System Analysis and Design
4.19 A manager states
the following as the goals of a production planning system:
1 Reduce stock of semi-finished
products.
2 Provide better information for the
production planning.
3 Prevent overproduction.
How would you quantify the goals?
How would you obtain sub goals and
quantify them if appropriate?
4.20 A university
administrator calls a systems analyst to improve the administration
of sponsored research projects. The
main problems are delay in obtaining latest
financial position to project
coordinators, reconciliation of advances given to
coordinators, prompt demands not
sent to sponsors to collect promised grants and
lack of information to answer
following questions:
Which areas of research get maximum
grants?
Which agency aids which type of
projects?
What trends can be seen in the
nature of grants?
Now:
1. Classify the above problems into
missing functions, unsatisfactory
performance and excessive cost of
operation.
2. How would you get goals to meet
the deficiencies?
3. How would you quantify them?
4.21 A library
receives 1300 journals of varying periodicities. The journals received
have to be recorded
and displayed. Action has to be taken when journals are not
received in time or
lost in mail. Unless request for replacement is sent quickly, it
may not be possible
to get the replacement. Periodicals have to be ordered at
different times
during the year and subscriptions renewed in time. Late payment
of subscription may lead
to non-availability of earlier issues or paying higher
amounts for those
issues. Current manual system is not able to meet these
requirements.
1. Specify what should be the goals
and sub-goals of an information system for
ordering periodicals.
2. Quantify these goals.
3. Suggest alternative means of
achieving the goals specified by you.
4.22 What
operational, tactical, and strategic information should be provided by the
mess billing system
mentioned in the text? (Case study).
4.23 When is a detailed
system proposal prepared? What are the contents of a system
proposal?
V.
