IST 3343 Systems Analysis

The primary concern about cloud computing is A) cost. B) reliability. C) compliance with standards. D) dependability. E) sustainability.

B) reliability.

______ is the major outcome and deliverable from the project initiation and planning phase and contains an estimate of the project's scope, benefits, costs, risks, and resource requirements.

Baseline project plan

The analysis technique that finds the amount of time required for the cumulative cash flow from a project to equal its initial and ongoing investment is referred to as

Break even analysis

_____ is a type of cost-benefit analysis to identify at what point (if ever) benefits equal cost

Break even analysis

A reason not to go with cloud computing is A) freeing internal IT staff. B) gaining access to applications faster. C) reduced development time. D) achieving lower cost access to corporate-quality applications. E) A and B.

C) reduced development time.

_____ refers to the provision of applications over the internet, where customers do not have to invest in the hardware and software resources need to run and maintain the applications

Cloud computing

_____ is the extent to which a system or subsystem performs a single function

Cohesion

_____ is the process of breaking the description of a system down into small components

Decomposition

_____ is the interest rate used to compute the present value of future cash flows.

Discount Rate

When developing information systems, an organization could use A) an information technology services firm. B) open-source software. C) enterprise-wide solution software. D) in-house development. E) all of the above.

E) all of the above.

T/F Coupling results in smaller and less complex systems that are easier to understand than larger, complicated systems

False

T/F One of the primary benefits of using an enterprise software solution is the short time period required for implementation

False

T/F Opening new markets and increasing sales opportunities is a tangible benefit

False

T/F Systems analysis is the first phase of the systems development life cycle

False

T/F The objective of ROI analysis is to discover at what point cumulative benefits equal costs

False

T/F The project charter reflects the best estimate of the project's scope, benefits, costs, risks, and resource requirements, given the current understanding of the project

False

T/F The systems development live cycle is a sequentially ordered set of phases

False

T/F variable costs are costs resulting from the ongoing evolution and use of a system

False

T/F: An activity on the critical path will have a slack time of 1

False

T/F A network diagram depicts project tasks and their interrelationships

True

T/F A system's capacity can be viewed as a system constraint

True

T/F A system's environment is everything outside a system's boundary that influences the system

True

T/F Because many projects may be competing for the same investment dollars and may have different useful life expectancies, all costs and benefits must be viewed in relation to their present rather than future value when comparing investment options

True

T/F Critical path scheduling is a scheduling technique whose order and duration of a sequence of task activities directly affects the completion date of a project

True

T/F Decomposition allows the systems analyst to build different parts of the system at independent times and have the help of different analysts.

True

T/F Enterprise-wide systems are large, complex systems that consist of a series of independent system modules

True

T/F IT services firms, packaged software providers, vendors of enterprise-wide solution software, open-source software, and in-house development are sources of software

True

T/F Increased flexibility is an example of an intangible benefit

True

T/F Interfaces exist between subsystems

True

T/F Involving the user in analysis and design is a key advantage to the prototyping technique

True

T/F Joint Application Design (JAD) is 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.

True

T/F Modularity divides a system into chunks or modules of a relatively uniform size

True

T/F Outsourcing refers to turning over responsibility of some or all of an organization's information systems applications and operations to an outside firm.

True

T/F Site preparation is an example of one time cost

True

T/F The main goal of systems analysis and design is to improve organizational systems, typically through applying software that can help employees accomplish key business tasks more easily and efficiently.

True

T/F The project manager is responsible for initiating, planning, executing, and closing down the project

True

T/F The time value of money compares present cash outlays to future expected returns

True

T/F economic feasibility is a process of identifying the financial benefits and costs associated with a development project

True

T/F most techniques for analyzing economic feasability employ the time value of money concept

True

T/F using enterprise software solutions, a firm can integrate all parts of a business process in a unified information system

True

A critical path refers to a. a sequence of task activities whose order and durations indirectly affect the completion date of a project. b. a sequence of task activities whose order and durations directly affect the completion date of a project. c. a sequence of task activities whose order must be performed in parallel. d. a sequence of task activities whose duration cannot last more than 40 percent of the time allotted to the project. e. none of the above.

b. a sequence of task activities whose order and durations directly affect the completion date of a project.

