ISDS-406 Midterm
Which element is never included in context diagrams?
Data store
How are data stores depicted in the diagram?
Data stores show a repository of data that allows addition and retrieval of data. Data stores usually have the shape of an open-ended rectangle and are usually given a unique reference number, such as D1, D2, D3 An example of this data store could be text, video files, audio files etc.
Decision trees display
Decision Logic (IF statements) as a set of nodes(questions) and branches(answers).
Purpose of system request
Describe business reasons for project Define systems expected value Forces sponsor to formalize his/her ideas List projects key elements
What is a Project Charter?
Describes project's objectives and rules.
Explain the purpose and content of a project charter.
Describes the project's objectives and rules
The process model can document both the to be and as is systems.
TRUE
Tangible vs Intangible benefits
Tangible Benefits: Can be quantified and measured easily. Intangible Benefits: Results from an intuitive belief that the system provides
_________________ include revenue that the system enables the organization to collect, such as increased sales.
Tangible benefits
What are the two types of system requirement?
((Functional Requirement)) - the product capabilities, or things that a product must do for its users_____________________________________________((Nonfunctional Requirement)) - the quality attributes, design, and implementation constraints, and external interfaces which a product must have
What is the formula for return on investment (ROI) ?
(total benefits - total costs)/ total costs
What are some developmental costs?
(upfront costs in making the system) o Consultant feeds o Hardware and software o Office space and equipment
What is Parallel Development?
(variation of Waterfall) Subdivide the project into subprojects that can be worked on at the same time, which reduces the overall project length Goal: Doing each phase thoroughly before moving forward ensures correct and high-quality outcomes Strengths: Reduces overall project time (compared to Waterfall) Reduces the need for rework; with shorter time frame, less chance of requirements changing Weaknesses: Creating subprojects require careful design Integrating subprojects at the end can be complex and difficult
What does technical feasibility entail?
**Can we build it? Familiarity with application - less familiarity generates more risk -Misunderstanding users, or missing opportunities for improvement -Developing new systems riskier than extensions to existing system - existing systems better understood
Duties of project manager (not always the systems analyst).
- Appointed to leader the project - Select the best project methodology - Develop a project work plan - Establish a staffing plan - Create ways to coordinate and control the project
Don't of motivating employees
- Assign unrealistic deadline - few people work hard only with realistic deadly - Ignore good efforts - Create a low-quality product - Give everyone on the project a raise - Make an important decision without the team's input - Maintain poor working conditions
What is Iterative Development?
Breaks the overall project into a series of versions that are developed sequentially.
Which provides more risk? Business Process Improvement or Business Process Management?
Business Process Improvement. There are more significant changes made to the organization's operations.
What is a BPM?
Business Process Management. A methodology used by organizations to continuously improve end-to-end business processes
What is a business requirement?
Business activities that need to be performed in order to meet the organizations objectives.
What is the importance of creating various levels of data flow diagrams?
Business processes are too complex and must be decomposed to show how data moves between different processes in a simple manner.
What are the sections of a casual use case format?
- Basic information: + A name: as simple yet descriptive as possible + A number: a sequential number serves to references each use case + A description: conveys the use case's purpose + Priority: indicates the significance of the use case in the overall system + Actor: refers to a person(s) and/or other system that interacts with the system to achieve a goal. + Trigger: the event that causes the use case to begin. It can be external or temporal - Preconditions: define what needs to be accomplished before each use case begins - Normal Course: the set of major steps that are performed to execute the response to the event - Postconditions: define what complete when the use case ends - Exceptions: error conditions may occur as the case steps are performed
What are the benefits of Business Process Management (BMP)?
- Enhanced process agility - Process alignment with industry "best practices" - Increased process efficiency
What are the common ground rules in JAD?
- Following the schedule. - Respecting others' opinions. - Accepting disagreement. - Only one person talks at a time.
What is the goal of Rapid Application Development?
- Get some portion of system developed quickly and in the users' hands
What are the three approaches of Rapid Application Development (RAD)?
1. Iterative Development 2. System Prototyping 3. Throwaway Prototyping
Process model
A Graphical way of representing how a business system should operate. It illustrates the processes or activities that are performed and how data move among them. A process model can be used to document the current system (i.e., the as-is-system) or the new system being developed (i.e., to-be-system), whether computerized or not.
What is a requirement?
A characteristic of the system that must be included.
What is the difference between an exception and conditional branch in creating a use case?
A conditional branch is not an error/exception, it is part of the normal course. An exception is something that you would not anticipate happening, also considered an error.
What is a context diagram?
A context diagram is the top-level DFD in a process model that shows: - The context into which the business process fits - The overall business process as just one process (process 'zero') - All the external entities that receive information from or contribute to the system
The _____ is generated by the department or person that has an idea for a new information system. A) economic feasibility analysis B) requirements document C) project charter D) system request E) project plan
D) system request
What are three common errors to avoid while creating Data Flow Diagram
Miracle ==> No input goes in but has output Black Hole ==> Input goes in but no output comes out Gray Hole ==> The output is different from the data input
What is a Logical process model?
Model that describe processes without suggesting how they are conducted. By focusing on this first analysts are able to focus on how the business is run without the physical details
What are some examples of motivators and de-motivators
Motivators: use intrinsic rewards, recognition, achievement, responsibility, advancement, chance to learn new skills. De-motivators : assign unrealistic deadlines, ignore good efforts, accept low quality products
When managing scope, what should one be aware of?
scope creep
What is scope creep, and what is timeboxing
scope creep: - occurs when new requirements are added to the project after the system design has been finalized or the original project scope was defined. - The most common reason for schedule and cost overruns occurs after the project is underway. timeboxing: - a technique that sets a fixed deadline for a project and delivers the system by that deadline no matter what, even if functionality need to be reduced. - ensures that project teams to not get hung up on the final "finishing touches" that can drag out indefinitely, and it satisfies the business by providing a product within a relatively fast time frame.
A complex use case is one that has more than _____ unique transactions.
seven
System Request
A document that describes the business reasons for building a system and the value that the system is expected to provide.
What is a systems request?
A document that outlines the business need and high-level requirements for a new system, completed by the project sponsor. It allows for project sponsors to complete their project selection within an organization.
Use Case
A document/model that represents how a system interacts with its environment by illustrating the activities that are performed by the user of the system and the system's responses.
A process model is
A formal way of representing how a business process operates. It Illustrates activities that are performed and how data moves between them
Project Methodology
A formalized approach to implementing the SDLC
What is a 'methodology' in Systems Analysis?
A formalized approach to implementing the systems development life cycle. For example, it is a list of tasks, steps, and deliverables. Factors that affect methodology selection decision: Clarity of user requirements Familiarity with Technology System Complexity System Reliability Short time schedules Schedule visibility
What is the difference between a casual use case and a fully dressed use case?
A fully dressed use case includes Alternative Courses, Summary Inputs and Outputs, as well as Additional Use Case Issues. While a casual use case is used when fewer details are needed.
What is the difference between a functional lead and a technical lead?
A functional lead manages a group of analysts and a technical lead manages a group of programmers and other technical staff.
What are the differences between a functional lead and a technical lead?
A functional leads is assigned to manage analysts. A technical lead overlooks the progress of programmers and other technical staff members.
What is a process model?
A graphical way of representing how a business system should operate
What is the difference between logical and physical process models?
A logical DFD focuses on the business and business activities, while a physical DFD looks at how a system is implemented.
What is an actor in a Use Case?
A person, another software system, or a hardware device that interacts with the system to achieve a useful goal.
What is a nonfunctional requirement?
A requirement that states any characteristics the system should have. (Operational, Performance, Security, Cultural and Political)
What is a functional requirement?
A requirement that states what processes the system must do or perform or the information that the system must contain. (Process, Information)
Which shape represents a process in a data flow diagram (DFD)?
A rounded rectangle
What is a requirement?
A statement of what the system must do or what characteristics it needs to have.
The main deliverable of the analysis phase is called?
A system proposal- which is presented to the project sponsor and and other key decision makers (members of the approval committee) who will decide whether the project should continue to move forward. - proposal is the initial deliverable describing the requirements the new system should satisfy.
What is a system request?
A system request presents a brief summary of a business need, requirements, and explains how a system that supports the need will create business value.
A project manager's duties include: A) Selecting the best project methodology B) Developing a project work plan C) Establishing a staffing plan D) All of the above E) None of the above
Answer: D, all of the above
What is an example of a temporal trigger?
A user has to pay their monthly water bill.
What is an example of External trigger?
A user wishes to check out a cart from an online store
The project plan is the document that is used to _____. A) describe how the project team will go about developing the proposed system B) outline the tasks to be addressed in developing the proposed system and develop a time estimate for each task. C) outline the technical, economic, and organizational feasibility of the proposed system D) summarize the business need and explain how the proposed system supports that need and creates value E) all of the above
A) describe how the project team will go about developing the proposed system
Technical feasibility analysis is, in essence, a technical risk analysis that strives to answer what question? A) Can we build it? B) Will it provide business value? C) If we build it, will it be used?
A) Can we build it?
Which of the following is NOT an example of an external entity?
A)Customer B)Clearinghouse C)Accounting System D)none of the above all are examples of external entities
What are the four behavioral properties a system must have?
Operational, performance, Security, Cultural and political.
What are all the types of nonfunctional requirements?
Operational, performance, security, and cultural/political requirements
Nonfunctional Requirements - Behavioral properties of the system must have
Operational, performance, security, cultural and political
Economic, Technical, and Social are the 3 categories of feasibility analysis. A. True B. False
B. False (the 3rd category is organizational, not Social)
What are the three major types of requirements?
Business requirements, User requirements, and System requirements.
Name three ways to minimize conflict.
Clearly define plans for the project. Develop a project charter. Develop schedule commitments ahead of time.
What are the types of questions you can ask in an interview?
Close-ended, open-ended, and probing questions
__________ questions are used when the analyst is looking for specific, precise information.
Closed-ended
What are the 4 elements of data flow diagram (DFD)?
Entity, data storage, process, and data flow.
Follow-up questions are discouraged after interviews with project sponsors.
False
Normal course includes only actor in system response
False
Scope creep is not a common reason for schedule and/or cost overruns (T/F)
False
T or F: The project sponsor is the systems analyst nor the project manager.
False
True or False Processes can consume or create data
False
True or False, A "to-be" system is a system that has already been created.
False
True or False: Development costs include hardware repair and upgrades
False
True or False: Operational costs include hardware and software
False
True or False: The process part of a DFD requires a description.
False
True or False: The processes in DFDs do not necessarily need to be sequential
False
True or False? A data store is always included in context diagrams.
False
True or false: In a Data Flow Diagram, a Process consumes and creates data.
False
True or false: The Data Flow Diagram has to be perfect the first time you create it, as you cannot edit it later.
False
True/False | An IT is always a Project Sponsor.
False
Which of the following is not represented in a data flow diagram? a. Parallel lines b. Rounded rectangle c. Circle d. Triangle
d. Triangle
True or False. A context diagram shows all the major processes that comprise the overall system.
False.
What are the three elements of an Entity relationship diagram?
entities, attributes, relationships
True/False: A process model is an informal way of representing how a business process operates.
False; formal way
Is the following functional or nonfunctional requirements: include actual and budgeted cost information.
Functional
What are the components of a systems request?
Identify project sponsor, business needs, requirements, value, special issues or constraints.
What are common techniques to elicit requirements?
interviews, JAD sessions, questionnaires, document analysis, and observation
Project Management
The process of planning and controlling the project within a specified time frame, at minimum cost, with the desired outcomes.
Data stores form the starting point for the data model and form the logical connection between the process model and the data model. (True/False)
True
Every external entity has a name and a description. True or False
True
In order for data to flow, they must be moved by a process (T / F)
True
JADs help overcome certain group issues, but also create other potential issues (T / F)
True
Level 1 processes always have one parent number "dot" unique number (1.1, 1.2, 1.3, etc.) (True/False)
True
Most important purpose of the requirements definition is to define the scope of the system. True or False
True
Parallel Development and V-model are variations of the traditional Waterfall Development. (True/False)
True
Project Managers have to balance project size, project cost, and project time. True or False
True
Project sponsors are often from a marketing, accounting, or finance business function.
True
T/F Use cases convey only the user's point of view.
True
Throwaway prototyping is a method for exploring design alternatives (T/F)
True
Timeboxing ensures that the teams do not get hung up on the final "finishing touches" that can drag out indefinitely (T/F)
True
True of False: A process must include a name that starts with a verb and ends with a noun.
True
True or False When there are no events, the system is at rest.
True
True or False, A priority (in a use case) indicates the relative significance of the use case in the overall system.
True
True or False, Rapid application development is a collection of methodologies that emerged in response to the weaknesses of waterfall development and its variations.
True
True or False, The Parallel Methodology will have sub-projects and the Iterative Methodology will have various releases.
True
True or False: The goal of the Analysis Phase is to develop a clear understanding of the new system's requirement.
True
True or False: All projects have feasibility risks.
True
True or False: External agents do not perform information processing activities
True
True or False: Logical Process models cannot reveal if a process is computerized or manual.
True
True or False: Normal course includes actions of both actor and system in response
True
True or False: Problem analysis and root causes analysis are best for finding small improvements over current situation.
True
True or False: Root cause analysis focuses on problems first rather than solutions
True
True or False: There are two fundamentally different types of problems that can occur in DFDs: syntax errors and semantics errors
True
True or False: Use cases are means of expressing user requirements?
True
True or False: Use cases are useful to clarify requirements.
True
True or False: Use cases define the expected interaction between users and system.
True
True or False? The point of the business process management is to look at a how the organization is carrying a process and determine if there are ways to improve it.
True
True or false: Processes on Level 1 diagrams may or may not be decomposed into separate Level 2 diagrams
True
True/False Tangible benefits entail increased sales, reduction in costs, reductions in staff.
True
True/False. Considering extensive user meetings and/or prototypes early in the project is an example of how to manage scope.
True
True/False: risk management is the process of assessing and addressing the risks that are associated with developing a project
True
Use cases express and clarify __________
User requirements
When do you use Fully-dressed Use Case format?
Users are not closely engaged with development team Project has high complexity and/or high risk
What is V-Model Development?
V-Model development is a type of waterfall development where after the code of the system is written, all of its components are tested in a reverse manner (implementation, design, analysis), placing an emphasis on high quality from repeated testing.
Parallel Development
Variation of waterfall development. It reduces the time required to deliver a system, so changes in the business environment are less likely to produce the need for rework. The approach still suffers from problems caused by voluminous deliverables. It also adds a new problem: If the subprojects are not completely independent, design decisions in one subproject may affect another, and at the project end, integrating the subprojects may be quite challenging.
