Key Concepts in Information Systems Development

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.

An easy navigation system

A design feature that allows users to move through a system effortlessly.

A balanced layout

A design principle that ensures visual stability and organization.

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.

Indexed file organization

A file organization in which rows are stored either sequentially or non-sequentially, and an index is created that allows software to locate individual rows.

Dialogue diagramming

A formal method for designing and representing human computer dialogues using box and line diagrams.

Object-based interaction

A human-computer interaction method whereby symbols are used to represent commands or functions.

Command language interaction

A human-computer interaction method whereby users enter explicit statements into a system to invoke operations.

Menu

A list of options; when an option is selected by the user, a specific command is invoked.

Interface

A method by which users interact with information systems.

Relational database model

A model where data is represented as a set of related tables.

Relation

A named, two-dimensional table of data with named columns and unnamed rows.

One-time cost

A new hardware purchase is classified as this type of cost.

Paper prototype

A paper prototype is a series of mock-ups that can be used to test content, look, and feel, as well as the task flow and other usability factors.

Walk-through

A peer group review of any product created during the systems development process.

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.

Normalization (in logical database design)

A process to build a data model with simplicity and minimal maintenance.

Third normal form (3NF)

A relation in 2NF with no functional dependencies between nonprimary key attributes.

1NF

A relation is in 1NF if every non-primary key attribute is not functionally dependent on any of the other non-primary keys except the primary key.

Second normal form (2NF)

A relation where every nonprimary key attribute is functionally dependent on the whole primary key.

Well-structured relation (or table)

A relation with minimal redundancy allowing for error-free data manipulation.

Functional dependency

A relationship between two attributes in a relation.

Wireframe

A simple design to show the placement of information elements on a screen and the space needed for each element.

Homonym

A single attribute name used for two or more different attributes.

Break-even analysis

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

Learnability

A usability dimension concerned with how difficult it is for the user to perform a task for the first time.

Error rate

A usability dimension concerned with how many errors a user might encounter and how easy it is to recover from those errors.

Efficiency

A usability dimension concerned with how quickly users can perform tasks once they know how to perform them.

E-R diagram

A visual representation of entities and their relationships in a database.

Hashed file organization

An algorithm used to determine the address for each row.

Less risky approach

An approach to the technical parts of a project that is considered less risky.

Attribute

An aspect of a relation that corresponds to a specific data field.

Foreign key

An attribute appearing as a nonprimary key in one relation and as a primary key in another.

Primary key

An attribute whose value is unique across all occurrences of a relation.

Single value

An entry at the intersection of each row and column in 1NF.

Appending

An error that can occur when adding additional characters to a field.

Transcripting

An error that can occur when adding additional characters to a field.

Transposing

An error that can occur when adding additional characters to a field.

Truncating

An error that can occur when adding additional characters to a field.

Intangible cost

An example of a cost that includes customer goodwill.

Referential integrity

An integrity constraint where the value of an attribute in one relation depends on another.

Satisfaction

An overall evaluation of how a system performs in supporting a particular user for a particular task.

Operational feasibility

Analysis of how well a project fits within the existing operational framework.

Time feasibility

Analysis of the time requirements and scheduling for a project.

Political feasibility

Assessment of the political implications and support for a project.

Technical feasibility

Assessment of the technical resources and capabilities for a project.

Logical database design

Design driven by the E-R data model and form/report layouts.

Economic feasibility

Determination of the financial viability of a project.

Column

Each column in a relation corresponds to an attribute of that relation.

Row

Each row in a relation corresponds to a record containing data values.

Using standard technology

Employing widely accepted and established technological tools.

User involvement

Engagement of users in the development process.

Contract feasibility

Evaluation of contractual obligations and implications for a project.

Resource feasibility

Evaluation of the availability of necessary resources for a project.

Schedule feasibility

Evaluation of the project timeline and deadlines.

Understanding how stakeholders feel about the system

Gaining insights into stakeholder perceptions and attitudes toward the system.

Expanding software licenses

Increasing the scope or number of software licenses for use.

Meaningful information

Information that is relevant and useful to the user.

Walk-throughs

Peer group reviews of products created via the systems development process.

Having a well-equipped IT staff

Possessing skilled personnel and resources in information technology.

Problem from using color in forms and reports

Printing or conversion to other media may not easily translate.

Adequate spacing and margins

Should be used in a report for the design of forms and reports.

Sequential file organization

Storage of rows in sequence according to a primary key value.

Present value

The current value of a future cash flow.

Interface/Dialogue Designs

The design specification category for interfaces and dialogues where environmental characteristics appear.

Testing and Usability Assessment

The design specification category for interfaces and dialogues where testing procedures appear.

Project scope document

The document that outlines all work required to complete the project.

Drill-down report

The drill-down report provides details behind the summary values on a key-indicator or exception report.

Foreign key

The identifier of the entity type becomes the foreign key of the relation, and other attributes of the entity type become non-primary key attributes of the relation.

The political ramifications of a new system

The impact of a new system on political dynamics.

Physical design

The implementation of a database structure based on logical design.

Break-even analysis

The option that identifies the point at which benefits equal costs.

Form interaction

The premise is to allow users to fill in the blanks when working with a system.

Redundancy

The presence of duplicate data that can be minimized in database design.

Normalization

The process of converting complex data structures into simple, stable structures.

Determining which IS to develop

The process of deciding which information system to create.

Project planning

The process of defining clear activities necessary to complete activities in a single project.

Denormalization

The process of splitting or combining normalized relations into physical tables.

Normalization

The result of normalization is that every key attribute depends upon the whole primary key.

Scheduled report

The scheduled report provides a summary of critical information on a recurring basis.

Dialogue

The sequence of interaction between a user and a system.

Technical feasibility

The stage that assesses system complexity, size, cost, and target hardware.

Cookie crumbs

The technique of placing tabs or sequenced links on a web page to show a user where he or she is within a site and where he or she has been.

Project charter

The term that describes the best estimate of a project's scope, benefits, cost, and resources.

Time value of money

The term that means that money available today is worth more than the same amount tomorrow.

Baseline Project Plan (BPP)

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

Meaningful titles

Titles that clearly convey the content or purpose of a document.

Synonym

Two different names used for the same attribute.

Using a matrix

Utilizing a structured format to organize information or data.

Weak entity

Which relation is created with a composite primary key using the primary keys of the related entities, plus any non-key attributes associative entity of the relationship or associative entity?

Associative entity

Which relation is created with the primary key associated with the relationship or associative entity, plus any non-key attributes of the relationship or associative entity and the primary keys of the related entities?

Tangible Benefit

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

Tangible benefit

A benefit that comes from an information system that can be measured monetarily.

Primary key

A binary one-to-many (1:N) relationship in an E-R diagram is represented by adding the primary key attribute of the entity on the one side of the relationship as a foreign key in the relation that is on the many side.

Report

A business document that contains only predefined data; it is a passive document used only for reading or viewing.

Form

A business document that contains some predefined data and may include some areas where additional data are to be filled in.

Physical file

A computer operating system stores data in a physical file, which is a named set of table rows stored in a contiguous section of secondary memory.