System Analysis & Design Question & Solutions

Chapter-1

1 - Identify the main components of an information system and describe the systems stakeholders.

An information system is comprised of Hardware, Software, processes and data. The systems stake holders are the end users, the system managers, IT Staff and anyone that interacts with an information system.

2-Explain the use of models, prototypes, and CASE tools in the systems development process. Also explain the pros and cons of agile development methods.

Computer-aided system engineering (CASE) is used by system analysts to develop and maintain models of business processes. Analyst use case tools to build a models and prototypes of a business process.
The end result of an agile system development method can result in a better product for the end user owing to the fact it takes into account high levels of user feedback but without a detailed set of system requirement the user could ask for things in the system that don’t fit into the organizations overall business strategy

3-Describe the phases of the systems development life cycle, and compare the SDLC waterfall model with the spiral model.

Software development life cycle or SDLC for short is a methodology for designing, building, and maintaining information and industrial systems. So far, there exist many SDLC models, such as the Waterfall model, which comprises five phases to be completed sequentially in order to develop a software solution

• Project planning, feasibility study: Establishes a high-level view of the intended project and determines its goals.
• Systems analysis, requirements definition: Refines project goals into defined functions and operation of the intended application. Analyzes end-user information needs.
• Systems design: Describes desired features and operations in detail, including screen layouts, business rules, process diagrams, pseudocode and other documentation.
• Implementation: The real code is written here.
• Integration and testing: Brings all the pieces together into a special testing environment, then checks for errors, bugs and interoperability.
• Acceptance, installation, deployment: The final stage of initial development, where the software is put into production and runs actual business.
• Maintenance: What happens during the rest of the software's life: changes, correction, additions, moves to a different computing platform and more. This, the least glamorous and perhaps most important step of all, goes on seemingly forever.

Waterfall Model vs Spiral Model

In spiral model, we can easily adjust the software development with the required changes. The prototypes which are created in every stage, enables us to roll back only a few steps. As soon as any new changes are requested or required we can start up from the last left over prototype version. Whereas, Waterfall model the stages are executed under a sequential flow. Every new phase is processed only after completing the previous phase. This is a big reason why any sudden changes are very hard to accommodate under Waterfall model.

Again, simply because of the sequential nature of the waterfall model if a bug is found or an error is incurred for a preliminary reason, we need to start from the scratch again. Whereas, under spiral model every prototype is tried and tested and hence the chances of find errors at later stages are very rare. For complete list of differences you can check out our Difference category.

4-Some experts believe that the growth in e-commerce will cause states and local governments to lose a significant amount of sales tax revenue, unless Internet transactions are subject to sales tax. Do you agree? Why or why not?

I feel that this is an over step of bounds, the tax for items that are purchased on the internet should not be taxed. The reason for the tax was to help the local economy but the taxation of these items will just push sellers to areas where taxes are not collected on their business.

5-Present an argument for and against the following proposition: Because IT managers mustunderstand all phases of the business, a company should fill top management vacancies by promoting IT managers.

Some possible arguments for the proposition follow

a.Information technology (IT) management has a broad understanding of the information processing of the company instead of the narrower view held by managers from other areas of the company.

b. IT management deals with all functional company areas so members of IT management know and interrelate with the people who lead and who work in these areas. Because they provide needed services to these areas, IT management personnel have the support of the key personnel from these areas.

c. information systems development and maintenance is complex and requires extraordinary management skills to operate successfully. These same skills are necessary in top-level management positions.

d. Computer technology dominates many companies today. Today's technology leaders should be tomorrow's business leaders.

Some possible arguments against the proposition follow:

a.       IT management is more comfortable dealing with computers and with procedures, and less comfortable dealing with people. Top-level management positions require a strong interest in people and strong skills in dealing with people.

b.      Whether a firm is product-oriented or service-oriented, it must make a profit to survive. Future company leaders should, therefore, come from the production, service, or financial areas, because these areas are the most important to a company. Possibly, in Internet-dependent firms, the best choice would be an IT manager — but only if he or she had extraordinary business skills apart from technical ability.

c.       It is unwise to restrict prospects for top-level management positions to one specific area of the company. Competent leaders are apt to rise from many different departments.

d.      People who have worked in several different functional areas are better rounded than those restricted to just one area. So, unless the IT manager has worked outside the IT department, he or she essentially is a specialist and is at a disadvantage compared to someone with more general knowledge and skills.

