Systems Design and Analysis

Turning vague problems into clear software solutions.

Welcome to Systems Design & Analysis! In this course, you'll learn how the software industry works, how to effectively design and analyze programs, and how to effectively communicate with others when working on software projects.

In this course, you'll get to experience the full journey of building a software system, from figuring out what a client actually needs, to sketching out models and diagrams, to designing how all the pieces fit together. You'll step into roles like business client, systems analyst, and software designer to see projects from different perspectives. Along the way, you'll explore popular approaches like Agile and Waterfall, practice writing use cases, and work with diagrams that map out real systems. By the end, you'll know how to turn a vague idea into a clear design, and you'll have skills you can carry into your future career.

I got drawn to programming because the logical thinking and problem-solving really work well for my brain, and I find it incredibly satisfying to finally crack a sneaky bug. I hope to share that same problem-solving mindset with you throughout the course.

Course Description (Course Outline)

In this course, students participate in the key phases in the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) of a small-scale software system. A variety of software development methodologies (e.g. Waterfall Method, Unified Process (UP), and Agile) are explored. During this course, students take on roles such as business clients, systems analysts, and software designers. In these roles, students identify and document business requirements, develop software models and create integrated system designs.