Approaches to Systems Development

Question 1

What are some implications to the Waterfall method?

Answer 1

• Linear
• Predictive
• Frozen requirements
• No iteration

Question 2

What are some implications to the SDLC method?

Answer 2

• Inflexible
• Users still need to know what they want upfront (dissatisfaction)
• Lots of documentation needed
• Backlogs of work
• Little participation of user
• Missed targets

Question 3

What are the two Structured Approaches?

Answer 3

• Process Oriented Approach
• Data Oriented Approach

Question 4

What is Structured Approach?

Answer 4

Applying structured programming approaches to development
- Breaking down processes into smaller processes
- Problem: Processes change frequently
- Solution: Look at the data, its attributes, and its relationships

Question 5

What is Structured Systems Analysis and Design Method (SSADM)?

Answer 5

• A very detailed and prescriptive method
• System is made up of modules, which is made up of stages, which is made up of steps, which is made up of tasks
• Too prescriptive
• Developers are too focused on following the method slowing system creation

Question 6

What is the Spiral Model?

Answer 6

• Iterative process
• Risk analysis is key, is the project going in the right direction
• Can use any sort of engineering that works for the project

Question 7

What is meant by Socio-Technical Approaches?

Answer 7

• Effective Technical and Human Implementation of Computer Systems (ETHICS)
• The aim is to develop ethically
• Focuses on being ‘participative’
• Design team made up of users and developers

Question 8

What is Soft Systems Method?

Answer 8

• Consider real world situations to design effective solutions
• ‘Soft problems’
• Considers multiple viewpoints
• Can be combined with other methods

Question 9

What is prototyping?

Answer 9

• Allows for active participation
• Encourages testing ideas in the early stages
• Gives the opportunity to improve
• Reduces uncertainty and risk
• At the time, not well accepted: Very hard to control/predict, reluctance to share unfinished work

Question 10

What is Object Oriented Approach?

Answer 10

• A unified approach
• Sees the world as interacting objects: Each phase is overlapping
• Creation of sets of diagrams (UML) to design the systems, that are then used in construction
• Encourages object reuse

Question 11

What is Unified Process?

Answer 11

• A framework of software development
• Lots of different phases, each with overlap
• No stage can be completed independently

Question 12

What are the four values of Agile Manifesto?

Answer 12

• Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
• Working software over comprehensive documentation
• Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
• Responding to change over following a plan

Question 13

What are 3 Agile principles?

Answer 13

• Satisfy customer through early and continuous delivery
• Welcome changing requirements
• Deliver working software frequently

Question 14

What are 4 advantages of Agile?

Answer 14

• Greater customer satisfaction
• Greater chance of project success
• System likely to be higher quality
• Impact of changes and risks not as severe

Question 15

What are 4 disadvantages of Agile?

Answer 15

• Can be difficult to control scope (scope creep)
• Lack of documentation
• Harder to predict costs, time and resources
• Demands on communication and collaboration

Question 16

When should Agile be used?

Answer 16

• Small to medium sized projects
• Building something new
• Projects where requirements are likely to change
• Deliverables that can be broken down into smaller parts
• Customer that wants to be involved
• Projects with strict/short deadlines

Question 17

When should Agile not be used?

Answer 17

• Projects with strict requirements
• Safety-critical systems
• Customer not able to be involved
• Inexperienced team
• Projects with a fixed timeline or budget

Question 18

What are 3 popular Agile methods?

Answer 18

• Extreme Programming (XP)
• Kanban
• SCRUM