6-Evaluation

Once the new system has been implemented and is in full use, the system should be evaluated (this means that we take a long, critical look at it).

The purpose of an evaluation is to assess the system to see if it does what it was supposed to do, that it is working well, and that everyone is happy with it

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How is a System Evaluated?

The systems analyst will use a number of techniques to evaluate the system...

Check against the
Requirements Specification

If you remember, earlier on in the Systems Analysis, the old system was analysed, and a checklist of targets was drawn up for the new system.

This list was called the Requirements Specification.

The systems analyst will use this document to check the new system. Going through therequirements one-by-one the analyst will check if they have been met.

Check the
Users' Responses

It is essential to get feedback from the usersof the system... 

• Do they like it?
• Does it make their work easier?
• What, if anything, could be improved?

The systems analyst can get this feedback in the same way they collected informationabout the original system...

• Questionnaires
• Interviews
• Observations