Part 1 of 5: Milestone 1—Due Week 2
Understanding and Modeling a System
Thinking of a company as a system and understanding the business problems are keys to modeling a solution. We have to answer the question, Is this project worth looking at? To answer this question, in this phase, we define the scope of the project and the perceived problems, who is involved, and what the system will need to accomplish.
Your first team task this week is to describe the business and the business problem. How does the business system work? Who is involved, and what do they do? Using our massage example, we might find we have massage therapists, schedulers who answer the phone and make appointments, an accountant who does the billing, customers, and a manager. Business may be conducted at a central office and at customer homes. The business problem might be a lack of competitive advantage with other, more automated massage businesses or problems with missed or broken appointments or customers that do not pay for the service.
Next, the team will need to define the business requirements for an information system to solve the business problem. We put to work what we learned in our Week 1 readings.
Deliverables: (50 points)
1. Statement of the Business Problem (System Request Form)
2. Business Requirements: Using Microsoft Visio and Microsoft Word or Excel, your team will need to create the following diagrams for your project. (Refer to the textbook for examples.)

o Context Level Data Flow Diagram (Visio)
o Use Case List (normal business activities/work flows)
o Use Case Diagram (Visio)
o Use Case Scenarios (Description or narrative of steps in each use case)