Deck 13: Acquiring Information Systems and Applications

Question 1

The SDLC encourages changes to user requirements once they have been established.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Systems analysis describes how a system will solve the business problem, and systems design describes what the system must do to accomplish the task.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Adding functions after a project has been initiated is called scope creep.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Avon implemented a(n)ERP system using phased conversion.

Question 5

The SDLC is relatively inflexible.

Question 6

Technical feasibility determines if the project is an acceptable financial risk and if the organization can afford the expense and time needed to complete the project.

Question 7

Insourcing application development is usually less time consuming and less expensive than buying or leasing.

Question 8

The buy option is particularly attractive if the software vendor allows the company to modify the package to meet its needs.

Question 9

Software rental is a method of delivering software in which a vendor hosts the applications and customers use them over a network, typically the Internet.

Question 10

IT architecture focuses only on the technical aspects of information resources.

Question 11

Systems maintenance includes debugging and updating a system.

Question 12

The earlier in the development process that errors are detected, the less expensive they are to correct.

Question 13

The IS operational plan is a set of projects that will be executed by the IS department and by functional area managers.

Question 14

Pilot conversion is the process in which the new system is introduced in one part of the organization.

Question 15

The application portfolio in an organization is a set of recommended applications resulting from the planning and justification process in application development.

Question 16

The return on investment (ROI)method of cost-benefit analysis measures the effectiveness of management in generating profits with its available assets.

Question 17

Open-source applications are basically the same as a proprietary application except for licensing, payment, and support.

Question 18

The IT infrastructure delineates the way an organization's information resources should be used to accomplish its mission.

Question 19

In a direct conversion, the new system is turned on, and the old system is turned off at a later time.

Question 20

Costs are harder to quantify than benefits.

Question 21

ICASE provides the link between upper CASE and lower CASE tools.

Question 22

Which of the following is not a part of the typical IS operational plan?

A)The mission of the IS function
B)The organizational mission
C)The IT architecture
D)The application portfolio
E)The IS function's estimate of its goals

Question 23

Prototyping and RAD are the same.

Question 24

Open-source software needs to be licensed, paid for, and supported just like proprietary software.

Question 25

Object-oriented development focuses on properties and operations.

Question 26

Maintenance ends when the new system is implemented and has run long enough for a systems audit.

Question 27

The IT architecture is an absolute constraint on future development efforts.

Question 28

Outsourcing is the use of outside contractors or external organizations to acquire IT services.

Question 29

The information systems planning process proceeds in which order?

A)Organization mission - organization strategic plan - IS strategic plan - new IT architecture
B)Organization mission - IS strategic plan - organization strategic plan - IS operational plan
C)Organization strategic plan - organization mission - IS strategic plan - new IT architecture
D)IT architecture - IS strategic plan - organization strategic plan - organization mission
E)IS development projects - IS operational plan - new IT architecture - organization mission

Question 30

Prototyping allows the users to clarify their information requirements as they use the prototype.

Question 31

Joint application design is used to collect user requirements.

Question 32

System development is easy if done properly.

Question 33

The most difficult task in evaluating a vendor and a software package is to determine the vendor's financial health and "staying power."

Question 34

A service-level agreement (SLA)outlines how work is divided between the company and its vendors.

Question 35

Many online tools, such as Appsme (www.appsme.com), AppMakr (www.appmakr.com), and Appsbar (www.appsbar.com), provide templates for users to add text, images, and other features to build simple apps.

Question 36

With agile development, a company develops only what it needs right now to be successful.

Question 37

A request for proposal (RFP)is sent to potential customers.

Question 38

You should always specify exactly what you are paying for when you are negotiating a contract with a vendor.

Question 39

NextGen uses global positioning system (GPS)technologies to shorten routes, save time and fuel, reduce traffic delays, increase the number of planes in the air traffic system, and permit controllers to monitor and manage aircraft with greater safety.

Question 40

A key principle of the scrum approach for agile development is that users cannot change their minds during a project.

Question 41

A company's IT architecture includes all of the following except:

A)Hardware and software
B)Networks
C)Database management systems
D)The members of the IT staff
E)How IT decisions will be made

Question 42

Which of the following statements about determining the costs and benefits of IT investments is false?

A)Some costs are fixed.
B)Costs do not end when the system is installed.
C)Many IT projects end up being over budget.
D)Benefits are hard to quantify because implementing new technology could be used for multiple purposes.
E)Benefits are hard to quantify because they are tangible.