6-The head of the IT group in a company often is called the chief information officer (CIO) or chief technology officer (CTO). Should the CIO or CTO report to the company president, to the finance department, where many of the information systems are used, or to someone or somewhere else? Why would it matter?

Several possible advantages of having the IT director report to the chief financial officer of the company follow:

a. The operation of the IT department represents a large expense for most companies. The chief financial officer is in the best position to monitor and control this expense.

b. Financial information systems are among the first in a company to be computerized, and it is natural, therefore, to place the IT department under the chief financial officer.

c. It would be difficult for a company to make a profit if it did not have excellent control over its data and information. The chief financial officer has responsibility for all centralized monetary functions. Therefore, this same person should have responsibility for all centralized data and information processing functions

d. Too many technical details are involved with the operation of the information technology department, and having the department report to the president would beun wise. Logically the finance area is the only lower-level area of the company that hasthe breadth of responsibility necessary to manage the IT department.

Several possible disadvantages of having the IT director report to the chief financial officer of the company follow:

a. There is a danger that too much attention would be paid to the financial information systems and not enough to other information systems.

b. The IT department should report to the president of the company because information technology is as important to the company as the company's financial functions. They, therefore, deserve equal attention from the president.

c. Information technology is too complicated to assign to someone whose expertise is finance and not computer technology.

7-Computers perform many jobs that previously were performed by people. Will computer- based transactions and expanded e-commerce eventually replace person-to-person contact? From a customer’s point of view, is this better? Why or why not?

IT professionals agree that computer technology is changing the way companies do business. Many brick-and-mortar firms are launching large-scale B2B and B2C ventures that profoundly will affect traditional business practices and operations. Few observers think that IT will replace person-to-person contact totally, although many clerical and administrative functions will become automated. The real question is how these changes will affect people in an information-oriented society. Many observers feel that the implications of huge quantities of information and 24/7 access can cut in both directions. Reasonable people differ on these issues, and you might want to propose a debate among   your students. For additional background and viewpoints about the impact of computer technology on traditional person-to-person interaction, students can perform research onthe Internet and compare the views of technology-based publications such as

Info World, to mainstream business publications such as

Fortune, Forbes, and the Harvard Business Review, among others.

Broad Ques: Apply your Knowledge:

Low voltage components

You are the IT manager at Hi-Voltage Components, a medium-sized frm that makes specialized circuit boards. Hi-Voltage’s largest customer, Green Industries, recently installed a computerized purchasing system. IF Hi- Voltage connects to the purchasing system, Green Industries will be able to submit purchase orders electronically. Although Hi-Voltage has a computerized accounting system, that system is not capable oF handling EDI.

Ques:

 1. Should Low-Voltage develop a system to connect with TX Industries’ purchasing system? Why and why not?

Yes, I would develop a system to connect with TX Industries’ purchasing system. Usually it is the larger companies that push the technology implementations of smaller companies. In order to streamline the order process for TX Industries we need to get on board in implementing an accounting system that is able to connect with TX Industries’ purchasing system. If we do not develop a system we run the risk of losing TX Industries to a competitor who will be able to mesh up their system with TX Industries system.

 2. What term or concepts describe the proposed computer-to-computer relationship between Hi-Voltage and Green Industries? The computer-to-computer relationship between Hi-Voltage and Green Industries is an exchange of information between the both of them which is referred to as a Business-to-Business (B2B). B2B technologies such as Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), help businesses integrate their supply chains to gain e±ciency.

3. Would Hi-Voltage`s proposed new system be a transaction processing system? Why or why not? Hi- Voltage`s proposed system would be a Transactions Processing system (TPS)because it would handle daily, or routine, transaction of the ²rm, such as sales and billing of customers. Transactions processing System record routine transactions that must place for the ²rm to remain in business.

4. BeFore Hi-Voltage makes a fnal decision, should the company consider an ERP system? Why or why not? They should consider and Enterprise resource planning(ERP) system that supports company-Wide Processes, such as accounting, Production and customer relationship management. Integration of these processes will help mangers make better decisions.

