Chapter 1
What is the role of a Systems Analyst?
Plans, develops, and maintains information systems.
Manages IT projects, including tasks, resources, schedules, and costs.
Coducts meetings, delivers presentations, and writes memos, reports, and documentation.
What is a business case?
Justification for a proposal
Draw and explain the project triangle on the board.
Time, cost, and scope (or quality). Only two can be better than the one. They cannot all be better.
What does JAD and RAD stand for and what do they mean?
JAD: Joint application development: brings users into the development process as active participants.
RAD: Rapid application development: Users a groupd approach like JAD but cuts development time and expense.
What does a DFD (Data Flow Diagram) show?
Shows how data moves through an information system but does not show program logic or processing steps.
What is a "system"?
Set of related components that produce specific results.
What are doing if you are "fact-finding"?
Gathering data about project usability, costs, benefits, and schedules.
What is the role of a project manager?
Planning, scheduling, monitoring/controlling, and reporting.
Name one system requirement type
Outputs, inputs, processes, performance, controls.
What is a Data Dictionary?
What does B2B and B2C stand for?
Business to Business and Business to Customer.
What is the difference between discretionary and nondiscrentionary projects?
Discretionary: Projects where management has a choice in implementing them.
Nondiscretionary: Management has no choice in implementing a project.
What does a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) do?
Breaks down project into a series of smaller tasks.
What does TCO stand for?
Total cost of ownership.
What is UML?
Unified Modeling Language: Method of visualizing and documenting an information system.
What are a "business profile" and "business process"?
Business Profile: Overview of a company's mission, functions, organization, products, services, customers, suppliers, competitors, constraints, and future direction.
Business Process: Specific set of transactions, events, and results that can be described and documented.
What are the 6 steps for a preliminary investigation?
Step 1: Understand the problem or opportunity.
Step 2: Define the project scope and constraints.
Step 3: Perform fact-finding.
Step 4: Analyze project usabulity, cost, benefit, and schedule data.
Step 5: Evaluate feasibility.
Step 6: Present results and recommendations to management.
Explain the critical path and how to calculate it?
Series of tasks which, if delayed, will affect the completion date of the overall project.
Caculate: Determine start and finish dates, which will define the critical path.
Name 2 interview steps.
Options:
Step 1: Determine the people to interview
Step 2: Establish objectives for the interview
Step 3: Develop interview questions
Step 4: Prepare for the interview
Step 5: Conduct the interview
Step 6: Document the interview
Step 7: Evaluate the interview
What shape is the UML symbol for a use case?
An OVAL!!!
What are Transaction Processing Systems?
Processes data generated by day-to-day business operations
What are the 4 feasibilities and their definitions?
Operational Feasibility: A proposed system will be used effectively after it has been developed.
Economic Feasibility: Project benefits of a proposed system out-weigh the total cost of ownership (TCO).
Technical Feasibility: Technical resources required to acquire and use the system.
Schedule Feasibility: A prokect can be implemented in an acceptable time frame.
Give one exmaple of a project management software.
Ex. Microsft Project, GanttProject, Gantter, and Apptivo and smartsheet.
What is the TCO formula?
TCO = Upfront costs + Annual Cost * Number of years
What is the end product of O-O analysis?
Object Model!!!