Systems Development Project (BA 4326-501)

Spring 05

Course Information

Instructor: Lou Thompson

Office: SOM 3.813
Phone: 972-883-2558
Office Hours: Tuesday 5:00 – 6:45 pm or by appointment
Classroom: SOM 1.110
Time: Tuesday from 7:00-9:45 pm
E-mail: lou.thompson@utdallas.edu
Course website: www.25cubed.com/utd/BA4326-501

Class Resources:

1. Systems Analysis and Design Methods, by Jeffrey L. Whitten, Lonnie D.

Bentley and Kevin C. Dittman, McGraw-Hill, Irwin, 2004.
2. Class notes and Handouts
3. Visible Analyst Workbench Software (Available in the UTD PC Lab)

Course Objectives:

BA 4326 Systems Development Project (3 semester hours) Students will be

required to perform analysis, design, and implementation of a real-life project
within an organization. Students will be organized into teams and will be required
to use the concepts taught in the earlier classes on systems development.
Prerequisite: BA 4322. The focus of BA 4326 is on the implementation of
computer systems. Major topics for this course include:
1. System Design
2. Project Management
3. Database Design
4. Input, Output, and User Interface Design
5. Systems Construction and Implementation
6. Systems Operations and Support
7. System Testing
8. System Requirements Management & Tracking

Course contents and Preparation:

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 This course will consist of lectures, reading, presentations, examinations and a
group project.

Evaluation:

You are required to meet any deadlines for the assignments and exams and also
any schedules for class activities or tasks the course requires. The project is a
group activity and you will receive a group score. Students will be evaluated on
the basis of:
1. Exam 1 25%
2. Exam 2 25%
3. Project
• Project Scope and Plan (Report #1) 15%
• Prototype (Report #2) 15%
• Implemented System (Report #3) 15%
(Presentations grades are included in the corresponding report.)
4. Class Participation 5%
Total 100%

Scholastic Honesty:

The university has policies and procedures regarding scholastic dishonesty. Detailed
information is available at: http://www.utdallas.edu/student/slife/dishonesty.html. All
students are expected to maintain a high level of responsibility with respect to academic
honesty. Students who violate university rules on scholastic dishonesty are subject to
disciplinary penalties, including the possibility of failure in the course and/or dismissal
from the university. Since such dishonesty harms the individual, all students and the
integrity of the university, policies on scholastic dishonesty will be strictly enforced.

Visible Analyst

Visible Analyst is an important part of the modeling and design process. It is a graphical
planning, analysis, modeling and design tool which helps students build complex
technology independent applications and databases. It allows data, processes, and objects
to be modeled in multiple notations, including structural analysis and design and
OO/UML for use in software engineering. It is widely used for modeling and design in
universities and colleges. It can generate model information in multiple forms, including
COBOL, C, Visual Basic, SQL, and XML.

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The grading will be based on the grading scale below. Adjustments are made only if
necessary.

98 – 100 A+
92 – 97 A
90 – 91 A-
87 – 89 B+
82 – 86 B
80 – 81 B-
77 – 79 C+
72 – 76 C
70 – 71 C-
67 – 69 D+
62 – 66 D
60 – 61 D-
Below 60 F

Group specifications and dividing up the work

Each group will consist of five to six members with one group leader. The leader is
responsible for fair allocation of tasks as well as its completion. Team members should
note that the project itself is a learning activity and that one individual should not perform
the same task over and over again (for example, one person does the writing of all
reports.) It is often impractical to have all members of the group put in equal amount of
effort in all parts of the project. However, I do require that all of you put in
approximately equal effort for the project, when taken as a whole. At the end of the
semester, you will get to evaluate your group members’ performance and adjustments
will be made if necessary.

Any dissension, arguments about equity etc. are to be settled within the group. If I am
brought in to arbitrate, the group as a whole will be penalized with extra penalties
imposed on the group leader. However, if a group member shows a significant
unwillingness to work for he group project, I should be informed immediately!.

Bottom line, any group member that does not perform their share of the group’s
project individual grade will be at least one letter grade lower!

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Schedule:BA4326-501 Spring 05

SESSION DATE TOPIC/LECTURE READING

1 1/11 Class Introduction

Project Management Chapter 4
Project Groups Setup
2 1/18 Information Systems Development Chapter 3
3 1/25 Requirement Discovery Chapter 6
4 2/1 Presentations # 1 Project Scope and
Scope Plan document
due
5 2/8 Midterm Exam Chapters 3,4,&6

6 2/15 Database Design Chapter 14

Output Design & Prototyping Chapter 15
Look at some actual prototypes Demonstration
7 2/22 Input Design & Prototyping Chapter 16
User Interface Design Chapter 17
8 3/1 Work Session
9 3/15 Presentation #2 Prototype
10 3/22 System Construction & Implementation Chapter 19
System Testing Handout
11 3/29 System Operations & Support Chapter 20
System Testing Handout
12 4/5 Work Session
13 4/12 Presentation # 3 Final
System Demonstration Documentation
14 4/19 Final Exam Chapters
14,15,16,17,19,
&20

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