Definition

Noun: * The process of studying a complex activity or system in order to identify its goals and purposes and to discover the operations, procedures, and people involved, so it can be improved or a new system can be designed. It is a structured, methodical investigation of how a current system functions and how user requirements can be better met.

Usage

• Systems analysis is typically conducted as the first major phase in a systems development project.
• The term is often used in business, computing, and engineering contexts.
• It is frequently followed by systems design.

Examples

• The consultant was hired to conduct a systems analysis of the company's outdated inventory management.
• A thorough systems analysis revealed several bottlenecks in the production workflow.
• Her job title is Systems Analyst, meaning she specializes in evaluating business processes and IT needs.

Advanced Usage

• "to perform/conduct/carry out a systems analysis": This is the standard collocation for describing the action.
  • Before implementing new software, it is crucial to perform a detailed systems analysis.
• The field or discipline is referred to as systems analysis (uncountable).
  • He has a degree in systems analysis and design.

Variants and Related Words

• Systems Analyst (n): A person whose job is to perform systems analysis.
• Analyze (v): To examine methodically. Systems analysis is the noun form of the act of analyzing a system.
• Systems Design (n): The phase following analysis, where the specifications for a new system are created.

Synonyms

• Process analysis
• Business process analysis
• Requirements analysis (a core component of systems analysis)

Notes on Different Meanings

The term systems analysis has a specific, technical meaning related to organizational and software engineering processes. It is not used for casual examination or for analyzing non-systemic things (e.g., one would not perform "systems analysis" on a poem or a single machine part).

Noun

1. analysis of all aspects of a project along with ways to collect information about the operation of its parts