Customer Reviews

Systems Analysis and Design Methods

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

I've used this textbook to teach a Systems Analysis course. There are a few "fluffy" chapters here and there, but overall the textbook is excellent. This edition focuses exclusively on the Analysis and Design phases of the Systems Development Life Cycle. There are also two chapters that introduce Object Oriented Analysis, but the treatment here is very high-level.

Some of my students have complained about the wordiness of the textbook. The authors have opted to explain several of the key concepts in several different ways. Some students will feel as if the book has repeated itself, but I've found the pedagogical use of varied approaches to explain a concept to be quite effective.

(based on 4th edition, 692pp)
If you've never studied the fundamental concepts of SDLC, this book will teach you standards when using CASE tools/Project Management software, how to create your first Requirements Statement and how to facilitate between Users, Owners, Vendors, Steering Committees, Programmers, Network Admins, Interface Designers, DB Admins and misc Managers.

Examples of Gane & Sarson (the book's standard), DeMarco/Yourdon and SSADM/IDEF0 shapes and diagramming methods are used for diagramming Data, Processes, Networks and Objects. The redudancy of the text prevented me from madly flipping back and forth to try and keep everything in memory - THANK YOU! It's like having a pre-hyperlink referal manual.

While SAaDM 4th ed. also thoroughly delves into the core theory & logic of Database/Process/Network modeling, Object Modeling, Input/Output/Interface Prototyping and Project Management, it is not a replacement for experience. Consider it a comprenhensive, illustrated encyclopedia or HOWTO that builds off of the project's Objectives/Constraints by cross referencing the technology behind Data, Process, Interface and Geography with human Owners, Users, Designers and Builders. Each cell of that cross reference has requirements, methods, an outcome & a deliverable which compiles to a standardized, template-based Requirements Statement that you would be proud to submit to the boss.

The downfalls:
A) It can't cover the remaining SDLC phases (part 3: Implementation & Support is covered in about 35 pages), but the title already tells us that.
B) Many of the methods use very similar terms and templates, (e.g. the difference between a Data Flow Diagram & a Data Model, or the reason we have a Decomposition Diagram AND a Context Diagram). With experience, every part of this book reveals neccessity, but a first-time reader would benefit from sidebars like "Why Decomp Diags differ from Context Diags" or "Common mistakes of translating an Entity Relationship Diagram into a Data Flow Diagram".

Finally, 140 pages of the book reveal essential Organizational Behavior habits that every System Architect should learn: Project & Process Management Techniques, Fact-finding, Feasibility & Cost Analysis, Joint Application Development and Interpersonal Skills.

I was introduced to the 1994 version of this book during a Systems Analysis and Design class as part of a Master's Degree program. I was impressed with its thoroughness, and although, not necessarily written at an "entry-level", it is understandable to people possessing some background & experience in the systems development arena. I am a Quality Improvement Manager for a major telecommunications and system/software development company and I use it almost daily. This new version expands and updates information supplied in earlier versions of the book and incorporates a very thorough indoctrination into Object-Oriented (O-O) methodologies. I've seen this book being used as a text book in Mid-West and East coast Universities and colleges--in various areas of educational pursuit!! This is a cornerstone reference book in my library. Anyone serious about learning and maintaining sound methodologies, processess, procedures, and techniques in systems analysis and design should keep an updated version of this book handy--I do!

This review is for the 6th edition. The 6th edition makes very good improvement from the 5th. Otherwise my review may be quite different. Overall, I feel this is quite a good book. (You may notice that I do not give many 4 stars for books).

I waited for quite a while before I start to write this review. It is quite difficult to give an overview to this quite complicate book since it covers many aspects of systems analysis and design, and some of the coverages are excellent and some are done in quite a hurry. Besides, I should tell you that I have not read many other text books in this subject lately so that I do not know how this book compares with others. I decide to review each chapter. I hope this will help the author to improve this book (if they do visit here. I do not know them at all) and help the readers to as a guide. I am teaching this book right now. In this way, I may develop this long review graduately.

