BSAN 325 Practice Exam 1
Applications under the ________ model are typically easiest to deploy, because the customer does not have to worry about maintaining or updating the software, the underlying platform, or the hardware infrastructure. A) SaaS B) IaaS C) PaaS D) data
A
In the ________ model, only the basic capabilities of processing, storage, and networking are provided. Hence, the customer has the most control over the resources. A) IaaS B) PaaS C) SaaS D) DBMS
A
In which phase of the SDLC is the information system coded, tested, installed, and supported in the organization? A) Implementation B) Analysis C) Design D) Planning
A
Most organizations find it beneficial to use a standard set of steps, called ________, to develop and support their information systems. A) Systems development methodology B) Supply chain management systems C) Analytical processing systems D) Customer relationship management systems
A
The term ________ is used when a project is reviewed after each stage to determine its continuance. A) Incremental commitment B) Reevaluation C) Project continuance D) Project re-planning
A
What is the practice of a company running a computer application for another organization? A) Outsourcing B) Information Technology Development C) In-house Payroll System D) Reusing
A
When an organization has the resources and a system must be built from scratch, an organization should choose what type of software? A) In-house development B) Prepackaged software C) Off the shelf D) Open source
A
Which of the following is NOT a major category of sources of software? A) Offshore B) Cloud computing vendors C) In-house developers D) Package software
A
Which term describes a systems development project that is plagued with too much analysis work? A) Analysis Paralysis B) The Analysis Phase C) Documentation D) Reframing
A
________ is the process of dividing the project into manageable tasks and logically ordering them to ensure a smooth evolution between tasks. A) Work breakdown structure B) Task breakdown structure C) Project breakdown structure D) Management breakdown structure
A
Define tangible and intangible benefits and costs. What is the difference between the two? Give examples.
A tangible benefit refers to a benefit derived from the creation of an information system that can be measured in dollars and with certainty. Examples include reduced personnel expenses, lower transaction costs, and higher profit margins. Intangible benefit refers to a benefit derived from the creation of an information system that cannot be easily measured in dollars or with certainty. Examples include competitive necessity, promotion of organizational learning and understanding, and improved asset utilization. While tangible costs are costs associated with an information system that can be measured in dollars and with certainty, intangible costs are costs associated with an information system that cannot be easily measured in terms of dollars or with certainty. Hardware costs, labor costs, and operational costs are tangible costs. Loss of customer goodwill, employee morale, and operational inefficiency are intangible costs.
28) In which phase of the SDLC are the system requirements studied and structured? A) Implementation B) Analysis C) Design D) Planning
B
A ________, which is conducted by the project manager, involves determining if the information system makes sense for the organization from an economic and operational standpoint. A) Tool B) Feasibility study C) Data flow D) Methodology
B
All of the following are categories of feasibility except ________. A) Technical B) Scope C) Scheduling D) Political
B
In the ________ model, the customer uses only applications provided via a cloud infrastructure. Typically, such applications include Web-based e-mail services and Web-based productivity suites. A) PaaS B) SaaS C) IaaS D) DBMS
B
Which evaluation criterion for classifying and ranking projects deals with helping an organization achieve its long-term goals? A) Value chain analysis B) Strategic alignment C) Potential Benefits D) Resource availability
B
Which feasibility is concerned with the project attaining its desired objectives? A) Technical feasibility B) Operational feasibility C) Schedule feasibility D) Legal feasibility
B
Which of the following is NOT a factor in determining legal and contractual feasibility? A) Labor laws B) Financial budgets C) Copyright infringements D) Foreign trade regulations
B
Which of the following is NOT an example of open-source software? A) MySQL B) Excel C) Firefox D) Linux
B
Which of the following is a reason why a company may outsource certain operations? A) Decrease process efficiencies B) Outsource noncore activities C) Increase time to market D) Keep the information technology staff from being bored
B
Which option identifies the point at which benefits equal costs? A) Net present value B) Break-even analysis C) Time value of money D) Present value
B
If an organization is using applications rented from a third party vendor running in a remote location, they are most likely using what type of software system? A) ERP B) Mobile software C) Cloud computing D) SAP
C
In the ________ model, customers can run their own applications, which are typically designed using tools provided by the service provider. A) IaaS B) SaaS C) PaaS D) DBMS
C
Nodes not on the critical path contain ________ time and allow the project manager some flexibility in scheduling. A) Shortest B) Critical C) Slack D) Report
C
