CHAPTER1 Flashcards

(44 cards)

1
Q

Where do systems analysts work?

A
  • Most systems analysts work for the information services unit of an organization.
  • Systems analysts (along with systems designers and builders) may also be permanently assigned to a team that supports a specific business function (e.g. financial systems)
  • System owners and system users are located in the functional units and sub-units of the business, as well as in the executive management
  • System designers and builders are usually located In the Information systems unit of the business.
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2
Q

What are the career paths for systems analysts?

A
  • Project managers
  • Information systems managers
  • Technical specialists (database, telecommunications)
  • Consultants
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3
Q

Skills needed by the Systems Analyst

A
  • Skills needed by the Systems Analyst
  • Working knowledge of information technologies
  • Computer programming experience and expertise
  • General knowledge of business processes and terminology
  • General problem solving skills
  • Good interpersonal communication skills
  • Good interpersonal relations skills
  • Flexibility and adaptability
  • Character and ethics
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4
Q

What are the business drivers for today’s IS and how is each relevant to systems analysis?

A
  1. Globalization of the Economy
  2. Electronic Commerce and Business
  3. Security and Privacy
  4. Collaboration and Partnership
  5. Knowledge Asset Management
  6. Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) and Total Quality Management (TQM)
  7. Business Process Redesign (BPR)
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5
Q

What are the technical drivers for today’s IS and how is each relevant to systems analysis?

A
  1. Networks and the Internet
  2. Mobile and Wireless Technologies
  3. Object Technologies
  4. Collaborative Technologies
  5. Enterprise Applications
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6
Q

**Systems concepts:

A
  • **Definition: Organized, interrelated, and interacting entities or ideas that work together to achieve a common goal
  • The can exists in an environment
  • They can be divided into smaller systems
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7
Q

**Classification of systems

A
    1. Abstract/Conceptual vs. Physical – information systems are abstract systems
    1. Natural vs. Artificial
    1. Closed/stable/mechanistic systems vs. open/adaptive/organic systems
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8
Q

What are the components of systems?

A

• Boundary
Separates system from the environment
Defines the scope of the system (what is included in the system vs. what is excluded from the system)
If physical boundary does not exist (in abstract systems), boundary is defined indirectly by inclusion/exclusion of entities
• Entities
The SMALLEST unit of the system (a process that cannot be divided into components any further)
• Subsystems
Grouping of related entities of the system
• Input
Flows (of data) from the environment to the system
• Output
Flows (of data) from the system to the environment
• Interface
Interaction (data flow) between subsystems
Buffers (Slack resources): extra resources at the interfaces used to reduce the dependence between subsystems
• Feedback and control
Open vs. Closed system
Open system: has feedback and control system
Closed system DOES NOT have a feedback and control system
• Feedback: Reaction of the environment to the system’s performance. Voluntary rather than scheduled and required like input
Control: Internal mechanism the system uses to respond to feedback so that it maintain itself
Constraints: limited resources available to the system

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9
Q

Capability Maturity Model (CMM): a standardized framework for assessing the maturity level of an organization’s information systems development and management processes and products. It consists of FIVE levels of maturity

A
  • System life cycle: the factoring of the lifetime of an information system into 2 stages:
    1. Systems development, and
    1. Systems operation and maintenance

First you build it, and then you use and maintain it. Eventually, you cycle back to redevelopment of a new system

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10
Q

What is SDLC?

A

any person whose job involves creating, collecting, processing, distributing, and using information.

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11
Q

System owner

A

an information system’s sponsor and executive advocate, usually responsible for funding the project of developing, operating, and maintaining the information system.

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12
Q

System user

A

a “customer” who will use or is affected by an information system on a regular basis - capturing, validating, entering responding to, storing and exchanging data and information.

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13
Q

knowledge worker

A

any worker whose responsibilities are based on a specialized body of knowledge.

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14
Q

Remote User

A

a user who is not physically located on the premises but who still requires access to information systems.

