System Design

3 System Analysis

"What should the system do?"

Within an enterprise, a great amount of responsibility rests on the shoulders of a system designer. The system designer specifies what a system should do, and provides an outline of a system's functionality. The system designer may be specifying an IT system, but directly impacts the people that work with the system. For operational systems, a design of a system directly influences the daily work of an employee, and indirectly influences the culture of the organization. Well-designed systems become a valuable tool in the hands of their users, and contribute towards the business's increased competitiveness. Poorly-designed systems tend to get in the way of their users, require redesign if new business models are introduced, and hinder the growth of a business.

System models provide a designer with the means of specifying and communicating a functional solution. It is important to bear in mind that a functional solution can be realized in several ways, and a system model should not feature technical considerations.

This section provides a guide to creating the optimal system model for a business. Initially, the guide provides some tips on how to start designing a system, and then jumps into the specifics of designing a system.