System Analyst Salaries:

1. Find information about a career as a information systems analysts.

 Job Description – Computer Systems Analyst:

A computer systems analyst helps a company or other organization use computer technology effectively and efficiently. He or she incorporates new technology into a company’s current system.

Employment Facts – Computer Systems Analyst:

There were 532,000 computer systems analysts employed in 2008.

Educational Requirements – Computer Systems Analyst:

A bachelor’s degree is required for many jobs, while more technically complex jobs require a master’s degree.

Other Requirements – Computer Systems Analyst:

To work as a computer systems analyst one must have strong problem-solving, analytical, interpersonal and communication skills. He or she must be able to think logically and have the ability to concentrate and pay attention to detail.

Advancement Opportunities – Computer Systems Analyst:

A computer systems analyst, after getting experience, may be promoted to senior or lead systems analyst. If one has leadership ability and good business skills, he or she may have a future as a computer and information systems manager or may end up in another management position.

Job Outlook – Computer Systems Analyst:

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts much faster than average job growth for this field through 2018. It is one of the Top 10 Fastest Growing Jobs for which a bachelor’s degree is required.

Earnings – Computer Systems Analyst:

Median annual earnings of computer systems analyst were $77,080 in 2009.

2. Using internet, determine whether the federal Bureau Labor Statistics list salary information for system analysts. If so summarize the information you find.

Quick Facts: Computer Systems Analysts
2010 Median Pay	$77,740 per year $37.38 per hour
Entry-Level Education	Bachelor’s degree
Work Experience in a Related Occupation	None
On-the-job Training	None
Number of Jobs, 2010	544,400
Job Outlook, 2010-20	22% (Faster than average)
Employment Change, 2010-20	120,400

3. Find at least two online ads for system analysts and list the employers, the qualification and the salaries, if mentioned.

Project Budget (USD)

$30 – $250

Project Description:
Need a Software Developer to develop a GAME software for a online game.

Skills required:
Engineering, Software Architecture

Project posted by:

Aswahidi

Online advertising

Project Budget (NZD)

$250 – $750

Project Description:
I am wanting to develop some banner ads (in various sizers) that I can then utilise for google adwords “re-marketing”
The requirements for the banners etc…

Skills required:
Banner Design, Graphic Design

 4. Find at least one ad for it position that specially mentions e-commerce.

Cs Cart customizations Cart customization

Project Budget (EUR)

€12 – €18 / hr

Project Description:
We want to build our webshop on cs cart, the skin needs to be customized and some add ons should be implanted.

Hours of work: 10 hours / week                

Project Duration: < 1 week Skills required:
ecommerce, HTML, Shopping Carts, Website Design

 

 

 

Case Study: New Century Health Clinic:

1. An organization chart of the office.

Identify at least three business processes that New Century performs, and explain who is responsible for the specific tasks.

          A business processes is a collection of related, structured activities or tasks that produce a specific service or product

          Basically, New Century performs its business processes mainly with the management of Anita Davenport. She manages Fried Brown who handles office payroll, tax reporting, and profit distribution among the associates. She makes sure that Susan Gifford, performs her job of maintaining the patient records for future references, as well as, Tom Capaletti, handling most of the paperwork  concerning to insurance reporting and accounting for New Century. Also, she has to make sure that the reminder calls to patients and daily appointment list are prepared by Lisa Sung. Finally, as a manager, she has to keep track of supply chain and motivate Carla Herrera performs this job efficiently for her four doctors, three registered nurses and four physical therapist so that, they won’t have any problem in performing their practices.

          Hence, New Century Health Clinic has five business processes if we look at it from its management’s perspective.

Explain how New Century might use a transaction processing system, a business support system, and user productivity system. For each type of system, provide a specific example, and explain how the system would benefit the clinic.

