Figure 5.4System development activities entail interaction with the organization. Thesystems development process is a structured kind of problem solving with distinctactivities. These activities consist of systems analysis, systems design, programming,testing, conversion, and production and maintenance.Systems AnalysisSystem analysis is the analysis of the problem that the organization will try to solve withan information system. It consists of defining the problem, identifying its cause,specifying the solution, and identifying the information requirements that must be metby a system solution.System analysis creates a road map of the existing organization and systems, identifyingthe primary owner(s) and users of data in the organization. These stakeholders have adirect interest in the information affected by the new system.System analysis includes a feasibility study to determine whether that solution isfeasible, or achievable, from a financial, technical, and organizational standpoint. Thefeasibility study determines whether the proposed system is a good investment,whether the technology needed for the system is available and can be handled by thesystems specialists, and whether the organization can handle the change introduced bythe system.Establishing Information RequirementsA detail statement of the information needs that a new system must satisfy; identifieswho needs what information, and when, where, and how the information is needed.Systems DesignSystems analysis describes whata system should do to meet information requirementsand system design shows howthe system will fulfill its objectives. The design of aninformation system is the overall plan or model for that system. Like the blueprint of abuilding or house, it consists of all the specifications that give the system its form orstructure.
The most common form of IT-enabled organizational change is automation
Rationalization of procedures describes a radical rethinking of the business models
Failure to address properly the organizational changes surrounding the introduction of a new system can cause the demise of an otherwise good system
TQM describes the measurement of quality as 3.4 defects per million
Thorough testing is not required if, during the programming stage, the design documents are sufficiently detailed
The system is not in production until conversion is complete
Documentation reveals how well the system has met its original objectives
A data flow diagram offers a logical and graphical model of information flow, partitioning a system into modules that show manageable levels of detail
A structure chart is a bottom-up chart, showing each level of design, its relationship to other levels, and its place in the overall design structure
Object-oriented development is more incremental than traditional structured development
Objects are grouped into hierarchies, and hierarchies into classes
CASE tools facilitate the creation of clear documentation and the coordination of team development efforts
The oldest method for building information systems is prototyping
Prototyping is more iterative than the conventional lifecycle
A problem with prototyping is that the systems constructed using this method may not be able to handle large quantities of data in a production environment
End-user-developed systems can be completed more rapidly than those developed through the conventional systems lifecycle
One advantage of fourth-generation tools is that they can easily handle processing large numbers of transactions or applications with extensive procedural logic and updating requirements
In some forms of outsourcing, a company hires an external vendor to create the software for its system, but operates the software on its own computers
A primary benefit of offshore outsourcing is that this can substantially reduce hidden costs
Systems development activities always take place in sequential order
What is the primary driving factor in firms to select domestic outsourcing firms to build systems solutions?
to take advantage of technical skills the firm does not have
The four kinds of structural organizational change enabled by IT, in order from least to most risky, are
automation, rationalization, reengineering, and paradigm shift
Business processes are analyzed, simplified, and redesigned in
business process redesign
employees are enabled to perform their tasks more efficiently
A bank has reworked its mortgage application process so that several steps are handled by computer software, and some steps are combined to reduce bottlenecks in processing. The goal is to gradually improve its efficiency over time. This is an example of
rationalization of procedures
An upscale organic foods grocery chain is implementing an information system that will enable it to add same-day home delivery of groceries to its customers. This is an example of
In order, what are the first three steps in BPM?
- identifying processes for change
- analyzing existing processes
- designing the new process
_______ provide(s) a methodology and tools for dealing with the organization's ongoing need to revise and optimize its numerous business processes
Business process management
The idea that the achievement of quality control is an end in itself describes a main concept of
Which process develops a detailed description of the functions that a new information system must perform?
The entire system-building effort is driven by
user information requirements
shows how the new system will fulfill the information requirements
System design specifications that address the category of database design issues will include specifications for
transaction volume and speed requirements
Enabling organizations to make continual improvements to many business processes and to use processes as the fundamental building blocks of corporate information systems is the goal of
business process managament
Transferring data from a legacy system to the new system would be defined by which category of system design specifications?
