Systems analysis Flashcards

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1
Q

Waterfall

A

sequential design process where developers drafts out all of the requirements for a system up front

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2
Q

waterfall pros

A

client knows what to expect (cost, time), strong documentation allows new team members to be added easily

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3
Q

waterfall cons

A

sequential so cannot go back to previous stage of development, if initial requirements are faulty project will likely fail, product only tested after completion so early bugs will impact large bits of code.

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4
Q

agile/scrum

A

incremental approach, start with simple project design and work on small modules in sprints - best suited when end goal not clearly defined

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5
Q

agile pros

A

changes can be made after initial phase, testing done throughout so bugs are found early, closer relationship between customer an developer

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6
Q

agile cons

A

can be hard to predict time needed/costs so can be easy to overrun/go overbudget

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7
Q

user documentation

A

targeted towards novice users so must be straightforward without technical terms. should help user perform any task on system

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8
Q

user documentation examples

A

instruction manual
installation guide
FAQs

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9
Q

technical/maintentance documentation

A

helps employees maintain system and ensure it runs smoothly once implemented

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10
Q

maintenance docs examples

A

data dictionary,
annotated code listings,
variable listing

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11
Q

feasability study

A

1st stage in systems analysis
aims to understand the problem and determine if it is worth proceeding
feasability report produced at the end

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12
Q

feasability study components

A

economic
time
technical
political
operational
legal

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13
Q

economic feasability

A

cost effectiveness
do benefits outweigh costs (wages, hardware etc)?

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14
Q

time feasability

A

can it be completed in desired time frame?

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15
Q

technical feasability

A

does technology needed exist?
can project be done with resources available?
does dev team have technical skills needed?

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16
Q

political feasability

A

is it politically motivated?
does it go against people’s beliefs?
eg government work

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17
Q

observations

A

analyst shadows employee in natural environment making notes on how they do their job

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17
Q

operational feasability

A

are current work practises and procedures enough to support new system?

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17
Q

investigation (analysis)

A

2nd stage of development
defines all the requirements of the project

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17
Q

main investigation methods

A

observations
questionaires
interviews
document collection

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17
Q

legal feasability

A

will project comply with laws in all countries it will be released in?

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17
Q

observation pro

A

picks up subtle aspects that may have been otherwise missed

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18
Q

observation con

A

people may feel intimidated being watched altering their behavior

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19
Q

questionaires pros

A

can be given to large num of people to get large num of opinions

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20
Q

questionaire cons

A

creator must have knowledge of the system being built and the people it is being sent to
not all sent out will be completed

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21
Q

document collection

A

analyst gathers documents relating to system eg invoices, orders etc to help see what new system needs

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22
Q

doc collection pros

A

documents are reliable
doesn’t interrupt workers

23
Q

doc collection cons

A

may contain sensitive info causing viewing restrictions
gives limited view of system

24
Q

interviews

A

key stakeholders are asked targeted questions about current system

25
Q

interview pros

A

can ask detailed questions with follow up questions

26
Q

interview cons

A

people can lie so responses must be verified
time consuming so only small num of people can be interviewed

27
Q

abstraction

A

reduce to simplest set of characteristics most relevant to solving problem

28
Q

control abstraction

A

hides actions and programming control (eg if statements)

29
Q

data abstraction

A

hides how bits are organised for primitive data types ( eg floating points)

30
Q

decomposition

A

break large problem into series of sub-problems that can be solved individually and merged to solve whole problem

31
Q

systems implementation

A

the transfer of the completed project over to the user (4th stage after design)

32
Q

changeover methods

A

parallel
pilot
big bang
phased

33
Q

parallel implementation

A

systems run parallel to each other for a time period to allow users to choose

34
Q

parallel pros

A

users can learn at their own pace,
if new system crashes can fall back on old one,
can receive feedback

35
Q

parallel cons

A

some processes are linear and need all using same system
hardware may not be able to cope with 2 systems
stubborn old system users will still face big bang eventually

36
Q

phased changeover

A

a modular system implemented gradually with each old module being replaced with a new one

37
Q

phased pros

A

users can get used to changes gradually

38
Q

phased cons

A

can take long time and devs must be paid for all of it
new system must be modular and fully integrated with old system
users may get frustrated with combined system

39
Q

big bang/ direct changeover

A

old system turned off and new system immediately installed

40
Q

big bang pros

A

doesn’t require additional resources
users forces to use new system so can learn together and help each other
only a temporary cut to productivity

41
Q

big bang cons

A

if system fails there is nothing to revert back to
training can be hard as everyone is new

42
Q

pilot changeover

A

in large organisation with departments, several departments can change to new system and provide feedback

43
Q

pilot pros

A

can receive feedback
initial users can change other departments after full release

44
Q

pilot cons

A

users can become isolated from rest of organisation
can be expensive if changes are asked to be made

45
Q

corrective maintenance

A

system developers called in to fix problems (eg bugs, logical errors)
expensive to devs as they should have been spotted in testing

46
Q

white box testing

A

focuses on program structure - program code is studied and tests are devised to test each possible path (control statement) at least once

47
Q

black box testing

A

tests functions of the code - creates set of test data to cover all inputs, outputs and program function (valid, invalid and extreme data)
does code do what it is supposed to do?

48
Q

alpha testing

A

carried out by dev’s in house testing team
highlights errors and omissions in system requirements
alpha builds often not stable and won’t work fully as customers won’t see it.

49
Q

unit testing

A

ensures individual modules are working as intended

50
Q

integration testing

A

tests interface between 2 or more software modules to ensure they work together seamlessly. can be done gradually or all together.

51
Q

beta testing

A

done when product more stable
product given to number of potential users who will test and report problems to devs.
exposes product to real use.

52
Q

acceptance/end user testing

A

final stage to ensure devs and client agree system meets the requirements so it can be signed off.

53
Q

incremental backup

A

only backs up parts of system that have been changed since last backup
requires processing to determines which files have been changed

54
Q

full backup

A

complete backup of all files, software etc that is done regularly and held offsite for safety.

55
Q

methods of storing backups

A

external hard drive/memory stick
CD/DVD
magnetic tapes
dedicated backup server
cloud

56
Q

perfective maintenance

A

small changes made after system acceptance by devs to make system ‘perfect’
eg changing colour scheme for individual users

57
Q

adaptive maintenance

A

changes made by client request after completion of the project at additional cost as they weren’t in the original brief

58
Q

backup

A

process of copying files from main storage to separate area so if file deleted the backup can be accessed to retrieve it

59
Q

file recovery

A

copying file from backup to wherever file is needed

60
Q

waterfall development stages

A
  1. feasability study
  2. analysis (investigation)
  3. design
  4. implementation
  5. testing
  6. installation
  7. evaluation
  8. maintenance