          Since, we need to develop a system for New Century for its operation and future growth we have option of choosing one of the following information systems:-

a.      Transaction Processing System

Transaction processing systems process data generated by day-to-day business operation. It is a good system which protects the integrity of data in our organization and therefore if single element of a transaction fails, the system doesn’t process the rest of the transaction. (System Analysis and Design [Eighth Edition], Page 12).
          A simple example of such kind of system would be company who sells products and services online. E-bay, where a buyer bids for the item they want to purchase must bid higher than other buyers who are also bidding for the same item. Also, the system would not confirm its sale unless the buyer confirms the payment by check, credit card or PayPal.
          One of the many ways transaction processing system would help New Century Health Clinic would be to set up an appointment or take the patients for the checkups after confirming that the doctors are free and the clinic supplies are enough to perform the checkups of the individual patients.

b. Business Support System

Business Support System provides job-related information support to users at all levels of a company. They help replace manual tasks as payroll processing (System Analysis and Design [Eighth Edition], Page 13). We need to collect all the information from every process and enter them in to our system to get valuable information about our business which helps make decisions for our company’s growth.
          We can have all the available information of 3,500 patients and their history of transactions with our business to analyze and make important decisions and increase the sales in future. Susan Gifford could perform her job more efficiently with recording patient’s information in the system which could be used efficiently by the manager for efficient decision making in future. Lisa Sung would be equally benefited by this system to make appointments lists daily and to make reminder calls to the patients. Hence, the system would benefit New Century Health Clinic in being efficient in the daily tasks that they have to perform and also would help better decision making for future growth of the business.
          One of the best examples of business support system is RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) chips that Wal-Mart and other large businesses are using to keep tract of the inventories in and out and set up a decision making system for the profit/loss, sales growth, most frequently used inventory by customers and other decisions that a system would make it for us and we can make decision based on the system’s results.

c.       User Productivity System

User Productivity Systems include all the levels of technology that improves productivity which include e-mail, voicemail, video conferencing, database management, desktop publishing, high speed internet, and company intranets (System Analysis and Design [Eighth Edition], Page 14).
          If the clinic would expand its business in future and would have different branches, company intranet would be nearly mandatory for effective data processing and would be very helpful. The processes and system could be shared by all other branches which would decrease the cost of investment for the clinic to expand. Also, the patient information could be retrieved from any other locations of the clinic. They could have a facility of having their checkups in any of the branches of the clinic. The database and video conferencing would help managers and the doctors make decisions on the processes and operation of the clinic respectively. All the user productivity systems are very important. These days, these productivity systems are becoming mandatory for any forms of business as everything we process and perform is going digital.
          Most of the organizations that have branches at different locations, uses company intranet to use the corporate data to perform their jobs are the best examples of User Productivity System. One of the specific examples would be UN (United Nations) that uses the internet to access corporate data from every branch in the world to perform its operations.

During the systems development processes, should New Century consider any of the following: B2B, vertical and horizontal system packages, or Internet-based solutions? Explain your answers.

System development processes includes the following steps:-

a. System Planning

b. System Analysis

c. System Design

d. System Implementation

e. System Support and Security

New Century should consider mostly the Internet-based solutions among B2B and vertical and horizontal system packages. The reason behind selecting internet-based solutions in the system development processes is that most of, the users, who are one of the important key components of information systems are accessible to internet and they demand the services as appointment setting and paying bills online. They would want to have their medical history online and it is convenient for them to remember when their next visit is due if they get alert in emails or from the website of the company. They can check out the updates of the company and available time frame they can visit the clinic. Also, many prospective patients would be exposed to the company promotions online and the company could substantially increase the growth in the market by taking many new patients. Therefore, if I were an IT consultant for New Century Health Clinic then I would most definitely consider internet-based solutions in the system development processes.

Chapter-2

8-What is a business case? How does a business case affect an IT project?

Business case refers to the reasons, or justification, for a proposal. A business case should be comprehensive, yet easy to understand. It should describe the project clearly, provide the justification to proceed, and estimate the project's financial impact. A business case should answer questions such as the following:

Why are we doing this project?

What is the project about?

How does this solution address key business issues?

9-What is a SWOT analysis? And why is it important?

Strategic planning starts with a management review called a SWOT analysis. The letters stand for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. A SWOT analysis usually starts with a broad overview. The first step is for top management to respond to questions like these:

What are our strengths, and how can we use them to achieve our business goals?

