Chapter 9

operational feasibility

measures how well a solution meets the identified system requirements to solve the problems and take advantage of opportunities

online training

runs over the internet or on a cd or dvd

test conditions

detail the steps the system must perform along with the expected result of each step

intangible benefits

difficult to quantify or measure -improved decision making -improved community service -improved goodwill -improved moral

graphical user interface (GUI)

the interface to an information system

software engineering

a disciplined approach for constructing information systems through the use of common methods, techniques, or tools

methodology

a set of policies, procedures, standards, processes, practices, tools, techniques, and tasks that people apply to technical and management challenges

data flow diagram (DFD)

illustrates the movement of information between external entities and the processes and data stores within the system

user documentation

highlights how to use the system and how to troubleshoot issues or problems

agile methodology

aims for customer satisfaction though early and continuous delivery of useful software components developed by an iterative process using the bare minimum requirements

iterative development

consists of a series of tiny projects

object oriented languages

group data and corresponding processes into objects

workshop training

held in a classroom environment and led be an instructor

system development life cycle (SDLC)

the overall process for developing information systems, from planning and analysis through implementation and maintenance

prototyping

a modern design approach by which the designers and system users use an iterative approach to building the system

project scope

describes the business need and the justification, requirements, and current boundaries for the project

scrum method

based on rugby, uses small teams to produce small pieces of software using a series of springs or 30-day intervals to achieve an appointed goal

bugs

defects in the code of an information system

responsibility matrix

defines all project roles and indicates what responsibilities are associated with each role

communication plan

defines the how, what, when, and who regarding the flow of project information to stakeholders and its key for managing expectations

project requirements document

defines the specifications for product/output of the project and is key for managing expectation, controlling scope, and completing other planning efforts

phase 3

design: establishes descriptions of the desired features and operations of the system, including screen layouts, business rules, process diagrams, pseudocode, and other documentation

phase 4

development: transforms all the detailed design documents from the design phase into the actual system

tangible benefits

easy to quantify and typically measured to determine the success of failure of a project -decreased expenses -decreased processing errors -decreased response time -increased quantity or sales -increased quality

project assumption

factors considered to be true, real, or certain without proof of demonstration

project plan

formal, approved document that manages and controls the entire project

program evaluation and review technique chart (PERT)

graphical network model that depicts a project's tasks and the relationships between them

phase 6

implementation: the organization places the system into production so users can being to perform actual business operations with it

project stakeholder

individuals and organizations actively involved in the project or whose interests might be affected as a result of project execution or project completion

process modeling

involves graphically representing the processes that capture, manipulate, store, and distribute information between a system and its environment

phase 7

maintenance: the organization performs changes, corrections, additions, and upgrades to ensure that the system continues to meet business goals

preventive maintenance

makes system changes to reduce the chance of future system failure

legal feasibility

measures how well a solution can be implemented within an existing legal and contractual obligations

political feasibility

measures how well the solution will be accepted in a given organization

economic feasibility

measures the cost effectiveness of a project

technical feasibility

measures the practicality of a technical solution and the availability of technical resources and expertise

S.M.A.R.T.

useful reminders on how to ensure that the project has created understandable and measurable objectives -Specific -Measurable -Agreed upon -Realistic -Time frame

6 different forms of system testing

1. alpha testing: assess if the entire system meets the design requirements of the users 2. development testing: test the system to ensure it is bug free 3. integration testing: verify that separate systems can work together, passing data back and forth correctly 4. system testing: verify that the units or pieces of code function correctly when integrated 5. user acceptance testing (UAT): determines if the system satisfies the user and business requirements 6. unit testing: test individual units or pieces of code for a system

5 primary reasons projects fail

1. unclear or missing business requirements (most common) 2. skipped SDLC phases (just dont do it) 3. changing technology (hardest to avoid) 4. the cost of finding errors (gets more expensive throughout the phases) 5. balance of the triple constraint (time, money, scope, if one changes so do the other two)

Which phase in the systems development life cycle contains the most risk? Explain your answer.

I think that the implementation phase contains the most risk. It is when you are actually putting your software to use, out in the real world and no matter how much testing and marketing you do you dont really know how people are going to react to it. All of the work done could be for nothing or it could be the best thing since sliced bread.

corrective maintenance

makes system changes to repair design flaws, coding errors, or implementation issues

schedule feasibility

measures the project time frame to ensure that it can be completed on time

status report

periodic reviews of actual performance vs. expected performance

phase 1

planning: establishes a high level plan of the intended project and determines project goals

help desk

a group of people who respond to users' questions

change agent

a person or even that is the catalyst for implementing major changes for a system to meet business changes

scripting language

a programming method that provides for interactive modules to a website

phase 5

testing: brings all the project pieces together into a special testing environment to eliminate errors and bugs and verify that the system meets all the business requirements defined in the analysis phase

Why would a project manager use Gantt and PERT charts?