Question 43

Place the stages of the systems development life cycle in order:

A)Investigation - analysis - design - programming/testing - implementation - operation/maintenance
B)Investigation - design - analysis - programming/testing - implementation - operation/maintenance
C)Analysis - design - investigation - operation/maintenance - programming/testing - implementation
D)Investigation - analysis - design - programming/testing - operation/maintenance - implementation
E)Investigation - implementation - analysis - programming/testing - design - operation/maintenance

Question 44

In the traditional systems development life cycle, users:

A)Are important and ongoing members of the development team throughout the life of the project.
B)Are important only in the testing phases of the project.
C)Have no input.
D)Are important only in the maintenance phase of the project.
E)Provide information requirements.

Question 45

Which of the following systems acquisition methods is time consuming, costly, and may produce excessive documentation?

A)Systems development life cycle
B)Prototyping
C)End-user development
D)External acquisition
E)Object-oriented development

Question 46

Which of the following systems acquisition methods can result in a company's acquiring software that is controlled by another company, may be difficult to enhance or modify, and may not support the desired business processes?

A)Systems development life cycle
B)Prototyping
C)End-user development
D)Buy option
E)Component-based development

Question 47

Which of the following is not a part of systems analysis?

A)Defining the business problem
B)Identifying the causes of, and solutions to, the business problem
C)Identifying the information requirements that the solution must satisfy
D)Identifying the technical specifications of the solution
E)Gathering information about the existing system

Question 48

_____ feasibility determines if the project is an acceptable financial risk and if the organization can afford the expense and time needed to complete the project.

A)Technical
B)Economic
C)Organizational
D)Behavioral
E)Time

Question 49

Which of the following are disadvantages of the buy option for acquiring IS applications?

A)The software may not exactly meet the company's needs.
B)The software may be impossible to modify.
C)The company will not have control over software improvements.
D)The software may not integrate with existing systems.
E)All of these

Question 50

_____ feasibility concerns a project's financial risk.

A)Technical
B)Economic
C)Organizational
D)Behavioral
E)Time

Question 51

Which of the following is not an advantage of the buy option for acquiring IS applications?

A)Few types of off-the-shelf software are available, thus limiting confusion.
B)The software can be tried out.
C)The buy option saves time.
D)The company will know what it is getting.
E)All of these

Question 52

Which of the following systems acquisition methods requires staff to systematically go through every step in the development process and has a lower probability of missing important user requirements?

A)Systems development life cycle
B)Prototyping
C)End-user development
D)External acquisition
E)Object-oriented development

Question 53

The deliverable of the systems design stage is:

A)User requirements.
B)Technical system specifications.
C)The prototype.
D)The source code.
E)A working application.

Question 54

The _____ that changes are made in the systems development life cycle, the _____ expensive these changes become.

A)Sooner, less
B)Later, less
C)More frequently, more
D)More extensively, more
E)Sooner, more

Question 55

_____ is a method of delivering software in which a vendor hosts the applications and customers access these applications over the Internet.

A)Software-as-a-Service
B)Prototyping
C)Leasing the application
D)Service-oriented architecture
E)The buy option

Question 56

Which of the following statements is false?

A)Companies that use Software-as-a-Service are running applications on the vendor's hardware.
B)Application service providers are similar to Software-as-a-Service providers.
C)Companies that purchase open-source software cannot modify it.
D)Outsourcing refers to acquiring IT applications from outside contractors.
E)Insourcing refers to building IT applications in-house.

Question 57

Which of the following systems acquisition methods saves the company's time, enables the company to select software that has been used for similar problems in other organizations, and allows the company to try out the software?

A)Systems development life cycle
B)Prototyping
C)End-user development
D)Buy option
E)Object-oriented development

Question 58

A company's IT application portfolio is

A)A list of existing application the company owns.
B)A list of applications that need to be updated.
C)A list of applications that need to be removed.
D)A list of applications that need to be replaced.
E)A list of application to be added or modified.

Question 59

Evaluating the benefits of IT projects is more complex than evaluating their costs for all of the following reasons except:

A)Benefits are harder than costs to quantify.
B)Benefits tend to be more tangible than costs.
C)IT can be used for several different purposes.
D)The probability of obtaining a return from an IT investment is based on the probability of implementation success.
E)The proposed system may be "cutting edge."

Question 60

_____ feasibility addresses the human issues of an information systems project.

A)Technical
B)Economic
C)Organizational
D)Behavioral
E)Time

Question 61

A _____ is sent to potential vendors inviting them to describe their product and how it would meet the firm's needs.

A)Prototype
B)Request for proposal
C)Technical specification
D)Request for bid
E)Request for requirements

Question 62

Which of the following is the most difficult and crucial task in evaluating a vendor and a software package?

