Georgia State University, Perimeter College

MIS 4

Chapter 10: Building Successful Information Systems

TRUE/FALSE

1)Information system projects are often an extension of existing systems or involve replacing an old technology with a new one.

2. It is important to project the organization’s growth rate when designing information systems.

3. During the planning phase, the systems designer must define the symptoms rather than the underlying problem.

4. An example of an externally identified problem would be management voicing concern about the organization’s lack of a competitive edge in the marketplace.

5. Establishing evaluation criteria ensures objectivity throughout the SDLC process.

6. Normally, a task force for the planning phase of the SDLC only includes representatives from the IT department and top management.

7. Internal users are employees who will use the system regularly, and they can offer important feedback on the system’s strengths and weaknesses.

8. External users are normally part of the company’s task force.

9. Using the JAD approach results in the collected requirements for the application being too narrow and one-dimensional in focus.

10. Once a project has been deemed feasible there is no reason to continue to assess feasibility since it will not change.

11. During the planning phase, analysts investigate a proposed solution’s feasibility and determine how best to present the solution to management to get funding.

12. To assess economic feasibility, the systems analyst team tallies tangible development and operating costs for the system and compares them with expected financial benefits of the system.

13. Only tangible benefits should be included in an economic feasibility study since intangible benefits cannot be quantified.

14. Examples of tangible benefits include improved employee morale, better customer satisfaction, and improved communication.

15. Workflow plans, floor plans, statistical information, project sequence diagrams, and timelines or milestone charts are all useful supporting documentation for an operational feasibility study.

16. Operational feasibility is the measure of how well the proposed solution will work in the organization and how internal and external customers will react to it.

17. The creation of the “system specifications” document indicates the end of the design phase.

18. The object-oriented approach treats process and data independently and is a sequential approach that requires completing the analysis before beginning the design.

19. Flowcharts are modeling tools used for process analysis.

20. The conceptual design is an overview of the system and does not include hardware or software choices.

21. A proof-of-concept prototype shows users how a particular task that was not technically feasible can be done.

22. Users and top management should not be included in the construction phase since construction is a purely technical matter.

23. In phased-in-phased-out conversion, the analyst introduces the system in only a limited area of the organization.

24. A request for proposal (RFP) is usually prepared during the implementation phase and contains detailed information about the functional, technical, and business requirements of the proposed information system.

25. A major advantage of an RFP is the time involved in writing and evaluating proposals.

26. A request for information (RFI) is not suitable for complex projects.

27. Self-sourcing improves flexibility in responding to users’ information needs.

28. Outsourcing increases the risk of leaking confidential information to competitors.

29. The SDLC model is used if a particular problem is “ad hoc,” meaning it is a one-time problem.

30. In pair programming, each programmer performs the action the other programmer is not currently performing.

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. The systems development life cycle (SDLC) is also known as the           .
   1. ad hoc cycle                                                              c.     agile cycle
   2. self-sourcing model                                              d. waterfall model

2. During the            phase, the systems designer must define the problem the organization faces, taking care not to define symptoms rather than the underlying problem.
   1. planning                                                                     c.     design
   2. requirements-gathering and analysis            d. implementation

3.            users are employees who will use the system regularly, and they can offer important feedback on the system’s strengths and weaknesses.
   1. Internal                                                                      c.     Primary
   2. External                                                                     d. Secondary

4.            users include customers, contractors, suppliers, and other business partners.
   1. Internal                                                                      c.     Primary
   2. External                                                                     d. Secondary

5.            centers on a structured workshop in which users and system professionals come together to develop an application.
   1. XP                                                                                 c.     SOA
   2. JAD                                                                              d.   RAD

6.            feasibility assesses a system’s costs and benefits.
   1. Economic                                                                   c.     Operational
   2. Technical                                                                   d. Scheduling

7.            costs measure what you would miss by not having a system or feature.
   1. Opportunity                                                             c.     Development
   2. Operating                                                                  d. Investment

8. Which of the following is an example of a tangible benefit?
   1. employee morale                                                  c.     new system resulting in increased profits
   2. better customer satisfaction                             d. increased flexibility in business operations

9.            feasibility is the measure of how well the proposed solution will work in the organization and how internal and external customers will react to it.
   1. Economic                                                                   c.     Operational
   2. Technical                                                                   d. Scheduling

10.            feasibility is concerned with whether the new system can be completed on time.
    1. Economic                                                                   c.     Operational
    2. Technical                                                                   d. Scheduling

11.            feasibility is concerned with issues, such as political repercussions and meeting the requirements of the Information Privacy Act.
    1. Economic                                                                   c.     Operational
    2. Technical                                                                   d. Legal

12. In the            phase, analysts define the problem and generate alternatives for solving it.
    1. planning                                                                     c.     design
    2. requirements-gathering and analysis            d. implementation

13. The            document is created during the requirements-gathering and analysis phase.
    1. maintenance plan                                                  c.     JAD
    2. system specifications                                           d. CBA

14. A             helps break down a complex process into simpler, more manageable, and more understandable subprocesses.
    1. data flow diagram                                                  c.     context diagram
    2. flowchart                                                                   d. conceptual data model

15. A             illustrates the logical steps in a process but does not show data elements and associations.
    1. data flow diagram                                                  c.     context diagram
    2. flowchart                                                                   d. conceptual data model

16. A             shows a process at a more general level and is helpful for showing top management and the task force how a process works.
    1. data flow diagram                                                  c.     context diagram
    2. flowchart                                                                   d. conceptual data model

17. A             helps analysts understand the data requirements a system must meet by defining data elements and showing the associations between them.
    1. data flow diagram                                                  c.     context diagram
    2. flowchart                                                                   d. conceptual data model