Project work plan
What is the document that project managers use to track scheduling, cost, and resources?
What are system requirements?
What the system needs to do in order to satisfy business user needs.
What are business requirements?
What the system needs to do in order to satisfy business user needs. It summarizes the features and capabilities that need to be included. Business requirements describe the reasons for developing the system and outline the capabilities it will provide the organization.
What is a tangible benefit?
a benefit that can be measured in monetary terms ex: reducing manufacturing costs
What is an intangible benefit?
a benefit that cannot be measured in monetary terms (but still have an impact) ex: increased customer service
Example of a Business Process Management
a company that has customers facing many departments changes the customer service business process using a centralized database system
Which of the following is a functional requirement? a) Information-oriented b) Operational c) Performance d) Security
a) Information-oriented
What are some weaknesses of System Prototyping Methodology?
- Superficial analysis may cause problems - Initial design decisions may be poor - Overlooked features may be hard to add later
What are the strengths of the Waterfall Methodology?
- System requirements identified long before construction begins - Requirements are "frozen" as project proceeds - no moving targets allowed
Which of the following is a functional requirement? A: Process-oriented B. Performance C. Security D. Operational
A: Process-oriented
Who is the "actor" on the Use Case?
Actor refers to a person, another software system, or hardware device that interacts with the system to achieve a useful goal. Some organizations use the term user role.
Which of the following are NOT a RAD approach? A) Iterative development B) Iterative prototyping C) System prototyping D) Throw-away prototyping E) None of the above
Answer: B, Iterative prototyping
What are gathering strategies? Describe each of them.
+ ) Problem Analysis - Ask users to identify problems and solutions. - Improvements tend to be small and incremental. - Rarely finds improvements with significant business value. +) Root cause Analysis - Challenge assumptions about why the problem exists. - Trace symptoms to their causes to discover the real problem. +) Duration Analysis - How long does the whole process normally take? - How long does each step take? - Which activities can be shortened? +) Activity-based costing - How much does each step cost the organization? - Can any of the steps be more cost-effective? +) Informational Benchmarking - How do other organizations complete similar processes/activities - What improvements can we make a result of this? +) Outcome Analysis - Consider desirable outcomes from a customer's perspective - Consider what the organization could enable the customer to do +) Technology Analysis - Analysts and employees both list important and interesting technologies. - The group goes through each list and identifies how each might be applied to the business and how the business might be a benefit. +) Activity elimination Identify what could happen if each organization activity were eliminated Insist that all activities are potentially eliminated even if it seems preposterous.
What is a system requirement? What are the types of system requirements?
+> Definition: A system requirement is a statement of: - what the system must do (functional requirement) OR - what characteristics it needs to have (non-functional requirements) +> Types of requirements: ~ Business requirements: what business needs (system request) ~ User requirements: what the users need to do ~ System requirements: how the system should be built. It is divided into: * Functional requirements: functions of the system * Non-functional requirements: characteristics of the system
What are some example of tangible benefits?
- Increased sales - Reductions in staff - Reductions in inventory - Reductions in IT costs - Better supplier prices
Do's of motivating employees
- Intrinsic rewards + Recognition + Achievement + The work itself + Responsibility + Advancement + Chance to learn new skills - Monetary reward - last choice
What is Business Process Reengineering?
- It is a total overhaul of work processes.
What are the weaknesses of the Waterfall Methodology>
- Must wait a long time before there is "visible" evidence of the new system - Takes a long time from start to finish
Non-functional of system requirement
- Operational is the physical and technical environments in which the system will operate - Performance - the speed, capacity, and reliability of the system - Security who has authorized access to the system under what circumstances - Cultural and Political factors and legal requirements that affect the system
Functional of system requirement
- Process oriented is a process the system must perform - Information oriented is the information the system must contain
Elements of a systems request
- Project sponsor - Business need - Business requirements - Business value - Special issues or constraints
Provide examples of business needs for a system
- Staying relevant and striving for improvement - Identifying and benefiting from new opportunities - Efficient performance of business function
What is Business Process Improvement?
- Studies the business processes - Create new, redesigned processes to improve the process workflows, and/or - Utilize new technologies enabling new process structures.
List key elements of system proposal
- Table of content - Use case - Executive Summary - Requirements definition - Work plan - Systems request
Waterfall Development
- The waterfall development was first introduced by Dr.Winston W. Royce and it is a software development process. Based upon the SDLC and assumes that a project phase has to be completed before moving onto the next phase. - Goal: Doing each phase thoroughly before moving forward to ensure correct and high quality outcomes. - Benefits: requirements are defined early on in the process and there are no moving targets which help prevent scope creep -Disadvantage: It is difficult to implement revisions once a phase has been completed. Must wait a long time to see evidence of the new system. Takes a long time from start to finish.
What are the three goals of the analysis phase?
- Understand the existing situation (as-is system) - Identify improvements - Define requirements for the new system (to-be system)
Three steps/goals of the Analysis Phase:
- Understand the existing situation (the as-is system). - Identify improvements. - Define requirements for the new system (the to-be system).
What are some weaknesses of Iterative Development Methodology?
- Users faced with using an incomplete system for a time - Users must be patient and wait for fully-functional system
What are some strengths of Iterative Development Methodology?
- Users get a system to use quickly - Users identify additional needs for later versions based on real experiences with current version
What are some strengths of System Prototyping Methodology?
- Users get to work with prototype very quickly - Feedback cycles let users identify changes and refine real requirements
What is a project charter and what does it include
- describes the project's objectives and rules - lists the project's norms and ground rules > e.g. when project team should be at work, when staff meetings will be held, how the group will communicate with each other, the procedures for updating the work plan as tasks are completed, etc.
Purpose of a use case
- helps us understand and clarify the users' required interactions with the system and can help us more fully understand the functional requirements of the new system. - used extensively in the analysis phase when working with the users in interviews and workshop settings as a means of discovering user and functional requirements - represents how a system interacts with its environment by illustrating the activities that are performed by the users of the system and the system's responses - goal is to describe all the tasks that users need to perform using the system - ensures that users' insights are explicitly incorporated into the new system - depicts a set of activities performed to produce some output result
Sources of technical risk
- lack of familiarity with the business application area or the technology - Project size - compatibility with existing systems
Temporal vs external triggers
- trigger for the use case: the event that causes the use case to begin - external trigger: things outside the system to which the system must respond > e.g. customer placing an order, the fire alarm ringing, the LCA needing a chemical for a job, etc. - temporal trigger: where the event is time-based > e.g. a DVD becoming overdue at the video store, it's time to pay the weekly payroll, etc.
What are the strengths of agile development?
-A substantial amount of the modeling and documentation overhead is eliminated -Fast delivery of results -Works well in project with undefined or changing requirements
what are the key aspects of working on a team ( the 3 C's)
-Communication: Expectations and team cohesion -Conveyance: Sharing task information and work -Convergence: Making decisions about the work
Describe the four steps of business process management (Chapter 1)
-Defining and mapping steps in a business process Creating ways to improve the steps to add value -Finding ways to remove and/or combine steps in the process that don't add value -Creating or modifying electronic workflows to match the improved process maps
What are some Methodology Sources?
-Internally developed by organizations -Consulting firms -Software vendors -Government agencies
What are the three RAD Approaches?
-Iterative development -System Prototyping -Throw-away prototyping
A process model that describes processes without suggesting how they are conducted is?
-Logical Process Model
What are the four elements of a DFD?
-Process or event (Rounded Rectangle w/ Number) -Data flow (Arrow) -External entity or agent (Square) -Data store (Open rectangle/parallel lines)
what are the four elements of a DFD and how are they depicted visually?
-Process or event (Rounded Rectangle w/ Number) -Data flow (Arrow) -External entity or agent (Square) -Data store (Open rectangle/parallel lines)
A __________ can be measured easily and quantified. Ex. A 6% reduction in operation cost
-Tangible Value
What type of feasibility is the analysts and users lack of familiarity of technology. The project size like the amount of people and distinct features. And asks the question (Can We Build It)?
-Technical Feasibility
What are the four steps of the most effective process for gathering use case information?
1. Identify the major use cases. 2. Identify the major steps within each use case. 3. Identify elements within steps. 4. Confirm the use case.
What does the system analyst do?
-Works closely with all project team members -Must understand how to apply technology to solve business problems. -May serve as change agents who identify the organizational improvements needed, design systems to implement those changes, and train and motivate others to use the systems.
What are the weaknesses of agile development?
-requires discipline requires high involvement of project sponsor -significant users involvement is essential -initial high learning curve -works best in smaller projects -more coordination required because analysts/designers/users all work together in every iteration
Who are the most important stakeholders in the introduction of a new system?
-those who have some stake in the project investors, project champion, organizational management, and system users
What are the five most commonly used requirements elicitation techniques?
1. Interviews 2. JAD sessions 3. Questionnaires 4. Document analysis 5. Observation
Most system requests include what five elements?
1) project sponsor 2) business need 3) business requirements 4) business value, and special issues
What are the components of the system request?
1)project sponsor 2)business need 3)business requirement 4)business value 5)special issues/constraints
Three categories of feasibility analysis and what they entail
1- The technical feasibility (Can we build it?) 2- The economic feasibility (Will it provide business value?): o Cash Flow Analysis and Measures o Return on Investment o Break-Even Point o Discounted Cash Flow Technique o Net Present Value (NPV) o Identify Costs and Benefits o Assign Values to Costs and Benefits 3- The organizational feasibility (If we build it, will it be used?)
Which of the following Development Methodologies is described by being a set of several iterations of full "mini-SDLCs" over a period of time that produce a complete software product? 1. Agile Model 2. Waterfall Model 3. Parallel Model 4. V-Model
1. Agile Model
What are the five commonly used requirement gathering techniques?
1. Interviews 2. Questionnaires 3. Observation 4. Joint Application Development (JAD) 5. Document Analysis
What are the definitions of business needs, business requirements, and business values?
1. Business needs are the business-related reasons for initiating the system. 2. Business requirements are the new or enhanced business capabilities that the system will provide. 3. Business values are the benefits that the system will create for the organization.
What is the law of conservation of data?
1. Data at rest stays at rest until moved by a process. 2. Processes cannot consume or create data.
What are the four step continuous cycle of BPM?
1. Define and map the steps in a business process. 2. Create ways to improve one steps in the process that add value. 3. Find ways to eliminate or consolidate steps in the process that don't add value 4. Create or adjust electronic workflows to match the improved process maps.
What steps are completed in the Staffing Plan?
1. Determine the average number of staff needed for the project by dividing the total person-months of effort by optimal schedule. 2. Increase amount of team members in an appropriate amount (8-10 members) because too much can be difficult to coordinate, but the right amount allow more gains in communication complexity. 3. Understand the complexity that is cremated in numbers and build a reporting structure that shows the effects. 4. Project manager creates a staffing plan that lists the roles that are required for the project and the proposed reporting structure for the project. 5. A project lead, functional lead, and technical lead should be assigned with the right qualifications, which are technical skills and interpersonal skills. Their job is to oversee the project and to keep members on task.
Which of the following is NOT a duty of the Project Manager? 1. Establish a staffing plan. 2. Create ways to coordinate and control the project. 3. Develop a project work plan. 4. Create a use case
1. Establish a staffing plan. 2. Create ways to coordinate and control the project. 3. Develop a project work plan. 4. Create a use case
Name 3 useful checks to help ensure that models are semantically correct.
1. Have the users role-play the process as it is described in the DFDs by starting at the first process and attempting to perform it by using only the inputs specified and producing only the outputs specified. 2. Ensure consistent decomposition, which can be tested by examining the lowest-level processes in the DFDs. 3. Ensure that technology is consistent throughout the model so that everyone who reads the model has a shared understanding.
What are the 4 steps to Conduct and Economic Feasibility Analysis?
1. Identify Cost and Benefits 2. Assign Values to Costs and Benefits 3. Determine Cash Flow 4. Assess Project's Economic Value
Steps of creating use cases
1. Identify the Major Use Cases 2. Identify the major steps within each use case 3. Identify elements within steps 4. confirm the use case
What are three Rapid Application Development approaches?
1. Iterative development Breaks the overall project into a series of versions that are developed sequentially 2. System prototyping Performs the analysis, design, and implementation phases concurrently in order to quickly develop a simplified version of the proposed system and give it to the users for evaluation and feedback 3. Throw-away prototyping Includes the development of prototypes, but uses the prototypes primarily to explore design alternatives rather than as the actual new system
What are the three key functions the JAD facilitator performs?
1. Must ensure group sticks to agenda by firmly, but politely leading discussion back to agenda 2. Help group understand technical terms and jargon related to system development process and specific analysis techniques used 3. Record group's input public display area and help to recognize key issues and solutions while remaining neutral.
What are the four types of non-functional requirements?
1. Operational 2. Performance 3. Security 4. Cultural and Political
What are the two variants of Waterfall Development?
1. Parallel Development 2. V-Model Development
What are the four phases of the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC)?
1. Planning 2. Analysis 3. Design 4. Implementation
What are the 8 requirement analysis (gathering) strategies?
1. Problem analysis 2.Root Cause Analysis 3.Duration Analysis 4.Activity-based costing 5.Informal bench marking 6. Outcome analysis 7. Technology analysis 8. Activity elimination
What are the two types of functional requirements?
1. Process-oriented 2. Information-oriented
What are the five elements of a system request?
1. Project Sponsor 2. Business need 3. Business requirement 4. Business value 5. Special issues
What 5 elements must be captured in a Systems Request?
1. Project Sponsor - The person who initiates the project and servers as the primary point of contact for the project on the business side 2. Business Need - The business-related reason for initiating the system. 3. Business Requirements - The new or enhanced business capabilities that the system will provide. 4. Business Value - The benefits that the system will create for the organization. 5. Special Issues or Constraints - Issues that pertain to the approval committee's decision.
Pros and cons of an analyst's work
1. Pros: - High paid salary - interact with variety fields - work with up to date Technology - Challenging and Problem Solving reward - Constantly changing 2. Cons: - Management's lack of communication/recognition - End-user mistakes and demands - Stress/ Pressure/Burnout - Ever-changing business technology - Unrealistic deadlines.
What are some common facilitator tricks for JAD sessions?
1. Reducing Domination 2. Encouraging non-contributors 3. Side discussions 4. Agenda merry-go-round 5. Violent Agreement 6. Unresolved conflict 7. True conflict 8. Use humor
What are V-Model methodology assessment strengths?
