Chapter 13: Building Information Systems

Question 1

Acceptance Testing

Answer 1

Provides the final certification that the system is ready to be used in a production setting.

Question 2

Agile Development

Answer 2

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.

Question 3

Automation

Answer 3

Using the computer to speed up the performance of existing tasks.

Question 4

Business Process Management

Answer 4

Business process management (BPM) is an approach to business which aims to continuously improve and manage business processes.

Question 5

Business Process Redesign

Answer 5

Type of organizational change in which business processes are analyzed, simplified, and redesigned.

Question 6

Component-Based Development

Answer 6

Building large software systems by combining pre-existing software components.

Question 7

Computer-Aided Software Engineering (CASE)

Answer 7

Automation of step-by-step methodologies for software and systems development to reduce the amounts of repetitive work the developer needs to do.

Question 8

Conversion

Answer 8

The process of changing from the old system to the new system.

Question 9

Customization

Answer 9

The modification of a software package to meet an organization’s unique requirements without destroying the package software’s integrity.

Question 10

Data Flow Diagram (DFD)

Answer 10

Primary tool for structured analysis that graphically illustrates a system’s component process and the flow of data between them.

Question 11

Direct Cutover Strategy

Answer 11

A risky conversion approach where the new system completely replaces the old one on an appointed day.

Question 12

Documentation

Answer 12

Descriptions of how an information system works from either a technical or end-user standpoint.

Question 13

End-User Interface

Answer 13

The part of an information system through which the end user interacts with the system, such as on-line screens and commands.

Question 14

Feasibility Study

Answer 14

As part of the systems analysis process, the way to determine whether the solution is achievable, given the organization’s resources and constraints.

Question 15

Fourth-Generation Languages

Answer 15

A programming language that can be employed directly by end users or less-skilled programmers to develop computer applications more rapidly than conventional programming languages.

Question 16

Information Requirements

Answer 16

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.

Question 17

Iterative

Answer 17

A process of repeating over and over again the steps to build a system.

Question 18

Joint Application Design (JAD)

Answer 18

Process to accelerate the generation of information requirements by having end users and information systems specialists work together in intensive interactive design sessions.

Question 19

Maintenance

Answer 19

Changes in hardware, software, documentation, or procedures to a production system to correct errors, meet new requirements, or improve processing efficiency.

Question 20

Object

Answer 20

Software building block that combines data and the procedures acting on the data.

Question 21

Object-Oriented Development

Answer 21

Approach to systems development that uses the object as the basic unit of systems analysis and design. The system is modeled as a collection of objects and the relationship between them.

Question 22

Offshore Outsourcing

Answer 22

Outsourcing systems development work or maintenance of existing systems to external vendors in another country.

Question 23

Paradigm Shift

Answer 23

Radical reconceptualization of the nature of the business and the nature of the organization.

Question 24

Parallel Strategy

Answer 24

A safe and conservative conversion approach where both the old system and its potential replacement are run together for a time until everyone is assured that the new one functions correctly.

Question 25

Phased Approach Strategy

Answer 25

Introduces the new system in stages either by functions or by organizational units.

Question 26

Pilot Study Strategy

Answer 26

A strategy to introduce the new system to a limited area of the organization until it is proven to be fully functional; only then can the conversion to the new system across the entire organization take place.

Question 27

Postimplementation Audit

Answer 27

Formal review process conducted after a system has been placed in production to determine how well the system has met its original objectives.

Question 28

Process Specifications

Answer 28

Describe the logic of the processes occurring within the lowest levels of a data flow diagram.

Question 29

Production

Answer 29

The stage after the new system is installed and the conversion is complete; during this time the system is reviewed by users and technical specialists to determine how well it has met its original goals.

Question 30

Programming

Answer 30

The process of translating the system specifications prepared during the design stage into program code.

Question 31

Prototype

Answer 31

The preliminary working version of an information system for demonstration and evaluation purposes.

Question 32

Prototyping

Answer 32

The process of building an experimental system quickly and inexpensively for demonstration and evaluation so that users can better determine information requirements.

Question 33

Query Languages

Answer 33

Software tool that provides immediate online answers to requests for information that are not predefined.

Question 34

Rapid Application Development (RAD)

Answer 34

Process for developing systems in a very short time period by using prototyping, fourth-generation tools, and close teamwork among users and systems specialists.

Question 35

Rationalization of Procedures

Answer 35

The streamlining of standard operating procedures, eliminating obvious bottlenecks, so that automation makes operating procedures more efficient.

Question 36

Request for Proposal (RFP)

Answer 36

A detailed list of questions submitted to vendors of software or other services to determine how well the vendor’s product can meet the organization’s specific requirements.

Question 37

Responsive Web Design

Answer 37

Ability of a Web site to automatically change screen resolution and image size as a user switches to devices of different sizes, such as a laptop, tablet computer, or smartphone. Eliminates the need for separate design and development work for each new device.

Question 38

Six Sigma

Answer 38

A specific measure of quality, representing 3.4 defects per million opportunities; used to designate a set of methodologies and techniques for improving quality and reducing costs.

