chp3 4521

16. The standard approach to select who should complete a questionnaire during information gathering is to sample only those departments that do not have direct contact with the As-Is system.

Ans: False Response: See page 136

27. Root cause analysis attempts to find solutions for the business problems.

Ans: False Response: See pages 118-120

34. BPI typically has the greatest breadth of analysis, since it focuses on the entire business function and beyond.

Ans: False Response: See pages 120-121

19. The examination of existing paperwork in order to better understand the As-Is system is an example of what information-gathering strategy? a. document analysis b. interviewing c. joint application design (JAD) sessions d. observation e. questionnaires

Ans: a Response: See page 138

17. A JAD facilitator is _____. a. the person who sets the meeting agenda and guides the discussion b. the person who records the discussion c. participates in the discussion d. is also a power user e. none of the above

Ans: a Response: See pages 132-

8. The most comprehensive and complete deliverable of the analysis phase is _____. a. project work plan b. system proposal c. behavioral models for the to-be system d. functional models for the to-be system e. structural models for the to-be system

Ans: b Response: See page 144

21. The ________ brings together into a single comprehensive document the material created during planning and analysis a. project charter b. system proposal c. system request d. requirements document e. vision document

Ans: b Response: See page 144-145

26. When you begin an interview, the first goal is to establish control and let the interviewee know that you have a mastery of the subject.

Ans: False Response: See pages 129

14. Sarah would like to give the interviewee more control over the interview and to gather rich information. She should ask _____ questions. a. closed-ended b. inappropriate c. open-ended d. opinion e. probing

Ans: c Response: See page 127

11. _________ are two popular BPR activities. a. activity based costing and activity elimination b. duration analysis and formal benchmarking c. outcome analysis and problem analysis d. problem analysis and root cause analysis e. activity elimination and outcome analysis

Ans: e Response: See page 121-122

4. Which of the following analysis strategies is best? a. BPA b. BPI c. BPR d. BPU e. it depends on the situation

Ans: e Response: See page 122-124

18. The information gathering technique that enables the analyst to collect facts and opinions from a wide range of geographically dispersed people quickly and with the least expense is the _____. a. document analysis b. interview c. JAD session d. observation e. questionnaire

Ans: e Response: See page 136

16. A JAD session can reduce scope creep by _____. a. 10% b. 20% c. 40% d. 50% e. 75%

Ans: d Response: See pages 132-

6. The goal of this analysis strategy is to change the fundamental way the organization operates and to make major changes by taking advantage of new ideas, methods and technology. a. business process automation b. business process benchmarking c. business process improvement d. business process reengineering e. business process systemization

Ans: d Response: See page 121

13. During an interview, the following question is asked; "How many times during a typical week does a customer complain about inadequate service following a sale?" This question is an example of a (n) _____ question. a. Opinion-generating b. Eye-opening c. open-ended d. closed-ended e. probing

Ans: d Response: See page 127

22. The functional model component of the system proposal includes _______. a. a activity diagram b. a set of use case descriptions c. a use case diagram d. all of the above e. none of the above

Ans: d Response: See page 14

20. What information-gathering strategy enables the analyst to see the reality of the situation rather than listen to others describe it? a. document analysis b. interviewing c. joint application design (JAD) sessions d. observation e. questionnaires

Ans: d Response: See pages 138-139

1. _______ is an example of functional requirements. a. The system should work with any web browser b. The system should load any web page within 3 seconds c. Customers should be able to see their orders after authentication d. The system should comply with the company's policy of buying all PCs and servers from Dell e. The system should be able to search all available inventory in order to determine whether a product can be made by a given date

Ans: e Response: See pages 111-

31. A systems analyst is participating in an exchange of services with another organization. First, the analyst visits the partner organization, studies and evaluates their systems, and recommends changes and improvements. Then, a team of analysts from the partner organization visits the analyst's organization and performs the same service. This process is an example of benchmarking.

Ans: True Response: See page 121

6. The users of the product-sales system would like to dramatically increase the use and value of the new order-entry system by designing a front end for the Internet and letting customer purchase goods without the aid of a customer service rep. The projected costs would be high and the risk would be great. This is an example of BPR.

