Book excerpt: One semester, Jr/Sr/Grad course in systems analysis and design, or capstone course in MIS departments where students work on a project or extensive case. McLeod and Jordan's text is ideal for courses where student teams develop and implement software systems in real organizations, or where students develop software to solve problems in written cases. The text is organized into nine chapters and eight supporting technical modules: the chapters provide a unique, thorough coverage of the entire system development life cycle (SDLC), and a strong foundation in systems concepts and systems methodologies, while the technical modules provide the tools students need to implement and apply the concepts. The goal of the text is to provide a strong foundation of the concepts, with emphasis on the later phases of actual implementation and design, providing the methodologies and tools necessary to complete a systems project in a real organization, including installation of operational software. It has been successfully class-tested by over 400 students.