What are our weaknesses, and how can we reduce or eliminate them?

What are our opportunities, and how do we plan to take advantage of them?

What are our threats, and how can we assess, manage, and respond to the possible risks?

A SWOT analysis is a solid foundation for the strategic planning process, because it examines a firm's technical, human, and financial resources. As the SWOT process continues, management reviews specific resources and business operations.

10: What are some internal and external factors that affect systems projects?

Internal Factors:

Strategic plans

Top managers

User requests

Information Technology department

Existing Systems and data

External Factors:

Technology

Suppliers

Customers

Competitors

The economy

The Government

11: What is feasibility? List and briefly discuss four feasibility tests.

A systems request must pass several tests, called a feasibility study, to see whether it is worthwhile to proceed further. A feasibility study uses four main yardsticks to measure a proposal:

Operational Feasibility: Operational feasibility means that a proposed system will be used effectively after it has been developed. If users have difficulty with a new system, it will not produce the expected benefits. Operational feasibility depends on several vital issues. For example, consider the following questions:

Does management support the project? Do users support the project? Is the current system well liked and effectively used? Do users see the need for change?

Will the new system result in a workforce reduction? If so, what will happen to affected employees?

Will the new system require training for users? If so, is the company prepared to provide the necessary resources for training current employees?

Will users be involved in planning the new system right from the start?

Will the new system place any new demands on users or require any operating changes? For example, will any information be less accessible or produced less frequently? Will performance decline in any way? If so, will an overall gain to the organization outweigh individual losses?

Will customers experience adverse effects in any way, either temporarily or permanently?

Will any risk to the company's image or goodwill result?

Does the development schedule conflict with other company priorities?

Do legal or ethical issues need to be considered?

Technical feasibility: Technical feasibility refers to the technical resources needed to develop, purchase, install, or operate the system. When assessing technical feasibility, an analyst must consider the following points:

Does the company have the necessary hardware, software, and network resources? If not, can those resources be acquired without difficulty?

Does the company have the needed technical expertise? If not, can it be acquired?

Does the proposed platform have sufficient capacity for future needs? If not, can it be expanded?

Will a prototype be required?

Will the hardware and software environment be reliable? Will it integrate with other company information systems, both now and in the future? Will it interface properly with external systems operated by customers and suppliers?

Will the combination of hardware and software supply adequate performance? Do clear expectations and performance specifications exist?

Will the system be able to handle future transaction volume and company growth?

Economic Feasibility: Economic feasibility means that the projected benefits of the proposed system outweigh the estimated costs usually considered the total cost of ownership (TCO) , which includes ongoing support and maintenance costs, as well as acquisition costs. To determine TCO, the analyst must estimate costs in each of the following areas:

People, including IT staff and users

Hardware and equipment

Software, including in-house development as well as purchases from vendors

Formal and informal training

Licenses and fees

Consulting expenses

Facility costs

The estimated cost of not developing the system or postponing the project

Schedule Feasibility: Schedule feasibility means that a project can be implemented in an acceptable time frame. When assessing schedule feasibility, a systems analyst must consider the interaction between time and costs. For example, speeding up a project schedule might make a project feasible, but much more expensive.

Other issues that relate to schedule feasibility include the following:

Can the company or the IT team control the factors that affect schedule feasibility?

Has management established a firm timetable for the project?

What conditions must be satisfied during the development of the system?

Will an accelerated schedule pose any risks? If so, are the risks acceptable?

Will project management techniques be available to coordinate and control the project?

Will a project manager be appointed?

12: What are the steps in a preliminary investigation?

The six steps of a preliminary investigation are:

STEP 1 - Understand the problem or opportunity.

STEP 2 - Define the project scope and constraints

STEP 3 - Perform fact-finding

STEP 4 - Analyse project usability, cost, benefit and schedule data

STEP 5 - Evaluate feasibility

STEP 6 - Present results and recommendations to management.

13: What is project scope? What is constraint? In what three ways are constraints classified?

Project scope: Refers to defining the specific boundaries, or extent, of the project.

Constraint: A constraint(s) is a requirement or condition that the system must satisfy or an outcome that the system must achieve. Constraints are classified as:

Present VS Future: Is the constraint something that must be met as soon as the system is developed or modified, or is the constraint necessary at some future time?

