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Systems Analysis and Solution Design

This subject is available under ICMS undergraduate degrees, please click the button below to find an undergraduate course for you.

Subject Code:

ICT201A

Subject Type:

Core 

Credit Points:

3 credit points

Pre-requisite/Co-requisite: 

ICT101A IS Fundamentals 

Course level pre-requisite:   A total of 12 credit points including ICT101A, ICT102A, ICT103A, DAT101A from 100 level core subjects prior to enrolling into 200 level subjects. 

Subject Level:

200 

Subject Rationale:

The recent fast paced developments in the digital technology landscape such as quantum computing, artificial intelligence, 3D printing, cloud microservices, edge computing, genomics and advanced big data analytics have demonstrated the importance of designing and developing IT solutions that align with business needs through a sound understanding of how various IT infrastructure components work together.   

 In this subject, students will learn the fundamentals of solution architecture concepts and techniques that are used to generate IT-driven solutions for real-world problems in alignment with business and system requirements. They will explore the critical aspects of producing a coherent socio-technical system for a business problem, including requirements engineering, abstract modelling, design thinking, and other architectural skills and practices used in the solution architecture lifecycle.   

 Throughout the subject, students will create a series of solution design artefacts with exposure to enterprise architecture frameworks, best practices, and tools used in the industry. They will apply critical and creative thinking skills in formulating innovative IT solutions with a grasp of diverse digital technologies and their interrelationships. Real-world case studies of architectural solutions in various business contexts will also be examined.  

Learning Outcomes:

a) Demonstrate an integrated knowledge of solution architecture and design concepts, principles, methods, and practices in an information technology context.

b) Evaluate varied applications of information systems technologies in delivering business value, including the fundamentals of their security and compliance considerations.

c) Analyse a business domain and formulate IT-driven solutions to address organisational needs by methodologically executing solution architecture life cycle (SALC) phases and processes.

d) Apply design thinking principles and solution design tools and techniques used in SALC and produce associated artefacts in accordance with industry standards and best practices.

e) Explore industry frameworks and contemporary approaches to designing and delivering IT solutions for businesses.

f) Articulate the roles and responsibilities of a solution architect in an enterprise IT solution design practice context, communicate and collaborate effectively within an IT project team.

Student Assessment:

Broad Topics to be Covered:

Topic: 
Week 1: Introduction to Solution Architecture and Design 

  • The role of solution architecture and solution design in IT-driven projects 
  • The project team, types of solution architects, and their roles and functions 
  • Solution architecture skills, capabilities, and behavioural characteristics 
  • Design thinking for solution architects 
Week 2 – 4: Architecture Domains, Components, and Technologies 

  • Business architecture and information systems (IS) landscape 
  • Data and information architecture 
  • Application architecture 
  • Technology architecture 
  • Contemporary digital technologies and their applications 
Week 5: Security and Compliance 

  • Security and privacy controls 
  • Compliance standards and requirements 
Week 6 – 9: Solution Architecture Life Cycle (SALC) 

  • Business strategy and architecture strategy, capability, and feasibility 
  • Design thinking in SALC 
  • Business analysis, discovery, and requirements engineering 
  • Solution architecture attributes (i.e. capacity, scalability, availability, resiliency, etc.)  
  • Solution design, modelling, and process engineering 
  • Implementation, integration, and testing 
  • SALC artefacts 
  • Aligning SALC with Project Life Cycle, including risk management 
  • Aligning SALC with TOGAF 
Week 10: Agile Solution Design and Delivery 

  • Agile approach to SALC 
  • Agile phases, processes, and components 
  • Agile tools and techniques 
  • Lean-agile mindset 
Week 11: Business Readiness 

  • People, process, and technology framework 
  • Transitioning to business-as-usual 

Please note that these topics are often refined and subject to change so for up to date weekly topics and suggested reading resources, please refer to the Moodle subject page.