sysdesi quiz 1

• System analysis is a process of collecting factual data, understand the processes involved, identifying problems and recommending feasible suggestions for improving the systemfunctioning
• A system is an interrelated set of business procedures used within one business unit working together for a purpose
• A system exists within an environment
• A boundary separates a system from its environment
• Decomposition is the process of breaking down a system into smaller components
• Modularity is the process of dividing a system into modulesof a relatively uniform size
• Couplings are subsystems that are dependent upon eachother are coupled
• Cohesion is the extent to which a subsystem performs asingle function
• The three primary roles of a systems analyst

  1. Consultant
  2. Supporting expert
  3. Agent of change
• Identify problems by:

  1. Checking output against performance criteria
  2. Observing the behavior of employees
  3. Listening to feedback from vendors, customers, and suppliers
• Five specific criteria for project selection:

  1. Backed by management
  2. Timed appropriately for the commitment of resources
  3. It moves the business toward attainment of its goals
  4. Practicable
  5. Important enough to be considered over other projects
• Systems integration allows hardware and software from different vendors to work together
• Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a complex project management model that encompasses system or software creation from its initial idea to its finalized deployment and maintenance.
• Seven phases of the SDLC

  1. Identifying Problems, Opportunities, and Objectives
  2. Determining Human Information Requirements
  3. Analyzing System Needs
  4. Designing the Recommended System
  5. Developing and Documenting Software
  6. Testing and Maintaining the System
  7. Implementing and Evaluating the System
• Two reasons for performing maintenance:

  1. Removing software errors
  2. Enhancing existing software
• Transaction Processing Systems (TPS) automate handling of data about business activities (transactions)
• Management Information Systems (MIS) converts raw data from transaction processing system into meaningful form
• Decision Support Systems (DSS) are designed to help decision makers and provides interactive environment for decision making
• Problems with Waterfall Approach

  1. System requirements “locked in” after being determined (can't change)
  2. Limited user involvement (only inrequirements phase)
  3. Too much focus on milestone deadlines of SDLC phases to the detriment of sound development practices
• Joint Application Design (JAD) is a structured process involving users, analysts, and managers to specify or review system requirements
• Rapid Application Development (RAD) is a methodology to decrease design and implementation time
• Agile Methodologies are motivated by recognition of software development as fluid, unpredictable, and dynamic
• Three key principles of agile methodologies:

  1. Adaptive rather than predictive
  2. Emphasize people rather than roles
  3. Self-adaptive processes
• Extreme programming is a software development methodology that emphasizes the importance of frequent, small, and incremental changes to the code base.
• Object-oriented analysis and design is a technique for developing software that is based on the idea that a program should be designed around objects
• Object: a structure encapsulating attributes and behaviors of a real-world entity
• Object class: a logical grouping of objects sharing the same attributes and behaviors
• Inheritance: hierarchical arrangement of classes enable subclasses to inherit properties of superclasses
• Rational Unified Process (RUP) involves an iterative, incremental approach to systems development
• Office Automation Systems (OAS) are systems that make use of tools like word processing, electronic mail, calendaring features, and reminder files
• Knowledge Work Systems (KWS) support professional workers such as scientists, engineers and doctors by aiding them to create new knowledge
• Expert Systems (ES) also known as knowledge-based systems, effectively capture and use the knowledge ofan expert for solving a particular problem experienced in an organization
• Executive Support/Information Systems (ESS) address unstructured decisions and create a generalized computing and communications environment, rather than providing any fixed application or specific capability
• Electronic Business: Executing all the firm’s business processes with Internet technology
• E-commerce – buying and selling goods and services online
• Intranet: Business builds private, secure network based on Internet technology
• Extranet: Extension of intranet to authorized external users
• Feasibility study guides the organization in determiningwhether to proceed with a project or not
• Technical feasibility assesses whether the current technical resources are sufficient for the new system
• Economic feasibility determines whether the time and money are available to develop the system