Learners will be able to understand the systems development life cycle and the role of systems methodologies within the life cycle.  Learners will be introduced to different fact-finding and problem-solving techniques and will use these to analyse an existing system.  They will be able to recommend improvements and to plan to implement these improvements for a client. 

The unit is initially concerned with the understanding of systems analysis and design. The role of systems analysis and design in systems development is explained before systems development lifecycle models are critically analysed. The unit considers how systems analysis can be influential in the design and redesign of a system, while evaluating different design methods and methodologies that can be used to analyse systems. 

The unit focuses on the use of systems analysis and design techniques, especially on methodology selection for analysing existing systems. Emphasis is placed on the use of different information gathering techniques for reviewing existing systems and recommending improvements. 

The unit also covers areas associated with the development of a solution for improving an existing system. More specifically, the unit focuses on presenting a solution for an existing system, introducing proposed improvements. The proposed solution is assessed against requirements by evaluating feedback from clients in order to make amendments, where appropriate.