During a comprehensive System Study in systems analysis, what activities are included: studying the existing system, documenting it thoroughly, and identifying current deficiencies to set new goals?

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: All of the above

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
A System Study is the opening chapter of any structured systems development life cycle. Its purpose is to understand the as-is environment, capture facts, and translate gaps into measurable goals for the to-be solution. Success here reduces rework and cost later.



Given Data / Assumptions:

  • The organization has an existing process or application in production.
  • Stakeholders want improvements aligned with business objectives.
  • The question asks which activities belong to the System Study phase.


Concept / Approach:
System Study (also called preliminary investigation) typically has three pillars: discovery (study the current system), documentation (record workflows, data, controls, and volumes), and diagnosis (identify deficiencies and set objectives/constraints). These feed feasibility analysis and later detailed design.



Step-by-Step Solution:

List standard System Study tasks: interviews, observation, document review, and data collection.Map them to outputs: current-state documentation (process maps, data dictionaries, control catalogs).Add gap analysis: define deficiencies, opportunities, and targets (performance, compliance, cost, usability).Therefore, all three activities belong to the phase.


Verification / Alternative check:
Well-known SDLC frameworks describe initial phases that culminate in a problem statement, objectives, scope, and baseline documentation—matching the three listed activities.



Why Other Options Are Wrong:

  • Study alone misses formal capture and goal setting.
  • Documentation alone lacks context and improvement targets.
  • Deficiency identification alone lacks grounding in real operations.
  • Thus the complete and correct choice is 'All of the above'.


Common Pitfalls:
Jumping to solutions without documenting facts, ignoring controls/compliance, and failing to quantify problems (e.g., cycle time, error rates, costs).



Final Answer:
All of the above

Discussion & Comments

No comments yet. Be the first to comment!
Join Discussion