ISM 4113 Exam 1

Level-n diagram

A DFD that is the result of n nested decompositions from a process on a level-0 diagram

Level-0 diagram

A DFD that represents a system's major processes, data flows, and data stores at a high level of detail

tangible benefit

A benefit derived from the creation of an information system that can be measured in dollars and with certainty.

intangible benefits

A benefit derived from the creation of an information system that cannot be easily measured in dollars or with certainty.

Tangible Cost

A cost associated with an information system that can be measured in dollars and with certainty.

Intangible cost

A cost associated with an information system that cannot be easily measured in terms of dollars or with certainty.

One-time cost

A cost associated with project start-up and development or system start-up.

Recurring cost

A cost resulting from the ongoing evolution and use of a system.

Use case

A depiction of a system's behavior or functionality under various conditions as the system responds to requests from users

Project Scope Statement (PSS)

A document prepared for the customer that describes what the project will deliver and outlines generally at a high level all work required to complete the project.

Request for Proposal (RFP)

A document provided to vendors to ask them to propose hardware and system software that will meet the requirements of a new system.

Nominal Group Technique (NGT)

A facilitated process that supports idea generation by groups. At the beginning of the process, group members work alone to generate ideas, which are then pooled under the guidance of a trained facilitator.

Baseline Project Plan (BPP)

A major outcome and deliverable from the project initiation and planning phase that contains the best estimate of a project's scope, benefits, costs, risks, and resource requirements.

Decision table

A matrix representation of the logic of a decision, which specifies the possible conditions for the decision and the resulting actions.

Walk-through

A peer group review of any product created during the systems development process; also called a structured walk-through.

Data Flow Diagram (DFD)

A picture of the movement of data between external entities and the processes and data stores within a system.

Use case diagram

A picture showing system behavior, along with the key actors that interact with the system

Technical Feasibility

A process of assessing the development organization's ability to construct a proposed system.

Economic Feasibility

A process of identifying the financial benefits and costs associated with a development project.

Joint Application Design (JAD)

A structured process in which users, managers, and analysts work together for several days in a series of intensive meetings to specify or review system requirements.

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems

A system that integrates individual traditional business functions into a series of modules so that a single transaction occurs seamlessly within a single information system rather than several separate systems.

break-even analysis

A type of cost-benefit analysis to identify at what point (if ever) benefits equal costs.

Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)

An approach to systems development based on building complete systems through assembling software components, each component models a generic business function

Extended relationship

An association between two use cases where one adds new behaviors or actions to the other

Included relationship

An association between two use cases where one use case uses functionality contained in the other.

Actor

An external entity that interacts with a system.

Functional Decomposition

An iterative process of breaking the description of a system down into finer and finer detail, which creates a set of charts in which one process on a given chart is explained in greater detail on another chart.

Prototyping

An iterative process of systems development in which requirements are converted to a working system that is continually revised through close collaboration between an analyst and users.

Context Diagram

An overview of an organizational system that shows the system boundaries, external entities that interact with the system, and the major information flows between the entities and the system.

Application Software

Computer software designed to support organizational functions or processes.

Formula for Estimated Time:

ET = (o + 4r + p)/6

Trigger

Event that initiates a use case.

Indifferent condition

In a decision table, a condition whose value does not affect which actions are taken for two or more rules.

Stakeholder

People who have a vested interest in the system being developed

Level

Perspective from which a use case description is written, typically ranging from high level to extremely detailed

closed-ended questions

Questions in interviews that ask those responding to choose from among a set of specified responses.

open-ended questions

Questions in interviews that have no prespecified answers.

Activity diagrams

Show the conditional logic for the sequence of system activities needed to accomplish a business process.

CASE Tools

Software tools that provide automated support for some portion of the systems development process.

Object-oriented analysis and design (OOAD)

Systems development methodologies and techniques based on objects rather than data or processes.

Rapid Application Development (RAD)

Systems development methodology created to radically decrease the time needed to design and implement information systems. This methodology relies on extensive user involvement, prototyping, integrated CASE tools, and code generators.

disruptive technologies

Technologies that enable the breaking of long-held business rules that inhibit organizations from making radical business changes.

Information systems analysis and design

The complex organizational process whereby computer-based information systems are developed and maintained.

