System Analysis

System analysis is the process of examining an existing system in detail, in simple terms analysis is to see what data comes in to the company, how it is processed and and what outputs they produce.The purpose of analysing the system is to see how data flows around the system. In particular the process of system analysis requires:

1-Collecting information on how the existing system works.
2-Establishing its inputs, outputs and processing.
3-Recording information, for example in the form of data flow diagrams.
4-Identifying problems.

As we have mentioned the first stage of system analysis is collecting information,and there are four methods of doing this:

1-Examination of documents
Examining all the documents within a system for example, bills, invoices, letters, order forms, payslips etc.

2-Questionnaires
The most common way of gathering information. It is a printed sheet given to the employees, which contains questions for them to answer about the system. For example, what details of the worker and their pay would you like to see on your worker's payslips?

3-Interviews
Preparing an interview with an employee on certain date, to discuss them about the system. But most probably employees will give false information.

4-Observation
Observing and having a look on the how the employees work, but most employees won't feel comfortable with this, and others might give wrong impressions while being observed, and so the analyst will get wrong information.