Oh yeah, the week before the easter break. I have been running simulations in my mind for possible plans to make during the holidays. Oh wait....I can't. I have streaks of assignments pending. I'll be running simulations on my assignments instead...haha...somebody give me a thump on the head now. Anyway moving on to the week 5 tutorial.
This week's tutorial was fairly quick. We learnt about Event Tables. The tutor gave us a set of guidelines to draw the required tables based on the questions given. I think event tables are a good way for system analysts to keep track of information flow in the system. I've always wondered whether senior IT managers or system analysts would use Event Tables as a standard means of approach when evaluating the system's information flow.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Week 4 - FIT2001
Alright, the fourth week. In this week's tutorial, we had to simulate a mock interview based on the assignment. We were told to develop a system for a company called CybeRoo. The point of the interview is to further clarify and expand upon the system requirements that were outlined by the memo that was received previously.
As for the interview, our group did pretty okay except for a few notable questions that we had forgotten to ask. I did the interview with 3 other group mates and we took turns to ask questions relevant to the CybeRoo memo. We asked about how CybeRoo wanted us to integrate the company's database for easier retrieval of staff information, we asked about how the company wants to track their employee's performance to gauge effectiveness of training methods. We also suggested that the company to have separate links to handle rich content of audio,video and pictures to reduce loading times.
Personally, I think the mock interview was an excellent way to learn how to gather requirements effectively. I'm guessing more and more of such interviews are required if we actually do actually become a system analyst or IT consultant in the near future.
As for the lecture, we learned about using various types of models to represent complex systems as a means of easing communication between the stakeholders and the development team. The lecture also mentioned several reasons for modeling; for documenting purposes and to represent system requirements. The lecture also taught us to draw event tables as a means of tracking the entire project's life cycle.
As for the interview, our group did pretty okay except for a few notable questions that we had forgotten to ask. I did the interview with 3 other group mates and we took turns to ask questions relevant to the CybeRoo memo. We asked about how CybeRoo wanted us to integrate the company's database for easier retrieval of staff information, we asked about how the company wants to track their employee's performance to gauge effectiveness of training methods. We also suggested that the company to have separate links to handle rich content of audio,video and pictures to reduce loading times.
Personally, I think the mock interview was an excellent way to learn how to gather requirements effectively. I'm guessing more and more of such interviews are required if we actually do actually become a system analyst or IT consultant in the near future.
As for the lecture, we learned about using various types of models to represent complex systems as a means of easing communication between the stakeholders and the development team. The lecture also mentioned several reasons for modeling; for documenting purposes and to represent system requirements. The lecture also taught us to draw event tables as a means of tracking the entire project's life cycle.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Week 3 - FIT2001
Ahh yes, Week 3. This week's tutorial took a change of pace from the usual analysis exercises. We were told to find out what podcast really stands for and why it really matters. Also,we watched a rather insightful video presentation by Malcolm Gladwell about how psychology affects our preferences.
Honestly, I have never really given much thought on podcasts before this. The last podcast I saw was Totally Rad Show, a podcast that primarily reviews pop-culture phenomena such as movies, games and tv shows. This tutorial gave me a jolt going to start watching podcasts again. From my understanding, podcasting is an up-and-coming and increasingly popular medium for communication. It is quickly becoming a buzz among tech-heads. According to the tutor, a growing number of organizations are turning to podcasting as a training tool for new employees in an organization. I find this a very interesting approach for knowledge management as well. Many people liken podcasting to radio on demand as podcasting gives far more options in terms of content and programming than radio does.
Okay, as for the second thing in the tutorial, Malcolm Gladwell's video presentation. He mentioned that the human mind is notoriously fickle-minded and completely unpredictable when it comes to choosing what we like. He told us stories about office chairs getting bombarded with criticisms and how ugly it looked at the beginning of the product life cycle. However, the perception towards that product changed over the years and eventually became one of the most ergonomical chair in the market. So what looked weird in the past can actually be something really awesome in the present. We humans are dodgy like that hehe..
Another issue he mentioned was how big companies like Coke and Pepsi utilized psychological warfare to manipulate the consumer's minds. The fact that a single sip can make such a huge difference in sales is amazing. Personally, the only big difference between Coke and Pepsi is all in the people's psychological mind. People who prefers one brand to the other are most likely brainwashed by commercials.
