Comp-Sci 451R Midterm

A team is better off without conflict. TRUE FALSE

FALSE

All conflict should be resolved privately. TRUE FALSE

FALSE

In the context of a software project, the term "going dark" refers to the situation where a developer stops participating on a project. He or she stops going to meetings and stops writing code. TRUE FALSE

FALSE

It is possible to calculate the critical path for a project knowing only the tasks, their dependencies and their *effort* estimates. TRUE FALSE

FALSE

Philippe Kruchten's 4+1 view model of software architecture includes a view that expresses the desired look and feel of the proposed software system. TRUE FALSE

FALSE

Resource leveling is the practice of staffing with individuals at a similar skill level to make scheduling easier. (If individuals are at the same skill level they can be moved from one task to another without reestimating the time needed to complete the task.) TRUE FALSE

FALSE

The 3-tiered architecture style divides a system into three components: UI <--> Business Logic <--> Database. The Model-View-Controller architecture is a particular instance of the 3-tiered architecture style where View = UI, Controller = Business Logic and Model = Database. TRUE FALSE

FALSE

The purpose of the thinking aloud technique used during usability testing is to get the user's opinion on the design. (Here I'm using the word opinion to mean: an estimation of the quality or worth of something.) TRUE FALSE

FALSE

There are no drawbacks to adding more explanatory text to a UI that might be misinterpreted. TRUE FALSE

FALSE

There can be only one critical path in the schedule. TRUE FALSE

FALSE

With a sophisticated enough protocol between client and server, a client server architecture becomes a 3-tiered architecture. TRUE FALSE

FALSE

User and customer are synonyms. They refer to the same person or role. True False

False

A milestone is a significant event during a project used to measure progress. A milestone is usually scheduled, but it doesn't have to be. TRUE FALSE

TRUE

Except under extraordinary circumstances, an iteration plan is fixed for the duration of the iteration. TRUE FALSE

TRUE

It is possible to calculate the critical path for a project knowing only the tasks, their dependencies and their duration estimates. TRUE FALSE

TRUE

One program may be structured using two or more architecture styles. In other words, a single program isn't confined to a single architecture style. TRUE FALSE

TRUE

Pipe components in the pipes and filter architecture style are one-way. Data is not allowed to flow both ways through a pipe component. TRUE FALSE

TRUE

Risk management is a technique or discipline for dealing with uncertainty. Without uncertainty there is no need for risk management. TRUE FALSE

TRUE

Risk management is the practice of identifying risks, analyzing them, taking actions to avoid the risks identified, mitigating the probability and/or impact of the risk becomming a problem, creating contingency plans for dealing with risks that become problems and monitoring the changing nature of risks as the project evolves. TRUE FALSE

TRUE

The release plan is likely to change over the course of the project. TRUE FALSE

TRUE

The slack time for all of the tasks on the critical path is zero. TRUE FALSE

TRUE

You need at least a rough schedule in order to do resource leveling. TRUE FALSE

TRUE

A desirable characteristic of a requirements document is that it be traceable. Requirements may have forward and backward traceability. Backward traceability (from the perspective of the requirement) means that it is possible to trace a specific requirement back to its source (where it originated from). Forward traceability means it's possible to trace a requirement to a design element, code and/or test case. True False

True

The Software Requirements Specification (SRS) shouldn't specify design but it is OK for the SRS to restrict or limit certain design options. True False

True

The actor of a use case may be a user or external software system. True False

True

The system being modeled in one UML use case diagram may play the role of actor in another use case diagram? In other words, it's perfectly reasonable for the software system at the center of one use case diagram to be an actor in another use case diagram. True False

True

Can the organizational structure of a company effect the architecture of the software it produces? Yes No

Yes

Techniques for dealing with risk include risk avoidance, risk reduction or mitigation,risk transfer or sharing and risk retention or acceptance. Which of the following is an example of risk reduction? a) A team creates a UI prototype in order to avoid the risk of delivering a system with an unacceptable UI. b) Despite the high probability of not finishing on time, the team decided the pursue the project anyway because of the huge financial payoff if they were to finish on time. c) A business owner wants to use Linux but is concerned about potential intellectual property lawsuits from companies claiming ownership of technologies on which Linux is based. Because of this, the business owner decides to use company A's brand of Unix because company A is willing to offer indemnification for its Unix users. d) A consulting company decides not to write medical device apps for fear of litigation.

a) A team creates a UI prototype in order to avoid the risk of delivering a system with an unacceptable UI.

