BCIS 3389 is a core MIS course designed to give you hands-on experience with the methods, models, and tools systems analysts use to create and improve information systems. You’ll move from organizational problem to working solution—learning how to uncover requirements, structure processes and data, and design interfaces, databases, and applications that align with business goals. Along the way, you’ll practice applying project management skills, explore ethical and organizational considerations, and gain experience with real-world modeling notations like data flow diagrams, entity-relationship diagrams, and UML.
The course blends short lectures, readings, case studies (including Pine Valley Furniture and Hoosier Burger), in-class activities, discussion boards, group exercises, and a semester-long project that follows the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) from planning through design. By the end, you’ll have built a portfolio of models, plans, and deliverables that demonstrate your ability to translate business needs into technology solutions.
What you’ll learn to do
- Explain and apply the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC), Agile, and other methodologies.
- Manage systems development projects (initiation, planning, execution, and closedown).
- Identify and select system development projects aligned with organizational strategy.
- Conduct feasibility studies and develop project charters and baseline project plans.
- Use structured and Agile methods to determine system requirements (interviews, surveys, prototyping, observation).
- Model business processes with Data Flow Diagrams (DFDs) and Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN).
- Model organizational data with Entity-Relationship Diagrams (ERDs) and translate them into logical/physical database designs.
- Design usable interfaces, forms, and reports following human-computer interaction principles.
- Prepare for implementation by considering testing, documentation, training, and maintenance strategies.
- Evaluate ethical, managerial, and organizational challenges in systems analysis and design.
How you’ll learn (and be assessed)
- Weekly module quizzes and exercises linked to chapter objectives.
- Case-based discussion boards and group activities.
- Hands-on modeling assignments (DFDs, ERDs, prototypes).
- A semester project applying SDLC phases to a real or hypothetical business case.
- A cumulative final exam tied directly to module outcomes.
Key Topics Include
- The systems development environment and SDLC vs. Agile approaches
- Project management and feasibility analysis in IS projects
- Identifying and selecting projects aligned with strategy
- Requirements determination (traditional, radical, and Agile methods)
- Process modeling (DFDs, BPMN)
- Data modeling and database design (E-R diagrams, normalization, physical design)
- Interface, form, and report design principles
- Implementation, testing, training, and maintenance
- Ethical and organizational issues in systems development
By semester’s end, you’ll have a recruiter-ready set of systems analysis and design deliverables (project plans, models, diagrams, and design specifications) aligned with program outcomes in critical thinking, technical proficiency, ethical reasoning, and professional communication.
Textbook: Valacich, J. S., George, J. F., & Hoffer, J. A. (2025). Modern Systems Analysis and Design (10th Edition). Pearson.