Ramona is preparing an economic feasibility study. She is calculating the payback period. She is calculating: A) Cash flow B) Return on investment C) Break-even point D) Net present value E) Internal rate of return
C
Requests for Proposals (RFPs) serve what purpose? A) Integrate systems with one another B) Create synergy amongst staff members C) Solicit information from providers D) Engage mobile computers with mainframe technology E) Develop morale amongst managers
C
The SDLC planning phase consists of which activity? A) Project completion B) Project reorganization C) Project selection D) Project testing
C
The ________ is a systems analyst with a diverse set of skills— management, leadership, technical, conflict management, and customer relationship—who is responsible for initiating, planning, executing, and closing down a project. A) Consultant B) Project scheduler C) Project manager D) Project assistant
C
Which document outlines all work required to complete the project? A) Baseline project plan B) Business plan C) Project scope document D) Feasibility document
C
Which feasibility category deals with identifying financial benefits associated with the project? A) Political B) Legal C) Economic D) Technical
C
Which of the below is a true statement regarding the systems development life cycle? A) The SDLC is not iterative. B) It is not possible to complete some activities in one phase in parallel with those of another phase. C) The life cycle can be thought of as a circular process in which the end of the useful life of one system leads to the beginning of another project to develop a new version of or replace an existing system. D) The life cycle can be thought of as a linear process in which the end of the useful life of one system leads to the beginning of another project to develop a new version of or replace an existing system.
C
Which of the following is an example of an intangible cost? A) Hardware costs B) Labor costs C) Customer goodwill D) Employee training
C
Which solution enables a firm to integrate all parts of a business process into a unified information system? A) Prepackaged B) Off the shelf C) Enterprise software solutions D) Cloud computing
C
Which would normally NOT be a reason for a project? A) When a business need has been identified B) A consultant has suggested a new customer relationship management system C) An open source platform has just come on the market D) An existing system just isn't working properly and the workaround is tedious E) To support a new business initiative
C
Why is open source software different than the other types of software? A) Companies make money by offering maintenance contracts. B) It is available via the Internet. C) The source code is free. D) Only major corporations offer it.
C
. Which of the following is NOT a phase in the Rational Unified Process? A) Inception B) Elaboration C) Construction D) Calculation
D
A Gantt chart is the graphical representation of a project that shows each task as a ________ bar whose length is proportional to its time for completion. A) vertical B) linear C) curve D) horizontal
D
A Project Scope Statement can be used to ________. A) Detail project estimates B) Outline a schedule C) Prepare the project for the analysis phase D) Serve as a contract
D
All of the following are included in the baseline project report except ________. A) Introduction B) System description C) Feasibility assessment D) Conclusion
D
Robert is doing an economic analysis using today's dollar values. He is doing: A) Cash flow analysis B) Return on investment analysis C) Break-even point analysis D) Net present value analysis E) Internal rate of return analysis
D
The V-model pays more explicit attention to ___________: A) Iteration B) Return on investment (ROI) C) Business Value (the "V") D) Testing Prototyping
D
The following is NOT an example of a type of feasibility study. A) Operational feasibility B) Technical feasibility C) Economic feasibility D) Resource feasibility
D
When resources and staff are available and the system must be built from scratch, a company should consider ________. A) Outsourcing B) ERP systems C) Cloud computing D) In-house developers
D
Which is NOT suggested for IT development projects? A) Projects need to be prioritized B) Projects need to be carefully selected C) Projects need to be carefully managed D) Projects need to give a positive return on investment within four years E) Projects need to give value to the business
D
Which is probably true about packaged software? A) In most cases, the software is a perfect fit for the companies need B) Packaged software works best where the company has a unique need C) The time frame is flexible to long D) The business need is common E) The project has a highly skills project manager who has been with the company for many years and has an excellent relationship with both business users and the IT development staff
D
Which of the below is a traditional methodology used to develop, maintain, and replace information systems? A) Prototyping B) OOAD C) RAD D) SDLC
D
Which of the following is NOT a consideration during the assessing technical feasibility stage? A) System size B) System complexity C) System target hardware D) System cost
D
Which of the following is NOT a part of the Evolutionary model of the SDLC process? A) Analysis B) Design C) Planning D) Procedure
D
Which of the following is a FALSE statement regarding the Project Scope Statement? A) It occurs near the end of the project planning phase. B) It is developed primarily for the customer. C) It clearly describes what the project will deliver. D) It is a description of the alternative solution.