Which of the following statements are true? Check all that apply. Only one may apply. a) A use case can have multiple scenarios and multiple actors. b) A use case with multiple scenarios must have multiple actors. c) Each scenario of a use case will have a different actor. d) A use case with multiple actors must have multiple scenarios. e) A use case can have at most one actor.

a) A use case can have multiple scenarios and multiple actors.

Exploratory projects with high uncertainty are best suited to what type of planning? a) Adaptive b) Predictive c) Bottom-up d) Top-down

a) Adaptive

When should usability testing be performed? Assume your purpose for doing usability testing is to improve the usability of the software under development. a) During the UI design phase b) After system test c) After all features are implemented but before system test d) During the requirements gathering phase

a) During the UI design phase

Which of the following is NOT a factor for determining usability? a) Maintainability b) Low error rate c) Familiarity d) Efficiency e) Extent to which user feels in control f) Predictability g) Simplicity

a) Maintainability

Does the mental model used to understand a system and to make predictions about how the system will work have to be 100% accurate for it to be useful in most situations? a) No b) Yes

a) No

Is there a single direct measure for quantifying the absolute usability of a UI? a) No b) Yes

a) No

Is the following an acceptable ground rule for a team? "No critical/harsh behavior towards other members." a) No. It's too vague. What is considered harsh will vary among team members. You haven't really set any ground rules. b) Yes. Althought it's hard to define "harsh" behavior, most everyone will be able to recognize it when they see it.

a) No. It's too vague. What is considered harsh will vary among team members. You haven't really set any ground rules.

Problems first start to appear during what stage of team development? a) Storming b) Performing c) Norming d) Forming

a) Storming

What, if anything, is wrong with using a statement like the following in a requirements document in order to document a usability requirement: "The user interface should be easy to use"? a) The statement isn't testable. Statements in the requirements document should be measurable and testable. b) The requirements document shouldn't specify user interface design requirements. c) Nothing is wrong with the statement. It expresses a constraint on design and implementation options. d) Nothing is wrong with the statement. It expresses a non-functional requirement--usability.

a) The statement isn't testable. Statements in the requirements document should be measurable and testable.

Which of the following best describes the purpose of the project charter? a) To define the expected project outcome b) To define the path to the expected project outcome c) To define the software product requirements d) To define project staffing

a) To define the expected project outcome

In which of the following life cycle models are you more likely to find predictive planning? a) Waterfall b) Spiral c) Evolutionary Prototyping d) Code and fix

a) Waterfall

Can a software product have high usability despite the fact that it is difficult for some users to use? a) Yes, as long as the users that can't understand it are not part of the target market. b) No. An important metric of usability is number of users attracted to the product.

a) Yes, as long as the users that can't understand it are not part of the target market.

Is it acceptable for the development team or requirements analyst to suggest modifying the requirements to reuse existing components. a) Yes, small differences in functionality may be worth the reduced cost of reusing existing components. b) No, the development team or requirements analyst shouldn't influence requirements

a) Yes, small differences in functionality may be worth the reduced cost of reusing existing components.

Following an Agile methodology makes it ___________ for a team member to go dark. a) harder b) easier c) neither harder or easier

a) harder

Which of the following techniques for evaluating a UI design requires real users or test subjects that fit the profile of real users? a) usability testing b) heuristic evaluation c) both of the above

a) usability testing

Techniques for dealing with risk include risk avoidance, risk reduction or mitigation,risk transfer or sharing and risk retention or acceptance. Which of the following is an example of risk transfer? a) Despite the high probability of not finishing on time, the team decided the pursue the project anyway because of the huge financial payoff if they were to finish on time. b) A business owner wants to use Linux but is concerned about potential intellectual property lawsuits from companies claiming ownership of technologies on which Linux is based. Because of this, the business owner decides to use company A's brand of Unix because company A is willing to offer indemnification for its Unix users. c) A team creates a UI prototype in order to avoid the risk of delivering a system with an unacceptable UI. d) A consulting company decides not to write medical device apps for fear of litigation.

b) A business owner wants to use Linux but is concerned about potential intellectual property lawsuits from companies claiming ownership of technologies on which Linux is based. Because of this, the business owner decides to use company A's brand of Unix because company A is willing to offer indemnification for its Unix users.

