Lesson 1.1 Foundations for Systems Development

Question 1

What are the four key SDLC steps? In what order?

Answer 1

The four key SDLC steps: (1) planning and selection، (2) analysis، (3) design، and (4) implementation and operation. Be aware that these steps may vary in each organization، depending on its goals.

Question 2

What are the five things (in addtion to application software) that the information system includes?

Answer 2

In addition to application software، the information system includes: 1. The hardware and systems software on which the application software runs. Note that the systems software helps the computer function، whereas the application software helps the user perform tasks such as writing a paper، preparing a spreadsheet، and linking to the Internet. 2. Documentation and training materials، which are materials created by the systems analyst to help employees use the software they’ve helped create. 3. The specific job roles associated with the overall system، such as the people who run the computers and keep the software operating. 4. Controls، which are parts of the software written to help prevent fraud and theft. 5. The people who use the software in order to do their jobs.

Question 3

What are the 9 characteristics of a system?

Answer 3

1. Components 2. Interrelated components 3. Boundary 4. Purpose 5. Environment 6. Interfaces 7. Constraints 8. Input 9. Output

Question 4

What 4 things does decomposition allow the systems analyst to do:

Answer 4

Break a system into small، manageable، and understandable subsystems Focus attention on one area (subsystem) at a time، without interference from other areas Concentrate on the part of the system pertinent to a particular group of users، without confusing users with unnecessary details Build different parts of the system at independent times and have the help of different analysts

Question 5

What is the primary role of a system analyst?

Answer 5

The primary role of a systems analyst is to study the problems and needs of an organization in order to determine how people، methods، and information technology can best be combined to bring about improvements in the organization. A systems analyst helps system users and other business managers define their requirements for new or enhanced information services.

Question 6

What are the four types of skills that a systems analyst must develop?

Answer 6

Systems analysts are key to the systems development process. To succeed as a systems analyst، you will need to develop four types of skills: analytical، technical، managerial، and interpersonal.

Question 7

What do analystical skills enable a systems analyst to understand? What is one of the most important analytical skills to develop?

Answer 7

Analytical skills enable you to understand the organization and its functions، to identify opportunities and problems، and to analyze and solve problems. One of the most important analytical skills you can develop is systems thinking، or the ability to see organizations and information systems as systems. Systems thinking provides a framework from which to see the important relationships among information systems، in the organizations where they exist، and in the environment where the organizations themselves exist.

Question 8

What do technical skills allow you to do?

Answer 8

Technical skills help you understand the potential and the limitations of information technology. As an analyst، you must be able to envision an information system that will help users solve problems and that will guide the system’s design and development. You must also be able to work with programming languages such as C++ and Java، various operating systems such as Windows and Linux، and computer hardware platforms such as IBM and Mac.

Question 9

What do managerial skills allow you to do?

Answer 9

Management skills help you manage projects، resources، risk، and change.

Question 10

What do interpersonal skills allow you to do?

Answer 10

Interpersonal skills help you work with end users as well as with other analysts and programmers. As a systems analyst، you will play a major role as a liaison among users، programmers، and other systems professionals. Effective written and oral communication، including competence in leading meetings، interviewing end users، and listening، are key skills that analysts must master.

Question 11

Though there can be more (or less)، what are the four main steps in the SDLC? As a reminder، there isn’t a set order so don’t worry about sequence.

Answer 11

(1) planning and selection، (2) analysis، (3) design، and (4) implementation and operation

Question 12

What are the two main activities in the first phase of the SDLC?

Answer 12

The first phase in the SDLC، systems planning and selection، has two primary activities. First، someone identifies the need for a new or enhanced system. Information needs of the organization are examined، and projects to meet these needs are identified. During the systems planning and selection phase، an organization determines whether resources should be devoted to the development or enhancement of each information system under consideration. A feasibility study is conducted before the second phase of the SDLC to determine the economic and organizational impact of the system. The second task in the systems planning and selection phase is to investigate the system and determine the proposed system’s scope.

Question 13

What happens during the second phase of the SDLC?