Internal VS External: Is the constraint due to a requirement within the organization or does some external force, such as government regulation, impose it?

Mandatory VS Desirable: Is the constraint mandatory? Is it absolutely essential to meet the constraint, or is it merely desirable?

14-

Apply Your knowledge: 1

15. The vice president of accounting says to you, the IT director, “This systems development life cycle stuff takes too long.” She tells you that her people know what they are doing and that all systems requests coming from her department are necessary and important to the organization. She suggests that the IT department bypass the initial steps for any accounting department request and immediately get to work at the solution. What would you say to her?

The Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a conceptual model that describes the stages involved in a system development project starting from Identifying problems, opportunities and objectives through maintenance of the application. There are several models developed to guide the process involved. Documentation is crucial regardless of the type of model chosen for any application and is usually done in parallel with the development process. Success of a project depends on how closely the plan was followed and implemented throughout the project development. During the initial phases, systems analyst is concerned with correctly identifying the problems, opportunities and objectives. The success of the rest of the project depends on this because if the problem is not identified correctly at the initial stages or skip this stage then the rest of the team would be addressing the wrong problem. The cost of fixing a defect in the early stages of the project is very less when compared to fixing a defect at later stages of the project development because it would cost a lot to fix the defect when project is in production

stage. Below is a simple graph of cost and time graph that can explain the cost of change as we progress in the project.

 

Case study: New Century Health Clinic (Chapter 2)

Dr. Jones has arranged an introductory meeting between the associates of New Century Health Clinic and you to determine if mutual interests exists in pursuing the project. What should the associates try to learn about you? What should you try to learn about in this meeting?

Since, the computerized system would reduce the paperwork as well as the load of work done by all the associates of New Century Health Clinic; there exists a strong business case in pursuing the project. The associates are the one who would be actually using the system that I would be developing, hence, they should look in to the system that I propose and the way I communicate with people. They should make sure that I can communicate with them very well and they understand what I say. They should be able to provide me with every tiny detail of the processes in the business so that I could make an efficient system for them which would make their work easier.
          In this meeting, I would try to learn all about the business. The mission, objectives and vision of the businesses are very important for me to feel them so that I could design the system that would match those needs. I should talk to each associate and their tasks in details so that I can convert them in to computerized system. Since, none of the member of the staff has computer experience; I should avoid using jargons while I talk to them or while I teach them to use the applications. I should also consider the budget provided by the company and the rough feasibility study. I should figure out if the system could be built within the budget separated by the company. I have to think about the risks involved in re-engineering the system. I should also consider the future growth of the company and my system being capable of supporting the possible changes in the business processes.

Basically, we need to have a very good, two way communication and the support of management in every aspect.

1.     Does the proposed system present a strong business case? Why or why not?

In my opinion, the proposed system presents a very strong business case and they should re-engineer their system completely in to a digital system which would increase their profit, market share, decision making capabilities, faster services and efficiency.

          Since, the clinic is busier than ever and more profitable than ever the current manual system would be inefficient to handle the growing business. If the clinic would use the digital system to perform its business processes then the efficiency would increase and more application softwares could come handy for the manager and decision makers to see the graphical representation of current business and make decisions based on the digital information. They could use marketing tools to promote the business and so many things which would be next to impossible if they would continue with the same manual system.

3.      For each type of feasibility, prepare at least two questions that will help you reach a feasibility determination.

Operational Feasibility:

1. Will the new digital system would ease the current and future work overload, due to company’s increasing market share?

 2. Will the new digital system be user friendly as none of the member of the staff has computer experience?

Technical Feasibility

1. Will the company have the necessary hardware, software, and network resources which supports the system that I’m going to built for the business? If not, can those resources be acquired within the budget the company is setting to separate for the re-engineering?

          2. Will the system be able to handle future transaction volume and company growth?

Economic Feasibility:

1. Does the projected benefits of the proposed system outweigh the estimated costs usually considered the total cost of ownership (TCO)?

