MIS ch 13

Systems investigation:

- Addresses the business problem (or business opportunity) by means of the feasibility study - main task in stage is the feasibility study

Systems design:

- Describes how the system will resolve the business problem - The deliverable is the set of technical system specifications.

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.

four business decisions that companies must make when they acquire new applications

- How much computer code does the company want to write? - How will the company pay for the application? - Where will the application run? - Where will the application originate?

business case approach

- system developers write a business case to justify funding one or more specific applications or projects.

Component-based development

- uses standard components to build applications. - Components are reusable applications that generally have one specific function, such as a shopping cart, user authentication, or a catalog

scope creep

Adding functions to an information system after the project has begun

service-level agreements (SLAs)

Formal agreements regarding the division of work between a company and its vendors

upper CASE tools

Tools that are used to automate the early stages of the SDLC (systems investigation, analysis, and design)

prototyping

defines an initial list of user requirements, builds a model of the system, and then improves the system in several iterations based on users' feedback

Joint application

design is a group-based tool for collecting user requirements and creating system designs.

t or f: Pilot conversion is the least used conversion strategy.

false

t or f: SaaS customers own the software but it is offered at a cheaper price.

false

End-user development

refers to an organization's end users developing their own applications with little or no formal assistance from the IT department

t or f: Being an informed user will help you take advantage of custom development.

true

t or f: Database design choices can affect an organization decades after they are made even when hardware and software is replaced; the Y2K problem was a perfect illustration of this.

true

t or f: End-user development is also called Shadow IT.

true

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

Programming and testing:

- Programming translates the design specifications into computer code; testing checks to see whether the computer code will produce the expected and desired results and detects errors, or bugs, in the computer code - A deliverable is the new application.

Implementation

- The process of converting from the old system to the new system through three major conversion strategies: direct, pilot, and phased - A deliverable is a properly working application.

Operation and maintenance:

- Types of maintenance include debugging, updating, and adding new functions when needed.

Object-oriented development

- begins with the aspects of the real world that must be modeled to perform that task - Systems developers identify the objects in the new system - Each object represents a tangible, real-world entity such as a customer, bank account, student, or course - Objects have properties, or data values - Objects also contain the operations that can be performed on their properties.

net present value method

- converts future values of benefits to their present-value equivalent by discounting them at the organization's cost of funds - They can then compare the present value of the future benefits with the cost required to achieve those benefits to determine whether the benefits exceed the costs

Break-even analysis

- determines the point at which the cumulative dollar value of the benefits from a project equals the investment made in the project.

alternative development methods that augment development methods

- joint application - rapid application development - agile development - end-user development

Return on investment

- measures management's effectiveness in generating profits with its available assets - calculated by dividing net income attributable to a project by the average assets invested in the project - ROI is a percentage, and the higher the percentage return, the better.

four common approaches to cost-benefit analysis

- net present value - ROI - break-even -business case approach

tools that augment development methods.

- prototyping - integrated computer-aided software engineering - component-based development - object-oriented development

six processes involved in the systems development life cycle.

1.) systems investigation 2.) systems analysis 3.) systems design 4.) programming and testing 5.) implementation 6.) operation and maintenance

IT steering committee

A committee, composed 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

rapid application development (RAD)

A development method that uses special tools and an iterative approach to rapidly produce a high-quality system

joint application design (JAD)

A group-based tool for collecting user requirements and creating system designs

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

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

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.

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

Systems analysis

- Examines the business problem that the organization plans to solve with an information system - main purpose is to gather information about the existing system to determine the requirements for the new system - The end product of this stage, known as the "deliverable, " is a set of system requirements.

integrated CASE (ICASE) tools

CASE tools that provide links between upper CASE and lower CASE tools

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

systems design

Describes how the new system will resolve the business problem

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

feasibility study

Investigation that gauges the probability of success of a proposed project and provides a rough assessment of the project's feasibility

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

Integrated computer-aided software engineering

combines upper CASE tools (automate systems investigation, analysis, and design) and lower CASE tools (programming, testing, operation, and maintenance)

t or f: Agile development ensures that the software includes every possible feature the user will require.

false

t or f: As long a new technology is implemented, it will give organizations the benefits they seek.

false

t or f: Communication, control, and cost are the three benefits of outsourcing.

false

t or f: Costs of a system end when the system is installed.

false

t or f: Fixed costs change when a company decides to implement a cloud computing solution.

false

t or f: IT people are supposed to identify the system requirements in the systems analysis stage.

false

t or f: It is easy to assess the benefits of IT because they are so tangible.

false

t or f: Lower CASE tools automate the systems investigation, analysis, and design stages of the SDLC.

false

t or f: Most systems are implemented with direct conversion because it is the cheapest.

false

t or f: Only IT people are involved in the SDLC.

false

t or f: Purchasing a prewritten application is always the most cost-effective and time-saving solution.

false

t or f: RAD produces prototypes rather than functional components.

false

t or f: Scope creep is necessary even though it is really expensive because it allows users to request things they really need.

false

t or f: Technology is available at a cost that is affordable to you, but you know your employees will refuse to use anything new. This means the feasibility of your IT project is high.

false

t or f: The IT architecture focuses on the technical aspects of information resources.

false

t or f: The IT steering committee is comprised of the top IT managers in an organization.

false

t or f: The existing IT architecture is an absolute constraint on the development of an IT strategic plan.

false

t or f: Upper CASE tools automate the later stages of the SDLC.

false

Agile development

is a software development methodology that delivers functionality in rapid iterations, which are usually measured in weeks.

Rapid application development

is a systems development method that can combine JAD, prototyping, and ICASE tools to rapidly produce a high-quality system

t or f: A hidden backlog contains the projects that the IT department is not aware of because of low feasibility.

true

t or f: A single software package rarely satisfies all of an organization's needs.

true

t or f: An ASP hosts both an application and a database for each customer.

true

t or f: Companies can buy or lease prewritten applications.

true

t or f: Lower CASE tools automate the programming, testing, operation, and maintenance stages of the SDLC.

true

t or f: Open-source software is an alternative source of applications.

true

t or f: Small organizations do not need a formal process for planning for and justifying IT applications.

true

t or f: The IT architecture encompasses both the technical and managerial aspects of information resources.

true

t or f: The core tenet of agile development is to do only what you have to do to be successful right now.

true

t or f: The development process in RAD is iterative.

true

t or f: The direct and parallel conversion strategies are not used very frequently by businesses.

true

t or f: Upper CASE tools automate the early stages of the SDLC.

true

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.

prototyping definition

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.

end-user development

Approach in which the organization's end users develop their own applications with little or no formal assistance from the IT department

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

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.

application portfolio

The set of recommended applications resulting from the planning and justification process in application development.

programming

The translation of a system's design specifications into computer code

systems analysis

The examination of the business problem that the organization plans to solve with an information system

systems investigation

The initial stage in the traditional SDLC that addresses the business problem (or business opportunity) by means of the feasibility study

implementation

The process of converting from an old computer system to a new one

continuous application development

The process of steadily adding new computer code to a software project when the new computer code is written and tested.