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Systems analysis
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<p>Systems analysis is "the process of studying a procedure or <a href="/facts/Business/For1e8Nh">business</a> to identify its goal and purposes and create <a href="/facts/System/hmqQ4ASX">systems</a> and procedures that will efficiently achieve them". Another view sees systems analysis as a <a href="/facts/Problem-solving/9cuLz5pH">problem-solving</a> technique that breaks a system down into its component pieces and analyses how well those parts work and interact to accomplish their purpose. </p><p>The field of system analysis relates closely to <a href="/facts/Requirement_analysis/fHtWUoMs">requirements analysis</a> or to <a href="/facts/Operations_research/H5yJkV5n">operations research</a>. It is also "an explicit formal inquiry carried out to help a <a href="/facts/Decision_maker/NbJYprSw">decision maker</a> identify a better course of action and make a better decision than they might otherwise have made." </p><p>The terms analysis and synthesis stem from Greek, meaning "to take apart" and "to put together", respectively. These terms are used in many <a href="/facts/Scientific_discipline/tKykGyUj">scientific disciplines</a>, from mathematics and logic to economics and psychology, to denote similar investigative procedures. The analysis is defined as "the procedure by which we break down an intellectual or substantial whole into parts," while synthesis means "the procedure by which we combine separate elements or components to form a coherent whole." System analysis researchers apply <a href="/facts/Methodology/dk5X9Hxx">methodology</a> to the systems involved, forming an overall picture. </p><p>System analysis is used in every field where something is developed. Analysis can also be a series of components that perform organic functions together, such as systems engineering. <a href="/facts/Systems_engineering/gFwRmkDp">Systems engineering</a> is an <a href="/facts/Interdisciplinary_field/HP0uaNUs">interdisciplinary field</a> of engineering that focuses on how complex engineering projects should be designed and managed. </p>