1. Simple and straightforward 2. Quality improves through the emphasis on testing 3. Including Quality Assurance expertise early in the project strengthens system quality
Different ways to characterize/categorize projects
1. Size - What is the size? How many people are needed to work on the project? 2. Cost How much will the project cost the organization? 3. Purpose What is the purpose of the project? Is it meant to improve the technical infrastructure? Support a current business strategy? Improve operations? Demonstrate a new innovation? 4. Length How long will the project take before completion? How much time will go by before value is delivered to the business? 5.Risk How likely is it that the project will succeed or fail? 6. Scope How much of the organization is affected by the system? A department? A division? The entire corporation? 7. Economic Value How much money does the organization expect to receive in return for the amount the project costs?
Define the three phases of the implementation phase within the SDLC.
1. System Construction 2. System Installation 3. Analyst team established support plan
What are the six Systems Analyst Skills?
1. Technical 2. Business 3. Analytical 4. Personal 5. Management 6. Ethical
What are the 3 categories of feasibility analysis?
1. Technical 2. economic 3. organizational
What are the strengths of the throwaway prototyping methodology assessment?
1. Uncertainty is minimized 2. Important issues are understood before building the final system
A fully dressed use case is not always necessary but does provide value in certain circumstances. When are they especially valuable?
1. User representatives are not closely engaged with the development team throughout the project. 2. The application is complex and has a high risk associated with system failure. 3. Comprehensive test cases will be based on the user requirements. 4. Collaborating remote teams need a detailed, shared understanding of the user requirements.
What are the sources of risk when it comes to technical feasability?
1. User's and analyst's lack of familiarity of the business application 2. Lack of familiarity with the technology 3. Project Size 4. Compatibility with existing systems
How do you number a level 1 DFD?
1.1 1.2 1.3, 2.1 2.2 2.3 etc...
Which of the following is an example of an external trigger? 1. An inventory low-level alarm is set off. 2. An employee taps "start" on the computer at her work. 3. A hold is placed on a delinquent account by the system. 4. A "delivered" status is updated by the ups tracking system.
2. An employee taps "start" on the computer at her work.
What are the 3 types of users found in Organizational Feasibility and which type of user should the focus be on?
3 types of users: 1. Yes, let's change 2. No way, not changing 3. People in the middle, on the fence -Focus on the people who could be pushed either way, the people on the fence.
Which of the following is NOT a duty of the Project Manager? 1. Establish a staffing plan. 2. Create ways to coordinate and control the project. 3. Develop a project work plan. 4. Create a use case
4. Create a use case.
Which of the following is not a "DON'T" about motivating employees? 1. Ignore good efforts. 2. Assign unrealistic deadlines. 3. Give everyone on the project the same raise. 4. Use monetary rewards cautiously.
4. Use monetary rewards cautiously.
Which one is tangible benefit: A. Increased sales B. Increased market share C. Improved customer service D. Better supplier relations
A
What is the purpose of DFDs?
A DFD shows what kind of information will be input to and output from the system, where the data will come from and go to, and where the data will be stored.
What is the purpose of a data store in a DFD?
A data store forms the starting point for the data model and form the logical connection between the process model and the data model. It is where data is stored.
Data Store
A data store is a collection of data that is stored in some way (which is determined later when creating the physical model). Every data store is named with a noun and is assigned an identification number and a description. Data stores form the starting point for the data model and are the principal link between the process model and the data model.
What is a feasibility study?
A deliverable (Planning Phase) that is submitted to the approval committee; incl. the results of evaluating the 3 feasibility factors; technical feasibility, economic feasibility, organizational feasibility.
What is a process model and what is it used to document?
A process model is a formal way of representing how a business process operates. It illustrates activities that are performed and how data moves between them. It can be used to document the current system (i.e. as-is system) or the new system being developed (i.e. to-be system), whether computerized or not.
Define process model.
A process model is a formal way of representing how a business system should operate. It also illustrates the processes or activities that are performed and how data moves between them.
Definition of process model and what it is used to document
A process model is a graphical way of representing how a business system should operate. It illustrates the processes or activities that are performed and how data move among them. A process model can be used to document the current system (i.e., as-is system) or the new system being developed (i.e., to-be system), whether computerized or not.
What is a Blackhole Error?
A process that has no outputs.
What are the two types of functional requirements?
A process to perform and Information to provide
Which shape represents an external entity in a data flow diagram (DFD)?
A rectangle
What is Timeboxing?
A time estimating technique that may reveal that the project requires more time than we have available.
What is a trigger?
A trigger is the event that causes the use case to begin.
What is needed for a use case to begin?
A trigger, either external or temporal
Which shape represents a data store in a data flow diagram (DFD)?
A two-sided rectangle
What is a Use Case?
A use case is a description of how a system interacts with its environment by illustrating the activities that are performed by the users of the system and the system's responses.
What is a use case?
A use case is a description of how a system interacts with its environment by illustrating the activities that are performed by the users of the system and the system's responses.
What is the purpose of a use case?
A use case represents how a system interacts with its environment by illustrating the activates that are performed by the users of the system and the system's responses.
What is a use case used for?
A use case represents how a system interacts with its environment by illustrating the activities that are performed by the users of the system and the system's responses.
Which of the following is NOT included in both Casual and Fully Dressed Use Case Format? A. Alternative Courses B. Preconditions C. Postconditions D. Trigger
A. Alternative Courses
Person who will serve as the primary contact for the project is the ____
A. CEO B. Project Manager C. Developer D. Project Sponsor Answer: D
All of these are considered good options to motivate an employee except:
A. Chance to learn new skills B. Responsibility C. Not holding them to high standards D. Recognition
Which of the following is NOT one of the three C's of teamwork? A. Creativity B. Communication C. Conveyance D. Convergence
A. Creativity
Identifying Cost and Benefits is from which analysis? A. Economic Feasibility B. Technical Feasibility C. Organizational Feasibility D. Financial Analysis
A. Economic Feasibility (EF) - The second element of a feasibility analysis is to perform an EF analysis. An EF is determined by identifying costs and benefits associated with the system, assigning values to them, calculating future cash flows, and measuring worthiness of the project.
____ is planning for how the system will be distributed across computers and what hardware and software will be used for each computer.
A. Installation B. Architecture Design C. Implementation D. Distributing Answer: B
What are the 3 approaches to RAD (Rapid application Development)? A. Iterative, System Prototyping, and Throwaway Prototyping B. Agile Development, Progress Development, Iterative Development C. V-Model, Parallel, Perpendicular D. System Prototyping, Design Prototyping, Throwaway Prototyping.
A. Iterative, System Prototyping, and Throwaway Prototyping
Which of the following is not a phase in the SDLC process?
A. Planning B. Beta testing C. Designing D. Implementation Answer: B
Which of the 4 gathering techniques is inexpensive? A. Questionnaire B. Interview C. JAD D. Observation
A. Questionnaire
Paying an electricity bill would be a type of _______________ trigger. A. Temporal B. External
A. Temporal
Which of the following is true about systems analysts? A. They work with a combination of business and technical people. B. They primarily work on technical issues with programmers to develop new systems. C. They primarily work with business analysts and rarely see technical work.
A. They work with a combination of business and technical people.
Out if the seven methodologies, which one gives the customers the fastest delivery of results and works well in projects with undefined or changing requirements?
Agile Development
What is Agile Development?
Agile Development is a group of programming-centric methodologies that involve several iterations of full "mini SDLCs" that focus on short cycles to produce a complete software product. Formal modeling and documentation are eliminated in favor of face to face communication. Goal: Early customer satisfaction; priority of allowing change; priority of communication over documentation.
What is agile development?
Agile development is a group of programming-centric methodologies that focus on streamlining the SDLC. Much of the modeling and documentation overhead is eliminated; instead, face-to-face communication is preferred. A project emphasizes simple, iterative application development in which every iteration is a complete software project, including planning, requirements analysis, design, coding, testing, and documentation (Figure 2-8). Cycles are kept short (1-4 weeks), and the development team focuses on adapting to the current business environment. There are several popular approaches to agile development, including extreme programming (XP)8, Scrum9, and dynamic systems development method (DSDM).
Which of the following are duties of the Project Manager: - Select the best project methodology -Develop a project work plan -Establish a staffing plan -Create ways to coordinate and control the project -All of the above
All of the above
What is shown in the project work Plan?
All of the tasks from the work breakdown structure with assigned performers, hours estimated for task completion, actual hours needed for completion of tasks, and variances between the two.
What is the break-even point?
Also called the "payback method". It is the number of years it takes a firm to recover its original investment in the project from net cash flow. BEP = Number of yrs of negative cash flow + (That year's Net Cash Flow - That year's Cumulative Cash Flow)/That year's Net Cash Flow
Why should the system request be created by a businessperson as opposed to an IS professional?
An IS professional is not specialized in identifying business needs, opportunities, and value. A businessperson is more involved in identifying potential opportunities for systems and improvements.
Define a "process"
An activity or function performed by a person or system for a specific business reason.
What is a process in a Data Flow Diagram (DFD)?
An activity or function performed for a specific business reason that can be either manual or computerized
What is activity-based costing?
An analysis that examines the cost of each major process or step in a business process rather than the time taken.
Outcome Analysis
An analysis that focuses on understanding the fundamental outcomes that provide value to customers.
Joint Application Development (JAD)
An information gathering technique that allows the project teams, users, and management to work together to identify requirements for the system.
What does the term project portfolio management refer to?
An organization might have a large number of potential projects (project portfolio), and management must decide on appropriate projects based on size, cost, risk, etc.
What is the purpose of analysis phase of the SDLC?
Analysis phase provides the answer for who will use the system, what the system will do, and where and when it will be used.
Define system prototyping.
Analysis, design, and implementation are performance concurrently to quickly develop a simplified version of the system that's given to the user for feedback
What is the primary goal of a system analyst?
Analyzing the business situation, identifying opportunity for improvement and implementing.
What is benchmarking?
Another requirements analysis strategy; Benchmarking refers to studying how other organizations perform a business process in order to learn how your organization can do something better. Benchmarking helps the organization by introducing ideas that employees may never have considered, but that have the potential to add value. Informal benchmarking is fairly common for "customer-facing" business processes (i.e., those processes that interact with the customer). With informal benchmarking, the managers and analysts think about other organizations, or visit them as customers to watch how the business process is performed.
Estimation A. Is the process of assigning projected values for time and effort. B. Can be performed manually or with software. C. Can use the 15/20/35/30 percentage rule D. Is a process used by project managers to assign values for time and effort. E. All of the above.
Answer E. All of the above
Where would you find a "Happy Path" in a Use Case document? A. Description B. Pre conditions C. Post Conditions D. Exceptions E. Normal Course
Answer E. Normal Course
What is the document called that shows a "Project Work Plan" in graphical format? A. Gantt chart B. PERT Chart C. Function Point Table D. Org Chart
Answer A. Gantt chart
What is the Requirements Definition Statement? Hint- usually called the "requirements definition"? A. Simply a statement of what the system must do or what characteristics it needs to have B. Simply list the functional and NON functional requirements in outline format C. A list of interview questions D. A statement used to identify project sponsors, project champion, and the stakeholders
Answer B. Simply list the functional and NON functional requirements in outline format.
Which of the following is NOT an element of data flow diagrams? A: Requirement B: Data Store C: Process D: Data Flow
Answer: A: Requirement
__________ are thought to be one of the biggest problems that projects face.
Answer: Overly optimistic time tables
A critical success factor for project management is to start with a realistic assessment of the work that needs to be accomplished and then manage the project according to the plan. (True / False)
Answer: True
A level 0 diagram shows all the major processes that comprise the overall system. (True/False)
Answer: True
The chance at winning a proposal with a low bid is one of the pressures that cause project managers to promise systems long before they are realistically able to deliver them. (True / False)
Answer: True
There are two types of process models: Logical and Physical. (True/False)
Answer: True
Unreasonable demands set by project sponsors and business managers can make project management very difficult. (True / False)
Answer: True
Describe how scope creep affects a project.
As systems are developed more quickly and users gain a better understanding of information technology, user expectations may dramatically increase and system requirements may expand during the project.
What is the purpose of developing use cases during systems analysis (Chapter 4)?
As use cases represent how a system interacts with its environment, it's purpose is to describe all the tasks that the users needs to perform using the system.
What are the don'ts of motivating employees?
Assign unrealistic deadlines Ignore good efforts Accept a low-quality product Give everyone on the project the same raise Make an important decision without the team's input Maintain poor working conditions
What are several "Don'ts" of motivating employees?
Assign unrealistic deadlines, ignore efforts, give rewards/raises to everyone, make important decisions without telling coworkers, have poor working conditions
Which of the following relationships describe the communication between the use case and the actors?
Association relationship
A data store must have:
At least one inflow and one outflow.
What is included in a project work plan?
At minimum it includes the duration of the task, current statuses of the tasks (open/completed), and task dependencies. A more detailed project work plan also includes people who performed the tasks, actual hours the tasks took, variance between estimated and actual completed times.
Give an example of a business need
Automate a business process
What are the ways you can manage risk?
Avoidance, Reduction, Transfer, Acceptance
What are the four techniques for managing risk?
Avoidance, Transfer (insure or share), Reduction (mitigation), and Retention (accept)
Which of the following are not intangible benefits? A. Increase market shared B. Reduction in inventory C. Higher quality products D. Better supply relations
B
Overall, the consistent notation, integration among the diagramming techniques, and application of the diagrams across the entire development process makes ________ a powerful and flexible tool set for analysts and developers. A) CASE B) UML C) DFDs D) EPCs E) Flow Charts
B) UML
Deciding how the hardware, software, and network infrastructure will operate occurs during the _____ phase of the SDLC. A) analysis B) design C) implementation D) planning E) strategy
B) design
BPM generally follows a continuous cycle of systematically ________, ___________, and _________ business processes A) Create, Read, Update B) Creating, Assessing, and Altering C) Update, Develop, Destroy
B) Creating, Assessing, and Altering
Which point of view does a use case convey? A) The Developer B) The User C) The Project Sponsor D) The Project Manager
B) The User
Which of the following is not a type of information normally included in a use case? A. Exceptions B. Budget constraints C. Actor D. Trigger
B. Budget constraints
Project managers have to balance except: A. Cost B. Control C. Size D. Time
B. Control
What is a correct example of a temporal trigger? A. Customer places an order B. Credit card statement is overdue C. The fire alarm is ringing D. An order is placed into a shopping cart
B. Credit card statement is overdue
Which of the following is an example of an INCORRECT data flow? A. External Entity A -> Process -> External Entity B B. External Entity -> External Entity B C. Data Store A -> Process -> Data Store B
B. External Entity -> External Entity B
3. Which one of the following is the example of intangible benefits? A. Increased sale B. Increased market share C. Reduction in IT costs D. Increased in marketing expense
B. Increased market share
Although the "Implementation" stage in SDLC is usually longest and most expensive, it can also be the _____________. A. Most Complex B. Least Complex C. Sometimes Complex D. Not Complex
B. Least Complex
Which of the following is not a type of the Non-Functional requirements? A. Operational B. Process - oriented C. Security D. Performance
B. Process - oriented
What are the four elements of DFD? A. Name, Description, output data, input data B. Process, Data flow, external entities, data store C. Description, external entities, input data, output data D. Triggers, preconditions, normal course, exceptions
B. Process, Data flow, external entities, data store
What is a best practice for motivating people on the project team? A. Monetary incentives B. Provide awards/recognition C. Difficult deadlines D. Remove responsibility for decisions
B. Provide awards/recognition
What is true about project managers? A. They are ALWAYS the project manager B. They are not always the project sponsor C. They are more important than project stakeholders
B. They are not always the project sponsor
Which one of the following is not an example of a tangible benefit: A. better supplier prices B. higher-quality products C. increased sales D. reductions in IT costs
B. higher-quality products
During the Analysis Phase the three types of requirements needed are all EXCEPT? A.) Business Requirements B.) Preconditions C.) User Requirements D.) System Requirements
B.) Preconditions
All of the following are special techniques and tools of Rapid Application Development EXCEPT? A.) CASE Tools B.) Prototype C.) JAD Sessions D.) Visual Programming Languages (VPL)
B.) Prototype
What is Business Process Management?
