Systems Development
Duration
- 13 Weeks
Contact hours
- 36
On-campus unit delivery combines face-to-face and digital learning. For Online unit delivery, learning is conducted exclusively online.
Prerequisites
NilCorequisites
NilAims and objectives
This unit not offered from 2018
Ongoing evolution of systems development is driven by both user demand and changing technologies. A feature of today’s dynamic business and social environment is the rapid rise of organisations that grasp and adapt the essential ingredients of structure, strategy and policy to their business goals. To meet these challenges, businesses require access to the latest information systems to streamline their operations and to avoid being handicapped by the limitations of existing systems.
This unit provides knowledge and understanding of contemporary issues in systems development. It dissects various systems development lifecycles, methodologies, techniques and tools, exploring contexts in which they succeed and fail. Factors affecting the success of these methods are examined, along with comparisons of the values and principles that underlie these methods (eg: Agile vs Waterfall).
This unit provides knowledge and understanding of contemporary issues in systems development. It dissects various systems development lifecycles, methodologies, techniques and tools, exploring contexts in which they succeed and fail. Factors affecting the success of these methods are examined, along with comparisons of the values and principles that underlie these methods (eg: Agile vs Waterfall).
The relationship and alignment between techniques, system and management issues, human capital and social capital will also be explored. Successful alignment involves coverage of: systems planning; requirements analysis; risk analysis; and design and implementation strategies for complex applications within medium and larger sized organizations.
At the conclusion of this course, students should be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the elements of software engineering theory and practice involved in the implementation of commercial systems.
- Demonstrate an understanding of approaches to eliciting requirements in the development or choice of software systems
- Demonstrate an understanding of options and risks in relation to implementing new systems such as: new development, purchasing existing packages and outsourcing.
- Identify and analyse the risks as they relate to meeting business needs with developed or purchased software
- Demonstrate an understanding of the fundamentals of system analysis and design in the software construction process.
- Analyse a business or allied problem and design and document aspects of a possible solution using common modelling tools.
- Compare and contrast various systems development methodologies in terms of their suitability for, and alignment with, a given organisational scenario.
- Critically interpret current issues in software development methodologies and or change management and assess their impact on projects from a human perspective, as well as a technical standpoint.
- Evaluate the importance of various stakeholder concerns regarding systems success, whether the systems are developed or purchased, through a social capital perspective.
Courses with unit
A unit of study in the Master of Technology (Systems Design).Unit information in detail
- Teaching methods, assessment, general skills outcomes and content.
Teaching methods
This unit may be studied using different combinations of the following learning resources and activities to form a flexible learning approach for each student. Students may choose a combination that suits their location, timing, work commitments and style of learning, from the following resources:
· unit outline in print and learning materials on CD
· online learning resources (on Blackboard)
· electronic synchronous or asynchronous discussions
· email communication
· telephone individual consultation
· negotiated work-based assessment tasks and learning contract framework to negotiate flexible learning approach
Delivery of this unit may be through a mixture of lectures, tutorials, seminars and online. Virtual lectures will provide a framework of the lessons and learning objects, to enable the student to approach study with a basic appreciation and understanding of the concepts required. Second Life or Elluminate or other virtual tools for communication and presentation both between students and between teaching staff and students.
· unit outline in print and learning materials on CD
· online learning resources (on Blackboard)
· electronic synchronous or asynchronous discussions
· email communication
· telephone individual consultation
· negotiated work-based assessment tasks and learning contract framework to negotiate flexible learning approach
Delivery of this unit may be through a mixture of lectures, tutorials, seminars and online. Virtual lectures will provide a framework of the lessons and learning objects, to enable the student to approach study with a basic appreciation and understanding of the concepts required. Second Life or Elluminate or other virtual tools for communication and presentation both between students and between teaching staff and students.
Assessment
Assignment 1: Business Analysis. 20% - 30%
Assignment 2: Systems Analysis. 30% - 40%
Assignment 3: System proposal. 30% - 40%
Assignment 4: Minor assessment task 10% - 20%
General skills outcomes
This unit aims to develop the following generic skills:
- Analytical, critical thinking and research skills: Begin to understand the importance of knowing what you don’t know, what you need to know and how to gain the knowledge you need. This is assessed through the weekly discussion questions and assignments which largely involve research. Students will need to find the most relevant and useful references to support ideas. It will also require students to work with an entrepreneurial or innovative enterprise that is undergoing major change and development, using analytical thinking skills and a variety of business planning approaches. This will involve analysing references for suitability.
- Problem-solving skills: Become an active learner, who endeavours to solve problems, ask questions and learn in a variety of ways. Students will need to demonstrate the ability to develop and complete tasks, and these will be assessed on the quality of outcomes. Reflect on the benefits of taking many different views on problems, decisions and strategic options in the context of modem system development.
- Communication skills: Assessed through written reports and online presentations. Students will be also be encouraged to participant and contribute to online activities and become a valued member of the virtual learning community.
- Ability to work independently: Build a strong knowledge base and show ability to apply strategic planning in a professional and socially responsible manner. Assessed through the ability to complete individual assignments and individual tasks assigned within the group.
- Teamwork skills: The ability to work with classmates in a virtual environment will be encouraged and developed through online activities.
Content
- Organizational structure, business strategies and business models
- The scope of systems development and analysis
- Requirements analysis and management across stakeholders (Social Capital)
- Human capital
- Systems documentation
- Systems life-cycle and software life-cycle models including Agile techniques.
- Scenario-based analysis techniques
- Open source software development
- The Unified Modelling Process (UML)
- Object-oriented design
- System and software design patterns, metrics
- System and software engineering ethics
- Why systems fail? Criteria of systems’ success and fail.
Study resources
- Text books and references.
Text books
There is no particular textbook recommended for this unit. Instead, there will be a range of current reading references made available through the Swinburne Library’s electronic reserve. These may also be made available in an ebook format.
References
Simon, P 2011, Why New Systems Fail, Cengage Learning, Boston, MA
Grant, K, Hackney, R & Edgar, D 2010, Strategic Information Systems Management, Cengage Learning, London
Podeswa, H 2010, UML for the IT Business Analyst, 2nd edn., Cengage Learning, Boston, MA.
Lano, K 2009, Model-Driven Software Development with UML and Java, Cengage Learning, London
Timmons, JA, Gillin, LM, Burshtein, S, & Spinelli, S 2011, New Venture Creation Enterepreneurship for the 21st Century: A Pacific Rim Perspective, NSW, Australia