Systems Design Techniques

AssistKD's Systems Design Techniques course is aimed at system designers and software architects wishing to gain a hands-on knowledge of current best practice techniques used in the design of software solutions to meet business requirements. The course considers how requirements specified in a set of deliverables produced by business and systems analysts can be realised using models from the Unified Modeling Language (UML) supported by more traditional approaches such as data normalisation. Key course areas are:

• Interface between analysis and design
• Input and output design
• Data-driven versus component-driven design
• Logical data design and normalisation
• Logical process design
• Component based design and n-tier software architectures
• System controls and security
• Physical design (including de-normalisation and star schemas)
• Testing and systems implementation

The course is particularly appropriate for designers working in various software environments, including those primarily working on system enhancements. At the end of the course participants will not only have a good understanding of the models and methods used, but will be confident of applying them in project situations.
Further details of the course content can be found by clicking here.

Assessment and accreditation

This course prepares participants for the BCS Systems Design Techniques examination, which is held on the final day of the course. The examination is open-book and tests the participant's application of systems design techniques on business scenarios. This certificate contributes to the BCS International Diploma in Solution Development, as shown below:
In addition to covering the full BCS syllabus, this course enables participants to work towards SFIA skills DESN level 4 and DBDS level 3.

Course structure and timings

The course takes place over 3 days. Refreshments and lunch are provided free of charge to participants.
Day 1 - 09:30 start / 17:00 finish

• Design objectives and constraints
• Approaches to design
• Validating and using analysis models
• Input/output design and user-interface design
• Introduction to components and software architecture

Day 2 - 09:00 start / 17:00 finish

• Logical component architecture definition
• Component interface definition (services)
• Component engineering
• Logical data design and normalisation

Day 3 - 09:00 start / 16:00 finish

• Rationalising relations and building TNF models
• Logical process design using structured English/pseudo-code
• Physical data design
• Physical process design
• System controls and security
• Examination

Course director and trainers

Systems Design Techniques training courses are delivered by trainers who bring their substantial experience of practical systems design projects to the programme. Pete Thompson is the Systems Design Techniques course director.

Click on the picture to find out more about Pete.

Reference manual

A comprehensive manual, containing detailed information and providing references for further reading, is provided to each delegate who attends this course. The case study on which the course is built is based on a genuine assignment.