Chapter 12 + 13 Vocab - MIS
advantages of the buy option
-many different types of off-the-shelf software available -the company can try out the software before purchasing it -the company can save much time by buying rather than building -the company can know what it is getting before it invests in the product -purchased software may eliminate the need to hire personnel specifically dedicated to a project
disadvantages of the buy option
-software may not exactly meet company's needs -software may be difficult or impossible to modify, or it may require huge business process changes to implement -the company will not have control over software improvements and new versions -purchased software can be difficult to integrate with existing systems -vendors may discontinue a product or go out of business -software is controlled by another company with its own priorities and business considerations -the purchasing company lacks intimate knowledge about how and why the software functions as it does
dashboard
A business analytics presentation tool that provides rapid access to timely information and direct access to management reports.
geographic information systems (GIS)
A computer-based system for capturing, integrating, manipulating, and displaying data using digitized maps.
Rapid Application Development (RAD)
A development method that uses special tools and an iterative approach to rapidly produce a high-quality system.
Software as a Service (SaaS)
A method of delivering software in which a vendor hosts the applications and provides them as a service to customers over a network, typically the Internet.
containers
A method of developing applications that run independently of the base operating system of the server
prototype
A small-scale working model of an entire system or a model that contains only the components of the new system that are of most interest to the users
Agile Development
A software development methodology that delivers functionality in rapid iterations, measured in weeks, requiring frequent communication, development, testing, and delivery.
predictive analytics
A type of business analytics that examines recent and historical data in order to detect patterns and predict future outcomes and trends
descriptive analytics
A type of business analytics that summarize what has happened in the past and allow decision makers to learn from past behaviors.
prototyping
An approach that defines an initial list of user requirements, builds a prototype system, and then improves the system in several iterations based on users' feedback.
Decision Support Systems (DSSs)
Business intelligence systems that combine models and data in an attempt to solve semistructured and some unstructured problems with extensive user involvement.
integrated CASE (ICASE) tools
CASE tools that provide links between upper CASE and lower CASE tools
examples of ______ include sensitivity, what-if, and goal-seeking analysis
DSS
programmers
IS professionals who modify existing computer programs or write new computer programs to satisfy user requirements
systems analysts
IS professionals who specialize in analyzing and designing information systems
pilot conversion
Implementation process that introduces the new system in one part of the organization on a trial basis; when the new system is working properly, it is introduced in other parts of the organization.
trend analysis
Short-, medium-, and long-term trend of KPIs or metrics, which are projected using forecasting methods.
systems investigation
The initial stage in the traditional SDLC that addresses the business problem (or business opportunity) by means of the feasibility study.
programming
The translation of a system's design specifications into computer code.
Business Intelligence (BI)
a broad category of applications, technologies, and processes for gathering, storing, accessing, and analyzing data to help business users make better decisions
the entire business analytics process starts with _____
a business problem
decision
a choice that individuals and groups make among two or more alternatives
IT steering committee
a committee, comprised of a group of managers and staff representing various organizational units, set up to establish IT priorities and to ensure that the MIS function is meeting the needs of the enterprise
Joint Application Design (JAD)
a group-based tool for collecting user requirements and creating system designs
Management
a process by which organizational goals are achieved through the use of resources
multidimensional data analysis / online analytical processing (OLAP)
a set of capabilities for "slicing and dicing" data using dimensions and measures associated with the data
IT strategic plan
a set of long-range goals that describe the IT infrastructure and major IT initiatives needed to achieve the goals of the organization Must meet 3 criteria: 1. it must be aligned with the organization's strategic plan 2. it must provide for an IT architecture that seamlessly networks users, applications, and databases 3. it must efficiently allocate IS development resources among competing projects so that the projects can be completed on time and within budget and still have the required functionality
component-based development
a software development methodology that uses standard components to build applications
object-oriented development
a systems development methodology that begins with aspects of the real world that must be modeled to perform a task
prescriptive analytics
a type of business analytics that recommends one or more courses of action and shows the likely outcome of each decision
scope creep
adding functions to an information system after the project has begun
systems stakeholders
all people who are affected by changes in information systems
Application Service Provider (ASP)
an agent or vendor who assembles the software needed by enterprises and packages them with outsourced development, operations, maintenance, and other services
end-user development
an approach in which the organization's end users develop their own applications with little or no formal assistance from the IT department
suppose you are failing one of your classes. based on your evaluation, you decide to start paying attention in class and talking to the teacher about ways to improve. this decision is part of the _____ phase of the IDC
choice
verification/testing of the proposed solution and picking and option occur in the _____ phase of the IDC
choice
IS operational plan
consists of a clear set of projects that the IS department and the functional area managers will execute in support of the IT strategic plan typically includes: -mission -IS environment -objectives of the IS function -constraints on the IS function -the application portfolio -resource allocation and project management
_____ can perform two basic operations: 1) identifying previously unknown patterns and 2) predicting trends and behaviors.