Honestly, I have never really given much thought on podcasts before this. The last podcast I saw was Totally Rad Show, a podcast that primarily reviews pop-culture phenomena such as movies, games and tv shows. This tutorial gave me a jolt going to start watching podcasts again. From my understanding, podcasting is an up-and-coming and increasingly popular medium for communication. It is quickly becoming a buzz among tech-heads. According to the tutor, a growing number of organizations are turning to podcasting as a training tool for new employees in an organization. I find this a very interesting approach for knowledge management as well. Many people liken podcasting to radio on demand as podcasting gives far more options in terms of content and programming than radio does.
Okay, as for the second thing in the tutorial, Malcolm Gladwell's video presentation. He mentioned that the human mind is notoriously fickle-minded and completely unpredictable when it comes to choosing what we like. He told us stories about office chairs getting bombarded with criticisms and how ugly it looked at the beginning of the product life cycle. However, the perception towards that product changed over the years and eventually became one of the most ergonomical chair in the market. So what looked weird in the past can actually be something really awesome in the present. We humans are dodgy like that hehe..
Another issue he mentioned was how big companies like Coke and Pepsi utilized psychological warfare to manipulate the consumer's minds. The fact that a single sip can make such a huge difference in sales is amazing. Personally, the only big difference between Coke and Pepsi is all in the people's psychological mind. People who prefers one brand to the other are most likely brainwashed by commercials.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Week 2 - FIT2001
Okay, Week 2 lecture. This week's lecture started with a general recap of the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC), encompassing the standard phases of the life cycle; planning, analysis, design, implementation and support. The lecture also emphasized on structured and object oriented approach, feasibility analysis and several other additions to the SDLC variations.
From my understanding, the structured approach deals primarily with the flow of execution deducted on various charts and diagrams like the DFD and ERD. In contrast, object oriented design combines data and the behavior of data to interact with other objects.
The lecture also mentioned several other SDLC variations such as the spiral model, XP, UP and Agile Modeling to accommodate the distinctive circumstances of project development.
Week 2 tutorial was similar to Week 1 except we were told to analyse the food chain system this time. I grouped with another student to analyse the food chain in great detail and brainstormed possible scenarios of problems and improvement along the key participants in the chain.
From my understanding, the structured approach deals primarily with the flow of execution deducted on various charts and diagrams like the DFD and ERD. In contrast, object oriented design combines data and the behavior of data to interact with other objects.
The lecture also mentioned several other SDLC variations such as the spiral model, XP, UP and Agile Modeling to accommodate the distinctive circumstances of project development.
Week 2 tutorial was similar to Week 1 except we were told to analyse the food chain system this time. I grouped with another student to analyse the food chain in great detail and brainstormed possible scenarios of problems and improvement along the key participants in the chain.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Week 1 - FIT2001
The comprehensive content on the unit's Moodle page evidently shows that this unit had been taught in Monash Universities for a long period of time. The past and current lecturers' dedication have all made this a very informative unit. The extensive content is also accompanied by various additions of web technologies, giving the unit a new and unique experience for learning. I found the Twitter live feed an excellent idea coupled with the weekly pod casts.
Week 1 lecture took a rudimentary grasp in the shoes of a systems analyst. The lecture emphasizes on possible career paths of a systems analyst as well as the importance of information systems. I now know that the role of a systems analyst functions as the middleman, assessing needs of customers and translating them into an IT project.
Week 1 tutorial gave me an insight on how analysis can be done hands on. I joined up with another student to form a group of two. We were told to analyse the water supply system in great detail and provide any substantial facts to be presented later. Such activities hinted me the life of a systems analyst; gather business requirements, work with team members to achieve a common goal and being able to see sub-components from a big-picture.
Week 1 lecture took a rudimentary grasp in the shoes of a systems analyst. The lecture emphasizes on possible career paths of a systems analyst as well as the importance of information systems. I now know that the role of a systems analyst functions as the middleman, assessing needs of customers and translating them into an IT project.
Week 1 tutorial gave me an insight on how analysis can be done hands on. I joined up with another student to form a group of two. We were told to analyse the water supply system in great detail and provide any substantial facts to be presented later. Such activities hinted me the life of a systems analyst; gather business requirements, work with team members to achieve a common goal and being able to see sub-components from a big-picture.
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