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Contact us:
AVIC Consultants Plot 60 Block 45, Kajenge Street, Kijitonyama, P O Box 11924, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
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TAN BUSINESS CHANNEL |
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Business System Development |
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The word system is widely used. It has become fashionable to attach the word system to add a contemporary flair when referring to things or processes.
People speak of exercise system, investment system, delivery system, information system, education system, computer system etc.
System may be referred to any set of components, which function in interrelated manner for a common cause or objective.
The study of systems concepts, then, has three basic implications:
· A system must be designed to achieve a predetermined objective. · Interrelationships and interdependence must exist among the components. · The objectives of the organization as a whole have a higher priority than the objectives of its subsystems.
Organization
Organization implies structure and order. It is the arrangement of components that helps to achieve objectives.
In the design of a business system, for example, the hierarchical relationships starting with the president on top and leading downward to the blue – collar workers represents the organization structure.
Such an arrangement portrays a system – subsystem relationship, |
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defines the authority structure, specifies the formal flow of communication and formalizes the chain of command.
Interaction
Interaction refers to the manner in which each component functions with other components of the system. In an organization, for example, purchasing must interact with production, advertising with sales and payroll with personnel
Interdependence
Interdependence means that parts of the organization or computer system depend on one another.
They are coordinated and linked together according to a plan. One subsystem depends on the input of another subsystem for proper functioning: that is, the output of one subsystem is the required input for another subsystem. This interdependence is crucial in systems work.
An integrated information system is designed to serve the needs of authorized users (department heads, managers, etc.) for quick access and retrieval via remote terminals.
The interdependence between the personnel subsystem and the organization’s users is obvious. |
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In summary, no subsystem can function in isolation because it is dependent on the data (inputs) it receives from other subsystems to perform its required tasks.
Interdependence is further illustrated by the activities and support of systems analysts, programmers, and the operations staff in a computer centre
Integration
Integration refers to the holism of systems. Synthesis follows analysis to achieve the central objective of the organization.
Integration is concerned with how a system is tied together. It is more than sharing a physical part or location. It means that parts of the system work together within the system even though each part performs a unique function.
Successful integration will typically produce a synergistic effect and greater total impact than if each component works separately.
Central objective
The last characteristic of a system is its central objective. Objectives may be real or stated.
Although a stated objective may be the real objective, it is not uncommon for an organization to state one objective and operate to achieve another.
The important point is that users must know the central objective of an organization |