Different systems analysis and design methodologies offer a variety of approaches to the process of creating an information system. The classic methodology, structured analysis, was pioneered by Gane, Sarson, and Yourdon. Yourdon's book, Modern Structured Analysis (Yourdon Press, 1991), summarizes this approach. The University of Missouri at St. Louis has an excellent systems analysis site with links to many related topics at www.umsl.edu/
~sauter/analysis/analysis_links.html. Andersen Consulting has spent many years refining a systems analysis methodology referred to as METHOD/1. Because Andersen is one of the largest single-source employers of information systems personnel, it pays to become familiar with its methodology. Connect to the Andersen Web site at www.ac.com:80/services/foundation/foun_prod.html, and scroll down to "Method/1." Joint application development (JAD) emphasizes the requirements of a new information system, rather than an extensive analysis of the old one. Users provide input to analysts during JAD sessions. The book Joint Application Development, second edition, by Jane Wood and Denise Silver (John Wiley, 1995) provides a good overview of JAD methodology. On the Web, you'll find a quick introduction to JAD at www2.computerworld.com/
home/print9497.nsf/All/SL47jad.

An alternative to JAD, rapid application development (RAD), uses extensive prototyping to churn out software within a compressed timeframe. The book to read on this topic is Rapid Development: Taming Wild Software Schedules by Steve McConnell (Microsoft Press, 1996). You'll find excerpts on the Web at www.construx.com/stevemcc/rdexcrpt.htm. You can learn about object-oriented analysis and design methodologies in Object-Oriented Analysis by Peter Coad and Edward Yourdon (Yourdon Press, 1991). The Web site snake.cs.tu-berlin.de:8081/
~bg/diplom/section1_6_0_1.html has a nice discussion and diagrams of how object-oriented analysis fits into the SDLC.