D
Which of the following is a feature of a public cloud? A) Privacy B) Centralized C) Owned by client D) Pay per use
D
Which term below means that money available today is worth more than the same amount tomorrow? A) Cost benefit B) Discount rate C) Variable costs D) Time value of money
D
________ is a controlled process of initiating, planning, executing, and closing down a project. A) System design B) System analysis C) Project scheduling D) Project management
D
Which of the following methodologies might be most appropriate if you have a system project with: unclear user requirements; unfamiliar technologies; somewhat complex; needs to be reliable; time is not an issue and the schedule visibility is somewhat important? A) Waterfall B) Parallel C) Iterative D) System prototyping E) Throwaway prototyping
E
An organizational approach to systems analysis and design is not driven by methodologies.
False
In the SDLC, it is not possible to complete some activities in one phase in parallel with some activities of another phase.
False
True or false: Because open source software is free, it is impossible to make money with it.
False
Describe the three types of XaaS cloud computing models.
In the infrastructure as a service (IaaS) model, only the basic capabilities of processing, storage, and networking are provided. Hence, the customer has the most control over the resources. In the platform as a service (PaaS) model, customers can run their own applications, which are typically designed using tools provided by the service provider. In this model, the user has control over the applications but has limited or no control over the underlying infrastructure. In the software as a service (SaaS) model, the customer uses only applications provided via a cloud infrastructure.
Who is a systems analyst and what are the duties of a systems analyst?
Many people in organizations are responsible for systems analysis and design; in most organizations the systems analyst has the primary responsibility. When you begin your career in systems development, you will most likely begin as a systems analyst or as a programmer with some systems analysis responsibilities. The primary role of a systems analyst is to study the problems and needs of an organization in order to determine how people, methods, and information technology can best be combined to bring about improvements in the organization. A systems analyst helps system users and other business managers define their requirements for new or enhanced information services. As such, a systems analyst is an agent of change and innovation.
Why would an organization use the request for proposal (RFP) process?
One way to get all of the information you want about a software package is to collect it from the vendor. If all of the information is not available, you may have to submit a request for proposal (RFP) or a request for quote (RFQ) process your organization requires when major purchases are made.
List the six sources of software used by organizations.
Software sources can be categorized as information technology firms, packaged software providers, vendors of ERP software, cloud computing, open source, and the organization itself.
Define Project Scope Statement (PSS) and Baseline Project Plan (BPP)? Compare and contrast the two.
The Baseline Project Plan and the Project Scope Statement are the major outcomes and deliverables for the project initiation and planning phase. All information collected and analyzed during this phase is contained in the BPP. This plan reflects the best estimate of the project's scope, benefits, costs, risks, and resource requirements. It also specifies detailed project activities for the following phase and more general specifications for the remaining phases. The BPP can be used by the project selection committee to determine the project worth—accept, reject, or modify. The Project Scope Statement is a document 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. The PSS consists of a high-level summary of the BPP. While the actual role of the PSS can vary, the PSS can be used by the analyst and the customer to gain an understanding of the project.
List the five major phases of the SDLC and explain them briefly
The major SDLC phases include planning, analysis, design, implementation, and maintenance. Planning is the first phase of the SDLC in which an organization's total information system needs are identified, analyzed, prioritized, and arranged. Analysis is the second phase of the SDLC in which system requirements are studied and structured. During the third phase, the design phase, a description of the recommended solution is converted into logical and then physical system specifications. Implementation is the fourth phase of the SDLC in which the information system is coded, tested, installed, and supported in the organization. Maintenance is the fifth and final phase of the SDLC in which an information system is systematically repaired and improved.
Describe the criticism of traditional waterfall SDLC process.
There are several criticisms of the traditional life-cycle approach to systems development. One relates to the way the life cycle is organized. Note how the flow of the project begins in the planning phase and from there runs "downhill" to each subsequent phase, just like a stream that runs off a cliff. It became too tempting to ignore the need for feedback and to treat each phase as complete unto itself, never to be revisited once finished. Another criticism of the traditional waterfall SDLC is that the role of system users or customers was narrowly defined. User roles were often relegated to the requirements determination or analysis phases of the project, where it was assumed that all of the requirements could be specified in advance. Such an assumption, coupled with limited user involvement, reinforced the tendency of the waterfall model to lock in requirements too early, even after business conditions had changed.
Every successful organization has a mission.
True
Information systems analysis and design is a process to develop and maintain computer-based information systems.
True
