first time.
5) We can only solve a problem if it is rightly diagnosed first.
The diagram shows how a situation evolves (from left to right) when systematically undesired effects are solved instead of the root problems. Each new solution creates one or more new problems. We are heading first increasing complexity and then creating chaos.
6) To adapt or improve a system, that system and its environment must be understood.
7) Systems and their environment can be studied.
8) The true nature of systems and their purpose have to be respected (in approaches and design).
9) In order to conceive or adapt a system, we have to think like a system.
10) Conceiving right solutions requires a holistic understanding.
11) Systems Analysis focusses on what is important, necessary, suitable, right and beneficial.
As Analyst, we may not assume that what people want is what is asked, that what is asked is what they expect or that it is what is necessary to solve the problem. We may not assume that is it suitable, most beneficial and right. We may not confuse all these perspectives and aspects.
12) Systems Analysis favours a priori over a posteriori brainwork & rationalism over empiricism.
13) Systems Analysis favours top-down over bottom-up.
Often the question is raised whether the best approach is top-down or bottom-up. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. Their usage depends of the situation and intention. There is universal answer upon which we can base all our approaches. The question is thus which one to choose in what circumstances. We need both.
Looking at systems from a helicopter view, it’s beneficial to combine both approaches.
14) Systems Analysis values the objective reality over the subjective thoughts.
9 The Progressive Elaboration of the Analysis and Design
When we consider a single solution, its value is created progressively. And since there are no clear criteria or state defining the end of the Analysis and/or Design, at a certain point, we have to decide that this job is finished. It’s a matter of taking that decision. How to take this decision?
Since it is up to the Analyst, the Project Manager and maybe a key stakeholder to decide when to end an activity and to advance to a next step, it is useful to understand how value is created, what are the indications justifying the decision and what the consequences are of stopping an activity too early or too late.
Commonly, major information is extricated first. At the end, it’s mostly information of minor importance that is still elicited. The same is true for requirements.
We can stop analysis and design activities when we have the confidence that the potentially missing insight or design aspects are of minor importance. We have the confidence that if one will still be detected, it will not have a, important impact. The project will be able to deal with it then.
Some sources provide information validating the activities. They provide indications about whether a job is done or not.
Some may consider that the project really starts only once the building activities have begun. This is a very big and common misconception. It is better designing the right solution than being busy building the wrong solution or than trying to solve the wrong problem, which is even worse.
The importance of Analysis and Design activities are easily underestimated. And, not much consideration is given to the environment, approach, collaboration and other aspects that greatly facilitate these activities.
A conceptual design has only worth when it describes a real solution, a superior system, even if it is not perfect yet. If, on the other hand, it’s not even close to that, then it’s worthless. As well solving the wrong problem as solving the right problem wrongly will create new problems.
It is better to have an outstanding solution with a few flaws than a perfectly functioning but mediocre solution.
Even by continuously improving a mediocre solution, it remains very difficult to turn it into a superior solution. We are likely to end up with an improved mediocre solution and still many undesired consequences.
It’s easy to detect bugs and opportunities for improvement in the implemented (concrete) lower layers of logic. These are easy to correct and to adapt. Detecting opportunities for improvement in the higher levels of logic and in the broader architecture is already more difficult. We may Questioning the main ideas of larger solutions, their nature, their goals and problems is even more unlikely, particularly if a bottom-up approach is followed. Usually, this requires global re-engineering.
10 Intellectual Activity and Knowledge Acquisition
Systems Analysis is mainly an intellectual activity supported by other types of activities.
In order to conceive a solution that will solve a problem, satisfy a need or help to reach a goal, some essential information is required. Often, we start with lesser knowledge and understanding. It might not be reliable as well. Without this unnecessary understanding (unless with some luck), we are unable to conceive this solution. This necessary knowledge will have to be acquired, one way or another.
Knowledge can be acquired before the building process (a priori) or after the building process (a posteriori).It can be acquired during or just after the first iteration, or after the Nth iterations. But it will have to be acquired.
The lesser that is learned a priori, the more we will have to learn a posteriori and the more instability and changes we will encounter. Systems Analysis aims to acquire as much knowledge a priori.
Since our initial knowledge is usually limited and unreliable, it is more beneficial to learn as much as possible a priori.