Question 39

Structure Chart

Answer 39

System documentation showing each level of design, the relationship among the levels, and the overall place in the design structure; can document one program, one system, or part of one program.

Question 40

Structured

Answer 40

Refers to the fact that techniques are carefully drawn up, step by step, with each step building on a previous one.

Question 41

Systems Analysis

Answer 41

The analysis of a problem that the organization will try to solve with an information systems.

Question 42

Systems Design

Answer 42

Details how a system will meet the information requirements as determined by the systems analysis.

Question 43

Systems Development

Answer 43

The activities that go into producing an information systems solutions to an organizational problem or opportunity.

Question 44

Systems Life Cycle

Answer 44

A traditional methodology for developing an information system that partitions the systems development process into formal stages that must be completed sequentially with a very formal division of labor between end users and information systems specialists.

Question 45

Systems Testing

Answer 45

Tests the functioning of the information system as a whole in order to determine if discrete modules will function together as planned.

Question 46

Test Plan

Answer 46

Prepared by the development team in conjunction with the users; it includes all of the preparations for the series of tests to be performed on the system.

Question 47

Testing

Answer 47

The exhaustive and thorough process that determines whether the system produces the desired results under known conditions.

Question 48

Total Quality Management (TQM)

Answer 48

A concept that makes quality control a responsibility to be shared by all people in an organization.

Question 49

Unit Testing

Answer 49

The process of testing each program separately in the system. Sometimes called program testing.

Question 50

How does building new systems produce organizational change?

Answer 50

Building a new information system is a form of planned organizational change. Four kinds of technology-enabled change are (a) automation, (b) rationalization of procedures, (c) business process redesign, and (d) paradigm shift, with far-reaching changes carrying the greatest risks and rewards. Many organizations are using business process management to redesign work flows and business processes in the hope of achieving dramatic productivity breakthroughs. Business process management is also useful for promoting, total quality management (TQM), six sigma, and other initiative s for incremental process improvement.

Question 51

What are the core activities in the systems development process?

Answer 51

The core activities in systems development are systems analysis, systems design, programming, testing, conversion, production, and maintenance. Systems analysis is the study and analysis of problems of existing systems and the identification of requirements for their solutions. Systems design provides the specifications for an information system solution, showing how its technical and organizational components fit together.

Question 52

What are the principal methodologies for modeling and designing systems?

Answer 52

The two principal methodologies for modeling and designing information systems are structured methodologies and object-oriented development. Structured methodologies focus on modeling processes and data separately. The data flow diagram is the principal tool for structured analysis, and the structure chart is the principal tool for representing structured software design. Object-oriented development models a system as a collection of objects that combine processes and data. Object-oriented modeling is based on the concepts of class and inheritance.

Question 53

What are the alternative methods for building information systems?

Answer 53

The oldest method for building systems is the systems life cycle, which requires that information systems be developed in formal stages. The stages must proceed sequentially and have defined outputs; each requires formal approval before the next stage can commence. The systems life cycle is useful for large projects that need formal specifications and tight management control over each stage of systems building, but it is very rigid and costly.
Prototyping consists of building an experimental system rapidly and inexpensively for end users to interact with and evaluate. Prototyping encourages end-user involvement in systems development and iteration of design until specifications are captured accurately. The rapid creation of prototypes can result in systems that have not been completely tested or documented or that are technically inadequate for a production environment.
Using a software package reduces the amount of design, programming, testing, installation, and maintenance work required to build a system. Application software packages are helpful if a firm does not have the internal information systems staff or financial resources to custom develop a system. To meet an organization’s unique requirements, packages may require extensive modifications that can substantially raise development costs.
End-user development is the development of information systems specialists. End-user-developed systems can be created rapidly and informally using fourth-generation software tools. However, end-user development may create information systems that do not necessarily meet quality assurance standards and that are not easily controlled by traditional means.
Outsourcing consists of using an external vendor to build (or operate) a firm’s information systems instead of the organization’s internal information systems staff. Outsourcing consists of using an external vendor to build (or operate) a firm’s information systems instead of the organization’s internal information systems staff. Outsourcing can save application development costs or enable firms to develop applications without an internal information systems staff. However, firms risk losing control over their information systems and becoming too dependent on external vendors. Outsourcing also entails hidden costs, especially when the work is sent offshore.

Question 54

What are new approaches for system building in the digital firm era?

Answer 54

Companies are turning to rapid application design (RAD), joint application design (JAD), agile development, and reusable software components to accelerate the systems development process. RAD uses object-oriented software, visual programming, prototyping, and fourth-generation tools for very rapid creation of systems. Agile development breaks a large project into a series of small subprojects that are completed in short periods of time using iteration and continuous feedback. Component-based development expedites application development by grouping objects into suites of software components that can be combined to create large-scale business applications. Web services provide a common set of standards that enable organizations to link their systems regardless of their technology platform through standard plug-and-play architecture. Mobile application development must pay attention to simplicity, usability, and the need to optimize tasks for tiny screens.