Answer 13

During this phase، the analyst thoroughly studies the organization’s current procedures and the information systems used to perform tasks such as general ledger، shipping، order entry، machine scheduling، and payroll. Analysis has several subphases. The first subphase involves determining the requirements of the system. As part of structuring، you generate alternative initial designs to match the requirements. Then you compare these alternatives to determine which best meets the requirements within the cost، labor، and technical levels the organization is willing to commit to the development process. The output of the analysis phase is a description of the alternative solution recommended by the analysis team. Once the recommendation is accepted by the organization، you can make plans to acquire any hardware and system software necessary to build or operate the system as proposed.

Question 14

What happens during the third phase of the SDLC?

Answer 14

The third phase of the SDLC is called systems design. During systems design، analysts convert the description of the recommended alternative solution into logical and then physical system specifications. You must design all aspects of the system from input and output screens to reports، databases، and computer processes.

Question 15

What happens during the fourth and final phase of the SDLC?

Answer 15

The final phase of the SDLC is a two-step process: systems implementation and operation. During systems implementation and operation، you turn system specifications into a working system that is tested and then put into use. Implementation includes coding، testing، and installation. During coding، programmers write the programs that make up the system. During testing، programmers and analysts test individual programs and the entire system in order to find and correct errors. During installation، the new system becomes a part of the daily activities of the organization.

Question 16

What is the best tool for creating a prototype?

Answer 16

Designing and building a scaled-down but working version of a desired system is known as prototyping. A prototype can be developed with a CASE tool، a software product that automates steps in the systems development life cycle. CASE tools make prototyping easier and more creative by supporting the design of screens and reports and other parts of a system interface.

Question 17

What are the two key advantages to using the prototype technique?

Answer 17

The key advantages of the prototyping technique are: (1) it involves the user in analysis and design، and (2) it captures requirements in concrete، rather than verbal or abstract، form.

Question 18

Give me 6 types of CASE tools:

Answer 18

The general types of CASE tools include: ■ Diagramming tools that enable system process، data، and control structures to be represented graphically. ■ Computer display and report generators that help prototype how systems “look and feel” to users. Display (or form) and report generators also make it easier for the systems analyst to identify data requirements and relationships. ■ Analysis tools that automatically check for incomplete، inconsistent، or incorrect specifications in diagrams، forms، and reports. ■ A central repository that enables the integrated storage of specifications، diagrams، reports، and project management information. ■ Documentation generators that help produce both technical and user documentation in standard formats. ■ Code generators that enable the automatic generation of program and database definition code directly from the design documents، diagrams، forms، and reports

Question 19

What is the idea behind JAD?

Answer 19

The idea behind JAD is to structure the requirements determination phase of analysis and the reviews that occur as part of the design. Users، managers، and systems developers are brought together for a series of intensive structured meetings run by a JAD session leader. By gathering the people directly affected by an IS in one room at the same time to work together to agree on system requirements and design details، time and organizational resources are better managed.

Question 20

What is the main concern with RAD?

Answer 20

As the conditions of doing business in a changing، competitive global environment became more turbulent، management in many organizations began to question whether it made sense to wait two to three years to develop systems that would be obsolete upon completion.

Question 21

How does RAD work?

Answer 21

The same phases followed in the traditional SDLC are also followed in RAD، but the phases are combined to produce a more stream-lined development technique. Planning and design phases in RAD are shortened by focusing work on system functional and user interface requirements at the expense of detailed business analysis and concern for system performance issues. Also، usually RAD looks at the system being developed in isolation from other systems، thus eliminating the time-consuming activities of coordinating with existing standards and systems during design and development.

Question 22

What is the The Agile Manifesto?

Answer 22

In February 2001، many of the proponents of these alternative approaches met in Utah in the United States and reached a consensus on many of the underlying principles their various approaches contained. This consensus turned into a document they called “The Agile Manifesto”

Question 23

What are the three key features of agile methodologies?

Answer 23

(1) a focus on adaptive rather than predictive methodologies، (2) a focus on people rather than roles، and (3) a self-adaptive process.

Question 24

What is the main purpose of agile methodologies?

Answer 24

Agile Methodologies are based on the ability to adapt quickly. The focus on people rather than roles is also a criticism of engineering-based techniques، where people became interchangeable. An Agile approach views people as talented individuals، not people filling roles، each of whom has unique talents to bring to a development project. Finally، Agile Methodologies promote a self-adaptive software development process. As the methodologies are applied، they should also be adapted by a particular development team working on a particular project in a particular context.