The way we learn, what we learn and how we use what we learned a priori differ from what and how we learn a posteriori. Both provide different information and thus different insight. Acquired knowledge is used differently. One does not replace the other. Both are necessary.
Learning everything, either a priori or a posteriori are extremely unlikely situations. These situations are not relevant. We make the choice whether we want to learn the most either early in the process or rather late in the process.
Types of sources of information:
11 Areas, Aspects and Elements of Systems to Study
A system can produce a desired outcome. Or, a system can be used to deploy activities which them will create the desired outcome.
Systems are dependent of their input, of their environment and of their supra-system. Each has to be studied.
The diagram shows different aspects have to be investigated. Each item has to be considered and studied.
We tend to focus on the automated logic, as this is or will be implemented by software. As Analyst we have also to analyse the roles, the work, the processes and the flows at organisational level. We tend to forget the processes happening in the people minds. For example, it can be possible to automate decisions otherwise taken by a person.
The whole evolution (in the past) of existing systems and environments influenced the present situation. And, similarly, the solution that will be conceived, build and implemented will influence the future. It will create outputs, exercise influences and have various consequences, known and unknown, desired and undesired.
Positive, neutral and negative factors may influence a situation. We apply logic, good or flawed, that will transform the situation into a new situation. That’s how we evolve. If today we are not satisfied with our situation, we can question whether we didn’t apply flawed logic in the past that got us where we are today. For example, if the software systems in an organisation form a fragmented whole, we may question the approach in the past that has led to this fragmented enterprise software component.
Our decisions and actions have consequences which will influence situations. New decisions and actions will be taken. All this, may or may not influence the situation as it is today.
12 Main Elements That Can Be Created or Adapted
Commonly, systems, information, organisations and environments form a solution and make a solution to work or not. Expertise and skills should be included. As Analyst we may have to act upon them. This means that we have to consider and master these topics.
13 Analyst’s Areas of Knowledge
These are the expertise an Analyst should possess.
14 Approaches and Models
Models have several functions:
1) Modelling incite and support the thinking.
2) Models facilitate and guide the thinking and questioning (deeper analysis).
3) Models are a good way to communicate insight and ideas.
4) They foster discussions and help to develop a common understanding, to align the minds and to reach consensus.
5) Models serve as input for future investigation and future Analysis.
6) It is possible to extend models and to build upon them.
7) They serve as input for training and documentation.
15 Some Practical Considerations
Conceive the objective reality – Don’t ignore the subjective world
The Analyst is concerned by the logic of the world of systems. He or she has also take into account the knowledge and thoughts of stakeholders and clarify, streamline and increase their insight in order to obtain a good collaboration and buy-in. Stakeholders, even when they have diverging thoughts, are a source of information useful to reflect upon.
Right mind-set
The Analyst is an investigator, a truth-seeker. (S)He has to own the problem and seek to conceive a superior solution.
Main Technique is “Questioning”
Understand nature, purpose and usage
An Analyst has to understand the nature, the purpose and usage of elements. If (s)he doesn’t, (s)he use or apply them wrongly. A more profound understanding the purpose and nature of elements allows better use their full potential.
Think Independently – Don’t Follow, Apply or Copy
Every environment, context and situation is different. If something is applicable, preconditions might have to be satisfied and an adaptation might be required. We can be inspired. We can rarely follow, applying by the book or copy.
Do what is valuable. Don’t do what is useless.
We have to understand what is appropriate, necessary and useful. We have to take the decision guiding each of our actions. Approaches and methods help us by suggesting.
Be Attentive for the Right Level of Detail.
Involve Concerned Stakeholders.
No one size fits all. Choose the right approach.
There is a great variety in systems and situations. The size of systems/solutions may range for a set of features to inter-organisational systems, homogenous of heterogeneous, work-oriented or user-oriented, adaptations or greenfield, critical or peripheral, with short or long lifespan, merging, migration, re-engineering, etc.. There cannot be a single philosophy, approach or methodology. The team members, in particular architects and analysts, have to be able to conceive an appropriate approach.
Evolution of the job of Analyst.
Find the anomaly in the evolution.
Axel Vanhooren
Freelance Consultant - IT Re-Thinker - Business Analyst
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