BPM is a methodology used by organizations to continuously improve end-to-end business processes. BPM can be applied to internal organizational processes and to processes spanning multiple business partners.
What is BPM and what does it stand for?
BPM:Business Process Management. It is a methodology used by organizations to continuously improve end-to-end business processes. Business process management can be applied to internal organizational processes and to processes spanning multiple business partners. It also follows a continuous cycle of systematically creating, assessing, and altering business processes.
____________ ensures that information presented at one level of a DFD is accurately represented in the next level DFD.
Balancing
Intangible benefits
Based on intuition and belief rather than on "hard numbers." • Increased Market Share • Increased brand recognition • Higher quality products • Improved customer service • Better supplier relations
What is the basic architecture design for the system?
Basic architecture design for the systemdescribes the hardware, software, and network infrastructure to be used
Information inside a use case
Basic information (name, #, priority, actor, description, trigger/type) Name, number, description to describe the use case The priority may be assigned to indicate the relative significance The actor refers to a person or another system that interacts with the system to achieve a useful goal The trigger for the use case - the even that causes the use case to begin Can be external (outside) or temporal (The passage of a certain amount of time) Preconditions: what must be complete before beginning of the use case. Normal course: the set of major steps that are performed to execute the response to the event. Normal course includes actions of both actor (user / external system) and system in response Post conditions: define what is complete when the use case ends. Exceptions: error condition encountered while performing use case steps.
Why is the project sponsor not someone from IT?
Because a project should be based on a business need, not just on technology. Often the IT department is not aware of all the needs or processes in other departments.
What are three common errors to avoid when creating DFDs?
Black hole error: when a process has inputs but no outputs, Miracles: when a process has outputs but no inputs, and Gray holes: when a process has more outputs than inputs.
A process without an output is sometimes called a
Black hole error; called a black hole error because the input is going through a process and not returning any value. Any process is supposed to turn inputs into outputs
Identify 3 common errors when creating a DFD
Black hole: data going in but never going out of the process. Gray hole: send data in and something completely different comes out. Miracle: data flowing out but nothing was ever going into it.
What kinds of errors should you avoid when creating DFD's?
Black holes, Miracles, and Gray holes.
What are black holes, miracles, and grey holes ( common dfd errors)?
Black holes- process has inputs but no outputs Miracles- process has outputs but no inputs Grey holes- process has more outputs than inputs
Errors to avoid DFD. Determine Each of them
Black holes: process has inputs but no outputs Miracles: process has outputs but no inputs. Gray holes: process has more than outputs than inputs.
Definition of Business Needs
Business-related reason for initiation the system o Enable a business initiative or strategy o Support a merger/acquisition o Fix a "point of pain" o Utilize a new technology o Outgrowth of Business Process Management (BPM) §BPM: method used by organizations to continuously improve end-to-end business processes for agility and/or efficiency
Which of the following is NOT closed-ended questions: a. How many telephone orders are received per day? b. How do customers place orders? c. What are the differences between Apple and Microsoft?
C
Which if the following is NOT a duty of the project manager? A) Chooses a system development methodology that fits the characteristics of the project. B) Estimates the time frame of the project based on its size. C) Ensures that each staff member on the project gets paid. D) Sets in place mechanisms to coordinate the project team throughout the project.
C) Ensures that each staff member on the project gets paid.
What is a work plan? A. Group of programming-centric methodologies that focus on streamlining the SDLC B. Lists the roles that are required for the project and the proposed reporting structure for the project C. A dynamic schedule that records and keeps track of all of the tasks that need to be accomplished over the course of the project. D. Development of prototypes, but uses the prototypes primarily to explore design alternatives rather than as the actual new system.
C. A dynamic schedule that records and keeps track of all of the tasks that need to be accomplished over the course of the project.
In regards to process models, which of the following is a specific type of diagram that is thoroughly explained in Chapter 5? A. Entity-Relationship (E-R) diagram B. Use Case Sequence (UCS) C. Data Flow Diagram (DFD) D. Integration Definition for Function Modeling (IDEF0)
C. Data Flow Diagram (DFD)
Which is not a elements of data Flow Diagrams A. Process B. Data Flow C. Relation D. Data Store E. External Entity
C. Data Store
Which of the following is NOT apart of the SDLC? A. Analysis B. Design C. Development D. Implementation
C. Development
Which of the following addresses errors that may occur in a use case? A. Post Conditions. B. Pre Conditions. C. Exceptions. D. Trigger.
C. Exceptions.
Which strategies are best for creating moderate improvements in effectiveness or efficiencies A. Root Cause Analysis B. Outcome Analysis C. Informal Benchmarking D. Activity Elimination
C. Informal Benchmarking
Which are not non-functional requirements? A. Physical and technical operating environment B. Speed, Capacity, and reliability needs C. Information and Process D. Restrict access and develop securities E. Legal requirements and cultural norms
C. Information and Process
According to the textbook, these methods are great ways to motivate employees, EXCEPT: A. Recognition B. Responsibility C. Money D. Learning new skills
C. Money Most times monetary motivation won't work. The more often you reward team members with money, the more they expect it.
Which of the following is not a type of standards? A. Documentation Standards B. Procedural Standards C. Processing Standards D. User Interface Design Standards
C. Processing Standards
Which of the following is a tangible benefit? A. Increase market share B. Higher quality product C. Reduction in inventory D. Better relations
C. Reduction in inventory Because tangible benefits include revenue that system enables the organization to collect, such as increased sales. Cost saving would be included as well. While, Intangibles are based on intuition rather than "hard numbers")
Which of the following is something a project manager does not have to balance in a project? Size Time Risk Cost
C. Risk Risk is one of the characteristics of a project. The rest include size, cost, purpose, length, risk, scope and economic value. Project Size, Project Time, and Project Costs are items that a project manager needs to balance.
Which gathering strategie listed is best for finding small improvements over current situations? A. Informal Benchmarking B. Document Analysis C. Root Cause Analysis D. Duration Analysis E. Activity Estimation
C. Root Cause Analysis
Which of the following is NOT a type of requirement discussed in class? A. User Requirement B. Business Requirement C. Standards Requirement D. System Requirement
C. Standards Requirement
A key concept of this model is that as requirements are specified and components are designed, testing for those elements is also defined A. Parallel B. Iterative C. V-Model D. Agile
C. V-Model
Which of the following is NOT a data flow diagram element? A. data flow B. process C. internal entity D. external entity E. data store
C. internal entity
What's the pro of an analyst's work?
Challenge Technology Variety Constant Change Problem Solving
What is the purpose of PPM Software?
Collects and manages information about all projects - on-going and awaiting approval
What does Project Portfolio Management (PPM) software do?
Collects and manages information about all projects - on-going and awaiting approval.
What is PPM software? (Project Portfolio Management)
Collects and manages information about all projects - on-going and awaiting approval.
What are three key aspects of working on a team?
Communication Conveyance Convergence
What are the three key aspects of teamwork?
Communication: Expectations and team cohesion Conveyance: Sharing task information and work Convergence: Making decisions about the work
What is the benefit of Project Portfolio Management (PPM)?
Companies stay up to date on projects and adapt to changing conditions.
Why do companies utilize timeboxing?
Companies use timeboxing to ensure that project teams do not get hung up on the final finishing touches.
What is Waterfall Development?
Completely finishing a project phase before moving on to the next phase Goal: Doing each phase thoroughly before moving forward ensures correct and high-quality outcomes Strengths: Systems requirements identified long before construction begins Requirements are "frozen" as project proceeds - no moving targets are allowed Weaknesses: Must wait a long time before there is any "visible" evidence of the new system Takes a long time from start to finish
What is CASE?
Computer-Aided Software Engineering
What is CASE?
Computer-Aided Software Engineering - software that automates all or part of the development process. Some CASE software packages are primarily used during the analysis phase to create integrated diagrams of the system and to store information regarding the system components.
What is CASE?
Computer-Aided Software Engineering is used during the analysis phase to create integrated diagrams of the system and to store information regarding the system components, also automates all or part of the development process. -CASE is a category of soft ware that automates all or part of the development process.
What is a CASE tool?
Computer-aided soft ware engineering (CASE) is a category of soft ware that automates all or part of the development process
What is the top-level DFD in every process model
Context Diagram
What two data flow diagrams are always included?
Context Diagram and Level 0 Diagram
How is each process numbered on each level?
Context diagram is always "Process 0." Level 0 processes are always numbered with integer values. Level 1 processes always have one "dot" or decimal (ex - 1.1). Level 2 processes always have two "dots" or decimals (ex - 1.1.2, 1.2.1).
What are the three critical aspects Project managers have to deal with?
Cost, Size, Time
What is another name for the economic feasibility analysis?
Cost-benefit analysis
Which of these is a level 2 process? A. 1.2.2.2 B. 1.1.a C. 1.2 D. 1.2.3
D. 1.2.3
What is the Law of Conservation of Data? A. Data at rest stays at rest unless moved by a process B. Conserving data for better observation C. Processes cannot consume or create data D. A and C
D. A and C
Which of the following statements are true about use cases? A. They help understand the steps that are involved in accomplishing the user's goals B. They are used to derive more detailed functional requirements for the new system C. They show how the users view the process (external or functional view) D. All of the above
D. All of the above
Which of the following is not a type of information normally included in a use case? A. Exceptions B. Actor C. Trigger D. Budget constraints
D. Budget constraints
Which are not elements of a use case? A. Normal Course B. Postconditions C. Preconditions D. Expectations E. Trigger
D. Expectations
Which of the following is NOT one of the main types of feasibility discussed in Chapter 1? A. Technical feasibility B. Economic/Financial feasibility C. Organizational feasibility D. Managerial feasibility
D. Managerial feasibility
All of the following are true about observations EXCEPT: A. Data gathered is more reliable B. They are usually inexpensive C. People can perform differently when being observed D. No interruptions could occur during observation
D. No interruptions could occur during observation There are certain types of interruptions that CAN occur during an observation.
Which of the following is NOT a "don't" of motivating employees? A. Assigning unrealistic deadlines B. Maintaining poor working conditions C. Ignoring Good efforts D. Showing appreciation for solid work effort.
D. Showing appreciation for solid work effort.
Which is NOT one of the elements of a systems request? A. Project Sponsor B. Business Need C. Business Requirements D. Staffing Plan
D. Staffing plan
Which of the following is true? A. Throwaway prototyping perform the analysis, design, and implementation phases concurrently in order to quickly develop a simplified version of the proposed system and give it to the users for evaluation and feedback B. System prototyping is used to explore design alternatives rather than as the actual new system. C. Throwaway prototyping continues until the analysts, users, and sponsors agree that the prototype provides enough functionality to be installed and used in the organization. D. System prototyping is a "quick and dirty" version of the system and provides minimal features.
D. System prototyping is a "quick and dirty" version of the system and provides minimal features.
Which methodology is simple and straightforward and improves the overall quality of the systems through its emphasis on early development of test plans? A. Waterfall Development B. Iterative Development C. Parallel Development D. V-Model
D. V-Model
Which one of the following is an example of a development cost: A. User training B. cloud storage fees C. software licensing fees D. consultant fees
D. consultant fees
Which of the Following is NOT one of the three feasibility analyses? A: Organization B: Economic C: Technical D: Operational
D: Operational
What are the do's and don'ts of motivating employees?
DO's: use intrinsic rewards Recognition- plaque, company posts you on social media Achievement The work itself- get to work on something new, job is something new Responsibility- employees like responsibility and challenges Advancement- advancing in their career, getting that promotion DON'TS: Assign unrealistic deadlines- staff/team won't work as hard to meet deadline since they all think its impossible Ignore good efforts- someone doesn't get recognized Accept a low-quality product Give everyone on the project the same raise Make an important decision without the team's input Maintain poor working conditions
Which of the following is the glue that holds the processes together in a DFD? - Process - Data Flow -Data Store -External Entity
Data Flow
Which element is never included in context diagrams?
Data Store
Which element of the DFD is never included in the Context Diagram?
Data Store
Which element is never included in context diagrams?
Data Store. "Data stores usually are not included on the context diagram, unless they are "owned" by systems or processes other than the one being documented."
If data flows are data in motion, think of data stores as __________.
Data at rest
How many steps does Design phase have? and what are they?
Design phase has four steps: Design strategy - Clarifies whether the system will be developed by the company's own programmers, outsourced to another firm (usually a consulting firm), or a prewritten software package will be bought and installed Architecture and interface design - The basic architecture design describes the hardware, software, and network infrastructure that already exists in the organization. The interface design specifies how the users will move through the system and the forms and reports that the system will use Database and file specifications - Define exactly what data will be stored and where they will be stored Program design - Defines the programs that need to be written and exactly what each program will do
What's Design (SDLC)?
Determines how exactly the system will operate in terms of hardware, software, and network infrastructure; user interfaces, forms, and reports used; specific programs, databases, files needed. Must consider: - Determine design strategy: system developed by company's programmers? Outsourced? Buy existing package? - Develop basic architecture and interface design - Develop database and file specifications - Develop program design: defines what programs to write and what each will do
What's Planning (SDLC)?
Determines why and how a system should be built. In Planning, approval of a project is a function of two entities: - system request: summarize business needs, the value of a system that support those needs. - feasibility analysis: technical feasibility, economic feasibility, organizational feasibility (will it be used?). Approved projects enter project management, in which the project manager creates work plan, staffs the projects, and put techniques in place to aid in control.