Ans: True Response: See page 121-122

32. Amanda had the managers at her company develop a list of important and interesting technologies and how each technology could be applied to current business process. Amanda is identifying improvement opportunities through technology analysis.

Ans: True Response: See page 122

10. Describe the appearance of a Joint Application Design (JAD) meeting room. Why is the room designed in this manner?

Ans: A JAD meeting room is located away from the participants' usual offices, to avoid interruptions. The desks or tables in the meeting room are usually arranged in a U shape so that all participants can easily see each other. Name cards are used so that everyone can be called by name. At the opening of the U shaped desks or the front of the room there is a white board, flip chart, and/or overhead projector. The facilitator uses these visual tools to lead the discussion. Various computers are located in the room to assist with calculations, information retrieval, and presentation. A printer should be included to make hardcopy printouts of session outputs. Response: See pages 132-133

6. In Business Process Reengineering, the goal of the project is to accomplish radical redesign of the business process. Why is that not all system development projects strive to achieve the benefits of BPR?

Ans: Although the benefits of BPR can be dramatic, it is also the most sweeping, costly, and risky analysis strategy. BPR requires extensive organizational commitment, and not all firms are prepared to undergo the changes associated with BPR. In many cases, the goals of the project do not warrant BPR; the changes needed are more incremental and the less extensive strategies of BPA or BPI are appropriate. Response: See pages 121-122

17. What is the difference between e-JAD and traditional JAD sessions? What makes e-JAD sessions more effective than the traditional ones?

Ans: In a traditional JAD session, only one person can talk at a time. With 10-20 participants, that means that everyone has to be silent most of the time. With e-JAD, special software on networked computers allows everyone to send ideas and opinions to everyone else anonymously. That way, all participants contribute at the same time, and since the input is anonymous, there is no fear of reprisal from challenging others. The research cited in the book suggests that e-JAD can reduce the time required to run a JAD session by 50% to 80%. Response: See page 132

13. Describe the most common way that the analyst organizes the interview process in terms of structured versus unstructured, and also in terms of open-ended, closed-ended, and probing questions.

Ans: Although there is no hard and fast rule, it is usually best to begin the interviewing process with unstructured interviews that consist primarily of open-ended questions. At this point, the analyst will probably not know enough to ask very specific questions, and so should be seeking to gain a broad understanding of the situation. As more is learned, the analyst can use more probing questions to dig deeper. After the analyst has developed a good idea of the major issues, the interviews can become more structured, with more specific, closed-ended questions being effective in confirming facts and impressions. Response: See page 127-129

7. In the CD Selections case, the project leader was faced with a situation in which there was no existing system to study. When the system under development is a new system (as in the CD Selections case), what analysis strategy would you recommend?

Ans: BPA is not appropriate for this situation, since it focuses on making existing business processes more efficient. In a way, a new system being developed is a BPR project, only there are no 'old' processes to eliminate. The externally-oriented technique of informal benchmarking from the BPI strategy may be valuable to the team. This technique studies the business processes of other organizations, especially those processes that interact with the customers. Studying market leaders can be especially insightful. Several BPR techniques may be useful as well. Outcome Analysis can help the team identify customers' interests in the business processes, while Technology Analysis can help the team identify interesting ways to apply new and interesting technologies in the new system. Proxy benchmarking may also be useful to the team if there are different but similar industries that can be studied for comparison. The team also should study any existing internal systems with which the new system will interface. Response: See pages 142-144

8. Mike Hammer, the father of BPR, estimates that 70% of BPR projects fail. Given that failure rate, why should a firm bother even attempting a BPR effort?

Ans: Even though the risk of BPR is high, the potential for business value is very high since it seeks to radically improve the nature of the business. If a firm refuses to attempt BPR, it will never know if it could have changed the very way in which it does business, and it will have given up the potential savings due to increased efficiency and effectiveness. Response: See pages 124

41. The executive summary is an important component of the system proposal because it is used for convincing the busy executives of the merits of the project as birefly as possible.

Ans: False

2. The two general analysis techniques performed by the analyst for BPA during the analysis phase are problem analysis and revise and resubmit modeling.

Ans: False Response: See page 117

4. To identify improvements in BPR, the analyst should perform outcome analysis, activity analysis, and technology elimination.

Ans: False Response: See page 121

35. Activity elimination technique of BPR focuses on understanding the fundamental outcomes that provide value to customers.

