Systems Design & Analysis

Question 1

what are stakeholders

Answer 1

individuals/teams/groups/organizations that have an interest in the project or may become affected by the outcome of the project

Question 2

what are the 3 different methods of obtaining requirements

Answer 2

interviews with stakeholders
questionnaires
direct observation of current procedure

Question 3

how are structured interviews organized

Answer 3

• they are standardized
• they are prescribed
• set of prepared questions is presented in the same manner to each stakeholder

Question 4

how are unstructured interviews organized

Answer 4

• flexible
• stakeholders are encouraged to express their own views or personal beliefs freely

Question 5

what are advantages of interviews

Answer 5

interviewer can observe the verbal and non-verbal behaviors of the stakeholders
interviewer can clarify questions

Question 6

what are disadvantages of interviews

Answer 6

• time-consuming
• unstructured interviews yield data too difficult to summarize/perform statistical analysis on them

Question 7

how are closed / restricted questionnaires structured

Answer 7

• usually “yes”/”no” questions
• short response
• box checks

Question 8

how are open / unrestricted questionnaires structured

Answer 8

• free response
• greater depth of responses

Question 9

what are advantages of questionnaires

Answer 9

• time-saving
• cost-efficient
• guarantee uniformity of questions - yield data that is easier compared to an interview
• can reach a lot of stakeholders in a quick time

Question 10

what are disadvantage of questionnaires

Answer 10

stakeholders can misinterpret the question
respondents’ motivation to their answer is difficult to assess (cannot clarify)

Question 11

what does direct observation of current procedures involve

Answer 11

spending time in different departments

Question 12

what are advantages of direct observation of current procedures

Answer 12

independent of user bias

Question 13

what are disadvantages of direct observation of current procedures

Answer 13

• time consuming
• people may tend to change their behaviors when they know they are being observed (Hawthorne effect)

Question 14

what are the 2 techniques for gathering information

Answer 14

examining current systems
examining competing products

Question 15

what is examining current systems

Answer 15

detailed examination of the current system
- analysis of functions / procedures
- studying the business and system documents

Question 16

what is examining competing products

Answer 16

analysis of competitive factors
- their benefits , vulnerabilities
- their successful characteristics
- their design features
- their user / stakeholder acceptance

Question 17

what are 5 things a modern information system should do

Answer 17

• increase client trust
• preserve brand strength
• preserve organization reputation
• maintain corporate resiliency
• enhance organizational piece

Question 18

what is a requirements specifications document

Answer 18

document that specifies specific requirements

Question 19

what are the 3 different types of processing

Answer 19

online processing
real-time processing
batch processing

Question 20

what is online processing

Answer 20

data processing that is performed by a single processor through the use of equipment that it controls

Question 21

what is real-time processing

Answer 21

data processing that is performed on-the-fly in which the generated data influences the actual process taking place

Question 22

what is batch processing

Answer 22

data processing that is performed on data that have been composed and processed as a single unit

Question 23

what does a system flowchart show

Answer 23

description of a data processing system
shows the flow of data through any individual programs involved
shows batch, real-time, online processing
refers to hardware

Question 24

what does a data flow diagram (DFD) show

Answer 24

shows how data moves through a system
shows data inputs, outputs, stores

Question 25

what is a DFD used for

Answer 25

it is used to describe the problem to be solved

Question 26

what does a DFD not specify

Answer 26

the type of data storage
the type of data

Question 27

what does a structure chart show

Answer 27

describes functions and sub-functions of a system
relationships between modules of a computer program

Question 28

what does each module of a structure chart do

Answer 28

it performs a specific function

Question 29

what does each layer in a program do in structure charts

Answer 29

performs specific activities

Question 30

what does a structure chart help to do

Answer 30

makes the modular design development easier

Question 31

what is a top-down design

Answer 31

software design
problem-solving technique that involves partition of a problem into smaller sub-problems
each sub-problem is broken down until all sub-problems are detailed enough

Question 32

what is pseudocode

Answer 32

artificial language that isn’t directly related to any particular hardware that describes algorithms
requires conversion to a computer language

Question 33

what is a module

Answer 33

complete and independent part of a program

Question 34

what is modular programming

Answer 34

method of partitioning a computer system into separate sub-programs

Question 35

what is an advantage of modular programming

Answer 35

can modify just a specific sub-programs when needed - don’t have to modify the whole program

Question 36

what are the purposes of prototypes

Answer 36

• attracts the attention of the clients as it encourages them to try it out
• provides a concept for the investors to decide whether they want to fund
• encourages active participation between users and developers
• helps to identify any problems in efficiency and design
• increases system development speed

Question 37

what is iteration

Answer 37

repetition of a set of instructions for a specific number of times until the operations yield a desired result

Question 38

what is iterative development of software

Answer 38

steady improvement of the design based on various evaluation and testing methods

Question 39

what are some possible consequences of failing to involve the end-user in the design process

Answer 39

the developed system can solve a different problem