INFORMATION SYSTEMS

GUI

"GUI prototyping," where team members can actually interact with the application online, is considered "high fidelity" since at least some sense of the application can be experienced.

Low fidelity

"Low fidelity" prototypes are typically cheaper to make but lack attributes. "Paper prototyping," where the application's look and feel are described in pictures, drawings, or storyboards, is considered "low fidelity." It communicates function but doesn't simulate the experience.

tasks for planning

- Describing project scope and feasibility: elicit the kind of specific information that will help everyone on the project team - The major stages of the planning phase include the following: describing the project's scope supported by feasibility studies; estimating resources; creating a schedule, communication plan, and project standards; identifying risks to the project; making a budget; finalizing the project scope; and creating the project baseline plan

project manager

- project managers are employees who are, or have previously been, systems analysts - experience gives them an excellent grasp of the interrelationships and dynamics between different technical departments. They need to be excellent multitaskers, problem-solvers, and disciplined writers who can clearly document and track issues. They also need to be great communicators who are skilled at facilitating meetings and maintaining communication among all project stakeholders.

executive sponsor

- senior executives, executive sponsors, are the ones ultimately responsible to their company for the project's success - well connected, socially savvy, and know how to successfully navigate their company's political culture. - knowledgeable enough to understand the technical benefits and constraints of proposed projects. great communicators, enthusiastic about their projects, and able to galvanize enthusiasm among other stakeholders on a sustained basis

acceptance testing

Acceptance testing can be performed internally (by a company test group) or by external users.

maintenance

Corrective maintenance: Troubleshooting and repairing errors and defects. Adaptive maintenance: Adding new functionality to support business strategic objectives. Preventive maintenance: Conditioning the application to minimize future errors or failures.

In project management terms, which option is represented by SDLC? systems design life cycle spiral design life cycle spiral development life cycle systems development life cycle

D

Evolutionary

Evolutionary prototyping takes a far more structured approach than throwaway prototyping. Found most often in some form of the spiral and incremental development methods, evolutionary prototyping is literally built to stay. The process allows for corrections and enhancements that the development team members discover as they test this prototype. As mentioned previously, it can be costly and time-intensive. And limitations must be built into the process so that rounds of continual testing and refining don't impede the project's timeline.

Plunge conversion

No limitations would be placed on either the number of users (volume) or the type of users (customers) accessing the application. There is inherent risk with this option. For example, overwhelming volume might choke up the network. Plunge conversion especially needs contingency plans in the event that problems happen. Contingency plans would include alternative actions to take so that company operations wouldn't be adversely affected.

Turfing

Projects are only as good as the quality of the SDLC teaming.

how they relate

The executive sponsor relates to the project manager by: communicating executive-level business priorities and issues; making executive-level decisions; and, providing resources. The project manager relates to the executive sponsor by: keeping sponsor informed about project status and communicating project issues.

software preforming testing

The goal of performance testing is to gauge how well the application will perform with a workload. There are several variations. In load testing, the application is tested to see how it performs with simultaneous usage (how many customers can use it at the same time?). In volume and stress testing, software functions are tested with larger amounts of volume, or under extreme conditions.

Ambiguous or missing requirements

This is one of the most frequent complaints voiced by development teams. When teams are not exactly clear about how the end-product is supposed to look or function, they may waste precious hours creating a product that they may have to rework later.

throwaway

This type is most often associated with the rapid prototyping development method. Speed of construction is paramount, and the method used to achieve it is usually informal. The goal is to create enough of the features so that the team can test it against their assumptions and, if need be, tweak their requirements. After this team evaluates the prototype, it is literally discarded, and the team proceeds with their requirements that may go unchanged or revised based on findings they discovered from constructing this prototype.

feasibility types

Timeline Feasibility - Using the pop-up store option, is it feasible that this store could be in operation for the next holiday shopping season? Technical Feasibility - For the virtual reality application concept, does We Got You Covered have in-house technical expertise to design and code this application? Location Feasibility - For a permanent store option located in downtown Los Angeles, will the city's zoning laws permit it to open in the desired location? Operational Feasibility - How well do the various solutions mesh with strategic initiatives at We Got You Covered and what about its critical success factors? Overall Feasibility - How do each of the various solutions rate against one another when comparing such factors as marketing, real estate, and operational and timeline potential?

vocab

data modeling: software engineering term that defines and describes data and its relationships deliverables: project management term for the output of tasks facsimile: a replica or copy of another object prototype: to simulate the features of a process or product

integration testing

interfaces between the various software components are verified. As this testing continues, more of the components are added and retested. This sequence continues until the entire design is tested.

When the project manager creates a workbook for the project, that workbook will be shared online with whom? the subcontractors other team members the executive sponsor the president of the company

other team members

Parallel conversion

replacing a similar application. Both applications would run in parallel for a transition period while customers got used to the new application.

Project creep

term describes the condition where the project scope is continually tweaked.

Phased conversion

this option divides the product launch into stages. If it is not essential to the application, the project team might decide to launch the formal version without it and phase it in later (during the maintenance period) after this feature is fixed.

unit testing

type of testing is used to test functionality by isolating specific parts of code. It is typically executed by developers in "white-box style" meaning that the main purpose is to ensure that the functionality works well within the internal system, rather than the functionality that external customers will experience after implementation.

contingency: an event that might possibly happen white-box style: a type of testing that is done internally to evaluate component relationships

vocab

critical success factors: strategic business objectives that companies use to set their current and future direction hard-shell: an inflexible mobile device covering pop-up store: physical store that is in business for a temporary period of time quantifiable: able to be measured

vocab

Pilot conversion

want to control how many customers, or what type of customers, access the new application. This might be for marketing reasons ("Let's only offer it to potential customers") or to limit the volume of customers using the new application.