Determining methods for feedback and error handling would be defined by which category of system design specifications?
tests each program separately
tests the functioning of the system as a whole in order to determine if discrete modules will function together as planned
provides the final certification that the system is ready to be used in a production setting
In a parallel conversion strategy, the new system
and the old are run together
In the direct cutover conversion strategy, the new system
replaces the old one at an appointed time
Changes in hardware, software, documentation, or production to a production system to correct errors, meet new requirements, or improve processing efficiencies are termed
In what stage of systems development are design specifications created?
The primary tool for representing a system's component processes and the flow of data between them is the
To understand and define the contents of data flows and data store, system builders use
To show each level of a system's design, its relationship to other levels, and its place in the overall design structure, structured methodologies use
An entire information system is broken down into its subsystems by using
high-level data flow diagrams
In object-oriented development
processing logic resides within objects
In an object-oriented development framework for a university, how would the classes Degree, Mathematics, and Physics be related?
Degree is a superclass to Mathematics and Physics
Object-oriented modeling is based on the concepts of
Object-oriented development could potentially reduce the time and cost of writing software because
- documentation
- code generation
- creating data dictionaries
- ALL OF THE ABOVE
The oldest method for building information systems is
the systems development lifecycle
In the traditional systems development lifecycle, end users
are limited to providing information requirements and reviewing the technical staff's work
In which type of systems building are the development stages organized so that tasks in one stage are completed before the tasks in the next stage begun?
As a technical project manager you have decided to propose implementing a prototyping methodology for a small Web-based design project. What is the order of steps you will follow in this project?
identify user requirements, develop the prototype, use the prototype, revise and enhance the prototype
A systems building approach in which the system is developed as successive versions, each version reflecting requirements more accurately, is described to be
Which type of fourth-generation language tools are end-users most likely to work with?
PC software tools and query languages
Which type of fourth-generation language tool contains preprogrammed modules that can be used to create entire applications?
When systems are created rapidly, without a formal development methodology
testing and documentation may be inadequate
Management should control the development of end-user applications by
- (B) requiring cost justification for end-user IS projects
- (C) establishing standards for user-developed applications
- both B and C
Fourth-generation tools cannot replace conventional development tools because they
cannot handle large numbers of transaction or extensive procedural logic
Categories of tools for BPM include all of the following EXCEPT
tools to test the security of business processes
What is the greatest barrier to successful business process change?
The process of creating workable information systems in a very short period of time is called
Which type of systems development is characterized by significantly speeding up the design phase and the generation of information requirements and involving users at an intense level?
You are an IT project manager for an advertising firm. The firm wishes to create an online tool that will be used to survey focus group reactions to products in development. The most important consideration for the firm is being able to offer the tool as soon as possible as a new corporate service. ......... What development method would be most successful for this project?
Groups of objects are assembled into software components for common functions, which can be combined into large-scale business applications, in which type of software development?
component-based development
Compared to the use of proprietary components, Web services promise to be less expensive and less difficult to implement because of
the use of universal standards
________ development focuses on rapid delivery of working software by breaking a large project into a series of small sub-projects that are completed in short periods of time using iteration and continuous feedback
A(n) ________ is an organizational change that involves rethinking the nature of the business and the nature of the organization itself
A software package evaluation process is often based on a series of questions sent to vendors, called a(n) ________.
request for proposal (RFP)
During the ________ stage of system development, system specifications that were prepared during the design stage are translated into software code.
A system analysis includes a(n) _______ that is used to determine whether the solution is achievable from a financial, technical, and organizational standpoint.
_______ contain a detailed statement of the information needs that a new system must satisfy; identifies who needs what information, and when, where, and how the information is needed.
A(n) _______ is the model or blueprint for an information system solution and consists of all the specifications that will deliver the functions identified during systems analysis.
_______ is the process of changing from the old system to the new system
_______ describe the transformation occurring within the lowest level of the data flow diagrams
_______ are software tools that enable end users to create reports or develop software applications with minimal or no technical assistance
Fourth-generation languages
_______ design is a process used to accelerate the generation of information requirements by having end-users and information system specialists work together in intensive interactive design sessions