Chapter 21 – ‘AIS Development Strategies’ Flashcards
- Which of the following is NOT one of the difficulties accountants have
experienced using the traditional systems development life cycle?
a. AIS development projects are backlogged for years.
b. Changes are usually not possible after requirements have been frozen.
c. The AIS that is developed may not meet their needs.
d. All are difficulties with the SDLC.
d. All are difficulties with the SDLC. [Correct.]
- Companies that buy rather than develop an AIS must still go through
the systems development life cycle.
a. True
b. false
a. True [Correct. Purchasing a system still requires a company to follow the
systems development life cycle of analyzing, designing (conceptual and
physical), and implementing a new system. Otherwise, the company risks not
purchasing the right system for its needs.]
- Which of the following statements is FALSE?
a. As a general rule, companies should buy rather than develop software if they
can find a package that meets their needs.
b. As an AIS increases in size and complexity, there is a greater likelihood that
canned software can be found that meets user needs.
c. A company should not attempt to develop its own custom software unless
experienced, in-house programming personnel are available and the job can be
completed less expensively on the inside.
d. As a general rule, a company should develop custom software only when it will provide a significant competitive advantage.
b. As an AIS increases in size and complexity, there is a greater likelihood that
canned software can be found that meets user needs. [Correct. This is a false
statement. Large and complex systems need greater customization than
smaller systems and thus are less likely to lend themselves to the one-size-fitsall
approach of canned software.]
- When a company is buying large and complex systems, vendors are
invited to submit systems for consideration. What is such a solicitation
called?
a. request for quotation
b. request for system
c. request for proposal
d. good-faith estimate
c. request for proposal (Correct: A request for proposal invites vendors to
propose solutions to a company’s need)
- To compare system performance, a company can create a data
processing task with input, processing, and output jobs. This task is
performed on the systems under consideration and the processing times
are compared. The AIS with the lowest time is the most efficient. What is
this process called?
a. benchmarking
b. requirements costing
c. point scoring
d. performance testing
a. benchmarking [Correct. Benchmarking measures system performance by
comparing processing times.]
- Which of the following statements is true?
a. Because the AIS is so crucial, companies never outsource parts of the AIS.
b. Most mainframe outsourcing contracts are for two to three years and cost thousands o f dollars a year.
c. Outsourcers often buy the client’s computers and hire all or most of its information systems employees.
d. Only companies struggling to survive and wanting a quick infusion of cash from selling their hardware use outsourcing.
c. Outsourcers often buy the client’s computers and hire all or most of its
information systems employees. [Correct. Many large outsourcing deals
involve purchasing the client’s hardware and hiring the client’s employees.]
- Which of the following is NOT a benefit of outsourcing?
a. It offers a great deal of flexibility because it is relatively easy to change
outsourcers.
b. I t can provide access to the expertise and special services provided by
outsourcers.
c. It allows companies to move to a more sophisticated level of computing at a
reason- able cost.
d. It is a cost-effective way to handle the peaks and valleys found in seasonal
businesses.
a. It offers a great deal of flexibility because it is relatively easy to change
outsourcers. [Correct. This is not a benefit of outsourcing. Because contracts
are long term, outsourcers can be very inflexible, as well as difficult and costly
to change.]
- Which of the following is a true statement with respect to prototyping?
a. In the early stages of prototyping, system controls and exception handling
may be sacrificed in the interests of simplicity, flexibility, and ease of use.
b. A prototype is a scaled-down, first-draft model that is quickly and
inexpensively built and given to users to evaluate.
c. The first step in prototyping is to identify system requirements.
d. All of the statements are true.
d. All of the statements are true. [Correct.]
- Which of the following is NOT an advantage of prototyping?
a. better definition of user needs
b. adequately tested and documented systems
c. higher user involvement and satisfaction
d. faster development time
b. adequately tested and documented systems [Correct. This is not an
advantage of prototyping. Because prototypes are developed so quickly,
developers often neglect documentation and a full testing before the system
becomes operational.]
- When is it most appropriate to use prototyping?
a. when there is little uncertainty about the AIS
b. when it is clear what users’ needs are
c. when the final AIS cannot be clearly visualized because the decision process is still unclear
d. when there is a very low likelihood of failure
c. when the final AIS cannot be clearly visualized because the decision process
is still unclear [Correct. Prototyping is more effective when there is
substantial uncertainty about how an AIS should work, look, and feel.]