Ans: False Response: See page 122

7. BPI requires the least cost because it has the narrowest focus and seeks to make the least changes.

Ans: False Response: See page 123

8. The three fundamentally different strategies for the analysis phase (business process automation, business process improvement, and business process reengineering) are stand-alone strategies and should not be combined in the analysis process.

Ans: False Response: See page 123

13. It is easier to ask an interviewee what is used to perform a task than it is to show the interviewee a form and ask what information on the form is used.

Ans: False Response: See page 127

14. "How can you reduce the number of errors in the name and address field on the data entry screen?" is an example of a high level question.

Ans: False Response: See page 128

37. A systems analyst has prepared an interview agenda that begins with a number of specific, detailed questions, and then asks the interviewee to make general statements about the policies and procedure of the business process. The analyst is following a top-down interview structure.

Ans: False Response: See page 128-129

30. An analyst for an insurance company determined that the overall time required to process a property damage insurance claim is 21 business days. When the analyst decomposes the process into steps and aggregates the total time requirements for all steps, she discovers a total time of 12 hours. The analyst is employing the activity-based costing analysis technique.

Ans: False Response: See pages 121

33. An analysis team consisting of users, managers, and analysts, are in the midst of a daylong meeting. They are working on systematically evaluating the consequences of removing every activity from the current business process. The team is performing activity-based costing.

Ans: False Response: See pages 121

5. The systems analyst has recommended that the existing order entry system be totally re-engineered. The risk to this BPR activity is low to moderate.

Ans: False Response: See pages 123

9. Business process automation (BPA) usually provides only minor to moderate improvements to the business but is the most costly and most risky of the three strategies.

Ans: False Response: See pages 123-124

24. Because it is important not to disrupt the normal business function, joint application design (JAD) sessions should be held at a location easily accessible to the participants' office staffs, and attendees should be those most easily released from regular duties and least likely to be missed.

Ans: False Response: See pages 132-136

23. Questions on questionnaires should be open-ended to allow the respondent the freedom to express his/her opinion since the analyst will not be able to follow up with additional questions as could be done in a one-on-one interview.

Ans: False Response: See pages 136-137

15. Explain why JAD is not just a fancy name for a group interview.

Ans: JAD is far more than just an interview of a group of people at one time. JAD sessions follow a definite structure and use distinctive techniques to lead the group to the desired outcomes. JAD sessions have unique roles and participants, including the use of a skilled facilitator to lead and guide the group and scribes to record the information generated by the group. A group interview is likely to be unstructured and very unproductive. JAD sessions are proven to be very productive and useful when conducted properly. Response: See pages 132-136

5. In Business Process Improvement, the team's goal is to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the business processes. What is learned by employing the internally focused analysis techniques of Duration Analysis and Activity-Based Costing? What is learned through the externally focused informal benchmarking technique?

Ans: The goal of BPI is to make moderate changes to the existing business process. It is critical that the team identify those processes that truly need to be modified. Duration Analysis and Activity-Based Costing are techniques that are aimed at identifying processes that involve excessive time or excessive cost, respectively. The benchmarking techniques use external references to suggest business processes that need revision. Informal benchmarking studies customer-oriented business processes of other businesses, while formal benchmarking involves exchanging benchmarking teams with other 'partner' organizations who will be seeking to identify areas of improvement. Response: See pages 120-121

3. What are the methods used to identify improvement opportunities during business process improvement? How do the methods used for each analysis strategy affect the outcome of the "identify improvement" process?

Ans: The methods used to identify improvements during business process improvement are duration analysis, activity-based costing, and informal benchmarking. Duration analysis requires a detailed examination of the amount of time it takes to process inputs in the as-is system. First the process time is determined for the entire system. Then the time is determined for each sub-process in the system. The times for the basic sub-processes are then totaled and compared to the total time for the overall system process. When there are significant differences between the two, analysts, users and managers look for solutions such as parallelization and process integration. Activity-based costing is similar to duration analysis except it examines the cost of each major process or step in a business process instead of the time. The analyst identifies the costs associated with each basic function and focuses attention on improving the most expensive activities. During informal benchmarking the business processes of other organizations are studied to identify new and better ideas. The implementation of these new ideas may bring value to the organization. The outcome of duration analysis is normally a change in the as-is business process. The outcome of activity-based costing is normally a reduction in direct costs, but may also affect indirect costs. Informal benchmarking commonly affects customer-facing business processes such as web site appearances and customer satisfaction issues. Response: See pages 120-121

4. What are the methods used to identify improvement opportunities during business process reengineering? How do the methods used for each analysis strategy affect the outcome of the "identify improvement" process?

