Roles of JAD Group Members

The roles of JAD group members as a project sponsor, project leader, timekeeper and clients are described below.

Project Sponsor - remember, this is the person who owns the business process. Their support and participation is crucial to the success of the JAD. In addition to the project responsibilities listed below, the project sponsor and the lead analyst can share the role of Project Leader, being equally responsible for the successful completion of the JAD. 

Project Sponsor Responsibilities 

● ensure the right clients are part of the group 

● ensure there is enough technical staff support for the project 

● ensure that software/hardware is purchased as needed for the project 

● ensure that the clients are given time off from their regular work to attend the JAD meetings and to perform the tasks they are assigned by the JAD (policy research, gathering information / opinions from other client groups, documentation, testing) 

● assign and work on policy research 

● delegate tasks to clients who are in the group 

● ensure that the client tasks are done 

● assist in the selection of test cases 

● assist in the definition of the scope and functionality 

● assist in benchmarking against current systems and external systems 

● help set up quality measures 

● evaluate whether the system is effective and efficient 

Project Leader - the project leader can make or break the project. They need to be committed wholeheartedly to the project, and to have a background knowledge of the business area and current or related information systems. They also need to be committed to The University, and to understand the implications of the project within the context of University goals. They need to be enthusiastic and objective. They need to be sensitive to political issues and able to draw out the opinions of the quiet members of the group, and to not allow any single individual to dominate the group. 

Project Leader Responsibilities 

● work with project sponsor to ensure the right people are in the group 

● ensure all roles for the group are filled 

● ensure that meetings are scheduled and publicized with agendas 

● ensure that agendas are planned and followed 

● ensure that meeting notes are taken, and published by the record keeper 

● edit the notes and make sure they are not a transcript but a concise accurate summary of decisions made (both pro and con) and issues discussed and actions to do (make sure they are available historically if a new member has to join in the middle of a project) 

● ensure that tasks are assigned and done, and that a task list is planned and executed in the sequence that it needs to be, with appropriate timelines 

● coordinate the technical efforts of the analysts on the team 

● do research prior to the meetings to make sure background information is gathered on the appropriate agenda topics 

● facilitate the meetings effectively 

Record Keeper - The record keeper takes comprehensive notes during a session, and then edits them into a concise summary of discussions and decisions. It is important that the resulting notes NOT be transcription of who said what. The role can be shared by various members of the team as needed. Often a well-facilitated meeting will have a note taking record keeper, and also someone who records points on an easel pad. The easel pad serves as a ready reference to the group when summarizing discussions, and for return reference on complex points. And it also is a means for the record keeper to evaluate the accuracy and thoroughness of their notes. 

Record Keeper Responsibilities 

● take accurate and thorough notes during the meeting 

● ask for clarification on points if anything is not clear 

● summarize and condense the notes after the session 

● ensure that the JAD leader and project sponsor or other relevant people proof and edit the notes prior to publishing 

● publish the notes for all current members of the team and for any other interested parties 

● keep a history of the notes for the benefit of any members who join the team in mid-project 

● remind the group if they contradict earlier decisions and make sure they know they are in contradiction. 

Timekeeper - The Timekeeper is responsible for keeping the meeting running on time and helping the group use time wisely. 

Timekeeper Responsibilities 

● makes sure the meeting begins and ends on time 

● help the meeting stay on time for each topic on the agenda 

● reminds the group that they need to end a discussion in order to have time to summarize and create an action plan in the final minutes of the meeting 

Clients - Clients are here because this is a system they use. They understand how this system is used in the real world. They will help the group understand all the tasks handled by the system, correct any misperceptions, search for oversights and supply details. Remember, no detail is too small to mention. Sometimes minor details make a major difference in the way the system should work. 