18. During the            phase, analysts choose the solution that is the most realistic and offers the highest payoff for the organization.
    1. planning                                                                     c.     design
    2. requirements-gathering and analysis            d. implementation

19. In the design phase, the         design is an overview of the system and does not include hardware or software choices.
    1. technical                                                                    c.     conceptual
    2. physical                                                                      d. logical

20. In the design phase, the         design is an overview of the system that indicates hardware and software, such as specifying Linux servers and Windows clients.
    1. technical                                                                    c.     conceptual
    2. physical                                                                      d. logical

21. During the design phase, the          design is created for a specific platform, such as choosing Dell servers running Ubuntu Linux and Java for the programming language.
    1. technical                                                                    c.     conceptual
    2. physical                                                                      d. logical

22. CASE tools are mainly used during the             phase of the SDLC.
    1. planning                                                                     c.     implementation
    2. design                                                                         d. maintenance

23. A             prototype shows users how a particular task that was not technically feasible can be done.
    1. proof-of-concept                                                   c.     requirements-based
    2. computer-aided                                                     d. selling

24. During the            phase, the solution is transferred from paper to action, and the team configures the system and procures components for it.
    1. requirements-gathering and analysis            c.     implementation
    2. design                                                                         d. maintenance

25. In            conversion, the old and new systems run simultaneously for a short time to ensure the new system works correctly.
    1. parallel                                                                       c.     plunge
    2. phased-in-phased-out                                        d. pilot

26. In            conversion, as each module of the new system is converted, the corresponding part of the old system is retired.
    1. parallel                                                                       c.     plunge
    2. phased-in-phased-out                                        d. pilot

27. In            conversion, the old system is stopped and the new system is implemented.
    1. parallel                                                                       c.     plunge
    2. phased-in-phased-out                                        d. pilot

28. In            conversion, the analyst introduces the system in only a limited area of the organization, such as a division or department.

1. 1. parallel                                                                       c.     plunge
   2. phased-in-phased-out                                        d. pilot

29. With            outsourcing, the organization chooses an outsourcing company in the same country.
    1. onshore                                                                     c.     offshore
    2. nearshore                                                                 d. homeshore

30. With            outsourcing, the organization chooses an outsourcing company in a neighboring country.
    1. onshore                                                                     c.     offshore
    2. nearshore                                                                 d. homeshore

31. With            outsourcing, the organization chooses an outsourcing company in any part of the world.
    1. onshore                                                                     c.     offshore
    2. nearshore                                                                 d. homeshore

32. During the phase, the information system is operating, enhancements and modifications to the system have been developed and tested, and hardware and software components have been added or replaced.
    1. planning                                                                     c. implementation
    2. design                                                                         d. maintenance

33.            is a philosophy and a software and system development methodology that focuses on the development, use, and reuse of small, self-contained blocks of codes to meet the software needs of an organization.

1. 1. XP                                                                                 c.     SOA
   2. RAD                                                                             d. Agile methodology

34.            uses an iterative process that repeats the design, development, and testing steps as needed, based on feedback from users.
    1. XP                                                                                 c.     JAD
    2. RAD                                                                             d.   SOA

35.            is a method for developing software applications and information system projects in which the project is divided into smaller functions and developers can not go on to the next phase until the current phase is finished.
    1. XP                                                                                 c.     JAD
    2. RAD                                                                             d.   SOA

COMPLETION

1.                                                   is a series of well-defined phases performed in sequence that serves as a framework for developing a system or project.

2. During the                                                   phase, the systems designer must define the problem the organization faces, taking care not to define symptoms rather than the underlying problem.

3.                                                   users are employees who will use the system regularly, and they can offer important feedback on the system’s strengths and weaknesses.

4.                                                   centers on a structured workshop where users and system professionals come together to develop an application.

5.                                                   feasibility assesses a system’s costs and benefits.

6.                                                   feasibility is the measure of how well the proposed solution will work in the organization and how internal and external customers will react to it.

7.                                                   feasibility is concerned with whether the new system can be completed on time.

8. The                                                   approach treats process and data independently and is a sequential approach that requires completing the analysis before beginning the design.

9. A                                                    is a modeling tool that illustrates the logical steps in a process but does not show data elements and associations.

10.                                                   tools are particularly helpful for investigation and analysis in large-scale projects because they automate parts of the design phase.

11. In                                                  , a small-scale version of the system is developed, but one that is large enough to illustrate the system’s benefits and allow users to offer feedback.

12.                                                   prototypes are used to sell a proposed system to users and management by showing some of its features and demonstrating how beneficial it could be to the organization.

13.                                                   happens when an organization’s team develops the system internally.

14. In                                                  , two programmers participate in one development effort at one workstation, and each programmer performs the action the other is not currently doing.

15.                                                   is similar to XP in focusing on an incremental development process and timely delivery of working software.

SHORT ANSWER

1. How do the phases of the SDLC relate to each other?

2. Why is the formation of a task force important?

3. What is joint application design (JAD)?

4. What is feasibility and why is it important when planning a project?

.

5. What are the five major dimensions of a feasibility study?

6. State any five development costs.

7. How can tangible benefits be quantified?

8. Provide an example of how intangible benefits can be quantified.

9. What is the function of the models created during the analysis phase?

10. What are the parts of the design phase?

11. What are the steps involved in prototyping?

12. Describe plunge conversion.

13. What are the advantages of an RFP?

14. What are some of the shortcomings of RAD?

15. What is pair programming?

ESSAY

1. Differentiate between internal and external employees.

2. State the five capabilities of most CASE tools.