Ans: The methods used to identify improvements during business process reengineering are outcome analysis, technology analysis, and activity elimination. Outcome analysis focuses on understanding the fundamental outcomes that provide value to customers. The analysis should encourage the managers and project sponsor to pretend they are customers and think through what products (and services) the organization should provide. During technology analysis managers and analysts develop a list of important and interesting technologies. Then the group systematically identifies how each technology could be applied to the business process and identifies how the business would benefit. Activity elimination is a process whereby analysts and managers work together to identify how the organization could eliminate each activity in the business process, how the unit would function without it, and what effects are likely to occur. Often managers must be forced to participate in this type of activity. The outcomes from outcome analysis, technology analysis, and activity elimination are forms of rethinking of the business processes. The results change not only the process affected, but also the day-to-day input from the managers and analysts involved. Idea generation and thinking "out of the box" are not common business actions and managers and analysts must be encouraged to participate in these activities. Response: See pages 121-122

2. What are the methods used to identify improvement opportunities during business process automation? How do the methods used for each analysis strategy affect the outcome of the "identify improvement" process?

Ans: The methods used to identify the improvement opportunities for BPA are problem analysis and root cause analysis. Problem analysis is straightforward and may be the most common technique used. It involves asking users and managers to identify existing problems with the as-is system and how to solve them in the new to-be system. Ideas produced during problem analysis tend to be solutions. Root cause analysis focuses more on the problems instead of the solutions. During root cause analysis the users generate a list of problems with the as-is system. Then the users and the analysts generate all the possible root causes for the problems, starting with the easiest. Each root cause is investigated until the true root cause is identified. The outcome of problem analysis often is effective at improving the user's efficiency or the ease of use of the to-be system. However it often provides only minor improvements in business value. The outcome of root cause analysis reveals that the easy solution may not be actually addressing the true root cause. The obvious solution should be challenged. Response: See pages 117- 120

16. What is the primary goal of observation? What are three ways to make observation more effective? How reliable are the results of observation?

Ans: The primary goal of observation is to enable the analyst to experience the reality of the As-Is system. The information gained this way can be much better at conveying the actual situation than verbal descriptions. To improve the effectiveness of observation, the analyst should be as unobtrusive as possible. S/he should not interfere with or disrupt the workers being observed. The analyst should also try to observe periods of normal work as well as periods of unusual activity, to get a sense of what the typical experience is and also the special cases that need to be anticipated. The results of observation need to interpreted carefully, because the normal human response to being observed is to do things 'by the book,' rather than using the informal procedures that may have evolved. The analyst needs to remember this and not take everything that is observed as actual fact. The best use of observation is to confirm or verify information gained through other techniques. Response: See pages 138-139

1. What are the three fundamental analysis strategies? Compare and contrast the outcomes of each strategy.

Ans: The three fundamental analysis strategies are business process automation, business process improvement and business process reengineering. Business process automation leaves the basic way in which the organization operates unchanged, but uses computer technology to do some of the work. The outcome can make the organization more efficient but has the least impact on the business. Business process improvement makes moderate changes to the way in which the organization operates to take advantage of new opportunities offered by technology or to copy what competitors are doing. The outcome is an improvement in efficiency and effectiveness. Business process reengineering changes the fundamental way in which the organization operates by making major changes to take advantage of new ideas and technology. It requires a complete redesign of the business before the new information system can be designed. Though risky, BPR may significantly improve contemporary measures of performance, such as cost, quality, service, and speed. Response: See pages 117-123

9. What are the three types of interview questions? Define and identify why an analyst would use each type of question. Include an example of each question type.