Typical Client Responsibilities 

● describe the sequence of events in a business process as it affects their office 

● describe the decisions that have to be made in a business process 

● define the information that the process has to deal with 

● define what is critical vs. what would be nice for the first version of the system 

● bring up any problems that exist in the current process or any opportunities for making it more efficient 

● research policy questions when a new business procedure is being proposed 

● analyze if there are any obstacles to success in the current environment of their office for implementing the new system 

● create test cases for testing 

● run test scripts on the cases 

● give the developers feedback on the usability and accuracy and effectiveness of the system in an organized, documented way 

● help prepare documentation on how the system works from a client's point of view 

● help prepare and implement training for other clients 

All Team Members - have the following responsibilities: 

● Commitment to the team 

● Regular attendance 

● Actively listen 

● Actively participate 

● Identify concerns 

● Brainstorm ideas 

● Recommend solutions 

● Agree upon a design by consensus 

● Assist with project duties 

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Who is involved in a JAD?

The persons who are involved in JAD are sponsor, business users, real end users, system analysts and are described below.

Sponsor - this is the executive who charters the project, the system owner. They must be high enough in the organization to be able to make decisions and provide the necessary resources and support for the project. 

Business Users - the intended users of the system being designed. They are here because of their business expertise. There are two kinds of Business Users; Real End Users and Big Picture Users.

Real End Users will have to use the new system to do their jobs. Big Picture Users understand the standards and methodologies of the business functions. It is important to have both types of users, if you only have Big Picture Users you will end up with a great theoretical model of how things should work, but it may not work in practice, if you just have Real End Users, you will get a good system for today, but it may not work a year or two down the road. 

Systems Analysts - Provide non-technical explanations that help other JAD members understand and fully utilize the technology available. Monitor design for ease of use/maintenance and adherence to standards. Provide Hardware/software development.

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What is a JAD?

JAD Definition: Joint Application Development (JAD) is a management process which helps Information System work effectively with users to develop information technology solutions that really work.

JAD Purpose: to define the project, design a solution, and monitor the project until it reaches completion.

JAD Philosophy: The JAD process is based on four simple ideas: 

• People who actually do a job have the best understanding of that job. 
• People who are trained in information technology have the best understanding of the possibilities of that technology. 
• Information systems and business processes rarely exist in isolation. They transcend the confines of any single system or office and effect work in related departments. People working in these related areas have valuable insight on the role of a system within a larger community. 
• The best information systems are designed when all of these groups work together on a project as equal partners. 

JAD Scope - The JAD should cover the complete development life cycle of a system. The JAD is usually a 3 to 6 month well-defined project. For large-scale projects, it is recommended that the project be approached incrementally, and that separate JAD's be used for each increment.

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Computer-based information system (CBIS)

A computer-based information system (CBIS) is an information system in which the computer plays a major role. Such a system consists of the following elements:

• Hardware:The term hardware refers to machinery. This category includes the computer itself, which is often referred to as the central processing unit (CPU), and all of its support equipment's. Among the support equipment's are input and output devices, storage devices and communications devices.

• Software:The term software refers to computer programs and the manuals (if any) that support them. Computer programs are machine-readable instructions that direct the circuitry within the hardware parts of the CBIS to function in ways that produce useful information from data. Programs are generally stored on some input / output medium-often a disk or tape.

• Data: Data are facts that are used by program to produce useful information. Like programs, data are generally stored in machine-readable from on disk or tape until the computer needs them.

• Procedures:procedures are the policies that govern the operation of a computer system. "Procedures are to people what software is to hardware" is a common analogy that is used to illustrate the role of procedures in a CBIS.

• People:Every CBIS needs people if it is to be useful. Often the most over-looked element of the CBIS is the people: probably the components that most influence the success or failure of information system.

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What is a Systems Analyst? & What Does A System Analyst Do?

• Systems analysts are people who understand both business and computing.
• Systems analysts study business problems and opportunities and then transform business and information requirements of the business into the computer-based information systems and computer applications that are implemented by various technical specialists including computer programmers.

A formal definition:

• A systems analyst facilitates the study of the problems and needs of a business to determine how the business system and information technology can best solve the problem and accomplish improvements for the business. The product of this activity may be improved business processes, improved information systems, or new or improved computer applications frequently all three
• When information technology is used, the systems analyst is responsible for:
• the efficient capture of data from its business source
• the flow of that data to the computer
• the processing and storage of that data by the computer
• the flow of useful and timely information back to the business and its people
• Information technology is a contemporary term that describes the combination of computer technology (hardware and software) with telecommunications technology (data, image, and voice networks).

