Information Systems Analysis and Design

Activity diagrams and context level data flow are both key in identifying issues of organizations financial and operational management. Activity diagram is a representation of the organizations operational system. Yachts Australia is an organization that runs various operations including a large fleet of skippered sailing boats, catering services as well as franchised operations to include outlets in several pristine locations. To get a clear perspective of the complex network of operations and to aid in making it more efficient, activity diagram, helps the management identify the fast growing aspects of the system. The diagram is also important in construction of an executable system applying techniques of forward and backward technique. On the other hand, Structured Design Models show the interaction between the organizational system and other agent acting as information sources. Context diagram specifically represents the organization as a single unit. Therefore, Yachts Australia applies all necessary techniques in addressing critical issues. This paper describes the relationship between the two models and specifically activity diagram and contextual concerning Yachts Australia. It highlights the similarities and differences between the diagrams as well as examining the one that effectively addresses the issue of concern. The business owners intend to incorporate a system that manages the booking, staffing as well as the ordering process.

Similarity and Difference

Both activity diagram and structural diagram are both visual representations of the system though they show distinct content. The activity diagram shows a representation of how various activities in the organization are related for instance, booking, payment and sailing. Likewise, context diagram shows the connection between information input and output within the organization.

The difference between the activity diagram and the context diagram is that the activity diagram indicates the transitions between activities. For example, the activity where the potential customer calls to make bookings is followed by activity where the staff member has to collect the required information on a printed form and after that the activity involving the staff member checking to find out the availability of skilled employees for fully skippered charter. It is a representation of the sequencing of activities and decisions in the process, one can tell the order things are happening. The context diagram on the other hand, In the context diagram, the connection is based on the information flow. The lines are indicative of the information flowing between components of the system. For instance, if a customer pays for the deposit, the booking is changed from provisionally scheduled to booked. All the scheduling is organized to handle various payment methods and the status officially changes after the payment has been made.