Ans: The three types of interview questions are closed-ended, open-ended, and probing. Closed-ended questions are questions that require a specific answer. Analysts use closed-ended question when they are looking for specific, precise information. An example of a closed-ended question is "How many telephone orders are received per day?" Open-ended questions are questions that leave room for the interviewee to elaborate. Analysts use open-ended questions to gather rich information and to give the interviewee more control over the information that is revealed during the interview. An example of an open-ended question is "What do you think about the current system?" Probing questions follow up on what has just been discussed in order for the analyst to learn more and are often used when the interviewer is unclear about what the interviewee's answer. Probing questions encourage the interviewee to expand or confirm information from a previous response and they are a signal that the interviewer is listening and is interested in the topic. An example of a probing question is "Why?" Response: See pages 127-129

12. What two techniques are best suited for gathering information during all three stages of the information-gathering process (As-Is, improvements, and To-Be)? Discuss the user involvement and cost, as well as the depth, breadth, and integration of information for each.

Ans: The two information-gathering techniques best suited for gathering information during all three stages of the process are interviews and JAD. Both permit the analyst to gather As-Is, improvements, and To-Be information. Both interviews and JAD assist the analyst in gathering rich and detailed information from the users and help the analyst to understand the reasons behind them. Interviews provide little breadth or integration because they require the analyst to travel to visit each information source and they are performed individually. JAD provides more breadth (medium) and a high amount of integration since participants attend and participate within group sessions. Conflicts or differences of opinion are normally worked out during the session and solutions are often found. JAD produces a high amount of user involvement. Often JAD participants are assigned to attend and participate in sessions by a supervisor, requiring the greatest effort. Interviews are more individual, but do require some effort (medium). The cost for both interviews and JAD are considered medium when compared to other information gathering techniques. Response: See page 142

14. During an interview, the analyst has been asking about the process used to identify and correct the number of poor-quality products produced on a manufacturing line. The analyst commented, "This process seems way too slow and complicated. I don't know how you people can function if this is the way things are done." Is this an appropriate comment for the interviewer to make? Why or why not?

Ans: This is not an appropriate statement. There are two serious problems with this statement. First, it is an opinion statement. Analysts should be objective collectors of information. They are not there to provide commentary. Second, the remark is derogatory in nature. What if the person he is interviewing is the one who designed that process? The interviewee will be offended and may withdraw his/her support for the project. This attitude may spread to other users and may diminish the chance of a successful project outcome. The analyst needs to stay neutral whenever interacting with the project sponsors, users, and managers. Response: See page 129-130

11. Document analysis and observation are two requirement gathering techniques. Briefly describe each and compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages.

Ans: To understand the As-Is system, project teams often use document analysis. Hopefully, the project team that designed the As-Is system produced adequate data and process models, and all of the paper documents (forms, reports, policy manuals, etc.) necessary to provide an understanding of the system. A project team can learn much about the formal As-Is system from this type of analysis. Observation enables the analyst to see how the As-Is system actually operates, which may differ from the system outlined in the documentation. The analyst becomes an anthropologist as he or she observes the business functions, much the same way monkeys have been studied in Africa. The advantages of document analysis are (1) it provides a starting point for the analyst and (2) it indicates clearly that a new system is necessary if users have begun to create, make changes to, or leave blanks on documents, reports and forms. The disadvantage is that many systems are not well documented. The advantage of observation is that the analyst actually sees and can check the reality of the system, which may differ greatly from the documentation or the reports given during an interview. The disadvantages are that (1) observation is time intensive, (2) it disrupts workers, and (3) it may not be honest because people behave differently (more carefully) when observed. Response: See pages 140

1. The analysis phase of the SDLC ends when a system proposal for the new system is presented to the approval committee.

Ans: True Response: See page 111

29. Jessica has asked the users to generate a list of problems with the current system and to prioritize the problems in order of importance. Jessica then generated all the possible causes for the problems, starting with the most important. Jessica is identifying improvement opportunities through root cause analysis.

Ans: True Response: See page 118-120

3. To identify improvements in a BPI, the analyst should perform duration analysis, activity-based costing, and informal benchmarking.

Ans: True Response: See page 120

10. Benchmarking refers to studying how other organizations perform a business process so you can learn how your organization can do it better.

Ans: True Response: See page 121

39. Kristin, a systems analyst, needs to know detailed information about the accounts receivable process, but she is not concerned with accounts payable or general ledger, or the integration of this information. Her analysis will assist her in designing a To-Be system for the accounts receivable department. The appropriate requirements-gathering technique to be used would be interviewing.