The line that marks the inside and outside of the system that sets off the system from its environment best defines a. delineation mark. b. boundary. c. scope. d. interface. e. analysis area.

b. boundary.

The extent to which subsystems depend on each other refers to a. modularity. b. coupling. c. decomposition. d. dependence. e. cohesion.

b. coupling.

An information system does not include a. application software. b. culture. c. documentation and training materials. d. specific job roles associated with the overall system. e. controls.

b. culture.

The overall goal or function of a system best defines a. purpose. b. goal. c. objective. d. scope. e. mission.

b. goal.

The point of contact where a system meets its environment or where subsystems meet each other best describes a. boundary points. b. interfaces. c. contact points. d. merge points. e. forks.

b. interfaces.

The amount of time that an activity can be delayed without delaying the project refers to: a. noncritical time. b. slack time. c. down time. d. delay time. e. stop time.

b. slack time.

Optimistic time refers to a. the maximum period of time for an activity to be completed. b. the minimum period of time for an activity to be completed. c. the planner's "best guess" of the amount of time the activity actually will require for completion. d. the maximum period of time for an entire project to be completed. e. the average period of time for an activity to be completed.

b. the minimum period of time for an activity to be completed.

the line that marks the inside and outside of a system and that sets off one system from other systems in the organization is called a ______

boundary

The process of breaking the description of a system down into its smaller components best defines a. coupling. b. cohesion. c. decomposition. d. modularity. e. scaling.

c. decomposition.

The process of developing and maintaining an information system describes: a. joint application design. b. prototyping. c. information systems analysis and design. d. information technology infrastructure development. e. systems implementation.

c. information systems analysis and design.

Realistic time refers to a. the maximum period of time for an activity to be completed. b. the minimum period of time for an activity to be completed. c. the planner's "best guess" of the amount of time the activity actually will require for completion. d. the maximum period of time for an entire project to be completed. e. the average period of time for an activity to be completed.

c. the planner's "best guess" of the amount of time the activity actually will require for completion.

The environment of a state university would not include a. prospective students. b. the legislature. c. the president's office. d. the news media. e. a foundation.

c. the president's office.

A _____ is an irreducible part or aggregation of parts that makes up a sytsem

component

A _____ is a limit to what a system can accomplish

constraint

What is a direct result of decomposition? a. Coupling b. Open systems c. Cohesion d. Modularity e. Interfaces

d. Modularity

What is NOT a system characteristic? a. Interface b. Boundary c. Input d. Scope e. Output

d. Scope

The interest rate used to compute the present value of future cash flows refers to

discount rate

What is NOT a project management phase? a. Closing down the project b. Planning the project c. Executing the project d. Initiating a project e. Implementing the project

e. Implementing the project

In which SDLC phase is the information system coded, tested, and installed in the organization? a. Systems planning and selection b. Systems replacement c. Systems analysis d. Systems design e. Systems implementation and operation

e. Systems implementation and operation

A group of interrelated procedures used for a business function, with an identifiable boundary, working together for some purpose, best defines: a. environment. b. system component. c. constraint. d. interface. e. system.

e. system.

The reduction of waste creation is an example of an

intangible benefit

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

intangible cost

An _____ is the point of contact where a system meets its environment or where subsystems meet each other

interface

Tangible benefits would include

lower transaction costs

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 best describes A) enterprise resource planning (ERP). B) application service. C) storage area network. D) packaged software. E) system integration software.

A) enterprise resource planning (ERP).

T/F A boundary is the point of contact where a system meets its environment or where subsystems meet each other.

False

Which of the following would be classified as a tangible cost

Cost of hardware

_____ is the extent to which subsystems depend on each other

Coupling

_____ refers to the shortest time in which a project can be completed

Critical Path

_____ is the process of identifying the financial benefits and costs associated with a development project

Economic feasibility

Which of the following would be classified as an intangible cost

Employee morale

_____ refers to everything external to a system that interacts with the system

Environment

T/F A major disadvantage of the Network diagram is its inability to represent completion times and show interrelationships between activities

False

T/F An enterprise resource planning system is one of the three information systems classes

False

T/F An interface separates a system from other systems

False

T/F Cloud computing is best when a supported task is generic and one does not need instant access

