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Using a “Real” Systems Using a “Real” Systems Development Project to Enrich a Development Project to Enrich a

Systems Analysis and Design Systems Analysis and Design CourseCourse

Janet HelwigJanet Helwig

Dominican UniversityDominican University

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Why a “Real” Project?Why a “Real” Project?

Students experience systems Students experience systems development rather than simply learning development rather than simply learning how to build modelshow to build models

Students encounter the people side of Students encounter the people side of information systems development – information systems development – listening, interviewing, negotiating, listening, interviewing, negotiating, presenting, working as a teampresenting, working as a team

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What we didWhat we did

Developed a registration and billing Developed a registration and billing system for a local youth swim teamsystem for a local youth swim team Associates a swimmer with his/her familyAssociates a swimmer with his/her family Creates billing transactions based on Creates billing transactions based on

swimmer registration detailswimmer registration detail Creates billing transactions based on swim Creates billing transactions based on swim

meet entriesmeet entries Bills familiesBills families Feeds swimmer data to proprietary swim team Feeds swimmer data to proprietary swim team

system (Team Manager) system (Team Manager)

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Used same project for 2 classesUsed same project for 2 classes

Undergrad class and graduate MIS class Undergrad class and graduate MIS class both interviewed the swim team coach both interviewed the swim team coach Kathy regularlyKathy regularly

Small classes: 7 students and 4 studentsSmall classes: 7 students and 4 students Each class formed one teamEach class formed one team Each class developed a different systemEach class developed a different system Both project solutions presented during Both project solutions presented during

last week of class to Kathylast week of class to Kathy

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Initial Steps – Scope Definition and Initial Steps – Scope Definition and Systems AnalysisSystems Analysis

Defining scopeDefining scope Requirements analysis using use casesRequirements analysis using use cases Data analysis – using both ERD and class Data analysis – using both ERD and class

diagrams to document systemdiagrams to document system Some limited coverage of process models Some limited coverage of process models

(data flow diagrams)(data flow diagrams) Discussion of systems architecture Discussion of systems architecture

concepts: SOA, CRC cards, sequence concepts: SOA, CRC cards, sequence diagramsdiagrams

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Systems DesignSystems Design

Created user interface prototype and Created user interface prototype and refined use casesrefined use cases

Refined and added more detail to data Refined and added more detail to data modelmodel

Created an entity object model using Created an entity object model using Modularis ArchitectModularis Architect

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Used Accelerator to Generate Used Accelerator to Generate SystemSystem

Used commercial ARAD tool developed by Used commercial ARAD tool developed by Modularis, Inc., named “Accelerator”Modularis, Inc., named “Accelerator”

Based on the entity object model created Based on the entity object model created through the Architect component, a through the Architect component, a architected starting point system is created architected starting point system is created in either C# or VB.Net.in either C# or VB.Net.

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Architecture of an Accelerator Architecture of an Accelerator generated systemgenerated system

Architect generates Architect generates these Visual these Visual Studio.Net Projects Studio.Net Projects and database objectsand database objects

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Modifying generated codeModifying generated code

Once Architect has generated these projects, they can be opened and edited directly in Visual Studio

All generated source code is completely open and customizable

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Programming and Unit TestingProgramming and Unit Testing

We replaced the generated Web user We replaced the generated Web user interface with our own Windows interfaceinterface with our own Windows interface

Team members split up the coding Team members split up the coding responsibilities, coordinated coding responsibilities, coordinated coding schedules and met frequentlyschedules and met frequently

Easy to connect custom interface to Easy to connect custom interface to generated projects – just add referencesgenerated projects – just add references

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What ultimately happenedWhat ultimately happened

Presented two side-by-side solutions to Presented two side-by-side solutions to Kathy. She preferred some features of Kathy. She preferred some features of each.each.

The following semester and through the The following semester and through the summer, one programmer modified summer, one programmer modified system to reflect requested improvementssystem to reflect requested improvements

System deployed recentlySystem deployed recently

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Assessing student performanceAssessing student performance

Project became main work of the semester and Project became main work of the semester and weighted heavily in gradeweighted heavily in grade

Used performance evaluationsUsed performance evaluations written by each team member about every other team written by each team member about every other team

member, following supplied templatemember, following supplied template Kathy, our client, also provided input on each personKathy, our client, also provided input on each person I wrote a business-like performance evaluation for I wrote a business-like performance evaluation for

each studenteach student Easy to assess student individual work and Easy to assess student individual work and

performance as a team memberperformance as a team member Grading was straightforwardGrading was straightforward

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ChallengesChallenges

Development of system is a lot to Development of system is a lot to accomplish in one semesteraccomplish in one semester

Creating pipeline of new and viable Creating pipeline of new and viable projects takes networking and creativityprojects takes networking and creativity

Managing teams to help them operate Managing teams to help them operate synergisticallysynergistically

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BenefitsBenefitsStudents learn firsthand:Students learn firsthand: The challenges of determining scope and of The challenges of determining scope and of

establishing business requirementsestablishing business requirements How to be an active listenerHow to be an active listener The value of using a development methodologyThe value of using a development methodology The value of analysis & design artifactsThe value of analysis & design artifacts How helpful a prototype can beHow helpful a prototype can beStudents have repeated opportunities to improve Students have repeated opportunities to improve

communication skills, through interviewing, communication skills, through interviewing, working on a team, and presentingworking on a team, and presenting

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Questions?Questions?

For more information:For more information: Janet Helwig – Janet Helwig – jhelwig@dom.edujhelwig@dom.edu Modularis website – Modularis website – www.modularis.comwww.modularis.com