Ans: True Response: See page 125

11. The interview schedule lists all the people who will be interviewed, when, and for what purpose.

Ans: True Response: See page 125-126

12. Open-ended questions gather rich information because they are questions that permit the interviewee to elaborate on answer.

Ans: True Response: See page 127

38. An interview style that seeks a broad and roughly defined set of information is commonly called the unstructured interview style.

Ans: True Response: See page 128

15. Following an interview the analyst should always prepare an interview report that describes the information gathered from the interview.

Ans: True Response: See page 131

40. A fundamental disadvantage of the JAD sessions is that they are subject to be dominated by a few. e-JAD attempts to eliminate this disadvantage.

Ans: True Response: See page 132

21. Questionnaires are often used when there is only a small number of people from which information and opinions are needed, because it is difficult to get a large number of participants to return questionnaires on a timely basis.

Ans: True Response: See page 136

17. To better understand the As-Is system the project team members can perform document analysis on existing forms, reports, and business process models.

Ans: True Response: See page 138

20. Document analysis and observation are commonly used for understanding the As-Is system because they are useful for obtaining facts.

Ans: True Response: See page 138

18. Observation is a powerful tool for gathering information about the As-Is system and may be necessary because managers often do not remember how they work and how they allocate their time.

Ans: True Response: See page 138-139

19. JAD is the appropriate technique for gathering information about the As-Is and To-Be systems: it that identifies improvements, and has a high amount of user involvement.

Ans: True Response: See page 142

28. Tracy has decided to ask the users and managers to identify problems with the current system and to recommend how to solve these problems in the future system. They have recommended small incremental changes. Tracy is identifying improvement opportunities through problem analysis.

Ans: True Response: See pages 118-

36. Activity-based costing is similar to duration analysis. While duration analysis attempts to find the time taken to complete business processes, activity-based costing finds the costs associated with each of the basic functional steps or processes.

Ans: True Response: See pages 120-121

25. The top-down approach is an appropriate strategy for most interviews because it enables the interviewee to become accustomed to the topic before he or she needs to provide specifics and it enables the interviewer to understand the issues before moving to the details.

Ans: True Response: See pages 128

22. Joint application design (JAD) sessions are specifically designed to improve integration of information, because all information is combined when it is collected, not afterward.

Ans: True Response: See pages 132-136

2. Understanding the as-is system, identifying improvements, and developing requirements for the to-be system are the steps of the _____ phase. a. analysis b. design c. implementation d. planning e. SDLC

Ans: a Response: See page 117

3. The analysis strategy that results in the existing business processes being left essentially the same, but with a new system that makes them more efficient is _____. a. BPA b. BPI c. BPR d. BPU e. Top-down approach

Ans: a Response: See page 117

12. The most commonly used information-gathering technique is _____. a. interviewing b. joint application design (JAD) sessions c. document analysis d. observation e. questionnaires

Ans: a Response: See page 125

10. Two BPI techniques used to identify possible improvements in the current system are _____. a. activity based costing and activity elimination b. duration analysis and activity based costing c. outcome analysis and duration analysis d. problem analysis and root cause analysis e. activity elimination and technology analysis

Ans: b Response: See page 120-121

5. The goal of ______ analysis strategy is to make minor or moderate changes to the business processes so that they will become more efficient and effective. a. business process automation b. business process benchmarking c. business process improvement d. business process reengineering e. business process systemization

Ans: c Response: See page 120-121

7. Which of the following analysis strategies incurs the highest risk yet has the potential to provide high value to the business? a. Business Process Automation b. Business Process Improvement c. Business Process Reengineering d. Business Process Renovation e. Root cause analysis

Ans: c Response: See page 121 & 123

15. The information gathering technique that is most effective in combining information from a variety of perspectives, building consensus, and resolving discrepancies is a(n) _____. a. document analysis b. interview c. joint application development d. observation e. questionnaire

Ans: c Response: See page 132

9. Two BPA techniques commonly used to identify possible problems in the current system are _____. a. activity based costing and benchmarking b. duration analysis and formal benchmarking c. outcome analysis and duration analysis d. problem analysis and root cause analysis e. process simplification and proxy benchmarking

Ans: d Response: See page 117