Systems Analysis and Design
Instructor: Engr. Richard N. Tobias, CoE
Email: [email protected]
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Schedule
Text: Systems Analysis and Design in a Changing World by John Satzinger, Robert Jackson and Stephen Burd 3rd edition Office Hours: Wednesday / Thursday 11:00 A.M. to noon Phone: 416-736-2100, ext. 33886 Email: [email protected]
Marking Scheme
Midterm (in class): 40% 2 Assignments ( 1st 5%, 2nd 5%) : 10%
Final: 50%
Midterm and Final will be closed book
If a student gets less than 38% in the Final he/she fails the course regardless the average
Rounding Policy : For example : 49.4 goes to 49 49.5 or higher goes to 50 Lecture notes will be made available at: http://www.math.yorku.ca/~cysneiro/courses.html
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What is Systems Analysis and Design (SAD)?
Systems Analysis: understanding and specifying in detail what an information system should do System Design: specifying in detail how the parts of an information system should be implemented
Why is it important? Success of information systems depends on good SAD Widely used in industry - proven techniques part of career growth in IT - lots of interesting and wellpaying jobs! (rated 2nd best job in latest Jobs Almanac) increasing demand for systems analysis skills
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Course Objectives
To provide you with new ways of looking at information in the world in order to solve business problems To introduce you to concepts and methods of System Analysis and design (SAD) To describe the systems development life cycle (SDLC) To teach you effective methods for gathering essential information during system analysis To teach you effective methods for designing systems to solve problems effectively using technology
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Course Topics
Introduction to systems analysis and design (Chapter 1)
the analyst as problem solver required skills of systems analysts types of jobs and the analysts role Example: Rocky mountain outfitters
The analyst as project manager (Chapter 3)
the systems development life cycle (SDLC)
planning phase analysis phase design phase implementation phase support phase
the project team
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Topics (continued)
Approaches to Systems Development (chapter 2)
Methodologies and Models 2 approaches: structured approach object-oriented approach Waterfall Models for SDLC other variations computer-aided software engineering (CASE)
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Topics (continued)
Identifying System Requirements (Chapter 4)
stakeholders Methods - e.g. questionnaires, interviews, observation, build prototypes, others
Modelling System Requirements (Chapter 5,6,7 and 8)
types of models - e.g. mathematical, descriptive, graphical identifying and modeling events identifying and modeling things in the world traditional and object-oriented methods
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Topics (continued)
System Design (Chapters 9,10,11,14 and 15)
going from requirements to design elements of design approaches structured approach object-oriented approach design of inputs and outputs designing databases designing user interfaces
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Chapter 1: The World of the Modern System Analyst
System Analysis: the process of understanding and specifying in detail what the information system should do System Design: the process of specifying in detail how the many component parts of the information system should be implemented System Analyst: A professional who used analysis and design techniques to solve business problems (involving information technology)
A theme of the course: developing effective information systems is much more than just writing computer programs (involves cognitive skills in understanding problems and knowing where computer technology best fits in)
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The Analysts Approach to Problem Solving (Figure 1-1 in the text)
Research and understand the problem
Verify that the benefits of solving the problem outweigh the costs
Develop a set of possible solutions (alternatives)
Decide which solution is best, and make a recommendation
Design the details of the chosen solution Implement the solution
Monitor to make sure the you Obtain the desired results
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Thinking in terms of Systems
What is a system? A system is a collection of interrelated components (subsystems) that function together to achieve some outcome (e.g. biological system, computer system, social system) An information system is a collection of interrelated components that collect, process, store and provide as output the information needed to complete business tasks (e.g. payroll system)
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Characteristics of Systems
Systems are made up of interrelated subsystems (e.g. a nuclear reactor is composed of boilers, reactor components etc.) Functional decomposition dividing a system into components based on subsystems (which are in turn further divided into subsystems) System boundary the separation between a system and its environment (where inputs and outputs cross) Automation boundary separation between the automated part of system and the manual part 19
General Depiction of a System
input boundary
interrelationship
subsystem output
output
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Overall production system (supersystem)
(figure 1-2 in the text)
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Figure 1-4: The system boundary and the automation boundary
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Systems Thinking
Being able to identify something as a system Involves being able to identify subsystems Identifying system characteristics and functions Identifying where the boundaries are (or should be) Identifying inputs and outputs to systems Identifying relationships among subsystems
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Information Systems and Component Parts
Figure 1-3
Systems Analysis and Design in a Changing World, 5th Edition
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Types of Information Systems
Transaction processing systems (TPS)
Capture and record information about the transactions that affect the organization (e.g. the sale of an item, a withdrawal from an ATM etc.)