False

T/F Cohesion is the extent to which subsystems depend on each other

False

T/F Cohesion is the process of breaking down a system into its smaller components

False

T/F Coupling is a direct result of decomposition

False

____________ is the process of developing and maintaining an information system

Information systems analysis and design

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

Intangible benefit

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

Intangible cost

_____ _____ refers to a dependence of one part of the system on one or more other system parts

Interrelated components

__________ is 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

Joint application design

_____ is the process of diciding a system into chunks or modules of equal size

Modularity

_____ are costs associated with project start-up and development, or system start-up.

One-time costs

_____ refers to the process of comparing present cash outlays to future expected returns

Time value of money

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

Outsourcing

_____ is the current value of a future cash flow.

Present value

_____ is a controlled process of initiating, planning, executing, and closing down a project

Project management

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

Project scope statement

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

Tangible benefit

_____ is a cost associated with an information system that can be easily measured in dollars and with certainty.

Tangible cost

The ratio of the net cash receipts of the project divided by the cash outlays of the project, enabling trade-off analysis to be made between competing projects, is often referred to as

ROI

_____ are costs resulting from the ongoing evolution and use of a system.

Recurring costs

_____ is the amount of time that an activity can be delayed without delaying the project

Slack time

A _____ is a group of interrelated procedures used for a business function, with an identifiable boundary, working together for some purpose

System

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

Systems analysis

__________ is the phase of the SDLC in which the system chosen for the development in systems analysis is first described independently of any computer platform and is then transformed into tech-specific details from which all programming and system construction can be accomplished.

Systems design

__________ is the first phase of SDLC, in which an organization's total information system needs are analyzed and arranged, and in which a potential information systems project is identified and an argument for continuing or not continuing with the project is presented.

Systems planning and selection

A major outcome and deliverable from project initiation and planning that reflects the best estimate of the projects scope, benefits, costs, risks, and resource requirements defines the

a. Baseline Project Plan. b. Information Systems Plan. c. Mission Statement. d. Resource Requirements Statement. e. Systems Service Request.

Potential development projects can be identified by

a. a steering committee. b. top management. c. a senior IS manager. d. user departments. e. all of the above.

To identify the financial benefits and cost associated with the development project is the purpose of

a. financial feasibility. b. technical feasibility. c. operational feasibility. d. economic feasibility. e. schedule feasibility.

Dependence of one part of the system on one or more other system parts best describes a. interrelated components. b. boundary. c. component. d. dependency. e. cohesion.

a. interrelated components.

Building a scaled-down version of the desired system best describes a. prototyping. b. Agile Methodologies. c. joint application design. d. reengineering analysis. e. rapid application development.

a. prototyping.

The need for a new or enhanced system is identified during a. systems planning and selection. b. systems coding. c. systems analysis. d. systems design. e. systems implementation and operation.

a. systems planning and selection.

The first phase of the systems development life cycle is

a. systems planning and selection. b. systems study. c. systems analysis. d. systems design. e. systems implementation and operation.

Slack time is equal to a. the difference between an activity's latest and earliest expected completion time. b. the latest expected completion time. c. the difference between the start time and realistic time for each activity. d. the sum of an activity's latest and earliest expected completion time. e. the difference between the optimistic time and pessimistic time for an activity.

a. the difference between an activity's latest and earliest expected completion time.

Pessimistic time refers to a. the maximum period of time for an activity to be completed. b. the minimum period of time for an activity to be completed. c. the planner's "best guess" of the amount of time the activity actually will require for completion. d. the maximum period of time for an entire project to be completed. e. the average period of time for an activity to be completed.

a. the maximum period of time for an activity to be completed.

The analysis technique that uses a discount rate determined from the company's cost of capital to establish the present value of a project is commonly called

net present value (NPV)

The current value of a future cash flow is referred to as

present value

The overall goal or function of a system is called its _____

purpose

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

recurring cost

Application software maintenance, new software and hardware leases, and incremental communications are examples of

recurring costs

The __________ is the series of steps used to mark the phases of development for an information system

systems development life cycle

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

tangible benefit

A savings of $5,000 resulting from data entry error reductions would most likely be classified as a

tangible benefit

Cost reduction and avoidance, error reduction, and increased flexibility are examples of

tangible benefits

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

tangible cost