This book is not written for experienced information technology professionals. Otherwise, they may not have the patient to read this book through. The authors write this book for "information systems and business majors at the sophomore, junior, senior or graduate level". The authors further recommended that the students take a computer- and information systems literacy course first. I do not agree with the recommendation of the authors for the best readership. Students with only computer and information systems literacy course may find this book difficult. This book is much better to teach senior students who have taken courses for various systems building blocks, such as database and programming. In other words, you better have a pretty good idea about various types of houses and the major building blocks before you study how to build them. The authors do cover the basic components for information systems. However, often such coverage is not well-written and it makes me guess that the authors are not as good on the building blocks level of information systems.

For business students, I feel this book may be too heavy for them. They most likely participate in the system development game as owners and users, and they should study a text from that perspective.

The book provides chapter maps based on a framework presentated in this book. I found them very useful for students and for instructors, in particular since the book covers very diversified topics and the book has to study the same element from several different perspectives at several chapters. Different stakeholders look at different building block of different types of house from many different perspectives when different construction techniques are used at different building stages... Try to write a book about it. You get the picture? Several reviewers complain they do not understand this book. It is indeed a complicated game. This is also why the authors use 5 different colors frequently to indicates different perspectives in terms of methods, data/knowledge, process, communication/interface and people. Some reviewers consider the usage of colors in this book confusing. It is partly the fault of the authors. Though the color legend is explained in preface of the book and somewhere else, the authors should know many students do not read preface.

A continuous story (Analyst in Action Episodes) is provided for each chapter about a supposedly real world like business and its development team. Many students like this story since it gives them some hints on the outside world. However, again, instructors should remind them to read this story. Otherwise they may not read it at all. At the end, I will return to discuss the quality of this story.

The book has 4 parts. Part One, The Context of Systems Development Projects, gives an overall picture about systems analysis and design. (to be continued)

/* The statement and opinions expresses here are my own and do not necessarily represent those of my employer */

As a software developer without much systems design experience, I found this book to be informative, clear and full of real world examples. I had no problem following or absorbing the concepts and I can tell you from experience that chapters dealing with database design, UML, and project management among others are dead on. Chapters dealing with systems design and architecture were also quite lucid. For those who thought the book useless/difficult to follow/a snore, etc., maybe you didn't parse through the material enough. I had that same problem as an undergrad where I felt I had to read everything on the page but ended up more fuzzyheaded than before. Yes the book is wordy but personally I'd rather have more info (contextual) than not enough. IMHO Whitten et al did a fine job presenting this material.

This book was required text in my System Analysis class. It is a excellent reference book. Excellent explanation of concepts. However, it is VERY repetitive. At times I found this both confusing and annoying, especially when definitions would be worded differently for the same term. The size of the book could be greatly decreased if repetitions and wordiness were removed.

I'm self studying and think it's a great book. I'm new to this stuff and wanted something that'd go from the ground up, explain things well, but eventually get into meaty stuff. The book does this.

They take time to lay a solid concpetual foundation, gradually building the depth and complexity, and eventually getting extremely practical and specific.

Very friendly non-intimidating style. (Lots of repetition though)

At first I thought the case study they keep coming back to was lame and cheesey, but it actually turns out to be quite useful.

I'm a little concerned that it's not going to get heavily into object orientation (one chapter).

All in all, very happy with it.

I found being an IT professional that this book was a good referrence material for someone who is just entering the IT field or someone who has been in it for a while.

I felt that it did get the points across however it said the same thing over and over in many chapters. I felt that it had major over kill on reviewing but all-in-all it was a good book.

Depending on if you would use the case studies in the book, probably not. However, if you wanted to apply what they were talking about in a real life situation, it would be helpful for someone new to IT.

Check out the auctions for a cheap copy. Another help guide that goes well with this book is ISBN#: 0-256-25712-4. This has three case studies in it and it would help you write out a school paper on network design and/or data flow.

This is a great book. And as a truly great book it is better than simply a good one. It is clearly written, well-organized and indexed as well as contains a wealth of step-by-step "how to" for all stages of the development project. Very good reference tool. Get it if you consider moving to IT in general and in business (system) analysis in particular. This is the book to take with you to the site of your first project. Well worth the money.

I found the authors treatment of this very comprehensive subject to be the best I have ever seen. I was so impressed by their pedagogical approach and their coverages, that I built my entire Internet WebClass around the book.