Management Information Systems (MIS)
Take information captured by the transaction processing system and produce reports management needs for planning and controlling business
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Executive Information Systems (EIS)
Provide information for executives to use in strategic planning (could be from organizational database, or outside sources like stock market reports)
Decision Support Systems (DSS)
Support human decision making and allows users to explore the potential impact of available options or decisions (e.g. can ask what if) Closely related to expert systems or knowledgebased systems
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Required Skills of the Systems Analyst
Technical Knowledge and Skills
Computers and how they work in general Programming languages Devices that interact with computers Communications networks Database and database management systems Operating systems and utilities
Tools: software products used to help develop analysis and design specifications and completed system components
e.g. Microsoft Access, Integrated development environments, computer-supported system engineering (CASE) tools
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Business Knowledge and Skills
What activities and processes do organizations perform? How are organizations structured? How are organizations managed? What type of work (activity) does on in the organization? (e.g. hospital, bank etc.) Who are the actors doing the activities About the organization (e.g. company) the system analyst needs to know:
What the specific organization does What makes it successful What its strategies and plans are What its tradition (culture) and values are
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People Knowledge and Skills
Single most important interpersonal skill:
To communicate clearly and effectively with others!
Since analysts work on teams with others (e.g. team members, clients etc.) must understand about people:
How people think How people learn How people react to change How people communicate How people work (activities and actors)
Other areas:
Skill in interviewing, listening and observing Good written and oral presentation Being able to work in a team
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Typical Job Titles
Programmer/analyst Business systems analyst System liaison End-user analyst Business consultant Systems consultant System support analyst System designer Software engineer System architect
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Typical Job Ad: Systems Analyst Distribution Center
We are the worlds leading manufacturer of womens apparel products. Our organization in the Far East has openings for a Systems Analyst
Requirements: Bachelors degree in Computer Science, Business Administration or closely related field with 5 (+) years of working experience In-depth understanding of Distribution and Manufacturing concepts (Allocation, Replenishment, Floor Control, Production Scheduling) Working knowledge of project management and all phases of the software development life cycle Experience with CASE tools, PC and Bar Code equipment Working knowledge of AS/400 and/or UNIX environment with the languages C, RPG400 and/or COBOL are desirable
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Components of an Information Systems Strategic Plan
Figure 1-7
Systems Analysis and Design in a Changing World, 5th Edition
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Rocky Mountain Outfitters (RMO) and Its Strategic Information Systems Plan
RMO sports clothing manufacturer and distributor about to begin customer support system project Need to understand the nature of the business, approach to strategic planning, and objectives for customer support system RMO system development project used to demonstrate analysis and design concepts Reliable Pharmaceutical Service (RPS) is a second 33 case study for classroom purposes
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Introduction to Rocky Mountain Outfitters (RMO) Business
Began in Park City, Utah supplying winter sports clothes to local ski shops Expanded into direct mail-order sales with small catalogas catalog interest increased, opened retail store in Park City Became large, regional sports clothing distributor by early 2000s in Rocky Mountain and Western states Currently $180 million in annual sales and 600 employees and two retail stores Mail-order revenue is $90 million; phone-order 34 revenue is $50 million 34
Early RMO Catalog Cover (Fall 1978)
Figure 1-8
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Current RMO Catalog Cover (Fall 2007)
Figure 1-9
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RMO Strategic Issues
Innovative clothing distributor; featured products on Web site ahead of competitors Original Web site now underperforming
Slow, poor coordination with in-house, poor supply chain management, poor technical support
Market analysis showed alarming trends
Sales growth too slow, age of customers increasing, Web sales small percentage of total
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RMO Strategic Issues (continued)
Enhanced Web site functions
Add specific product information, weekly specials, and all product offerings
Detailed IS strategic plan
Supply chain management Customer relationship management
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RMOs Organizational Structure