What Does A System Analyst Do?

• A system analyst is a system-oriented problem solver.
• System problem solving is the act of studying a problem environment in order to implement corrective solutions that take the form of new or improved systems.
• Most systems analysts use some variation of a system problem solving approach called a system development life cycle.
• A systems development life cycle (SDLC) is a systematic and orderly approach to solving system problems.

The SDLC usually incorporates the following general-purpose problem solving steps:

• Planning - identify the scope and boundary of the problem, and plan the development strategy and goals.
• Analysis - study and analyze the problems, causes, and effects. Then, identify and analyze the requirements that must be fulfilled by any successful solution.
• Design - if necessary, design the solution not all solutions require design.
• Implementation - implement the solution.
• Support - analyze the implemented solution, refine the design, and implement improvements to the solution. Different support situations can thread back into the previous steps.

What is a user?

• A user is a person, or group of persons, for whom the systems analyst builds and maintains business information systems and computer applications. A common system is client.
• There are at least two specific user/customer groups: system users and system owners.
• System users are those individuals who either have direct contact with an information system or application or they use information generated by a system.
• System owners provide sponsorship of information systems and computer applications. In other words, they pay to have the systems and applications developed and maintained. 

System Life Cycle

System life cycle is an organizational process of developing and maintaining systems. It helps in establishing a system project plan, because it gives overall list of processes and sub-processes required for developing a system.

System development life cycle means combination of various activities. In other words we can say that various activities put together are referred as system development life cycle. In the System Analysis and Design terminology, the system development life cycle also means software development life cycle.
Following are the different phases of system development life cycle:

• Preliminary Study
• Feasibility study
• Detailed system study
• System analysis
• System design
• Coding
• Testing
• Implementation
• Maintenance

The different phases of system development life cycle is shown in this diagram

PHASES OF SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT LIFE CYCLE

Let us now describe the different phases and related activities of system development life cycle.

(a) Preliminary System Study

Preliminary system study is the first stage of system development life cycle. This is a brief investigation of the system under consideration and gives a clear picture of what actually the physical system is? In practice, the initial system study involves the preparation of a
‘System Proposal’ which lists the Problem Definition, Objectives of the Study, Terms of reference for Study, Constraints, Expected benefits of the new system, etc. in the light of the user requirements.
The system proposal is prepared by the System Analyst (who studies the system) and places it before the user management. The management may accept the proposal and the cycle proceeds to the next stage. The management may also reject the proposal or request some modifications in the proposal. In summary, we would say that system study phase passes through the following steps:

• Problem identification and project initiation
• Background analysis
• Inference or findings (system proposal)

(b) Feasibility Study

In case the system proposal is acceptable to the management, the next phase is to examine the feasibility of the system. The feasibility study is basically the test of the proposed system in the light of its workability, meeting user’s requirements, effective use of resources and of course, the cost effectiveness. These are categorized as technical, operational, economic and schedule feasibility. The main goal of feasibility study is not to solve the problem but to achieve the scope. In the process of feasibility study, the cost and benefits are estimated with greater accuracy to find the Return on Investment (ROI). This also defines the resources needed to complete the detailed investigation. The result is a feasibility report submitted to the management. This may be accepted or accepted with modifications or rejected. The system cycle proceeds only if the management accepts it.