A)Identifying potential vendors
B)Determining the evaluation criteria
C)Evaluating vendors and packages
D)Choosing the vendor and package
E)Negotiating a contract

Question 63

Which of the following systems acquisition methods may eventually require maintenance assistance from the IT department, can produce inadequate documentation, and might result in a company's acquiring a system with inadequate interfaces to existing systems?

A)Systems development life cycle
B)Prototyping
C)End-user development
D)External acquisition
E)Component-based development

Question 64

Which of the following statements about scope creep is true?

A)Scope creep is relatively cheap, regardless of when it occurs in a project.
B)Because scope creep is relatively cheap, successful project managers allow it.
C)Because scope creep is expensive, successful project managers will not allow it.
D)Because scope creep is expensive, successful project managers limit it.
E)Scope creep means that user requirements are being successfully taken care of.

Question 65

Which of the following systems acquisition methods may encourage inadequate problem analysis, is not practical with large numbers of users, and may result in a company's purchasing a lower-quality system?

A)Systems development life cycle
B)Prototyping
C)End-user development
D)External acquisition
E)Component-based development

Question 66

A firm shuts down its old COBOL legacy system and immediately starts up its new PeopleSoft ERP system. This process is called __________ conversion.

A)Phased
B)Direct
C)Parallel
D)Pilot
E)Timely

Question 67

In the _____ stage of the systems development life cycle, the design specifications are translated into computer code.

A)Systems analysis
B)Programming
C)Systems design
D)Prototyping
E)Feasibility study

Question 68

_____ is a software development methodology that delivers functionality in rapid iterations, usually measured in weeks.

A)Agile development
B)Prototyping
C)The systems development life cycle
D)Joint application development
E)Component-based development

Question 69

Systems design answers the question, _____:

A)How will the information system resolve the business problem?
B)How much will the information system cost?
C)What is the problem the information system must address?
D)Who will benefit from use of the information system being developed?
E)What is the effective operational life of the system?

Question 70

Which of the following systems acquisition methods helps clarify user requirements, promotes genuine user participation, and may produce part of the final system?

A)Systems development life cycle
B)Prototyping
C)End-user development
D)External acquisition
E)Component-based development

Question 71

When systems are created rapidly, without a formal development methodology:

A)End users can take over the work of MIS analysts.
B)The organization quickly outgrows the new system.
C)Hardware, software, and quality standards are less important.
D)Testing and documentation may be inadequate.
E)The organization saves money.

Question 72

Agile development

A)Takes a long time.
B)Requires little user input.
C)Delivers functionality in rapid interactions.
D)Focuses on all required functionality at each step of the way.
E)Uses the scrum approach to design the system.

Question 73

Which of the following is not an advantage of the joint application design approach to systems development?

A)It involves fewer users in the development process.
B)It saves time.
C)It results in greater user acceptance of the new system.
D)It can produce a higher-quality system.
E)It provides for greater user participation in the definition of the requirements.

Question 74

As an MIS analyst, you have decided to use a prototyping methodology for a small, Web-based design project. What is the order of steps that you will follow in the project?

A)Develop the prototype; use the prototype; revise and enhance the prototype.
B)Identify user requirements; develop the prototype; use the prototype; revise and enhance the prototype.
C)Develop the prototype; identify user requirements; use the prototype; revise and enhance the prototype.
D)Identify user requirements; develop solutions; select the best prototype; implement the prototype.
E)Identify user requirements; develop the prototype; revise and enhance the prototype.

Question 75

As systems age, maintenance costs _____.

A)Decrease
B)Increase
C)Remain the same
D)Are negligible
E)Are not considered

Question 76

Object-oriented development

A)Is similar to traditional development approaches.
B)Focuses on the original task to be handled.
C)Focuses on the processes that must be modeled to perform that task.
D)Focuses on data.
E)Identifies the subjects of the new system.

Question 77

________ conversion is the riskiest type of conversion process.

A)Parallel
B)Direct
C)Pilot
D)Phased
E)They all have equal risk.

Question 78

A firm implements a new information system in one of its plants, assesses the new system's performance, and then implements the new system in its other plants. This is an example of __________ conversion.

A)Phased
B)Direct
C)Parallel
D)Pilot
E)Timely

Question 79

When users ask for added functionality during a systems development project, this is called:

A)User-defined software.
B)Scope creep.
C)Bloatware.
D)An out-of-control project.
E)A runaway project.

Question 80

The _____ approach to systems development is a group-based tool for collecting user requirements.

A)Integrated computer-assisted software engineering
B)Joint application design
C)Rapid application development
D)Prototyping
E)Systems development life cycle