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15
Q

Mobile User

A

a user whose location is constantly changing but who requires access to information systems from any location.

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16
Q

System Designer

A

a technical specialist who translates system users’ business requirements and constraints into technical solutions. She or her designs the computer databases, inputs, outputs screens, networks, and software that will meet the system users’ requirements.

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17
Q

System Builder

A

a technical specialist who constructs information systems and components based on the design specifications generated by the system designers.

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18
Q

System Analyst

A

a specialist who studies the problems and needs of an organization to determine how people, data, processes, and information technology can best accomplish improvements for the business.

19
Q

External Service Provider (ESP)

A

a systems analyst, system designer, or system builder who sells his or her expertise and experience to other businesses to help those businesses purchase, develop, or integrate their information systems solutions; may be affiliated with a consulting or services organization.

20
Q

Project Manager

A

an experienced professional who accepts responsibility for planning, monitoring and controlling projects with respect to schedule, budget, deliveryables, customer satisfaction, technical standards and system quality.

21
Q

E-Commerce

A

the buying and selling of goods and services by using the internet.

22
Q

E-Business

A

the use of the internet to conduct and support day-to-day business activities.

23
Q

data

A

raw facts about people, places,events and things that are of importance in an organization. Each fact is , by itself, relatively meaningless.

24
Q

information

A

data that has been processed or reorganized into a more meaningful form for someone. Information is formed from combinations of data that hopefully have meaning to the recipient.

25
knowledge
data and information that are further refined based on the facts,, truths, beliefs, judgments, experiences, and expertise of the recipient. Ideally information leads to wisdom.
26
Business Process Improvement (CPI)
the continuous monitoring of business processes to effect small but measurable in cost reduction and value added.
27
Total Quality Management (TQM)
a comprehensive approach to facilitating quality improvements and management within a business.
28
Object Technology
a software technology that defines a system in terms of objects that consolidate data and behaviour (into objects). Objects become reusable and extensible components for the software developers.
29
Object-orineted analysis and design
a collection of tools and techniques for systems development that will utilize object technologies to construct a system and its software.
30
agile development
a systems development strategy wherein the system developers are given the flexibility to select from a variety of appropriate tools and techniques to best accomplish the tasks at hand.
31
Systems Integration
the process of building a unified information system out of diverse components of purchased software, custom-built software, hardware and networking.
32
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
a software application that fully integrates information systems that span most or all of the basic, core business functions (including transaction processing and management information for those business functions).
33
Supply Chain Management (SCM)
a software application that optimizes business processes through finished product distribution by directly integrating the logistical information systems of organizations with those of their supplier and distributors.
34
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
a software application that provides customers with access to a business's processes from initial inquiry through post-sale service and support
35
Enterprise Application Integration (EAI)
the process and technologies used to link application to support the flow of data and information between those applications. EAI solutions are usually based on middleware.
36
middleware
software (usually purchased) used to translate and route data between different applications.
37
System Development Process
a set of activities, methods, best practices deliverables, and automated tools that stakeholders use to develop and maintain information systems and software.
38
Project Management
the activity of defining, planning, directing, monitoring, and controlling a project to develop an acceptable system within the allotted time and budget.
39
Process Management
the ongoing activity that defines, improves and coordinates the use of an organization's chosen methodology (the "process") and standards for all system development projects.
40
System initiation
the initial planning for a project to define initial business scope, goals, schedule and budget.
41
System analysis
the study of a business problem domain to recommend improvements and specify the business requirements and priorities for the solution.
42
System Design
the specification or construction of a technical, computer-based solution for the business requirements identified in system analysis. (Note: increasingly, the design takes the form of a working prototype.)
43
System Implementation
the construction, installation, testing and delivery of a system into production (meaning day-to-day operation).
44
Information Systems
an arrangement of people, data, processes, and information technology that interact to collect, process, store, and provide as output the information needed to support an organization.