Techniques for dealing with risk include risk avoidance, risk reduction or mitigation,risk transfer or sharing and risk retention or acceptance. Which of the following is an example of risk avoidance? a) A team creates a UI prototype in order to avoid the risk of delivering a system with an unacceptable UI. b) A consulting company decides not to write medical device apps for fear of litigation. c) A business owner wants to use Linux but is concerned about potential intellectual property lawsuits from companies claiming ownership of technologies on which Linux is based. Because of this, the business owner decides to use company A's brand of Unix because company A is willing to offer indemnification for its Unix users. d) Despite the high probability of not finishing on time, the team decided the pursue the project anyway because of the huge financial payoff if they were to finish on time.

b) A consulting company decides not to write medical device apps for fear of litigation.

Which of the following best illustrates the practice of resource leveling: a) A family on vacation monitors their spending closely so as not to run out of money before the scheduled end of the trip. b) A family planning a vacation makes an initial schedule of activities. Upon review they decide to move around a few of the planned activities in the schedule in order to better balance the number and duration of activities planned for each day. c) A family going on vacation decide at the start to give each family member an equal amount of spending money. d) A family planning a vacation set goals and objectives for their vacation at the start and then allocate their time and money according to the priorities of their established goals and objectives.

b) A family planning a vacation makes an initial schedule of activities. Upon review they decide to move around a few of the planned activities in the schedule in order to better balance the number and duration of activities planned for each day.

A throw away prototype can be used to: a) Resolve technical risks b) All of the above c) Explore design alternatives d) Better understand requirements

b) All of the above

Larry and Mindy are assigned separate but equally difficult tasks (for example, both are asked to write a module that turns out to be 100 lines of code). Mindy completes her task by working 6 hours over 2 days. Larry completes his task by working 8 hours over 2 days. What can you say about this situation? a) Both tasks took the same effort. b) Both tasks took the same duration c) Larry and Mindy are equally productive d) 2 and 3 e) 1 and 2

b) Both tasks took the same duration

Which type of problem solving should you attempt first? a) Compromise problem solving b) Collaboration problem solving

b) Collaboration problem solving

Techniques for dealing with risk include risk avoidance, risk reduction or mitigation, risk transfer or sharing and risk retention or acceptance. Which of the following is an example of risk retention? a) A consulting company decides not to write medical device apps for fear of litigation. b) Despite the high probability of not finishing on time, the team decided the pursue the project anyway because of the huge financial payoff if they were to finish on time. c) A team creates a UI prototype in order to avoid the risk of delivering a system with an unacceptable UI. d) A business owner wants to use Linux but is concerned about potential intellectual property lawsuits from companies claiming ownership of technologies on which Linux is based. Because of this, the business owner decides to use company A's brand of Unix because company A is willing to offer indemnification for its Unix users.

b) Despite the high probability of not finishing on time, the team decided the pursue the project anyway because of the huge financial payoff if they were to finish on time.

Is the Ringelmann Effect more or less of an issue as team size increases. a) Less b) More c) Same

b) More

Consider a risk management plan with two risks: Risk A has a 50% chance of becoming a problem and the consequences would be moderate. Risk B has a 30% chance of becoming a problem and the consequences would also be moderate. You spend proportionally more time and money mitigating the impact of risk A verses risk B but it turns out that risk B is the one that actually becomes a problem. Did you do anything wrong? If on a future project the exact same two risks reappear with the same probabilities of becoming a problem and the same expected loss, should you do anything different? a) Yes, doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is the definition of insanity. b) No, you did nothing wrong. Probabilities are probabilities not certainties. There is no indication that the original estimates were wrong.

b) No, you did nothing wrong. Probabilities are probabilities not certainties. There is no indication that the original estimates were wrong.

