Systems Beginning

Definition: A System consists of parts that work together to accomplish a task or goal

A car engine, a computer, a body, an economy, or a planet's ecology can be a system

Definition: a sub system is a set of components that work together to accomplish a task or goal which contributes to the larger system.

Examples, the fuel or electrical systems of an engine, the circulatory system, the supply system, the water cycle.

Systems Analysis consists of identifying systems and their purpose, and the identifying--breaking them into--their component parts and determining how those parts interact with the whole.

The idea is to break complex processes into simpler pieces that can be understood and manipulated much more easily than the system as a whole.

The various techniques of systems analysis were developed to aid this process and increase the chances of success.

Most attempts to create and replace systems fail.

Reasons for Analysis

Typically one analyzes a system in order to understand some business process in order to automate it or improve the existing automation

The first steps would be to identify the system to be considered and its outcomes.

Then you would define the requirements of the replacement system

Thirdly you would identify any number of possible solutions that meet those requirements. You would analyze the feasibility of each potential solution financially,temporally , technologically, legally and culturally.

That done, you would choose one and setup a project with the timeline, personnel and resources to complete the project.

Then you test the product, fix any errors and deploy it. After deploying it, you maintain it until such a point as the process needs to start over.

In most contemporary organizations, systems are monitored continuously. Analysis, development, deployment and maintenance are all happening simultaneously.