Systems Development: Investigation and Analysis - Principles of Information Systems - page 513

for rent. The stick figure is an example of an actor , and the ovals each represent an event,
called a use case . In our example, the actor (the kayak rental clerk) interacts with two use
cases (rent kayaks to customers and add new kayaks to inventory). The use case diagram is
part of the Unified Modeling Language (UML) that is used in object-oriented systems
development.

Figure 12.14

Rent kayaks
to customers

Use Case Diagram for a Kayak
Rental Application

Add new kayaks
to inventory

Kayak rental clerk

The Systems Investigation Report
The primary outcome of systems investigation is a systems investigation report , also called
a feasibility study . This report summarizes the results of systems investigation and the process
of feasibility analysis and recommends a course of action: continue on into systems analysis,
modify the project in some manner, or drop it. A typical table of contents for the systems
investigation report is shown in Figure 12.15.

systems investigation report
A summary of the results of the
systems investigation and the
process of feasibility analysis and
recommendation of a course of
action.

Figure 12.15

A Typical Table of Contents for a
Systems Investigation Report

Johnson & Florin, Inc.
Systems Investigation Report

CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
REVIEW of GOALS and OBJECTIVES
SYSTEM PROBLEMS and OPPORTUNITIES
PROJECT FEASIBILITY
PROJECT COSTS
PROJECT BENEFITS
RECOMMENDATIONS

The systems investigation report is reviewed by senior management, often organized as
an advisory committee, or steering committee , consisting of senior management and users
from the IS department and other functional areas. These people help IS personnel with their
decisions about the use of information systems in the business and give authorization to
pursue further systems development activities. After review, the steering committee might
agree with the recommendation of the systems development team or suggest a change in
project focus to concentrate more directly on meeting a specific company objective. Another
alternative is that everyone might decide that the project is not feasible and cancel the project.

steering committee
An advisory group consisting of
senior management and users from
the IS department and other
functional areas.