A project with well-understood and stable requirements is best suited to what type of planning? a) Adaptive b) Predictive c) Bottom-up d) Top-down

b) Predictive

Select one of the following explanations for why the iPad and other iOS devices are considered easy to use. a) The iPad and other iOS devices are easy to use because they are intuitive--they leverage human instinct. b) There is very little with the iPad and other iOS devices that is instinctive. They are easy to use because they have touch screens and provide good feedback which makes them easy to learn. Once learned, they become familiar.

b) There is very little with the iPad and other iOS devices that is instinctive. They are easy to use because they have touch screens and provide good feedback which makes them easy to learn. Once learned, they become familiar.

In general, the contents of a release plan comes from ______ analysis of the work and the contents of an iteration plan comes from ________ analysis of the work. a) Top-down, Top-down b) Top-down, Bottom-up c) Bottom-up, Top-down d) Bottom-up, Bottom-up

b) Top-down, Bottom-up

Which type of prototype are you more likely to create if your goal is to test the technology stack used for your product? a) Horizontal prototype b) Vertical prototype c) Stable prototype d) Paper prototype

b) Vertical prototype

Can dialog boxes be considered ineffective when they have too much information? a) No b) Yes

b) Yes

With a homogeneous group, a) group think is likely to decrease and conflict is likely to increase b) group think is likely to increase and conflict is likely to decrease c) group think is likely to increase and conflict is likely to increase d) group think is likely to decrease and conflict is likely to decrease

b) group think is likely to increase and conflict is likely to decrease

Which of the following is likely to have the greatest influence on the selection of an architecture? a) time available b) non-functional requirements c) cost d) functional requirements

b) non-functional requirements

Why is it necessary to identify the dependencies between project tasks? a) To calculate the critical path through the schedule b) To create schedules. Task dependencies limit the times when tasks can be scheduled. c) Both of the above.

c) Both of the above.

Consider the risk of personal injury or material loss when traveling by car. Which of the following best illustrates a contingency plan for this risk. a) Purchase a car with antilock brakes b) Wear a motorcycle helmet when you drive c) Find a good hospital and auto body repair shop d) Walk or ride a bike instead

c) Find a good hospital and auto body repair shop

The ISO/OSI networking model best resembles which architecture style? a) N-tiered b) Pipes and filters c) Layered d) Data abstraction and object-oriented e) Client-Server

c) Layered

What are the two components of risk exposure? a) Known risks and unknown risks b) Identification of risks and management of risks c) Probability of a risk turning into a problem and the potential impact or loss associated with the problem d) Risk mitigation and contingency planning

c) Probability of a risk turning into a problem and the potential impact or loss associated with the problem

Assuming a team goes through all four stages of team development, which stage has the lowest productivity or performance? a) Norming b) Forming c) Storming d) Performing

c) Storming

Which of the following statements is a constraint of the type you would expect to find in a software requirements specification? a) The system must keep a record of every transaction that changes the database b) The project must be completed by 2/12/20xx c) The database must be open source d) The user interface must be intuitive and easy to use. It must pass the usability test outlined in the next section.

c) The database must be open source

Which of the following statements about Philippe Kruchten's 4+1 View Model of Software Architecture is true? a) The model explains how to create one diagram that describes a software architecture from 5 different perspectives. b) The model provides 5 different views at progressive levels of abstraction. c) The model offers 5 different views that capture different architectural perspectives on any software system. d) The model provides 5 different diagram types, one for each specific type of architecture style.

c) The model offers 5 different views that capture different architectural perspectives on any software system.

Assume the following statement comes from a software requirements specification: "The system shall be easy to learn. 90% of the users as defined in section x.y shall be able to complete use cases 1-3 within 10 minutes without consulting the written documentation." This statement is best characterized as what? a) a constraint b) a functional requirement c) a non-functional requirement d) an assumption

c) a non-functional requirement

The four constraints of a project are: time, cost, scope and quality. What are the cooresponding elements of a project plan used to plan and manage these 4 constraints? a) vision, goals, objectives, tasks b) schedule, budget, vision statement, configuration management plan c) schedule, budget, product backlog and change control procedures, quality plan d) Gantt chart, staffing plan, work breakdown structure, quality plan

c) schedule, budget, product backlog and change control procedures, quality plan

Which type of requirement is more likely to be discrete, that is, completely present or completely absent? a) Functional Requirement b) Non-Functional Requirement c) Constraint d) Both a) and c)

d) Both a) and c)