Managed by original owners
John Blankens President Liz Blankens Vice president of merchandising and distribution
William McDougal Vice president of marketing and sales JoAnn White Vice president of finance and systems
Mac Preston Chief Information Officer
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RMO Current Organization
Figure 1-10
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RMO Locations
Figure 1-11
Systems Analysis and Design in a Changing World, 5th Edition
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RMO Information Systems Department
Mac Preston Assistant vice-president and chief information officer (CIO)
Recent promotion made after IS strategic plan created
CIO reports to finance and systems VP
CIO is increasingly important to future of RMO Given its strategic importance, IS department will eventual report directly to the CEO
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Systems Analysis and Design in a Changing World, 5th Edition
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RMO Information Systems Department Staffing
Figure 1-12
Systems Analysis and Design in a Changing World, 5th Edition
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Existing RMO Systems
Small server cluster system
Supports inventory, mail-order, accounting, and human resources High capacity network connects distribution and mail-order sites
LANs and file servers
Supports central office functions, distribution centers, and manufacturing centers
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Systems Analysis and Design in a Changing World, 5th Edition
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Existing RMO Systems (continued)
Supply Chain Management System
Client/Server system in C++ and DB2
Mail Order System
Mainframe COBOL/CICS. Unable to handle phone orders
Phone order system
Oracle and Visual Basic system built 6 years ago
Retail store systems
Eight-year-old point-of-sale and batch inventory package, overnight update with mainframe
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Systems Analysis and Design in a Changing World, 5th Edition
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Existing RMO Systems (continued)
Office systems
LAN with office software, Internet, e-mail
Human resources system
Thirteen-year-old mainframe-based payroll and benefits
Accounting/finance system
Mainframe package bought from leading vendor
Web Catalog and Order System
Outside company until 2011. Irregular performance
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The Information Systems Strategic Plan
Supports RMO strategic objectives
Build more direct customer relationships Expand marketing beyond Western states
Plan calls for a series of information system development and integration projects over several years
Project launch: New customer support system to integrate phone orders, mail orders, and direct customer orders via Internet 47
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RMO Technology Architecture Plan
Distribute business applications
Across multiple locations and systems Reserve data center for Web server, database, and telecommunications
Strategic business processes via Internet
Supply chain management (SCM)
Direct customer ordering via dynamic Web site
Customer relationship management (CRM)
Web-based intranet for business functions
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RMO Application Architecture Plan
Supply chain management (SCM)
Product development, product acquisition, manufacturing, inventory management
Customer support system (CSS)
Integrate order-processing and fulfillment system with SCM Support customer orders (mail, phone, Web)
Strategic information management system
Extract and analyze SCM and CSS information for strategic and operational decision making and control
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RMO Application Architecture Plan (continued)
Retail store system (RSS)
Replace existing retail store system with system integrated with CSS
Accounting/finance system
Purchase intranet application to maximize employee access to financial data for planning and control
Human resources (HR) system
Purchase intranet application to maximize employee access to human resources forms, procedures, and benefits information 50
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Timetable for RMO Strategic Plan
Figure 1-13
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System Development
Project: a planned undertaking that has a beginning and an end, and which produces a predetermined result or product Information System development project: planned undertaking that produces a system Basic activities in development of any new system:
Analysis to understand information needs Design define the system architecture (based on needs) Implementation the actual construction of the system
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System Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
The systems development life cycle (SDLC) is a general term used to describe the method and process of developing a new information system Without the structure and organization provided by SDLC approach projects are at risk for missed deadline, low quality etc. SDLC provides
Structure Methods Controls Checklist Needed for successful development
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Phases in the SDLC
