Deck 12: Business Intelligence

Question 1

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

Answer 1

True

Question 2

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

Answer 2

True

Question 3

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

Answer 3

True

Question 4

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

Question 5

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 6

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

Question 7

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

Question 8

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 9

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

Question 10

The SDLC is relatively inflexible.

Question 11

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

Question 12

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

Question 13

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

Question 14

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

Question 15

Systems maintenance includes debugging and updating a system.

Question 16

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

Question 17

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

Question 18

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

Question 19

Costs are harder to quantify than benefits.

Question 20

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

Question 21

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

Question 22

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

Question 23

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 24

Object-oriented development focuses on properties and operations.

Question 25

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 26

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 27

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 28

Refer IT's About Business 13.4 - Atlassian Helps Manage Large Software Projects: Making too much information about the projects available to the software developers will confuse them and slow down the development time.

Question 29

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 30

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 the above

Question 31

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

Question 32

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 33

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 34

Joint application design is used to collect user requirements.

Question 35

_____ 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 36

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 37

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 38

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 39

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 the above

Question 40

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 41

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 42

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 43

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 44

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 45

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 46

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 47

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 48

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 49

_____ 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 50

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 51

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

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

Question 52

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 53

________ conversion is the riskiest type of conversion process.

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

Question 54

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 55

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 56

_____ feasibility concerns a firm's policies and politics, power structures, and business relationships.

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

Question 57

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 58

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 59

As systems age, maintenance costs _____.

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

Question 60

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 61

Compare and contrast the various strategies for acquiring IT applications.
Section reference 1: Strategies for acquiring IT Applications

Question 62

_____ 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 63

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 64

Compare and contrast rapid application development and joint application design.
Section reference 1: Alternative Methods and Tools for Systems Development

Question 65

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

Question 66

Contrast agile development and the SDLC.
Section reference 1: Alternative Methods and Tools for Systems Development

Question 67

Refer IT's About Business 13.3 - General Motors Insources Its Information Technology Function: Based on reading the case, GM's decision to switch from outsourcing to in-house development was motivated by which of the following factors?

A) Outsourcing is more expensive than in-sourcing
B) They wanted to retrain existing employees to develop software
C) They wanted shorted lead times
D) They did not want their strategy to be known by outsiders
E) Government incentives to use American developers

Question 68

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 69

Contrast the tangible and intangible benefits of a proposed information system.
Section reference 1: Planning for and Justifying IT Applications

Question 70

Describe the feasibility study of the SDLC, and discuss why this study is so important.
Section reference 1: The Traditional Systems Development Life Cycle

Question 71

Refer to Closing Case - Putting It All Together: Which of the following statements is not true about Chubb Insurance's strategy

A) Considerable effort was made to explain the advantages of the unified architecture to employees
B) The unified architecture reduced costs
C) The unified architecture is flexible and allows employees to use technologies of their choice
D) The unified architecture enables Chubb to make faster decisions
E) The unified architecture enables Chubb to reduce time to market

Question 72

Refer to Opening Case - Tweak or Trash: Which of the following statements concerning Accentures approach to rework their IT needs is not true?

A) Upgrading systems does not require the elimination of all existing systems
B) The most efficient option is to develop the new systems in-house
C) The initial costs of upgrading organization wide systems can be very high
D) Upgrading a large organization's IT systems can take years
E) Continuous minor upgrades (or tweaking) to existing systems will ultimately hinder progress

Question 73

Differentiate between the IT strategic plan and the IS operational plan.
Section reference 1: Planning for and Justifying IT Applications

Question 74

Refer to IT's About Business 13.2 - A Disastrous Development Project: Marin County hired Deloitte Consulting to work with them on the implementation of the new SAP system. This arrangement is called ____________.

A) Insourcing
B) Outsourcing
C) Offshoring
D) Hiring part-time employees
E) SaaS

Question 75

Why is it so hard to justify an information system?
Section reference 1: Planning for and Justifying IT Applications

Question 76

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 77

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 78

Contrast component-based development and the SDLC.
Section reference 1: Alternative Methods and Tools for Systems Development

Question 79

What are the outputs from each of the six steps in the SDLC?
Section reference 1: The Traditional Systems Development Life Cycle

Question 80

Refer to IT's About Business 13.1 -- Anniston Orthopaedics and Greenway Medical Technologies: Assuming that a contract can be reached and Anniston decides to install Greenway's software, which is the best implementation approach?

A) Pilot
B) Piecemeal
C) Direct
D) Parallel
E) Any one of the above will be fine.