Analysis
The analysis phase answers the questions of who will use the system, what the system
will do, and where and when it will be used. (See Figure 1-3.) During this
phase, the project team investigates any current system(s), identifies improvement
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opportunities, and develops a concept for the new system. This phase has three
steps:
1. An analysis strategy is developed to guide the project team’s efforts. Such a
strategy usually includes a study of the current system (called the as-is system)
and its problems, and envisioning ways to design a new system (called the to-be
system).
2. The next step is requirements gathering (e.g., through interviews, group workshops,
or questionnaires). The analysis of this information—in conjunction with
input from the project sponsor and many other people—leads to the development
of a concept for a new system. The system concept is then used as a basis to
develop a set of business analysis models that describes how the business will
operate if the new system were developed. The set typically includes models that
represent the data and processes necessary to support the underlying business
process.
3. The analyses, system concept, and models are combined into a document called
the system proposal, which is presented to the project sponsor and other key
decision makers (e.g., members of the approval committee) who will decide
whether the project should continue to move forward.
The system proposal is the initial deliverable that describes what business
requirements the new system should meet. Because it is really the first step in the
design of the new system, some experts argue that it is inappropriate to use the term
analysis as the name for this phase; some argue a better name would be analysis
and initial design. Because most organizations continue to use the name analysis
for this phase, we will use it in this book as well. It is important to remember, however,
that the deliverable from the analysis phase is both an analysis and a high-level
initial design for the new system.