data mining
affinity analysis is a _____ application
data mining
if you want to know what items customers typically buy together so that you can place them next to each other on the shelf, you would be using ______
data mining
systems design
describes how the new system will resolve the business problem
_____ analytics answers the question "what has happened"
descriptive
__________ analytics answer the question "what has happened"
descriptive
you would use OLAP and DSS as statistical procedures for _____ analytics
descriptive
computer-aided software engineering (CASE)
development approach that uses specialized tools to automate many of the tasks in the SDLC; upper CASE tools automate the early stages of the SDLC and lower CASE tools automate the later stages
Request for Proposal (RFP)
document that is sent to potential vendors inviting them to submit a proposal describing their software package and how it would meet the company's needs
technical specialists
experts on a certain type of technology, such as databases or telecommunications
_______ is an interpersonal role
figurehead
Service Level Agreements (SLAs)
formal agreements regarding the division of work between a company and its vendors
_______ analysis attempts to calculate the value of the inputs necessary to achieve a desired level of output
goal-seeking
you want to spend a maximum of $100,000 on your first house. you need to use a _________ analysis to figure out the location and size of those types of homes
goal-seeking
answering the question "did this option work as proposed" occurs in the _______ phase of the IDC
implementation
direct conversion
implementation process in which the old system is cut off and the new system is turned on at a certain point in time
phased conversion
implementation process that introduces components of the new system in stages, until the entire new system is operational
_____ is NOT a stage in the IDC
information
examination and answering the question "what is the problem" occur in the _____ phase of the IDC
intelligence
feasibility study
investigation that gauges the probability of success of a proposed project and provides a rough assessment of the project's feasibility
considering the nature of decisions, executing specific tasks efficiently and effectively is ______
operational control
considering the nature of decisions, executing specific tasks efficiently and effectively is _______
operational control
exception reporting
reports highlighting deviations larger than certain thresholds. reports may include only deviations
every year, you have to give each of your employees a performance review and decide whether they have earned a raise. this is a ______ decision
semistructured
______ is an informational role
spokesperson
you decide to implement a new customer loyalty program that rewards customers for stopping in your store. to accomplish this, you need to implement a data warehouse to collect data from all your physical and online stores. this is an example of ____
support for organizational transformation
drill down capability
the ability to go to details, at several levels; it can be done by a series of menus or by clicking on a drillable portion of the screen
you want to make sure your entire organization is using a single data warehouse instead of using a data mart for every department. this is an example of
the development of infrastructure to support enterprise-wide analytics
systems analysis
the examination of the business problem that the organization plans to solve with an information system
Critical Success Factors (CSFs) capability
the factors most critical for the success of a business. these can be organizational, industry, departmental, or for individual workers
status access
the latest data available on KPI or some other metric, often in real time
Implementation
the process of converting from an old computer system to a new one
Business Analytics (BA)
the process of developing actionable decisions or recommendations for actions based on insights generated from historical data
data mining
the process of searching for valuable business information in a large database, data warehouse, or data mart
continuous application development
the process of steadily adding new computer code to a software project when the new computer code is ready
productivity
the ratio between the inputs to a process and the outputs from that process
application portfolio
the set of recommended applications resulting from the planning and justification process in application development
Key Performance Indicators
the specific measures of CSFs
upper CASE tools
tools that are used to automate the early stages of the SDLC (systems investigation, analysis, and design)
lower CASE tools
tools used to automate later stages in the SDLC (programming, testing, operation, and maintenance)
Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
traditional structured framework, used for large IT projects, that consists of sequential processes by which information systems are developed
Outsourcing
use of outside contractors or external organizations to acquire IT services
_________ decide what data should be stored in an organization's data warehouse
users
______ analysis attempts to predict the impact of changes in the assumptions (input data) on the proposed solution
what-if