(c) Detailed System Study

The detailed investigation of the system is carried out in accordance with the objectives of the proposed system. This involves detailed study of various operations performed by a system and their relationships within and outside the system. During this process, data
are collected on the available files, decision points and transactions handled by the present system. Interviews, on-site observation and questionnaire are the tools used for detailed system study. Using the following steps it becomes easy to draw the exact boundary of the new system under consideration:

• Keeping in view the problems and new requirements
• Workout the pros and cons including new areas of the system

All the data and the findings must be documented in the form of detailed data flow diagrams (DFDs), data dictionary, logical data structures and miniature specification. The main points to be discussed in this stage are:

• Specification of what the new system is to accomplish based on the user requirements.
• Functional hierarchy showing the functions to be performed by the new system and their relationship with each other.
• Functional network, which are similar to function hierarchy but they highlight the functions which are common to more than one procedure.
• List of attributes of the entities – these are the data items which need to be held about each entity (record)

(d) System Analysis

Systems analysis is a process of collecting factual data, understand the processes involved, identifying problems and recommending feasible suggestions for improving the system functioning. This involves studying the business processes, gathering operational data, understand the information flow, finding out bottlenecks and evolving solutions for overcoming the weaknesses of the system so as to achieve the organizational goals. System Analysis also includes subdividing of complex process involving the entire system, identification of data store and manual processes.
The major objectives of systems analysis are to find answers for each business process: What is being done How is it being done, Who is doing it, When is he doing it, Why is it being done and How can it be improved? It is more of a thinking process and involves the creative skills of the System Analyst. It attempts to give birth to a new efficient system that satisfies the current needs of the user and has scope for future growth within the organizational constraints. The
result of this process is a logical system design. Systems analysis is an iterative process that continues until a preferred and acceptable solution emerges.

(e) System Design

Based on the user requirements and the detailed analysis of the existing system, the new system must be designed. This is the phase of system designing. It is the most crucial phase in the developments of a system. The logical system design arrived at as a result of systems analysis is converted into physical system design. Normally, the design proceeds in two stages:

• Preliminary or General Design: In the preliminary or general design, the features of the new system are specified. The costs of implementing these features and the benefits to be derived are estimated. If the project is still considered to be feasible, we move to the detailed design stage.
• Structured or Detailed Design: In the detailed design stage, computer oriented work begins in earnest. At this stage, the design of the system becomes more structured. Structure design is a blue print of a computer system solution to a given problem having the same components and inter-relationships among the same components as the original problem. Input, output, databases, forms, codification schemes and processing specifications are drawn up in detail.

In the design stage, the programming language and the hardware and software platform in which the new system will run are also decided. There are several tools and techniques used for describing the system design of the system. These tools and techniques are:

• Flowchart
• Data flow diagram (DFD)
• Data dictionary
• Structured English
• Decision table
• Decision tree

Each of the above tools for designing will be discussed in detailed in the next lesson.
The system design involves:
i.    Defining precisely the required system output
ii.   Determining the data requirement for producing the output
iii.  Determining the medium and format of files and databases
iv.  Devising processing methods and use of software to produce output
v.   Determine the methods of data capture and data input
vi.  Designing Input forms
vii.  Designing Codification Schemes
viii. Detailed manual procedures
ix.   Documenting the Design

(f) Coding

The system design needs to be implemented to make it a workable system. This demands the coding of design into computer understandable language, i.e., programming language. This is also called the programming phase in which the programmer converts the program specifications into computer instructions, which we refer to as programs. It is an important stage where the defined procedures are transformed into control specifications by the help of a computer language. The programs coordinate the data movements and control the entire process in a system. It is generally felt that the programs must be modular in nature. This helps in fast development, maintenance and future changes, if required.

(g)Testing

Before actually implementing the new system into operation, a test run of the system is done for removing the bugs, if any. It is an important phase of a successful system. After codifying the whole programs of the system, a test plan should be developed and run on a given set of test data. The output of the test run should match the expected results. Sometimes, system testing is considered a part of implementation process.
Using the test data following test run are carried out:

• Program test: When the programs have been coded, compiled and brought to working conditions, they must be individually tested with the prepared test data. Any undesirable happening must be noted and debugged (error corrections)
• System Test: After carrying out the program test for each of the programs of the system and errors removed, then system test is done. At this stage the test is done on actual data. The complete system is executed on the actual data. At each stage of the execution, the results or output of the system is analyzed. During the result analysis, it may be found that the outputs are not matching the expected output of the system. In such case, the errors in the particular programs are identified and are fixed and further tested for the expected output. When it is ensured that the system is running error-free, the users are called with their own actual data so that the system could be shown running as per their requirements.