Sets of related activities are organized into phases: Project planning phase Analysis phase Design phase Implementation phase Support phase
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
In classical life cycle these phases are sequential, but there are variations as we will see
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The Planning Phase
Define the problem (and its scope) Confirm project feasibility Produce the project schedule Staff the project Launch the project
After defining the scope and conducting feasibility study the plan is reviewed and if it meets with approval, the project is launched
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The Analysis Phase
Primary objective: to understand and document the information needs and processing requirements of the new system
Gather information (e.g. interview, read, observe etc.) Define system requirements (reports, diagrams etc.) Build prototypes for discovery of requirements Prioritize requirements Generate and evaluate alternative solutions Review recommendations with management
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Design Phase
Objective: to design the solution (not to implement it though) Activities
Design and integrate the network Design the application network Design the user interfaces Design the system interfaces Design and integrate the database Prototype for design details Design and integrate the system controls
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Implementation Phase
Information system is built, tested and installed (actual programming of the information system) Activities
Construct software components Verify and test Develop prototypes for tuning Convert data Train and document Install the system
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Support Phase
Objective is to keep the information system running after its installation Activities
Provide support to end users
Help desks Training programs
Maintain and enhance the computer system
Simple program error correction Comprehensive enhancements upgrades
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Scheduling of Project Phases
Traditional approach: Waterfall method only when one phase is finished does the project team drop down (fall) to the next phase
Fairly rigid approach Cant easily go back to previous phases (each phase would get signed off) Good for traditional type of projects, e.g. payroll system or system with clearly definable requirements Not as good for many of the new types of interactive and highly complex applications
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Newer Approaches
The waterfall approach is less used now The activities are still planning, analysis, design and implementation However, many activities are done now in an overlapping or concurrent manner Done for efficiency when activities are not dependent on the outcome of others they can also be carried out (but dependency limits overlap)
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Participants in a System Development Project
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The Project Team
Like a surgical team each member of the team performs a specialized task critical to the whole Project team varies over duration of the project (as does project leadership)
During planning team consists of only a few members (e.g. project manager and a couple of analysts) During analysis phase the team adds systems analysts, business analysts During design other experts may come in with technical expertise (e.g. database or network design) During implementation, programmers and quality 65 control people are added
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Project Management
Project Manager has primary responsibility for the functioning of the team Project Management organizing and directing of other people to achieve a planned result within a predetermined schedule and budget Good manager:
Knows how to plan, execute the plan, anticipate problems and adjust for variances
Client person or group who funds the project Oversight committee reviews and direct the project User the person or group who will use the system
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Tasks of a Project Manager
Planning and Organization
Identify scope of the project Develop a plan, with detailed task list and schedule
Directing
Responsible for directing the execution of the project Responsible for monitoring the project - make sure that milestones (key events in a project) are met Overall control of the project
Plan and organize project Define milestones and deliverables Monitor progress Allocate resources and determine roles Define methodologies Anticipate problems and manage staff
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Project Initiation
Projects may be initiated as part of the long-term strategic plan (top-down)
based on mission or objective statement come up with some competitive business strategy- usually involves IT) E.G. Rocky Mountain Outfitters example to be more competitive wants to improve customer support so moves towards Internet based re-development of systems
Projects may proceed bottom up
To fill some immediate need that comes up
Projects may also be initiated due to some outside force
E.g. change in tax structure may affect billing system
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The Project Planning Phase
1. Defining the Problem