What is included in the Staffing the project phase?
Determining the average number of staff needed for the project, match peoples skills with the needs of the project, motivate them to meet the projects objectives, and minimize project team conflict.
What is the difference between Development Costs and Operational Costs?
Development Costs are upfront cost in making the system Operational Costs are ongoing cost for the system
What are the four categories of the costs and benefits?
Development Costs, Operational Costs, Tangible Benefits, Intangible Benefits. Development Costs - Tangible expenses incurred during the creation of the system. (Such as project team salaries, hardware and software, etc.) Operational Costs - Tangible costs that are required to operate the system. (Such as operation staff, software licenses fees, etc.) Tangible Benefits - include revenue that the system enables the organization to collect (Revenue that the system enables the organization to collect, such as increased sales. Cost savings would be included as a tangible benefit as well) Intangible Benefits - more difficult to incorporate into the economic feasibility analysis because they are based on intuition and belief rather than on "hard numbers."
development cost or operational cost? -consultant fees -hardware and software -data conversion cost
Development cost
What is the difference between development and operation costs?
Development costs are those that occur during the project when the system is being built or acquired. Operational costs are ongoing, to ensure maintenance.
Development vs operational costs
Development costs: tangible expenses that are incurred during the creation of the system (training, salaries for project team, hardware software expenses) Operational costs: tangible costs that are required to operate the system (salaries to operate the system, equipment upgrades)
What are the developmental vs operational costs for an IS project?
Development- development team salaries, consultant fees, development training, hardware and software, vendor installation, office space and equipment, data conversion costs Operational- software upgrades, software licensing fees, hardware repair and upgrades, cloud storage fees, operational team salaries, communications charges, user training
Do's and don'ts of motivating employees
Do's: Recognition, Achievement, The work itself, Responsibility, Advancement, Chance to learn new skills. Don'ts: Assign unrealistic deadlines, Ignore good efforts, Accept a low-quality product, Give everyone on the project the same raise, Make an Important decision without the team's input, Maintain poor working conditions.
Do's and don'ts of motivating employees
Do: Recognition, achievement, the work itself, responsibility, advancement, and the chance to learn new skills. Don't: Money and bonuses, assign unrealistic deadlines, ignore good efforts, create a low-quality product, give everyone on the project a raise, make an important decision without team input, maintain poor working conditions
What are several project standards that helps projects be successful within their team? Examples?
Documentation Standards - All margins should be one inch, all words should be in Times New Roman. Coding Standards - All modules of code should include a header that lists the programmer. Procedural Standards - Report all updates to project meeting every Friday at 10 AM. User interface design Standards - Labels will all be bold.
What is the role of Project Sponsor
Driving force behind project, specifies overall business requirements, determines business value
Which of the following is not a behavioral property a system must have in nonfunctional requirements? A. Operational B. Performance C. Security D. Cultural and political E. All are required
E. All are required
What are strengths that Document Analysis has to offer over other techniques?
Easy to find nonfunctional requirements and easy to find information-based functional requirements
What feasibility approach uses the target question, "Should we build it?" Explain the factors of this approach.
Economic Feasibility - Development costs, operating costs vs benefits, intangible costs and benefits.
What is economical feasibility (cost-benefit analysis)?
Economical Feasibility: Should we build it? - Development costs - Annual operating costs - Annual benefits (cost savings and/or increased revenues) - Intangible benefits and costs
What is balancing?
Ensuring that all information presented in a DFD at one level is accurately represented in the next level DFD. Does not mean it is identical, just that it is shown appropriately.
Which of the following is not a pro for an Analyst's work? - It has a lot of challenges. - There is constant changes. - Lots of variety in the job. - Ever changing business technology
Ever Changing Business Technology
Which elements of a user case are error conditions encountered while performing use case steps?
Exceptions
Role of use cases
Express and clarify user requirements; define the expected interaction between user and system. The use case clearly organizes the project and its guidelines, in terms of what it needs and what is expected of it. It is helpful in determining what kind of flaws might cause the system to not function properly.
Temporal vs External triggers
External - not time-based ex: customer places an order Temporal - time-based ex: weekly payroll due date
What is an example of an event trigger?
External Trigger
What are the two triggers in a use case?
External Trigger and Temporal Trigger
What are the two types of triggers?
External and Temporal (time based).
What is external entities?
External entities is a person, organization, organization unit, or system that is external to the system, but interacts with it.
What are examples for external trigger and temporal trigger?
External trigger occurs when a customer places an order or the fire alarm ringing. Temporal trigger is when the event is time-based, such as when a DVD becomes overdue at the video store or it's time to pay the weekly payroll.
What are external and temporal triggers?
External triggers are events that occur outside the system. Temporal triggers are the passage of a certain amount of time.
What are two types of event triggers in the context of Use Cases?
External: event that occurs outside the system that the system is responding to Temporal: time-based (based upon passage of time)
Which is not a stage of the SDLC?: -Analysis -Extraction -Implementation -Design -Planning
Extraction
True or False, Systems development life Cycle is the process of determining how an information system can improve business needs, system design, structure, and delivery.
FALSE
True or False? Adding more staff to a project will help reduce complexity and improve communication.
FALSE
True or False: Iterative Development, Waterfall Development have the same goal.
False Iterative Development Goal is to get some portion of system developed quickly and in the users' hands. Waterfall Development Goal is doing each phase thoroughly before moving forward ensures correct and high-quality outcomes.
True or False: Preconditions are defined as what is completed when the use case ends.
False - Preconditions are defined as the state of the system before the use case can commence. Postconditions are defined as what is completed when the use case ends.
T/F: Normal Course defines the state the system must be in before the use case commences.
False - The normal course is the set of major steps that are performed to execute the response to the event.
System analysts tend to be more technically-oriented where as infrastructure analysts tend to be more generalist. True False
False - Variety of specialized roles: People-oriented: change management analyst, project management Business-oriented: requirements analyst, business analyst Technically-oriented: infrastructure analyst Generalist: systems analyst
The SDLC is a feasibility model. True or False?
False - it is the process of determining how an IS. can support business needs, designing the system, building it, and delivering it to users.
True or False: The cost to do a routine check up on the software is a development?
False It is a operational cost.
True or False, The Major Outputs section on a use case will give the destinations of that output.
False The Major Outputs section on a use case will give the destinations of that input.
True or False, A Data Store is a business where you can buy data from other people and companies.
False, A data store is a collection of data that is stored in some way (which is determined later when creating the physical model). Every data store is named with a noun and is assigned an identification number and a description. Datastores form the starting point for the data model (discussed in the next chapter) and form the logical connection between the process model and the data model.
True or False: Outcome analysis is an analysis that examines the cost of each major process or step in a business process rather than the time taken.
False, Outcome analysis focuses on understanding the fundamental outcomes that provide values to customers
True or False : In data flow diagrams, a data flow includes a name (noun), description, and one or more data flows.
False, a data flow includes a name (noun), description, and one or more connections to a process.
True or False? The level of a data flow diagram is based on the number of processes in the DFD.
False, if a diagram has more than one process, it's a DFD, which is why is called a Data Flow Diagram because it basically maps out a process through multiple steps that explains more in detail from start to end the way a process unfolds. If it has a single process, labeled 0, it's a Context Diagram.
You can assign a dollar value to intangible benefits when doing a cost-benefit analysis. (True/False)
False, intangible benefits such as brand loyalty or patents are extremely valuable to a company but can not be measured in dollar value.
T/F The order of steps in the SDLC generally does not matter
False- The steps must be sequential 1. Planning 2. Analysis 3. Design 4. Implementation
True/False. The two strengths of document analysis are, making it easy to find both non-functional requirements and information-based non-functional requirements?
False-The two strengths of document analysis are, making it easy to find both non-functional requirements and information-based functional requirements
Adding staff resources translates into increased productivity. True or False?
False. A large number of staff members is more difficult to coordinate.
True or False: Operational Costs are made in the first year in a Cost-Benefit Analysis.
False. (Operational Costs occur in the 2nd year in a Cost-Benefit Analysis)
The project sponsor can be the systems analyst or the project manager?
False. A project sponsor can be the person requesting the change or sometimes it is someone different; it can be the CEO, a manager of an individual department, or even an IT person The project sponsor is not the one in charge of the project, just the one who needs it and is involved to make sure it succeeds.
An external trigger is based upon the passage of time. Examples are a deadline to pay a bill or a library book is due. True or False?
False. An external trigger is an event from outside the system to which the system must respond.
Closed-ended questions are typically used in JAD sessions. T/F
False. Closed-ended questions are rarely used during JAD sessions because they prevent participants from having a frank and open discussion. The top down approach is preferred when gathering information via JAD sessions.
The System Proposal is part of the planning phase. True or False
False. It is part of the Analysis Phase.
What Fail Fast is part of a waterfall methodology? True or False?
False. It's part of agile development methodology. Failing early and often allows your to learn from mistakes and make accurate corrections to the sprint early.
True / False: Meetings and prototyping increases scope creep by at least 5% on a typical project.
False. Meetings and prototyping has been found to reduce scope creep to less than 5% on a typical project.
True or False?: There can only be one entity interacting with a process at a time.
False. Often times entities will interact with each other through processes.
True or False? One of the weaknesses that Observation has is that it is relatively expensive (compared with other fact-finding techniques).
False. One weakness is the psychological impact of being aware of an observer will potentially alter the behavior and output, leading to a mischaracterization of the issue.
T/F The Project Work Plan is the backbone of the Work Breakdown Structure.
False. The Work Breakdown Structure is a list of tasks hierarchically numbered and serves as the backbone of the Project Work Plan.
True / False: The analysis phase is when we should be understanding why an information system should be built.
False. The planning phase is the fundamental process of understanding why an information system should be built.
The project sponsor and the project manager are the same person. (True/False)
False. The project sponsor and the project manager are not necessarily the same person because a project sponsor can be any other person in the company, not necessarily in management, who sees a significant need for change and would like to sponsor it.
True or False: A customer placing an meal order through Postmates is a temporal trigger because you are ordering food for the next available delivery.
False. This an external trigger because there is an actor (e.g. the customer) and a system (e.g. Postmates) that both respond one after the other. Or without the customer, there is no order through the system. Thus, this is external. External triggers are events that occur outside the system. Temporal triggers are the passage of a certain amount of time.
A context level diagram shows all the major processes at the first level of numbering, the data stores, external entities, and data flows.
False. This describes a Level 0 diagram. A context level diagram only shows a single process representing the entire system, with external entities and data flows.
Throwaway Prototyping presents the user with multiple systems simultaneously and lets the user decide which they like best. (True/False)
False. Throwaway Prototyping refers to creating a proof of concept prototype, which is later discarded. It is like an old bicycle tire that has become more repair patches than actual tire.
T/F A Black Hole error is a process without an input.
False: A black hole error is a process without an output, but with many inputs going into it.
True or False: The SDLC ends after the implementation phase.
False: It continues as the System becomes obsolete and steps into on-going systems planning, where a new project is launched to create a new system.
True or False: In a data flow diagram an arrow between two entity is okay because they are talking to each other.
False: It does not belong in the data flow diagram if it is not directly using the system.
T/F: Project Managers can adjust either the project time, cost, and size, but not all.
False: Modifying one element requires adjusting the others.
T/F : New technology automatically warrants a complete system overhaul.
False: New technology should only be implemented into the system if it can provide added value.
T/F : A trigger is an element of a system request.
False: The elements of a system request are: Project Sponsor, Business Need, Business Requirements, Business Value, and Special Issues or Constraints.
True or False: Level 1 DFD shows all major processes that comprise the overall system
False; Level 0
True/False: The internal entity is one of the four key elements of a data-flow diagram (DFD).
False; external entity
Define the first stage of the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC).
First stage of SDLC is planning/ investigation: why an information system should be built? There are 2 steps in this stage: 1. Project sponsor conducts a system request with feasibility analysis that is approved by approval committee or steering committee o Technical: Can we build it? o Economic: Will it provide business value? o Organizational: Will it be used? 2. Project management/ project plan: project manager creates a work plan and staffs the project
What are the five steps in conducting a JAD session (Chapter 3)?
Five steps include: Selecting participants, designing the JAD session, preparing the JAD session, conducting the JAD session, and a post-JAD follow-up
What are the activities performed in the third step of creating use cases: "Identify elements within steps"?
For each step, identify its triggers and its inputs and outputs. Ask how about each step.
What are the activities performed in the second step of creating use cases: "Identify the major steps within each use case"?
For each use case, fill in the major steps needed to complete the task. Ask how about each use case.
What are the activities performed in the fourth step of creating use cases: "Confirm the use case"?
For each use case, validate that it is correct and complete. Ask the user to execute the process - that is, have them role-play the use case.
What is the difference between functional requirements and nonfunctional requirements?
Functional requirement defines how the system will support the user in completing a task meanwhile a nonfunctional requirement are the quality attributes, design, and implementation constraints and external interfaces a product must have.
Which type of System Requirement (functional or non-functional) has the best relationship with use cases?
Functional requirements because use cases contain more details regarding process and information-oriented aspects regarding the system.
What is the difference between functional and nonfunctional requirements?
Functional requirements state what the system does( information stored or processes supported), while nonfunctional requirements state other important characteristics
Systems requirements: functional vs non-functional
Functional: Characteristics the system should have. They begin to define how the system will support the user in completing a task Non-functional: How the system should be built. The quality attributes, design, and implementation constraints, and external interfaces which a product must have.
How many steps does Analysis phase have? and what are they?
Goal is to develop a clear understanding of the new system's requirements. 1. Understand current situation (As-Is System) 2. Identify improvements 3. Define requirements and concepts of the new system
What is the goal of a Use Case?
Goal of a use case analysis is to create a set of use cases that describe all the tasks that users need to perform using the system.
What is a Physical process model?
Graphical way of representing how a business system should operate. Includes the process implementation information that is needed to ultimately build the system.
Most JAD sessions try to follow a formal agenda, and most have formal___________ __________ that define appropriate behavior.
Ground Rules
How does technology analysis work?
Having analysts and managers develop a list of important and interesting technologies. Then, systematically identify how each one could be applied to the business process and how the business would benefit.
What are the four phases in the Systems Development Life Cycle?
I. Planning Phase: Fundamental process of understanding why an info system should be built and determining how the project team will go about building it II. Analysis Phase: Answers the questions of who will use the system, what the system will do, and where and when it will be used III. Design Phase: Decides how the system will operate in terms of hardware, software, and network infrastructure VI. Implementation Phase: When the system will actually be built (or purchased and installed).
WHICH GATHERING TECHNIQUES PROVIDE THE HIGHEST DEPTH OF INFORMATION?
