417 LAB ACTIVITY 7: Preparing an Implementation Process Model

WHY:

This activity is designed to give you practice using System Architect to design and draw Implementation Data Flow Diagrams following the DFD methodology introduced in class. Data Flow Diagrams can effectively model all transaction processing, management reporting, and decision support functions in a system, opening the door for more creative solutions. Data Flow Diagrams have many uses in Systems Analysis, Planning, and Design, because of their versatility in modeling different levels of detail.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

  1. Understand how to prepare an Implementation DFD.
  2. Discover how to use System Architect to prepare a complete leveled process model.
  3. Discover how to combine processes into design units.

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA:

  1. Quality of the answers to the Critical Thinking Questions.
  2. Quality of the implementation process model.

RESOURCES:

  1. System Architect Help System and Manuals;
  2. Lab Activity 6;
  3. Chapter 10 in Systems Analysis and Design Methods;
  4. Class Activities 11 and 16
  5. 60 minutes

PLAN:

  1. Choose roles if you have not already done so.

  2. Complete Activity 16 from the 10/15 class.

  3. Work through the model below and answer the Critical Thinking Questions.

  4. Using the CAMPAIGN PLEDGE SYSTEM model and the system diagram from the previous lab, construct a person-machine boundary.

  5. Identify one manual and one computerized design unit for this system and prepare a physical DFD Design Unit for each using System Architect. Be sure to describe each agent, process, data flow and data store briefly in its description box.

MODEL:

The following event list, system diagram, and example design units are from the Housewares Warehouse model from Activity 16. Notice how the event decomposition diagram in Activity 16 can be used to determine the processes in these diagrams.

                                                       
Event Description               Trigger(Input)      Responses(Output)
1. Customer places an order     Purchase Order      Create Order Record
                                                    Prepare Packing/Picking Slips
2. Prepare order for shipping   Packing Slip        Fill in quantity shipped
3. Update Inventory             End of day          Prepare Transaction file
                                                    Update Master file
                                                    Update Order file
                                                    Prepare Error Reports
                                                    Prepare Audit Trail

                    ORDER SUBSYSTEM SYSTEM DIAGRAM
			___________________		 ________
			|Purchase Order	       P.O.	( Verify )
			|   File	   ------------>| P.O.   |
			-------/|\---------		| Data   |
				|			(________)
				|Processed		    /|\ 
				|Purchase Order		     |Verified Order	
  __________		     ___|___		      ______\|/_____ Record
  |Customer| Purchase Order ( Enter )  Order Record   | Order File  /_____
  |________|--------------->| P.O.  |---------------->|_____________\	 |
     /|\		    | Data  |			    |		 |
      |			    (_______)			    |Order	 |
      |Packing						    |Information |
      |Slip						 ___V____   	 |
   ___|___		     ________			(Prepare )	 |
  ( Send  ) UpdatedP/P Slips( Pull   )   		|Packing/|	 |
  | Order |<----------------| Items  |			|Picking |	 |
  (_______)		    | and    |	P/P Slip	| Slips  |	 |
      |			    | Record |<-----		(________)	 |
      |Picking		    |Quantity|	   |		    |		 |
      |Slip		    (________)	   |		    | P/P Slips	 |
  ____V_____________			 __|________________V__		 |
  |Daily Processed			|Packing/Picking Slips		 |
  |  Picking Slips			|______________________		 |
  |_________________							 |
	|					 _________		 |
	|Processed Picking			( Update  ) Order Record |
	| Slip					| Order	  |<-------------- 
	|-------------------------------------->| Record  |
						|Shipped &|  End of day
	__________________		 	|Quantity |<--------------
	| Order Error File 	 Error message  |Shipped  |
	|_________________<---------------------| Fields  |
		 |				(_________)
		 |Error
		 |Message
	    _____V_____
	   ( Prepare   )		     ______________
	   | Order     | Order Error Report  | Management |		
	   | Error     |-------------------->|____________|
	   | Report    |
	   (___________) 
		

                    EXAMPLE MANUAL DESIGN UNIT -- Fill Orders

  __________		________________________
  |Customer|		| Packing/Picking Slips:
  |________|		| File Folder
     /|\		|_______________________ 
      |				|
      |Packing			| P/P Slip:Carbon Copy Form
      |Slip: Paper		|	
   ___|___		     ___V_____	
  ( Send  ) UpdatedP/P Slips( Pull    )    
  | Order |<----------------| Items   |
  |(Ware- | Carbon Copy Form| and     |	
  | House |		    | record  |
  | Clerk)|		    |quantity |
  (_______)		    |         |
      |Picking		    |(Shipping|
      |Slip:paper	    | clerk)  |
  ____V_____________	    (_________)		
  |Daily Processed	    
  |  Picking Slips:
  | File Folder		
  ------------------			
  

                EXAMPLE COMPUTERIZED DESIGN UNIT -- Update Order File

  __________________			 ______________________		 
  |Daily Processed			|Order File: Sequential		 
  |  Picking Slips:			|______________________
  | File Folder					    |
  ------------------		 		    |Sequential Access
        |					    |  Order Record 
	|					 ___V_____		 
	|Processed Picking			( Update  )  
	| Slip: paper				| Order	  | 
	|-------------------------------------->| Record  |
						|Shipped  |  End of day
	__________________		 	| Field   |<--------------
	| Order Error File:  Record not found   |         |
	|  Sequential	  <---------------------| COBOL   |
	|_________________  Message: Sequential (_________) 
		/|\ 	               Write        |
		 |Shipping			    |
		 |Quantity			 ___V_____
	         |Not Numeric Message:		( Update  )
		 |  Sequential Write		| Order   |
	   	 -------------------------------| Record  |
						|Quantity |
						|Shipped  |
						| Field:  |
						|         |
	   					|  COBOL  |	   		
	   					(_________) 

CRITICAL THINKING QUESTIONS

These will be handed out in Lab


CPSC 417 Lab Activity 7 -- Revised 10/25/98

Return to the List of Activities