          2. Does the budget provided by the company to build the new system to make profit in long run be supported by the tangible and intangible benefits the system would provide to the company?
Schedule Feasibility:

1. Can the project be completed within the timeframe the company wants us to finish? If not, are they willing to increase the budget to finish it on that particular time frame?
          2. Will the project management techniques be available to coordinate and control the project?
You begin the preliminary investigation. What information is needed? From whom will you obtain it? What techniques will you use in your fact-finding?

I would need the information as current business process, problems, opportunities, project scope and constraints, project benefits, and estimated development time and costs. I would obtain this information from the manager of the clinic and the staff working for her.
          To gather data about project usability, costs, benefits, and schedules different techniques are used. I would prefer to analyze the organizational chart and conduct a user survey to perform fact-finding for the clinic. I would get the understanding of the business processes of the clinic and I could decide whom do I inquire to collect the data that I need for the development the new system for the clinic.

Chapter 3

18-What is project management, and what are its main objectives?

Project management is the process of defining, planning, organizing, leading, and controlling the development of an information system. Project management is important throughout the entire SDLC but is especially vital during systems implementation, which usually is the longest and most costly phase. The overall goal of project management is to deliver an information system that is acceptable to users and is developed on time and within budget. The project cannot be considered successful unless it meets all criteria for acceptability, deadlines, and budgets.

19-What is the relationship between tasks and events, or milestones?

 A task is any work that has a beginning and an end and requires the use of company resources such as people, time, or money. An event, or milestone, is a recognizable reference point in a project that you can use to monitor progress. We can schedule events either between tasks or during tasks to help us monitor the progress of the overall project.

20. What are task patterns, and how can you recognize them?

Ans:

See page 110-112

21 Define the following terms: best-case estimate, probable-case estimate, and worst-case estimate, and describe how a project manager can use these concepts to estimate task duration.

PERT/CPM techniques use a weighted formula for estimating the duration of each activity. The project manager first makes three time estimates for each activity: an optimistic, or best-case, estimate (B); a probable-case estimate (P); and a pessimistic, or worst-case, estimate (W). The manager then assigns an importance value to each estimate and calculates a weighted average.

The weight can vary, but a common approach is to use a ratio of B=1, P=4, and W=1. The expected activity duration then is calculated as:

B + 4P + W

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6

22-What is a critical path, and why it important to project managers?

A critical path is a series of tasks which, if delayed, would affect the final completion date of the overall project. In other words, tasks on the critical path have no slack time. Slack time is the amount of time that the task could be late without pushing back the completion date of the entire project.

23. What is risk management, and why is it important?

Risk management is a process for identifying, assessing, and prioritizing risks of different kinds. Once the risks are identified, the risk manager will create a plan to minimize or eliminate the impact of negative events. A variety of strategies is available, depending on the type of risk and the type of business. There are a number of risk management standards, including those developed by the Project Management Institute, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), the National Institute of Science and Technology, and actuarial societies.

Effective risk management strategies allow you to identify your project’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. By planning for unexpected events, you can be ready to respond if they arise. To ensure your project’s success, define how you will handle potential risks so you can identify, mitigate or avoid problems when you need to do. Successful project managers recognize that risk management is important, because achieving a project’s goals depends on planning, preparation, results and evaluation that contribute to achieving strategic goals.

24-In Poor Richard’s Almanac, Benjamin Franklin penned the familiar lines: “For the want of a nail the shoe was lost, for the want of a shoe the horse was lost, for the want of a horse the rider was lost, for the want of a rider the battle was lost, for the want of a battle the kingdom was lost — and all for the want of a horseshoe nail.” Looking at the outcome in hindsight, could project management concepts have avoided the loss of the kingdom?

As we consider this quote written by Benjamin Franklin we look at the nail and how although it may not seem innocuous and small but it had catastrophic impact in the end. Using project management tools such as the Work Breakdown structure and project monitoring leaders could have identified the problem early on an remedied the missing nail in horse shoe thus preventing the events that lead to the loss of the kingdom.

25. Microsoft Project is powerful, but quite expensive. As a manager, how would you justify the purchase of this software? –

As a manager I would look at cost associated with waste of time, budget due to failed projects or defects in a process, waste of materials and how using a project management application would cut waste and provide a cost savings that would allow additional funding of needed projects