INTERVIEWS AND JAD SESSIONS
What is the most important step in creating an information system for a business?
Identify and understand the business requirements
What are the steps for writing use cases?
Identify the use cases. Identify the major steps within each use case. Identify elements within steps. Confirm the use case.
What is the last stage of SDLC?
Implementation
How many steps does Implementation phase have? and what are they?
Implementation phase has three steps: >system construction -System is built and tested to ensure it performs as designed >installation -The new system is installed and the old one is turned off -users are trained for the new system >support plan. -post-implementation review -systematic way for identifying changes needed for the system
What is typically the longest and most expensive phase of SDLC?
Implementation: expensive due to the development costs and operating costs associated.
Who usually fills the role of a project manager?
In large organizations or large projects, the role of project manager is commonly filled by a professional specialist in project management. In smaller organization or on smaller projects, the systems analyst may fill this role.
what is project charter?
In project management, a project charter, project definition, or project statement is a statement of the scope, objectives, and participants in a project.
Name at least 3 different ways to categorize projects.
Includes: - Size - Cost - Purpose - Length - Risk - Scope - Economic Value
Which of the following are not tangible benefits?: Increased sales Increased market share Reductions in staff Better supplier prices
Increased market share
Which of the following are not intangible benefits?: Increased market share Increased brand recognition Increased sales Better supplier prices
Increased sales
What is the most commonly used requirements elicitation technique?
Interview
What are the benefits of Interviews compared to questioners?
Interviewee can response freely and openly to questions, interviewee can be asked for more feedback, questions can be adapted or reworded for each individual, interviewee's nonverbal communication can be observed.
Which gathering technique gives an in-depth information?
Interviews and JAD sessions
5 gathering techniques
Interviews, JAD, Questionnaire, Document analysis, Observation
What are the main requirement gathering techniques?
Interviews, questionnaires, joint application development (JAD), observation,, and document analysis
What are the do's of motivating employees?
Intrinsic Reward(i.e. Recognition and achievements) Monetary rewards(use sparingly)
What is Business Process Automation?
It creates or adjusts electronic workflows to match the improved process maps.
What is RAD (Rapid application development)?
It is a collection of methodologies that emerged in response to the weaknesses of waterfall development and its variations. RAD incorporates special techniques and computer tools to speed up the analysis, design, and implementation phases.
What is a work plan?
It is a dynamic schedule that records and keeps track of all the tasks that need to be accomplished over the course of the project.
Is the following scenario functional or nonfunctional: Provide management reports.
It is a functional requirement
What is a project charter and what does it include?
It is a list of the projects norm's and ground rules. It includes things such as when a project team will work, how the group will communicate, when staff meetings will take place, and the procedures that will be used when updating the work plan.
Is the following scenario functional or nonfunctional: Restrict access to profitability information.
It is a nonfunctional requirement
What is an external entity?
It is a person, organization, or system that is external to the system.
What is Normal Course when referring to a use case?
It is a step-by-step outline of a use case. Exceptions happen when errors are encountered when use case in progress.
What is the requirement definition?
It is a straightforward text report that simply lists the functional and nonfunctional requirements in an outline format.
What is the Design Phase Deliverable?
It is called the System specification. This is used by the programming team for implementation, which includes architectures/interface design, database and file specifications, and program design
What is the primary objective of a systems analyst?
It is important to remember that the primary objective of the system analyst is not to create a wonderful system. The primary goal is to create value for the organization, which for most companies means increasing profits
What is a development cost?
It is tangible expenses that are incurred during the creating of the system and usually thought of as one-time costs.
What's the trigger for the use case?
It is the event that causes the use case to begin
What is the purpose of implementation phase of the SDLC?
It is the final step of SDLC where the system plan is put into the motion and it is important to maintain control of the system.
Which methodology develops the system into a series of different versions that allow users to get the system quickly and identify additional needs for later versions in time?
Iterative Development Methodology
What are the key elements of the system proposal?
Key elements of a System Proposal include: detailed requirements definition, use cases, process models, data models, a revised feasibility analysis and a work plan
What are the three RAD approaches?
Iterative development System Prototyping Throw-away prototyping
What are the three RAD approaches?
Iterative development, system prototyping, and throw-away prototyping
What is the purpose of a use case
Its purpose to depict a set of activities performed to produce some output result. It also create a set of use cases that describes all the tasks that users need to perform using the system.
What is a Joint application Development (JAD)
JAD is an information gathering technique that allows the project team, users, and management to work together to identify requirements for the system.
What information gathering technique allows the project team, users and management to work together to identify system requirements?
Joint Application Development (JAD)
What is a JAD?
Joint Application Development. Which is an extensive, structured group process. The goal is produced complete requirements definition document.
What level does the Context diagram decompose into?
Level 0
What is the the most general scope of Data Flow Diagrams called?
Level 0 Diagram
Processes on Level 0 diagram decompose into what level diagram?
Level 1
How do you correctly number a Level 1 process?
Level 1 processes always have one "dot": parent number "dot" unique number (1.1, 1.2, 1.3, etc.)
How is risk calculated?
Likelihood x Potential Impact
Explain the normal course
Lists the steps that are performed when everything is flowing smoothly in the system
___________ process models describe processes without suggesting how they are conducted.
Logical
____________ describe processes without suggesting how they are conducted.
Logical process models
What is the difference between Logical Process Models and Physical Process Model?
Logical process models are models that describe processes, without suggesting how they are conducted. Physical Process Models are providing information that is needed to ultimately build the system.
Difference between logical and physical process models
Logical process models describe processes without suggesting how they are conducted while the physical process models provide the information that is needed to build the system
Difference between logical and physical process models
Logical process models describe processes without suggesting how they are conducted. Physical process models include process implementation information
Distinguish between logical process models and physical process models
Logical process models describe processes without suggesting how they are constructed. Physical process models provide information that is needed to ultimately build the system.
What is important when it comes to success in project management?
Make sure that there is a realistic assessment of what needs to be accomplished
What's the con of an analyst's work?
Management's lack of communication/recognition End-user mistakes and demands Stress/pressure/burnout Ever-changing business technology Unrealistic deadlines
What Do System Analysts Dislike About Their Work?
Management's lack of communication/recognition End-user mistakes and demands Unrealistic deadlines
What are the Elements of Use Cases?
Name, number, brief description, Priority indicator, actor, & trigger
What are the Elements of a use case?
Name- the name should be as simple, yet descriptive as possible. Number- simply a sequential number that serves to reference each use case. Description- briefly conveys the use case's purpose. Priority- it is assigned to indicate the relative significance. Actor- it refers to a person(s) (or another system) that interacts with the system to achieve a useful goal. It can also be another system. Trigger- the event that causes the use case to begin. Events triggers can be external or temporal. Preconditions- defines the state the system must be in before the use case commences. Normal Course- the description of the major steps that are performed to execute the response to the event. Postconditions- define what is complete when the use case ends. Exceptions- error conditions encountered while performing use case steps.
Where should intangible benefits be located the spreadsheet?
Near tangible benefits
How many decimal points do level 0 DFD process numbers have?
No decimal points (ex. 1, 2)
In cases where a process has an input and output, is it best practice to do a double headed arrow?
No. Best practice is to have two separate arrows going in opposite directions.
Operational, Performance, Security and Cultural and Political represent what type of requirement?
Nonfunctional Requirement · Operational: Physical and technical operating environment · Performance: speed, capacity, and reliability need · Security: access restrictions, needed safeguards · Cultural: legal requirements, cultural norms
Which type of requirements are defined as the quality attributes, design and implementation constraints, and external interfaces which a product must have?
Nonfunctional requirements, which describe how the system works, as opposed to what it must do.
Describe two ways to handle a situation in which there are a large number of use cases.
One possibility for the large number is that the use cases are not defined at the right level of detail. If the use cases are too 'small' we do not need to bother to create a use case, but simply use the information in the requirements definition itself to build the process and data models. If there really are more than eight or nine major use cases, the use cases are grouped together into packages of related use cases. These packages are then treated as the major processes for the top level of the process model with the use cases appearing on lower levels. The packages could also be treated as separate systems and modeled as separate systems.
What should you avoid when it comes to motivating employees/team members?
Only motivating employees with money or bonuses
____________________ seek a more wide-ranging response from the interviewee.
Open-ended questions
Development cost or operational cost? -software upgrade -software license -hardware repair -cloud storage fee -operational team salaries
Operational cost
What are the four system characteristics of a nonfunctional requirement?
Operational, Performance, Security, & Cultural/Political
What feasibility approach uses the target question, "If we build it, will they come?" Explain the factors of this approach.
Organizational Feasibility - Is the project strategically aligned with the business goals? Stakeholder, champion, management, and user support / effort, understanding, and congruence.
Which type of analysis is based on what customers would like to see from a company?
Outcome analysis
What are the desirable outcomes from customer' perspective?
Outcome analysis focuses on understanding the fundamental outcomes that provide values to customers and along with the end result of the procedures and how they will achieve the customer's goals.
What is the role of a Chief Information Officer (CIO)
Oversees all uses of IT and ensures the strategic alignment of IT with business goals and objectives
What is Project Manager?
Oversees the project to ensure that it meets its objectives on time and within budget.
Describe the major elements and issues with parallel development.
Parallel development reduces the time required to deliver a system, so changes in the business environment are less likely to produce the need for rework.If the sub projects are not completely independent, design decisions in one sub project may affect another, and at the project end, integrating the sub projects may be quite challenging.
What is the cost-benefit analysis as part of the systems development life cycle?
Part of the feasibility analysis in a project's planning phase Also known as economic feasibility Process of identifying costs and benefits associated with the system and assigning values to them, calculating future cash flows, and measuring financial worthiness 4 step process comprised of: (1) identifying costs and benefits (2) assigning values to costs and benefits (3) determining cash flow (4) assessing project's economic value, which includes computations of Return on Investment (ROI), Break-Even Point (BEP), and Net Present Value (NPV)
What is the difference between a logical process model and a physical process model?
Physical process models describe both how and what needs to be done. In a physical process model, the process implementation information is included.
What are the four stages of the Systems Design Life Cycle?
Planning Analysis Design Implementation
How many steps does Planning phase have? What are they?
Planning phase has two steps: -Project initiation: Prepare system request Perform preliminary feasibility analysis -Project management: Project Plan, including work plan & staffing plan
What is the purpose of planning phase of the SDLC?
Planning phase is the first step of the SDLC to understand why an information system should be build and how the project team plan to build it.
What are the four stages of SDLC?
Planning, Analysis, Design, Implementation
What are the four stages of the SDLC?
Planning, Analysis, Design, Implementation
What are the 4 stages of the SDLC?
Planning, Analysis, Design, Implementation.............. (tip - use pad i, pronounced patty to remember)
What are the four phases of the SDLC?
Planning, Analysis, Design, and Implementation
What are the four stages of the SDLC?
Planning, Analysis, Design, and Implementation.
_________ define what must be complete before beginning the use case.
Preconditions
Explain the importance of preconditions
Preconditions define the state the system must be in before the use case commences. Preconditions also clearly define what what needs to be accomplished before each use case begins
What is the most straightforward and commonly used requirements analysis strategy?
Problem analysis
What are the gathering strategies (problem analysis, root cause analysis, etc.)
Problem analysis, root cause analysis, duration analysis, activity-based costing, informal benchmarking, outcome analysis, technology analysis, activity elimination.
What is the difference between root cause analysis and problem analysis
Problem analysis: asks user to identify problems and solutions. Root cause analysis: tracing symptoms to their causes to discover the root problem
How are the four elements of a DFD depicted visually?
Process (rounded rectangles/circles) Data Flow (arrows) Data Store (open rectangle or parallel lines) External Entity (Rectangle)
What is the model for the formal way of representing how a business process operates
Process Model
What are the two types of functional requirement?
Process and Information
What is the difference between process and information oriented in functional requirements?
Process oriented: process the system must perform or do Ex: system must allow registered customers to review their own order history for the past 3 years. Information oriented: information the system must contain Ex: system must retain customer order history for 3 years.
What are the four elements of a Data Flow Diagram?
Process- an activity or function that is performed for some specific business reason (manual or computerized) Data flow- a single fact, such as quantity available or a logical collection of several facts Data store- a collection of data that is stored in some way (which is determined later when creating the physical model) External entity- a person, organization, organization unit or system that is external to the system, but interacts with it (customer, clearinghouse, government organization, accounting system)
What are the four symbols in the DFD process?
Processes, data flows, data stores and external entities.
Process of planning and controlling the project within a specified time frame?
Project Management
What are the three trade-offs of every project?
Project cost, project time, project size
Once a project is approved, someone must be appointed to lead the project, who is that person?
Project manager
What is the deliverable for the planning phase?
Project plan that describes how the project team will go about developing the system
Three main things that project managers have to balance
Project size Project Time Project cost
What are the 3 things Project Manager must manage?
Project size, Project cost, Project time
What are the three trade-offs involved in project management?
Project size, project time, and project cost. Modifying one element requires adjusting the others.
What elements are in the system request form?
Project sponsor, business need, business requirements, business value, special issues or constraints
What are the "pros and cons" of an analyst's work?
Pros: -Challenge -Technology -Variety -Constant Change -Problem Solving Cons: -Management's lack of communication/recognition -End-user mistakes and demands -Stress/pressure/burnout -Ever-changing business technology -Unrealistic deadlines
What are the pros and cons of an analyst's work?
Pros: • High paid salary • Interact with variety fields • Work with up to date technology • Challenging and problem solving reward Cons: • Management's lack of communication/recognition • End-user mistakes and demands • Stress/Pressure/Burnout • Ever-changing business technology • Unrealistic deadlines
What are the pros and cons of an analyst's work?
Pros: Challenge, Technology, Variety, Constant change, Problem Solving Cons: Management's lack of communication/recognition, end-user mistakes and demands, stress/pressure/burnout, ever-changing business technology, unrealistic demands
What are the "pros and cons" of an analysts work?
Pros: Challenging, Technology, Variety, Constant Change, Problem Solving Cons: Management's lack of communication/recognition, End-user mistakes and demands, Stress/pressure/burnout, Ever-changing business technology, Unrealistic deadlines
What is a best practice for motivating people on the project team?
Provide awards/recognition
What is RAD?
RAD stands for Rapid Application Development. A form of agile development which emphasizes working software and user feedback over strict planning and requirements recording
What does RAD stand for?
Rapid Application Development
What are several "Do's" of motivating employees
Recognize achievements, give advancements opportunities, give chances to learn new skills, give rewards
Why is IT typically not the project sponsor?
Requested projects enhance business processes. As such, it is more natural to expect the Project Sponsor to be somone more on the business side.
_________ straightforward text report that simply lists the functional and nonfunctional requirements in an outline format.