Time Value of Money (TVM)

The concept that money available today is worth more than the same amount tomorrow

Balancing

The conservation of inputs and outputs to a DFD process when that process is decomposed to a lower level

Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)

The cost of owning and operating a system, including the total cost of acquisition, as well as all costs associated with its ongoing use and maintenance

DFD completeness

The extent to which all necessary components of a DFD have been included and fully described

DFD consistency

The extent to which information contained on one level of a set of nested DFDs is also included on other levels

Maintenance

The final phase of the SDLC in which an information system is systematically repaired and improved; or changes made to a system to fix or enhance its functionality.

Planning

The first phase of the SDLC in which an organization's total information system needs are identified, analyzed, prioritized, and arranged.

Implementation

The fourth phase of the SDLC in which the information system is coded, tested, installed, and supported in the organization.

Business case

The justification for an information system, presented in terms of the tangible and intangible economic benefits and costs and the technical and organizational feasibility of the proposed system.

Minimal guarantee

The least amount promised to the stakeholder by a use case

Primitive DFD

The lowest level of decomposition for a DFD

Formal System

The official way a system works as described in organizational documentation.

System analyst

The organizational role most responsible for the analysis and design of information systems.

source/sink

The origin and/or destination of data; sometimes referred to as external entities.

Action stubs

The part of a decision table that lists the actions that result for a given set of conditions.

Condition stubs

The part of a decision table that lists the conditions relevant to the decision.

Rules

The part of a decision table that specifies which actions are to be followed for a given set of conditions.

Logical design

The part of the design (3rd) phase of the SDLC in which all functional features of the system chosen for development in analysis are described independently of any computer platform.

Physical design

The part of the design phase of the SDLC in which the logical specifications of the system from logical design are transformed into technology-specific details from which all programming and system construction can be accomplished.

scribe

The person who makes detailed notes of the happenings at a Joint Application Design session.

Outsourcing

The practice of turning over responsibility of some or all of an organization's information systems applications and operations to an outside firm.

Legal and contractual feasibility

The process of assessing potential legal and contractual ramifications due to the construction of a system.

Operational Feasibility

The process of assessing the degree to which a proposed system solves business problems or takes advantage of business opportunities.

schedule feasibility

The process of assessing the degree to which the potential time frame and completion dates for all major activities within a project meet organizational deadlines and constraints for affecting change.

Gap analysis

The process of discovering discrepancies between two or more sets of DFDs or discrepancies within a single DFD

political feasibility

The process of evaluating how key stakeholders within the organization view the proposed system.

Inheritance

The property that occurs when entity types or object classes are arranged in a hierarchy and each entity type or object class assumes the attributes and methods of its ancestors; that is, those higher up in the hierarchy. Inheritance allows new but related classes to be derived from existing classes. See also Generalization.

Cloud computing

The provision of computing resources, including applications, over the Internet so customers do not have to invest in the computing infrastructure needed to run and maintain computing resources.

Discount rate

The rate of return used to compute the present value of future cash flows.

Business Process Reengineering (BPR)

The search for, and implementation of, radical change in business processes to achieve breakthrough improvements in products and services.

Analysis

The second phase of the SDLC in which the current system is studied and alternative replacement systems are proposed.

Extension

The set of behaviors or functions in a use case that follow exceptions to the main success scenario.

Key Business Processes

The structured, measured set of activities designed to produce a specific output for a particular customer or market.

Design

The third phase of the SDLC in which the description of the recommended solution is converted into logical and then physical system specifications.

Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

The traditional methodology used to develop, maintain, and replace information systems.

JAD session leader

The trained individual who plans and leads Joint Application Design sessions.

Reuse

The use of previously written software resources, especially objects and components, in new applications.

Informal system

The way a system actually works

Process

The work or actions performed on data so that they are transformed, stored, or disrubted.

Preconditions

Things that must be true before a use case can start.

Succes guarantee

What a use case must do effectively in order to satisfy stakeholders.

System Development Methodology

is a standard process consisting of the steps necessary to analyze, design, implement, and maintain information systems.

data store (DFD)

represents data at rest, which may take many different physical representations.

Present Value

the current value of future cash flows discounted at the appropriate discount rate