Five Step Information System Description
Step 1
i) Title:
Must be Descriptive
Must have the words Information System
Must have an acronym ii) Purpose:
State what the system is to achieve
What is the goal of this information System (Case study indicates the requirements for the system) iii) Users and Functions: (will be clearer after step 4 is completed)
Users - State whom (people) or what (other systems) provides the inputs and or the outputs (i.e. information required by and from the Information System). e.g. Student,
Functions - State the actual input provided by the users (i.e. Information provided) and the output received by the users (i.e. Information received) e.g. Provides: unit name. Receives: result of unit appeal iv) Instance:
State where (i.e. the organization) that uses this information system and identify the business process it supports.

Step 2
i) Inputs and Outputs
Separate the functions identified in Step 1 into inputs and outputs (note: consistency is important) ii) Information Processing
Summarizes the computerized and non computerized processes and processing which occur in the information system description (may be clearer after step 4 is completed) iii) Information Stored
State the internal information to be used by the processors for processing (may be clearer after step 4 is completed) iv) System Boundary
State the internal and external components summaries
Internal Components should be the processors and information stores (refer to step 4)
External Components should be the users (Refer to step 1)
Internal and External components are mutually exclusive (i.e. no duplicates allowed)

Step 3
Diagram to represent Users and Functions - External Boundary (Step 1 and Step 2)
Note: Consistency is important.

Step 4
i) Computerized Processor: (What are the processing components?)
States the name of the software, its description (What it does) and explains the processing (How)
Name - Must be descriptive
Description - What it does
Processing - How ii) Non Computerized Processor: (What are the processing components?)
States the