(h)Implementation

After having the user acceptance of the new system developed, the implementation phase begins. Implementation is the stage of a project during which theory is turned into practice. The major steps involved in this phase are:

• Acquisition and Installation of Hardware and Software
• Conversion
• User Training
• Documentation

The hardware and the relevant software required for running the system must be made fully operational before implementation. The conversion is also one of the most critical and expensive activities in the system development life cycle. The data from the old system needs to be converted to operate in the new format of the new system. The database needs to be setup with security and recovery procedures fully defined.
During this phase, all the programs of the system are loaded onto the user’s computer. After loading the system, training of the user starts. Main topics of such type of training are:

• How to execute the package
• How to enter the data
• How to process the data (processing details)
• How to take out the reports

After the users are trained about the computerized system, working has to shift from manual to computerized working. The process is called ‘Changeover’. The following strategies are followed for changeover of the system.

(i) Direct Changeover: This is the complete replacement of the old system by the new system. It is a risky approach and requires comprehensive system testing and training.

(ii) Parallel run: In parallel run both the systems, i.e., computerized and manual, are executed simultaneously for certain defined period. The same data is processed by both the systems. This
strategy is less risky but more expensive because of the following:

• Manual results can be compared with the results of the computerized system.
• The operational work is doubled.
• Failure of the computerized system at the early stage does not affect the working of the organization, because the manual system continues to work, as it used to do.

(iii) Pilot run: In this type of run, the new system is run with the data from one or more of the previous periods for the whole or part of the system. The results are compared with the old
system results. It is less expensive and risky than parallel run approach. This strategy builds the confidence and the errors are traced easily without affecting the operations. The documentation of the system is also one of the most important activities in the system development life cycle. This ensures the continuity of the system. There are generally two types of documentation prepared for any system. These are:

• User or Operator Documentation
• System Documentation

The user documentation is a complete description of the system from the users point of view detailing how to use or operate the system. It also includes the major error messages likely to be encountered by the users. The system documentation contains the details of system design, programs, their coding, system flow, data dictionary, process description, etc. This helps to understand the system and permit changes to be made in the existing system to satisfy new user needs

(i)Maintenance
Maintenance is necessary to eliminate errors in the system during its working life and to tune the system to any variations in its working environments. It has been seen that there are always some errors found in the systems that must be noted and corrected. It also means the review of the system from time to time. The review of the system is done for:

• knowing the full capabilities of the system
• knowing the required changes or the additional requirements
• Studying the performance.

If a major change to a system is needed, a new project may have to be set up to carry out the change. The new project will then proceed through all the above life cycle phases. 

Defining a System

A collection of components that work together to realize some objectives forms a system.

            In other words, a system is a set of interacting elements, interacting with each other to achieve a predetermined objective or goal.

            In a system the different components are connected with each other and they are interdependent. For example, human body represents a complete natural system. We are also bound by many national systems such as political system, economic system, educational system and so forth. The objective of the system demands that some output is produced as a result of processing the suitable inputs. A well-designed system also includes an additional element referred to as ‘control’ that provides a feedback to achieve desired objectives of the system.

            Basically there are three major components in every system, namely input, processing and output.

i) Input:–  It includes, Capturing/accepting and assembling components that enter the system to be      processed. Example: raw data, raw material etc.

ii) Processing:– Process is the series of changes to be done on information, to convert input into output.

iii) Output:– Output is produced by the transformation process to their ultimate destination. Example: reports, finished products etc.

Characteristics of a system:

·     Every system has a certain objectives and goals.

·         Main system has a several subsystems or models.
·         The lifecycle of the system is expression of the phases in the alive usage life of the system.
·         System operates in the terms of goals and predetermined scope.
·         Systems in real life do not operate in isolation.

Types of systems are:

a)    Physical Systems, such as man, weapons etc.
b)    Abstract Systems, such as god, nature etc.
c)    Open Systems, such as man
d)    Closed Systems, such as chemical process.
e)    Probabilistic Systems, such as arrival pattern, class etc.
f)     Man-Machine Systems, such as aero plane.