-Gantt: a way to monitor the project by using a bar chart that lists project tasks vertically against the time frame horizontally. It works well for representing the project schedule and showing actual progress against the plan. -PERT: program evaluation and review technique chart that is a graphical network model that depicts a project's tasks and the relationships between them. They work well to show which steps are dependent on each other and therefore which ones must be finished first.

benefits of prototyping

-encourages user participation -evolve through iteration, which supports change -the physical quality allows user to see, touch, and experience the system as it is developed -detect errors earlier -accelerates the phases of the SDLC helping to ensure success

4 system implementation methods

1. parallel implementation: uses both the legacy system and new system until all users verify that the new system functions correctly 2. pilot implementation: assigns a small group of people to use the new system until it is verified to work correctly, then the remaining users migrate to the new system 3. phased implementation: installs the new system in phases until it is verified to work correctly 4. plunge implementation: discards the legacy system and immediately migrates all users to the new system-rare

If you had to skip a phase during the development of a system, which phase would it be and why?

All of the phases are important and depend upon each other. If I had to choose I would skip maintenance. Because it is the last phase it will cause the least amount of disruption. Also maintenance is just upgrading the final system and making small tweaks which if forced to, can be skipped.

Which phase in the systems development life cycle is the most important?

The planning phase is the most important because it is the first step. Without having a clear organized plan the rest of the phases will fail. A plan is the foundation for how the rest of the project will go.

extreme prototyping method (XP)

breaks a project into four phases and developers cannot continue to the next phase until the previous phase is complete

discovery prototyping

builds a small scale representation or working model of the system to ensure that it meets the user and business requirements

softare customization

modifies software to meet specific user or business requirements

rational unified process method (RUP)

owned by IBM, provides a framework for breaking down the development of software into four gates -gate one: inception (everyone understands the proposed system and what it will do) -gate two: elaboration (expands on gate one including an architecture to build it) -gate three: construction (building and developing the product) -gate four: transition (answering questions and training key personnel)

requirements definition document

prioritizes all of the business requirements by order of importance to the company

fourth generation languages (4GL)

programming languages that look similar to human languages

project objectives

quantifiable criteria that must be met for the project to be considered a success

project milestone

represents key dates when a certain group of activities must be performed

computer aided software engineering (CASE)

software suits that automate systems analysis, design, and development

project constraint

specific factors that can limit options, including budget, delivery dates, available skilled resources, and organizational policies

off-the-shelf application software

supports general business processes and does not require any specific software customization to meet the organization's needs

project management

the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements

feasability

the measure of the tangible and intangible benefits of an information system

executive sponsor

the person or group who provides the financial resources for the project

requirements management

the process of managing changes to the business requirements throughout the project

conversion

the process of transferring information from a legacy system to a new system

critical path

the sequence of activities that determine the earliest date by which the project can be completed

business requirements

the specific business requests the system must meet to be successful, so the analysis phase is critical because business requirements drive the entire systems development effort

sign off

the users' actual signatures indicating they approve all of the business requirements

control objects for information and related technology (COBIT)

a set of best practices that helps and organization maximize the benefits of an information system, at the same time establishing appropriate controls to ensure minimum errors

dependency

a logical relationship that exists between the project tasks, or between a project task and a milestone

waterfall methodology

a sequence of phases in which the output of each phase becomes the input for the next

gantt chart

a simple bar chart that lists project tasks vertically against the project's time frame horizontally

brainstorming

a technique for generating ideas by encouraging participants to offer as many ideas as possible in a short period without any analysis until all the ideas have been exhausted

project

a temporary activity a company undertakes to create a unique product, service, or result

kill switch

a trigger that enables a project manager to close the project before completion

rapid application development method (RAD)

a.k.a. rapid prototyping, emphasizes extensive user involvement in the rapid and evolutionary construction of working prototypes of a system, to accelerate the systems development process

project manager

an individual who is an expert in project planning and management, defines and develops the project plan, and tracks the plan to ensure that the project is completed on time and on budget

project management office (PMO)

an internal department that oversees all organizational projects. this group must formalize and professionalize project management expertise and leadership. educate the organization on techniques and procedures necessary to run successful projects

legacy system

an old system that is fast approaching or beyond the end of its useful life within an organization

phase 2

analysis: the firm analyzes its end-user business requirements and refines project goals into defined functions and operations of the intended system

project deliverable

any measurable, tangible, verifiable outcome, result, or item that is produced to complete a project or part of a project