There are two companies that provide satellite launch services. Company A has had 12 catastrophic failures in the last 100 launches and company B has had only 10 catastrophic failures in the last 100 launches. One advantage with company A is that it can carry larger less expensive satellites. If the cost of a satellite to be carried by company A is $200 million and the cost of a satellite for company B is $250 million, which launch carries the least risk? a) Company B because the risk exposure with company B is smaller than it is with company A b) Company A because the risk exposure with company A is larger than it is with company B c) Company B because the risk exposure with company B is larger than it is with company A d) Company A because the risk exposure with company A is smaller than it is with company B

d) Company A because the risk exposure with company A is smaller than it is with company B

Which of the following are you least likely to find in a project charter? a) Goals and objectives b) Rough schedule and budget estimates c) Project success criteria d) Detailed requirements e) Constraints and assumptions f) Major risks and obstacles to success

d) Detailed requirements

What are the 4 main views in Philippe Kruchten's 4+1 views of software architecture? a) Logical, Process, Deployment, Design b) Logical, Physical, Design, Data Flow c) Logical, Process, Physical, Component d) Logical, Process, Physical, Development

d) Logical, Process, Physical, Development

The publish/subscribe architecture style is most similar to which design pattern? a) Template Method b) Command c) Strategy d) Observer

d) Observer

Which scales better, the Client/Server or Peer-to-Peer architecture style? Here scale means adding more clients. a) They both scale about equally b) Client/Server scales better c) They both are a fixed architecture. They don't scale. d) Peer-to-Peer scales better

d) Peer-to-Peer scales better

The Android operating system has components called broadcast recievers. A broadcast receiver doesn't have a user interface. A broadcast receiver is a unit of code that respond to specific system-wide events. For example, you might write a broadcast receiver that executes every time the device is connected to a power source. When the Android operating system detects that the phone has been connected to a power source, it will issue an event (ACTION_BATTERY_CHANGED) and your code will wake up and execute. What architecture style do broadcast recievers follow? a) Layered b) Client / Server c) Pipes and Filter d) Publish / Subscribe e) N-Tiered f) None of the above

d) Publish / Subscribe

Is it possible to trust and respect someone you aren't friends with? Is it possible to trust and respect someone you don't like? a) No, No b) No, Yes c) Yes, No d) Yes, Yes

d) Yes, Yes

You can plan and schedule work at different levels of detail. What are the advantages of planning detailed tasks rather than broad objectives? a) More control over the project (more tasks means more opportunities for feedback and course corrections that can be made sooner) b) Better estimates of overall effort c) More likely to meet deadlines because schedule slips are identified sooner d) all of the above e) 2 out of the first three above

d) all of the above

If I assigned a team grade based on the collective work of the team and did away with individual point allocations (everyone gets the same grade), would social loafing likely go up, down or stay the same. a) go down b) not enough information to answer the question c) stay the same d) go up

d) go up

Consider the following statement in a requirements document: (1) The system shall be secure. (2) Users should be authenticated with a user ID and password. After three consecutive invalid password attempts, the user account should be locked for 5 minutes. What is (1)? What is (2)? a) functional requirement, functional requirement b) functional requirement, non-functional requirement c) non-functional requirement, non-functional requirement d) non-functional requirement, functional requirement

d) non-functional requirement, functional requirement

Four analysts attend a design review meeting lasting 2 hours. One analyst didn't make any meaningful contributes during the review. What was the duration of the meeting? How much effort was expended during the meeting? (Assume the standard definition of the term effort used when planning a project.) a) 8 hours; 6 hours b) 2 hours; 6 hours c) 2 hours; 2 hours d) 8 hours; 8 hours e) 2 hours; 8 hours f) 6 hours; 2 hours

e) 2 hours; 8 hours

What are the main sources of the Ringelmann effect? Check all that apply. a) loss of productivity due to increased socialization among group members b) loss of productivity due to inability to coordinate the work of multiple individuals c) loss of motivation when team members feel the task is impossible d) loss of motivation when team members feel their contributions aren't indentifiable e) Both b) and d)

e) Both b) and d)

Which of the following is not normally found in a requirements document? Check all that apply. Only one may apply. a) Schedule b) Written use cases and/or a use case model c) Non-Functional Requirements d) Mandated Constraints e) Budget f) Communication Plan g) a), e) and f)

g) a), e) and f)