ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on an essential preliminary step in the design and coding of a software system: its specification. These preparatory steps include the feasability study and requirements analysis and specifications. The chapter discusses the use of data flow and data modeling tools. The engineer’s task is to understand, to specify, and to build the system. The details of the systems analysis phase often depend on project context. What is applicable and pertinent in a typical business development scenario, or in a technical development setting, may have to be modified to suit a particular case. Two elements of this phase are generally crucial to project success: feasibility study and project requirements analysis. Two business management techniques are often used in feasibility study phase of a system analysis: risk analysis and cost-benefits analysis. Cost-benefit analysis is a standard business evaluation instrument, but not all project results can be exactly measured in dollars and cents.