Requirements Definition Statement
How do you calculate risk?
Risk = Probability * Potential Impact
What is scope creep, and what is timeboxing?
Scope creep happens when new requirements are added to the project after the original project scope was defined. Timeboxing is a technique that sets a fixed deadline for a project and delivers the system by that deadline no matter what, even if functionality needs to be reduced.
What is scope creep?
Scope creep refers to changes, continuous or uncontrolled growth in a project's scope, at any point after the project begins. This can occur when the scope of a project is not properly defined, documented, or controlled. . This is the number one reason why projects tend to go over budget. User developed expectations dramatically increase and system requirements expand during the project
What's Analysis (SDLC)?
Seeks to answer who use the system, what the system will do, and where and when it will be used. Investigates current system(s), identifies improvement opportunities, and develop concepts for the new system. Also: Deliverable: project plan Analysis strategy: -studies the as-is system and envisions designs of the to-be system -has to be determined Requirements gathering: develop system concept based on analysis of gathered info. The system concept is then used to develop a set of business analysis models - that describe how the business will operate. The models typical represent data and processes needed to support the business. System proposal: analysis + system concept + models -> system proposal to be evaluated by project sponsor and approval committee.
Duties of a Project manager
Select best methodology Develop a project work plan Establish a staffing plan Create ways to coordinate and control the project
What are the duties of the project manager?
Select best project methodology, develop a project work plan, establish the staffing plan, create ways to coordinate and control the project creates a work plan , staffs the project, and puts techniques in place to help control and direct the project through the entire SDLC.
Duties of a project manager (who is not always the systems analyst)
Select the best project methodology Develop a project work plan Establish a staffing plan Create ways to coordinate and control the project
What does a level 0 data flow diagram show?
Shows all major processes such as data stores, external entities, and data flow among them. Most level 0 DFD's have one input and one output and has process numbers with no decimal points.
What are a few ways of characterizing and/or categorizing projects?
Size Cost Purpose Length Risk Scope Economic Value
What are some ways to characterize projects?
Size Cost Purpose Length Risk Scope Economic Value
What are the ways to Characterize Projects?
Size Cost Purpose Length Risk Scope Economic Value
What are the skills needed for a system analyst?
Skills needed for a system analyst are technical, business, analytical, interpersonal, management, and ethical.
What is the purpose of standards?
Standards are made to ensure that team members are following the same procedures to perform the necessary tasks.
What are the activities performed in the first step of creating use cases: "Identify the use cases"?
Start a use case report form for each use case by filling in the name, description and trigger. If there are more than nine use cases, group them into packages. Ask who, what, when, and where about the use cases (or tasks).
How should a process be named?
Starting with a verb and ending with a noun (e.g. Determine request quantity)
What are the steps in building a Data Flow Diagram?
Step 1: Identify the external entities Step 2: Identify high-level processes Step 3: Identify data stores Step 4 (optional): Build an Event-Agent-Data Store (EAD) table Step 5: Draw the Context Diagram Step 6: Draw the data flow Step 7: Repeat steps for more detailed layers
What are the steps in building a Data Flow Diagram?
Step 1: Identify the external entitiesStep 2: Identify high-level process(es).Step 3: Identify date stores. Step 4: Build an Event-Agent-Data Store (EAD) table. (Optional)Step 5: Draw Context Diagram (using the EAD table).Step 6: Draw the data flow (using the EAD table).Step 7: Repeat steps for more detailed layers
What is the "happy path" in a normal course?
Steps that are performed when everything flows smoothly in the system because there are no problems or issues that arise when the steps are able to be followed.
What are the strengths & weaknesses of the V-Model?
Strengths: -simple & straight forward - quality improves through the emphasis on testing - inc. quality assurance early on strengthens system quality Weaknesses: - Rigid - Difficult to use in a dynamic business environment
Waterfall Methodology Assessment
Strengths: • System requirements identified long before construction begins • Requirements are "frozen" as project proceeds - no moving targets allowed Weaknesses: • Must wait a long time before there is "visible" evidence of the new system • Takes a long time from start to finish Variations of the traditional waterfall development • Parallel Development • V-model
What are strengths and weaknesses of using questionnaires?
Strengths: quick answers, relatively inexpensive, anonymity, can be quickly analyzed and tabulated. Weaknesses: low response, incomplete ones may be useless, usually inflexible, cannot observe individual, no clarification if necessary, may be improperly designed.
What are strengths and weaknesses of using JAD?
Strengths: understand multiple perspectives at once, documenting during user feedback. Weaknesses: needs a facilitator, takes time from other work, coordination required and group issues arise.
What is benchmarking?
Study of how other organizations perform a business process
What does the parallel development methodology do?
Subdivide the project into subprojects that can be worked on at the same time reducing the overall project length
Give three examples of business needs for a system.
Supporting a new marketing campaign Reaching out to a new type of customer Improving interactions with suppliers
What does SDLC stand for and what is it?
System Development Life Cycle is a process for planning, creating, testing, and deploying an information system
What is the final deliverable of the analysis phase?
System Proposal, which includes + Detailed requirements definition statements + Use cases + Process model + Data model + Revised feasibility analysis and work plan
What is System Prototyping?
System Prototyping performs the analysis, design, and implementation phases concurrently in order to quickly develop a simplified version of the proposed system and give it to the user for evaluation and feedback.
Strengths of Waterfall Development
System requirements identified long before construction begins Requirements are "frozen" as project proceeds - no moving targets allowed
What is a systems analyst and what do they do?
Systems analyst are IT professionals that specializes in analyzing and designing information systems. They research problems, plans solutions, recommends software and systems at the functional level, and coordinates development to meet business or other requirements.
Tangible benefits
Tangible benefits: can be quantified and measured easily • Increased sales • Cost Savings • Reductions in staff • Reductions in inventory • Reductions in IT costs • Better supplier prices
What are the tangible vs intangible benefits for an IS project?
Tangible- increased Sales, reductions in staff, reductions in inventory, reductions in IT costs, and better supplier prices Intangible- increased market share, increased brand recognition, higher-quality products, improved customer service, better supplier relations
A minimum, the information should include the duration of the task, the current statuses of the tasks, and the _________________
Task Dependencies
What are the three categories of feasibility analysis?
Technical Economical Organizational
What feasibility approach uses the target question, "Can we build it?" Explain the factors of this approach.
Technical Feasibility - Familiarity with application, familiarity with technology, project size, and compatibility.
What are the six general skills all project team members should have?
Technical, Business, Analytical, Interpersonal, Management, and Ethical skills
What is the relationship between use cases and system requirements?
Tells what the system must do- the functional requirements
Which of the following trigger type(s) is initiated after a set duration of time?
Temporal
Temporal vs External triggers
Temporal- Time allotted to pay tuition after registering: the time-based trigger that occurs based on time, news updates, time realizes. External triggers: action based, Student drops a course from their schedule.
What does the V Model focus primarily on?
Testing
What are the four parts to the systems development life cycle?
The 4 parts of a systems development life cycle are Planning, Analysis, Design, and Implementation.
Who is the leader of a project?
The Project Manager. The leader of a project is normally NOT the sponsor because the project sponsor is typically the one requesting the project. The project manager is responsible for heading up the project and being the point person to define and shape the progress and direction of the project.
What are the benefits and weaknesses of having a V-Model?
The V-Model is simple and straight forward. Each part of testing is linked to the Analysis and Design phase where it helps ensure high quality and relevant testing. Weaknesses include the rigid process of waterfall development and might not always be appropriate for the dynamic nature of a business environment.
What is the System Proposal?
The analyses, system concept, requirements, and models are combined into a document called the system proposal, which is presented to the project sponsor and other key decision makers who will decide whether the project should continue to move forward.
Three steps/goals of the Analysis Phase
The basic process of analysis involves three steps: 1. Understand the existing situation (the as-is system). 2. Identify improvements. 3. Define requirements for the new system (the to-be system).
What are the benefits of a business process model?
The benefits include: enhanced process agility, process alignment with industry "best practices" and increased process efficiencies.
What is business value?
The benefits that the system will create for the organization.
Which element is never included in Context Diagram
The data store element
What is the purpose of design phase of the SDLC?
The design phase decides how the system will operate in term of hardware, software, and network infrastructure that will be in place such as user interface, forms, programs, databases, and files.
Why are cash flow projections, ROI, and BEP calculations inherently weak against the discounted cash flow technique?
The discounted cash flow technique takes the time value of money into consideration
What is scope creep?
The expansion of user expectations and increase in system requirements during the project.
Define technical feasibility.
The extent to which the system can be successfully designed, developed, and installed by the IT Group. It basically measures how well the proposed system solves the problems stated by the customer. Strives to answer the question, "Can we build it?"
What is strategic alignment?
The fit between the project and business strategy - the greater the alignment, the less risky the project will be from an organizational feasibility perspective.
Elements of systems request
The five elements of system request is Project Sponsor, Business need, Business requirements, business value, and special issues or constraints. 1. Project Sponsor is the person who initiates the project and who serves as the primary point of contact for the project on the business side. 2. Business need is the business-related reason for initiating the system. 3. Business requirements is the new or enhanced business capabilities that the system will provide. 4. Business value is the benefits that the system will create for the organization. 5. Special issues or constraints is the issues that pertain to the approval committee's decision.
What is the goal of use case analysis?
The goal is to create a set of use cases that describe all the tasks that users need to perform using the system.
what's the purpose of a use case?
The goal is to create a set of use cases that describe all the tasks that users need to perform using the system. It helps us to more fully describe functional (and sometimes non-functional) requirements
Distinguish between logical process modes and physical process models
The logical process models serve to describe the process without the suggestion of construction. Physical process models give the necessary information for building the system.
What is the definition of a business requirement?
The new or enhanced business capabilities that the system will provide
What is the purpose of the requirements definition statement?
The obvious purpose is to provide a clear statement of what the new system should do in order to achieve the system vision described in the system request. The critically important purpose is to define the scope of the system and what the final system needs to do. The statement also establishes users' expectations or the system.
What is the difference between waterfall development and parallel development methodologies?
The parallel development methodologies evolved to address the lengthy time frame of waterfall development because the waterfall method requires each part to be completed to more on to the next step. The parallel method is made to allow multiple portions to be developed and tested at the same time. Waterfall - steps are frozen until completed entirely and does not allow users to work ahead Parallel - Reduces the need for rework; with shorter time frame, less chance of requirements changing
What are some benefits and weaknesses of the Parallel and V model development methodologies?
The parallel reduces the overall time of the project, but might take longer in design because it will need to be compatible later on, and in implementation because of the combination at the end. The V model is straightforward, and easy to use and includes quality assurance, but it is very rigid and difficult to use in a dynamic business environment.
Who is the project sponsor?
The person who drives the project and provides key requirements. Usually in a management position
Why is it important to state the priority level for a use case?
The priority level of a use case identifies its significance and allows for immediate identification of essential use cases
What is project estimation?
The process of assigning projected values for time and effort
systems development life cycle
The process of determining how an information system can support business needs, designing the system, building it, and delivering it to users.
Who is generally appointed to lead the project once it is approved?
The project manager
What are 3 elements that a project manager must balance?
The project manager must balance the project cost, project size, and project time. Often, only 2 elements of the triad can be selected.
Describe the roles of the project sponsor and the approval committee.
The project sponsor has an interest in the system's success. They develop the initial vision of the new system and works throughout the SDLC to make sure the project is moving in the right direction from the perspective of the business and serves and the primary point of contact for the project team. Usually from marketing, accounting, or finance, but can be from IT. Approval committee reviews the complete system request and makes an initial determination, based on the information provided, of whether to investigate the proposed project or not.
Why might the project sponsor not be someone who works in IT?
The project sponsor has to make sure that the project aligns with the business needs and the business perspective, which at times, the person in IT might not be the best fit to have that understanding. It is better to have someone who is apart of the business functions in the organization such as someone who works in the Marketing department if their purpose is to reach out to a new type of customer through this project.
Role of the project sponsor, and why IT is not always the project sponsor
The project sponsor: - often develops the initial vision of the new system - makes sure the project is moving in the right direction from the perspective of the business - serves as primary point of contact for the project team One of the project sponsor's goal is to make sure the project is in line with the business perspective. Therefore the project sponsor should come from a business function such as marketing, accounting, or finance. This explains why IT is not always the project sponsor. An IT person may not be very knowledgeable about the business and its operation - the project should be based on a business need, not just on technology. Often the IT department is not familiar with all of the needs or processes in other departments. The project sponsor will usually have a great level of understanding which can help develop new systems for specific business purposes.
What is especially useful about a system prototype methodology ?
The prototype methodologies allow you to get a rough product in the hands of the end users, and produces important feedback that allows for the system to be more geared to the user.
What is the purpose of a use case?
The purpose is to create use cases that describe all tasks that users need to perform using the system.
What is the purpose of a level 0 DFD and how many do all process models have?
The purpose of the level 0 DFD is to show all the major high - level processes of the system and how they relate to each other and stored data. One.
What is the normal course element of a use case?
The set of major steps that are performed to execute the response to the event.
What happens during System Construction?
The system is built and tested to make sure it performs as designed.
What's Implementation (SDLC)?
The system is built or purchased. - System construction: system is built and tested. - System installation: turn off old system and turn on new system. Training plan is crucial: teach users how to use the system and manage changes caused by the new system. - Support plan: post-implementation reviews, ways to determine changes needed for the system.
What are the three categories of feasibility analysis and what they entail?
The technical feasibility (Can we build it?) The economic feasibility (Will it provide business value?) The organizational feasibility (If we build it, will it be used?)
Fully dressed use case
The use case is very thorough, detailed, and highly structured.
How can the work breakdown structure be organized?
The work breakdown structure can be organized in one of two ways: by SDLC phase or by product.
In what case are questionnaires preferable over interviews?
There are a large number of users outside or inside of the organization whose input is valuable.
What is the purpose of a context diagram?
There are several levels of DFDs, so the context diagram is the top level showing the entire system in context with the environment. Lower levels then give more detail.
Why are use cases useful?
They allow for multiple users to look at it and understand the elements that are required. They provide a guide of how a part of a system is to function.
Why are project charters important?
They provide a guideline/schedule of how a project should progress. Without it there is a chance that steps are delayed and the whole project becomes delayed. By ensuring that it follows a set schedule, it allows for a smoother process for the project
What is a fully dressed use case
This means that the use case very thorough, detailed, and highly structured.
4. What are the two common ways to obtain information for use cases?
Through interviews and JAD sessions.
What are the 3 main things that project managers must balance?
Time Cost Scope
What is timeboxing?
Timeboxing is a technique that sets a fixed deadline for a project, minimizing risk for indefinite 'improvements', allowing for expedited project completion.
