Chapter 20: Introduction to Systems Development and Systems Analysis

Question 1

systems development life cycle (SDLC)

Answer 1

a five-step process used to design and implement a new system

Question 2

systems analysis

Answer 2

first SDLC step where the information needed to purchase, develop, or modify a system is gathered

Question 3

conceptual design

Answer 3

second SDLC step where analysts decide how to meet user needs, identify and evaluate design alternatives, and develop detailed specifications for what the system is to accomplish and how it is to be controlled

Question 4

physical design

Answer 4

third SDLC step where broad, user-oriented conceptual design requirements are translated into the detailed specifications used to code and test software, design input/output, create files/databases, develop procedures, and implement controls

Question 5

implementation and conversion

Answer 5

fourth SDLC step where the company hires and trains employees, tests and modifies procedures, establishes standards and controls, completes documentation, moves to the new system, and detects and corrects design deficiencies

Question 6

operations and maintenance

Answer 6

fifth SDLC step where the system is periodically reviewed and necessary modifications and improvements are made

Question 7

information systems steering committee

Answer 7

high-level management who plan and oversee the IS function, setting IS policies that govern the AIS, ensuring top-management guidance and control, and coordinating and integrating systems activities

Question 8

systems analysis

Answer 8

people who help users determine their information needs, study existing systems and design new ones, and prepare specifications used by computer programmers

Question 9

computer programmers

Answer 9

people who write and test programs using the specifications developed by the analysts and modify and maintain existing computer programs

Question 10

project development plan

Answer 10

document showing project requirements (people, hardware software, and financial), a cost-benefit analysis, and how a project will be completed (modules or tasks to be performed, who will perform them, and completion dates).

Question 11

master plan

Answer 11

it describes what a system will consist of, how it will be developed, who will develop it, when it will be developed, how needed resources will be acquired, the status of projects in process, the prioritization of planned projects, and the prioritization criteria

Question 12

program evaluation and review technique (PERT)

Answer 12

a way to plan, develop, coordinate, control, and schedule systems development activities; all activities, and precedent and subsequent relationships among activities, are identified and shown on a PERT diagram

Question 13

critical path

Answer 13

the PERT path requiring the greatest amount of time to complete a project; if a critical path activity is delayed, the whole project is delayed

Question 14

Gantt chart

Answer 14

a bar graph used for project planning. It shows project activities on the left, units of time across the top, and the time each activity is expected to take a horizontal bar

Question 15

feasibility study

Answer 15

an investigation to determine whether it is practical to develop a new application or system

Question 16

economic feasibility

Answer 16

determining whether system benefits justify the time, money, and resources required to implement it

Question 17

technical feasibility

Answer 17

determining if a proposed system can be developed given the available technology

Question 18

legal feasibility

Answer 18

determining if a proposed system will comply with all applicable federal and state laws, administrative agency regulations, and contractual obligations

Question 19

scheduling feasibility

Answer 19

determining if a proposed system can be developed and implemented in the time allotted

Question 20

operational feasibility

Answer 20

determining if the organization has access to people who can design, implement, and operate the proposed system and if employees will use the system

Question 21

capital budgeting model

Answer 21

a return-on-investment technique use to compare estimated benefits and costs to determine whether a system is cost beneficial

Question 22

payback period

Answer 22

a return-on-investment technique used to calculate the number of years required for the net savings of a system to equal its initial cost

Question 23

net present value (NPV)

Answer 23

a return-on-investment technique that discounts all estimated future cash flows back to the present using a discount rate that reflects the time value of money

Question 24

internal rate of return (IRR)

Answer 24

a return-on-investment technique that calculates the interest rate that makes the present value of total costs equal to the present value of total savings

Question 25

behavioral aspects of change

Answer 25

the positive and negative ways people react to change; managing these behavioral reactions is crucial to successfully implementing a new system

Question 26

aggression

Answer 26

resistance to change intended to destroy, cripple, or weaken system effectiveness, such as increased error rates, disruptions, or deliberate sabotage

Question 27

projection

Answer 27

resistance to change that blames anything and everything on the new system, such that it becomes the scapegoat for all real and imagined problems and errors

Question 28

avoidance

Answer 28

resistance to change where users ignore a new IS in the hope that the new system will eventually go away

Question 29

request for systems development

Answer 29

a written request for a new or improved system that describes the current system’s problems, the reasons for the change, and the proposed system’s objectives, benefits, and costs

Question 30

initial investigation

Answer 30

a preliminary investigation to determine whether a proposed new system is both needed and feasible

Question 31

proposal to conduct systems analysis

Answer 31

a request to complete the systems analysis phase for a project that makes it through the initial investigation

Question 32

systems survey

Answer 32

an extensive study of the current AIS

Question 33

systems documentation

Answer 33

a complete description of how the system is supposed to work, including questionnaire copies, interview notes, memos, document copies, and models

Question 34

physical model

Answer 34

the description of how a system functions by describing document flow, computer processes performed, the people performing them, and the equipment used

Question 35

logical model

Answer 35

system description that focuses on what essential activities are performed and the flow of information irrespective of how the flow is actually accomplished

Question 36

systems survey report

Answer 36

a report that summaries all the activities that took place during the systems survey, including all relevant documentation

Question 37

systems analysis report

Answer 37

comprehensive report summarizing systems analysis that documents the findings of analysis activities