Review the business needs and benefits (a brief paragraph) Identify the expected capabilities of the new system (define the scope of the project) May involve developing a context diagram to explain the scope of the project
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Developing a Project Schedule
1. Identify individual tasks for each activity
Top-down or bottom-up approach
2. Estimate the size of each task (time and resources) optimistic, pessimistic and expected times 3. Determine the sequence for the tasks 4. Schedule the tasks Charting methods (Appendix C)
PERT/CPM (Project Evaluation and Review Technique/Critical Path Method) chart shows the relationships based on tasks or activities
Defines tasks that can be done concurrently or not and critical path
Gantt chart shows calendar information for each task as a bar chart
Shows schedules well but not dependencies as well
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PERT Chart
Tasks represented by rectangles Tasks on parallel paths can be done concurrently Critical path longest path of dependent tasks
No allowable slack time on this path Other paths can have slack time (time that can slip without affecting the schedule)
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Gantt Chart
Tasks represented by vertical bars Vertical tick marks are calendar days and weeks Shows calendar information in a way that is easy Bars may be colored or darkened to show completed tasks Vertical line indicates todays date
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Further Preparations
Staffing the Project
Develop a resource plan Identify and request technical staff Identify and request specific user staff Organize the project team into work groups Conduct preliminary training and team-building
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2. Confirming Project Feasibility
Economic feasibility cost-benefit analysis Organizational and cultural feasibility
E.g. low level of computer literacy, fear of employment loss
Technological feasibility
Proposed technological requirements and available expertise
Schedule feasibility
How well can do in fixed time or deadline (e.g. Y2K projects)
Resource feasibility
Availability of team, computer resources, support staff
Economic Feasibility
The analysis to compare costs and benefits to see whether the investment in the development of the system will be more beneficial than than costly
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Costs
Development costs : salaries and wages, equipment and installation, software and licenses, consulting fees and payments to third parties, training, facilities, utilities and tools, support staff, travel and miscellaneous Sources of Ongoing Costs of Operations: connectivity, equipment maintenance, computer operations, programming support, amortization of equipment, training and ongoing assistance (help desk), supplies
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Benefits
Tangible benefits - examples
Reducing staff (due to automation) Maintaining constant staff Decreasing operating expenses Reducing error rates (due to automation) Ensuring quicker processing and turnabout Capturing lost discounts Reducing bad accounts or bad credit losses Reducing inventory or merchandise loss Collecting accounts receivable more quickly Capturing income lost due to stock outs Reducing the cost of goods with volume discounts Reducing paperwork costs
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Benefits
Intangible benefits examples
Increased customer satisfaction Survival Safety of a Patient The need to develop in-house expertise
Note - also can have intangible costs for a project
reduced employee moral lost productivity lost customer or sales
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Conducting the feasibility study
Each category of cost is estimated Salaries and wages are calculated based on staffing requirements Other costs such as equipment, software licenses, training are also estimated A summary of development costs and annual operating costs is created A summary of benefits is created Net present value (NPV) present value of benefits and costs, is calculated for e.g. 5 year period Decision is made to proceed with project or not 85
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Job
Project Manager System Analyst (3) Program mers (6) Network Designer
Time
Salary
Total
90,000 168,750
12 90,000 months 9 months 75,000
7 months 50,000 5 months 70,000
175,000 29,166 462,916
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Some Terminology (see text Appendix B)
Net present value: The present value of dollar benefits and costs for an investment such as a new system
since $100 received one year in the future is worth only $94.34, using a discount rate of .06, the discount rate is used the calculation of Net present value (which equates future values to current values)
Payback period, or breakeven point: The time period at which the dollar benefits offset the dollar costs Return on Investment (ROI): a measure of the percentage gain received from an investment such as a new system
ROI=(estimated time period Benefits estimated time period costs) / estimated time period costs
Tangible benefits: Benefits that can be measured or estimated in terms of dollars and that accrue Intangible benefits: Benefits that accrue but that cannot be 91 measured quantitatively or estimated accurately