What is timeboxing?
Timeboxing is a technique used that ensures that developers do not get hung up on putting finishing touches on projects by establishing a deadline and turning in a project with core functionality, even if its functionality must be reduced. This is a hard deadline and all parts that have been completed must be turned in no matter what.
How does timeboxing work?
Timeboxing sets a fixed deadline for a project and ensures that the system will be delivered by the deadline no matter what, even if functionality will need to be cut. Important day-to-day functions are developed before other less used features
What is the goal of Joint Application Development (JAD)?
To produce a complete requirements definition document
What is the goal of Joint Application Development (JAD)?
To produce complete requirements definition document
Temporal vs external triggers
Trigger: The event that causes the use case to begin Temporal: A time-based event • A video overdue at the video store • Time to pay the rent External Triggers: • A customer placing an order • The fire alarm ringing, customer has the final payment for the vehicle • A pending offer is created, and the sales manager is notified • Customer decides to make an offer on a vehicle
A use case that is fully dressed is one that is very thorough, detailed, and highly structured to help more fully explain the user-system interactions that flows in or out of the steps. (True/False)
True
All data stores must have at least one input data flow unless they are created and maintained by another information system. (True/False)
True
Assigning project team members is a combination of finding people with the appropriate skill sets and finding people who are available. (True/False)
True
Cases do not use non functional requirements. (True/False)
True
Usually, the sponsor of the project is from a business function such as marketing, accounting, or finance; however, members of the IT area also can sponsor or cosponsor a project. True or False?
True
When reading a logical process model, you will not be able to tell whether a process is computerized or manual. True or False
True
With waterfall development, the project team proceeds sequentially from one phase to the next. True or false
True
One problem of the JAD technique is that sometimes people are reluctant to challenge the opinions of others, few people dominate convo, and not everyone participates (T/F)
True - can run in to typical groupwork issues, such as groupthink, hesitancy to share opinions or information, lack of consensus when sticking to initial individual preferences, etc.
True of False, risk and cost are two way to classify a project.
True.
Use Cases describe what a user is trying to accomplish with a system. (True/False)
True. A use case represents how a system interacts with its environment by illustrating the activities that are performed by the users of the system and the system's responses.
Context diagrams never show data stores. (True/False)
True. The context diagram shows the overall business process as just one process (i.e., the system itself) and shows the data flows to and from external entities. Data stores usually are not included on the context diagram, unless they are "owned" by systems or processes other than the one being documented.
True or False: The parallel development methodologies evolved to address the lengthy time frame of waterfall development.
True: Because the waterfall method requires each part to be completed to more on to the next step, the parallel method is made to allow multiple portions to be developed and tested at the same time
True or False: The numbering in a DFD Level 2 would include two dots like this 1.3.2
True: The number of level = number of dots. It is supposed to make it easer when people are looking at different level diagrams.
What are the three goals of the Analysis Phase?
Understand the current situation, identify improvements, and define requirements/concepts of the new system
For very simple processes that are well explained in the requirements definition, it is not necessary to create a
Use case Use cases are created whenever we are reengineering processes or making any changes to business processes that will significantly alter the way people work.
Why is it hard to determine a writing style for a use case?
Use cases are read and used by different groups of people, user/business experts and system development.
Why is it sometimes hard to settle on an appropriate writing style for a use case?
Use cases are read by a wide variety of people, ranging from business users to system developers
What is the purpose of a use case?
Use cases express and clarify user requirements. They define the expected interaction between user and system. Used extensively in the analysis phase. Text-based use cases are easy for the users to understand.
In what situations are the questionnaires best used in gaining more information?
Used best when there is a large number of people,
What are the two major Project Methodologies?
Waterfall development and Rapid Application Development(RAD)
What is Waterfall Development?
Waterfall development is both a kind of methodology and a development method itself. It produces a system deliverable by going through the 4 phases (planning, analysis, design, implementation) in order, rarely going backwards, making sure the system is fully adequate before moving on to the next stage.
What is the most common Development Methodology?
Waterfall development, which consists of the Parallel Development, and the V-model
What is a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)?
a hierarchy of the tasks required to complete a project and it is the backbone of the project work plan. Can be organized in one of two ways: by SDLC phase of by product
4. Which of the following is a good way to motivate technical people? a) Recognition b) Unrealistic deadlines c) Poor work condition d) Failing to recognize good effort
a) Recognition
Testing pays explicit attention to a) V-model b) Waterfall C) Parallel D) Iterative
a) V-model
Which of the following is not a conversion plan? a. Contingency plan b. Business Contingency Plan c. Migration Plan d. Training Plan
a. Contingency plan
Which of the following is NOT one of the project methodologies explained in Chapter 2? a. Forward-backward development (e.g., Prototype-User development, X-model) b. Agile development (e.g., XP, Scrum) c. Waterfall development (e.g., traditional, parallel development, V-model) d. Rapid application development (RAD) (e.g., iterative, system prototyping, throwaway prototyping)
a. Forward-backward development (e.g., Prototype-User development, X-model) Correct
Which of the following are some of the requirement gathering strategies explained in chapter 3? a. Problem analysis, root cause analysis, informal benchmarking b. Phone interviews, interface structuring, use case diagramming
a. Problem analysis, root cause analysis, informal benchmarking
Which of the following statements about the waterfall methodology is true? (Hint: We are using the Waterfall methodology for the case project in this course) a. The waterfall methodology moves sequentially from planning, to analysis, to design, to implementation. b. The waterfall methodology is iterative (i.e., cyclical) -- several rounds of planning, analysis, design, and implementation occur. c. The waterfall methodology is useful when organizations want to quickly develop a working prototype.
a. The waterfall methodology moves sequentially from planning, to analysis, to design, to implementation. Correct
Which of the following is true about the roles of project manager and systems analyst? a. They can be the same person, but often are not (especially in larger organizations) b. They are always the same person c. They should never be the same person
a. They can be the same person, but often are not (especially in larger organizations)
What is not a con of System Analysis work? a. Challenging work b. Management's lack of communication c. Unrealistic deadlines d. Stressful e. All of the above
a. challenging work
Which of the following is not component of DFDs? a) Data Store b) Data Sort c) External entity d) Data Flow e) All of the above
b) Data Sort
When gathering requirements, the most commonly used technique is: __________ a) Document Analysis b) Interviews c) Joint Application Development (JAD) sessions d) Questionnaires / surveys e) Observation
b) Interviews
What is NOT a "pro"(like) of an analysts work? a. Variety b. Management Lack of Communication. c. Problem Solving d. Challenge
b. Management Lack of Communication.
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of the System Analyst Role? a. Analyzing the business situation b. Requests a project via a System Request c. Identifying opportunities for improvements d. Designing an information system to implement the improvements
b. Requests a project via a System Request
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of the System Analyst Role? a. Analyzing the business situation b. Requests a project via a System Request c. Identifying opportunities for improvements d. Designing an information system to implement the improvements
b. Requests a project via a System Request
Newegg identifying inventory shortage on Skylake-based Core i7 processors through the approach of a. Problem analysis b. Root cause analysis c. Outcome analysis d. System Proposal
b. Root cause analysis
Which of the following is the single main deliverable of the analysis phase? a. Revised feasibility analysis b. System proposal c. Use case document d. Revised project work plan
b. System proposal
What is a non functional requirement?
behavioral characteristics that define how the system should function, Operational, Performance,Security,Cultural and political
Which of the following is NOT a development cost? a) Consultant fees b) Hardware and software c) Cloud storage fees d) Data conversion costs
c) Cloud storage fees
All of the following are tangible benefits to a system except? a) increased sales b)reduced staff c)better supplier relations d)reductions in inventory e)better supplier prices
c) better supplier relations is a intangible benefit.
Which of the following is NOT a step in the Systems Development Life Cycle? a. Planning b. Implementation c. Execution d. Analysis
c. Execution
Which of the following is NOT a step in the Systems Development Life Cycle? a. Planning b. Implementation c. Execution d. Analysis
c. Execution
What is part of the planning phase? a. Process Modeling b. Data Modeling c. Feasibility Analysis d. System Conversion
c. Feasibility Analysis
Which of the following is not part of the casual use case format? a. Actor b. Trigger c. Information for Steps d. ID
c. Information for Steps
Which of the follow is NOT one of the main types of feasibility discussed in Chapter 1? a. Economic/Financial feasibility b. Organizational feasibility c. Managerial feasibility d. Technical feasibility
c. Managerial feasibility
Throttling internet speeds is an example of: a. Functional b. Cats c. Nonfunctional d. JAD
c. Nonfunctional
Which one is NOT true about use cases? a. Clarifying functional requirements b. Uses Triggers c. Uses nonfunctional requirements d. All of them is true
c. Uses nonfunctional requirements
Which of the following steps is NOT a component of the systems analyst stage? a. gathering info from previous system b. examining the business problem c. defining system problem d. defining specific requirements
c. defining system problem
The data store element is never included in ________ diagrams.
context
Which of the following is a role of a Systems Analyst? a) Analyzing the business situation b) Identifying opportunities for improvements c) Designing an information system to implement the improvements d) All of the above
d) All of the above
A System Proposal includes all of the following except? a) Updated feasibility analysis and work plan b) Requirement definition documents c) Use Cases d) All the above e) None of the above
d) All the above
Time Boxing is not helpful in all of these situations except? a) A flexible deadline is set b) High quality is stressed c) Other functions will be added later d) B and C only e) all the above
d) B and C only
Time Boxing is not helpful in all of these situations except? a) A flexible deadline is set b) High quality is stressed c) Other functions will be added later d) B and C only e) all the above
d) B and C only
Which phase is generally the longest and most expensive part of the development process? a) Planning b) Analysis c) Design d) Implementation e) Feasibility
d) Implementation
Which one of these is NOT requirement needed during the analysis phase? a) Business requirement b) User requirement c) System requirement d) Location requirement
d) Location requirement
Which of the following logical processes would you include in a data flow diagram? a. make decisions b. organize data c. perform computations d. All of the above
d. All of the above
Which of the following is not an element of a DFD? a. Process b. Data flow c. Data store d. Internal entity
d. Internal entity
This course follows the responsibilities of a(n)... Select one: a. Project Manager b. Programmer c. Database Administrator d. System Analyst
d. System Analyst
What of the following is usually found in a Use Case? a. Actor(s) b. Exception(s) c. Trigger(s) d. all the above
d. all the above
If a use case becomes too complex, it should be _____.
decomposed into a set of use cases
What is the Risk Assessment Matrix?
detailing the probability and impact in a formal document One axis of the risk assessment matrix represents the probability of the event occurring. The other represents the impact to the organization if that event were to occur.
Which of the following are steps to creating use cases? a. Identify the use cases. b. Identify the major steps within each use case. c. Identify elements within steps. d. Confirm the use case. e. All of the above.
e. All of the above
Which of the following is not a role of system analysts? a. Research problems b. Plan solutions c. Recommend software and systems that lead to the function level d. Coordinate development to meet business requirements e. All the above are roles of system analysts
e. All the above are roles of system analysts
Which of the following is part of the four main elements/symbols in DFD a. Process b. External entity c. Data store d. Data flow e. all the above
e. all the above
Behavioral properties the system must have include the following EXCEPT: a: Operational b: Performance c: Security d: Cultural and political e: Organized
e: Organized
What is event-driven modeling?
everything in the system can be thought of as a response to some triggering event; When a trigger event occurs, the system (and the people using it) responds, performs the actions defined in the use case, and then returns to the waiting state.
A process model is a ___________ way of representing how a business system operates.
formal
What's the difference between casual use case and fully dressed use cases?
fully dressed use cases are very thorough, detailed, and highly structured. Helps to more fully explain the user-system interactions outlined in the steps.
"Provide monthly rankings of salesperson performance" is a ________ (_______) system requirements.
functional (information)
What it the difference between functional and nonfunctional requirements?
functional requirement relates directly to a process the system should perform as a part of supporting a user task and/or information it should provide as the user is performing a task. nonfunctional requirement is a group of requirements as "the quality attributes, design, and implementation constraints, and external interfaces which a product must have.
Who is the project champion?
high level executive and is usually but not always the project sponsor who created the system request.
what does the project scope mean?
how much of the organization is affected by the system?
What does project charter include:
including what the objectives are, how it will be carried out, and who the stakeholders are.
What is a Normal Course?
is the description of the major steps that are performed to execute the response to the event, the inputs used for the steps, and the outputs produced by the steps. It also lists the steps that are performed when everything flows smoothly in the system.
What is a feasibility analysis?
it guides the organization in determining whether to proceed with a project
What are two types of process models?
logical and physical
Level 0 data flow diagram
numbered with integer value (1, 2, 3) Shows all major processes that comprise the overall system - internal components of process 0 Show how major processes are interrelated by data flows Show external entities and the major processes with which they interact. Adds stored data via the data stores.
Ways to Characterize Projects
o Size o Cost o Purpose o Length o Risk o Scope o Economic Value
What is a functional requirement?
related directly to a process the system has to perform as part of supporting a user task and or information it needs to provide as the user is performing a task
5 elements of a system request
project sponsor business need business requirements business value special issues or constraints
What is the deliverable of the Analysis Phase, and what does it include
system proposal. A document compiling the detailed requirements definition statement, use cases, process model, and data model together with a revised feasibility analysis and work plan.
What are the key aspects of what the feasibility analysis examines?
technical feasibility (can we build it?) economic feasibility (will it provide business value?) organizational feasibility (if we build it, will it be used?)
What are the key factors in selecting a methodology?
the key factors in selecting a methodology are: - Clarity of the user requirements - Familiarity with the base technology - System complexity - Need for system reliability - Time pressures & - Need to see progress on the time schedule
User Requirements
the things the users need to accomplish with the new system
What is the goal of a walk-through?
to explain the system in moderate detail so that users, managers, and key decisions makers clearly understand it.
What's the purpose of The Requirements Definition Statement?
to provide a clear statement of what the new system should do in order to achieve the system vision described in the system request. -Defines the scope of the system. -Describes exactly what the final system needs to do. -Establishes the users' expectations for the system. -Serves as a resource for clarification when discrepancies or misunderstandings arise.
What is scope creep?
uncontrolled changes or growth in a project's scope
What is a temporal trigger?
where the event is time based
System Proposal
which compiles the detailed requirements definition statement, use cases, process models, and data model together with a revised feasibility analysis and work plan, Primary and final deliverable in the analysis phase
Timeboxing
• Time estimating techniques may reveal that the project requires more time than we have available • Timeboxing helps in these situations Set a tight but realistic deadline. Identify core, essential functional requirements Team limits its focus just to essential functions High quality is stressed Other functions will be added later Repeat to add refinements and enhancements