CSCI 308 Systems Analysis

1
Systems AnalysisCSCI 308

• Instructor Stan Schuyler
• Lecture 6
• Structured Problem Solving Approaches
• SA Determining the Real Problem
• (Lecture 5 cont)

2
Topic Outline

• Recap of Team Project 0
• Former SAD Student Inputs Matt Machuga
• What is the Problem?
• Description of a Structured Analysis Technique
• New Team Assignments
• Quiz

3
What Does an SA Have to Produce?

• Work Products
• Symptom Analysis
• Problem (Causation) Statements
• Solution Proposals
• Proposed Architecture
• Business Cases
• Project Plans
• What Table of Contents do each of the above have?

4
Questions Find ltInterpretationsgt

• Key Questions
• What is produced?
• Why produced?
• Who or what is in action?
• Where is the action occurring?
• How is production done?
• When is the action occurring?
• What is the data?
• How represented?
• How presented?
• What is the information?
• What is the knowledge?
• What level of Quality Control?

• Find ltinterpretationgt
• (Artifacts, Performance)
• (Problem, Purpose)
• (Actor/Agent)
• (Place, Situation/context)
• (Methodology)
• (Time, Sequence)
• (Symbols, Language)
• (alphabet, grammar)
• (Conveyed, transmitted)
• (Meaning in symbols)
• (Why How of meaning)
• (Feedback)

5
What is the Problem?

• What is problem recognition and problem
  definition?
• Explain the differences between problems and
  symptoms
• What is
• A PIECES framework?
• An Ishikawa diagram?
• An EATPUT diagram?

6
The Biggest Problem!

• What you think you know!
• What you do based on habit because of what you
  think you know!

7
Problem Recognition and Definition

• Cause and Effect
• One common method to define a problem is to
  explore the cause and effect trail created by its
  symptoms.
• If one can discover a common source for the
  symptoms, then one can assume that he or she has
  determined the nature of the problem.
• But how do we specify How to do this?

8
A Look at Causation Categories

• Performance
• The symptom indicates some problem related to the
  systems response time, response rate, or
  availability.
• Information
• The symptom indicates a requirements
  specification deficiency, error, or
  interpretation mismatch.
• Economics
• The symptom indicates a competitiveness problem
  in the sense that the system (personnel and
  application) is too expensive to operate relative
  to competitors operation.
• The reference is internal to external

9
Causation Categories (cont)

• Control
• The symptom indicates a problem with the
  repeatability, reliability, stability, or control
  of a process.
• The symptom could be indicative of a security
  issue in the sense of process integrity The
  user is feels the process is protected from
  failure.
• Efficiency
• The symptom indicates that there is an overuse of
  resources that limits capacity in some way (e.g.
  too much CPU limiting the throughput of a
  process).
• The issue is internal to the system

10
Causation Categories (cont)

• Service
• The symptom indicates the output is incorrect,
  undesired or missing.
• In this sense service relates to what is supposed
  to be produced for the user outcomes.

11
PIECES Natural Interdependencies
Performance Causes -delays -excessive
effort/ time
Office/Decision Control Causes -Mgmt. Culture
-Processes gtadhoc gtunchecked gtover
managed gtdecisions gtethics -Security
gtdata gtaccess
Information (requirements) Causes -missing
-in error -noise -unavailable
SYMPTOMS OBSERVED
Efficiency Causes -Waste gttime
gtmaterials gteffort -Redundancies gtData
gtTasks
Cause
Cause Because
Cause Because
Cause Because
12
(No Transcript)
13
Problem Causation

• Design Microchip Engineering Dept. GRED Support
  Report
• Addressed to H. Gummel, Dept. Head, Computer
  Aided Design Dept.
• From Dick Jacobs, Dept. Head, Microchip
  Engineering Dept.
• This report describes a history of problems
  we have encountered since the first release of
  your GRED XYMASK chip layout editor. First, let
  me make it clear that GRED has proved to be an
  excellent tool for custom chip design. That said
  we have experienced several recurring problems
  that we need a solution to. Let me briefly
  summarize the history of events.

14
What do we need to Extract?

• WHO (sources)
• Players
• Roles
• What (Symptoms) facts, not inferences
• When (sequence ? patterns)

15
Problem Analysis

• Who
• H. Gummel, Dept. Head, Computer Aided Design
  Dept.
• Role Problem Solver
• Dick Jacobs, Dept. Head, Microchip Engineering
  Dept.
• Role Client and Customer Representative
• This report describes a history of problems
  we have encountered since the first release of
  your GRED XYMASK chip layout editor. First, let
  me make it clear that GRED has proved to be an
  excellent tool for custom chip design. That said
  we have experienced several recurring problems
  that we need a solution to. Let me briefly
  summarize the history of events.

16
More What

• 5/19/81 GRED 1.0 Released
• 5 Circuits were designed and 5 XYMASK layouts
  produced. These were sent to the foundry for
  producing test wafers at 20,000 each.
  Examination of the test wafers indicated that
  certain types of geometries were not positioned
  relative to one-another correctly due to a
  misunderstanding between the users and your
  software team. We issued MR1 through MR3 to
  request specific fixes.

17
Example of Analyzing the ME Dept. Doc.
18
Another Framework

• There is no universally correct framework for
  analysis
• You will adapt one you see or invent your own
  when presented with a new domain.
• Another possibility is to categorize based on
• Symptom (WHAT)
• Who
• When
• Where
• Outputs
• Inputs
• Data Representation
• Summary of Apparent Cause

19
(No Transcript)
20
Team Assignments

• Team Re-formation based on
• Anonymous Leadership Selection
• Public Round Robin nomination
• Call out R number
• Member with R number may choose to join or
• Member with R number may remain anonymous and
  not identify themselves (unless they are the last
  one ?)
• Assignments
• Do not forget Assignments 6A and 6B
• Assign 7B
• Assign 7C

21
Quick Paper Quiz

• Put your name and date on it
• Question the answers!! ?
• And Answer the Questions ?